Chapter 99
A BRIEF STUDY OF END TIMES
Part II – Remain Steadfast
Matthew 24:36-25:30
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in Jesus Christ’s holy name. Almighty God we ask You to please bless this study of Your Word. Lord, please move upon us and cause us to hear, see, and understand what You are saying to us. Lord, please do not allow us to only hear, see, and understand what You are telling us; but, move upon us to take heed and do the things You are asking us to do.
Father God for Your Holy Name’s sake we pray.
Amen
REVIEW
Since the previous study, Chapter 98, is the foundation and prelude for this study, let us refresh our memory by reviewing the signs Jesus gave for His return to earth and the end of the age. To do this we go to,
Matthew 24:21-31
[21] “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. [23] “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. [24] For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. [25] See, I have told you beforehand. [26] “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. [27] For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. [28] For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. [29] “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [30] Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [31] And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
After Jesus gave these signs He then gave the following,
PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE
To read it we go to,
Matthew 24:32-35
[32] “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. [33] So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! [34] Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. [35] Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
With the above foundation in mind, we begin our study with the following,
INTRODUCTION
To insure we understand the seriousness and importance of Jesus’ message for us to be prepared and remain steadfast in the faith, Jesus gave His disciples then and now us the following illustrations and parables.
1. Illustration of the Days of Noah.
2, Illustration of the days of Lot.
3. Illustration of the Two Servants.
4. Parable of the Ten Virgins.
5. Parable of the Vine.
5. Parable of the Talents.
It is noted that these illustrations and parables not only apply for when Jesus returns to earth; but, they also apply for the appointed time or day for our departure from this earth before Jesus’ return.
With this brief introduction we begin by reading Jesus’
ILLUSTRATION OF THE DAYS OF NOAH
Before we read Jesus’ illustration it will be helpful to first review the reason God sent the great flood. To do this let us read from,
Genesis 6:5-14
[5] Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. [7] So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” [8] But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. [9] This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. [10] And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. [11] The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. [12] So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. [13] And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. [14] Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.”
From this point on the Bible records for us: (1) the design for how Noah was to build the ark, (2) the gathering of the animals to be saved, (3) the entry into the ark, (4) the flood, (5) the receding of the water and (6) Noah and his family’s return to land.
The ark Noah was instructed to build was also a foreshadowing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In other words, as Noah and his family went into the ark to escape God’s wrath and destruction, so it is with us. However, for us, living in the New Testament times, our ark is Jesus Christ. In other words, to escape the impending wrath of God we are instructed to be in or live in Jesus Christ.
This is one reason why, after we became true born-again believers in Jesus Christ we are to be baptized. Let us recall, in baptism, by faith, we bury our old self that was crucified with Christ and rise from the water into a new life in Him. To see this let us begin by reading from,
Romans 6:3-5
[3] Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? [4] Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection …
Let us summarize this truth by reading from,
Galatians 3:27
[27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Let us now read how Jesus used the event of Noah and the great flood to further illustrate what the conditions will be like when He returns to earth. To do this we go to,
Matthew 24:36-41
[36] “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. [37] But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. [38] For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, [39] and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. [40] Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. [41] Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.”
To help us understand why we should always be ready for His coming, let us read how Jesus used the illustration concerning,
THE DAYS OF LOT
Before we read this, let us recall as it was with Noah and his family, so it was with Lot and his family. In other words, with all the immorality and corruption that was prevalent within the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were considered by God to be worthy to be saved from the impending destruction (Genesis 19:12-16). To read what happened after an angel took Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah we go to,
Luke 17:28-29
[28] Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; [29] but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
With these two illustrations in mind let us now return to Matthew and read Jesus’ warning as it is recorded in,
Matthew 24:42-44
[42] “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. [43] But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. [44] Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The question to be asked is; “How are we to be ready?” The answer to this question begins with Jesus’ third illustration, which is,
THE ILLUSTRATION OF THE TWO SERVANTS
To read this illustration we continue our reading in the Gospel according to Mathew and read from,
Matthew 24:45-51
[45] “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. [47] Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. [48] But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ [49] and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, [50] the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, [51] and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Let us notice the following verses,
45 … The servant was to give food to those who were members his master’s household. In other words, the servant was to care for and nourish his master’s household.
46-47 … The servant who obeys his master is and will be blessed.
48-49 … The evil servant said in his heart it will be a while before my master returns. So, he started to be cruel towards his fellow servants, neglected his duties and went carousing with an undesirable crowd.
50-51 … Unfortunately, for the evil servant, his master arrived unexpectedly and the result for this servant was devastating.
THE APPLICATION FOR US
To see how the above illustration may apply to us, let us first read the commandment Jesus gave His disciples then and now us. To do this we go to,
John 13:34-35
[34] “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Before we move on, let us now read the definition of the love that Jesus is talking about. To do this we go to,
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
[4] Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; [5] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; [6] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never fails. ....
As we reflect upon the above definition, one cannot help but see the similarity between what Jesus now told us to do, while is away, for His household and what the master told his servant to do for his household. However, Jesus not only wants us to care for those of His household; but also wants us to love them as He loves us. To refresh our memory let reread,
John 13:34
[34] “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
As we found in earlier studies, this type of love can only come from God the Holy Spirit living within us. To refresh our memory let us read from,
Galatians 5:22-25
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [24] And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Therefore, the Bible teaches us that to comply with our Lord Jesus’ command one must be born-again by God the Holy Spirit. To verify this let us read the following excerpt from Jesus’ conversation with a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. To do this we go to,
John 3:3-7
[3] Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” [4] Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” [5] Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Let us pay particular attention to the following verses,
3 … Unless we are born-again we cannot see the Kingdom of God.
6 … A person born of the flesh, which means born into this world through the natural and physical means by a man and a woman, is flesh. In other words, the person who is only born of the flesh is spiritually dead, which means they are not able to see, hear or understand the things of God. However, those who are born-again of the Holy Spirit are spiritually alive and can see, hear and understand the things of God. To see this we go to,
1 Corinthians 2:11-14
[11] For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. [13] These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [14] But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
With all the above, the following question arises; “What is the message we are to receive from the parable of the two servants?” Actually, there are the two points to be made.
1. If you are not a Holy Spirit filled born-again believer in Jesus Christ then, as Jesus said to Nicodemus; “You cannot see or enter into the Kingdom of God. If this is your condition, I urge you to ask Jesus to change your condition.
2. If you are a Holy Spirit filled born-again believer in Jesus Christ then, for this study, the following parable is for you and me. It is titled,
THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS
To read this parable we continue our reading from the Gospel according to Matthew and read from,
Matthew 25:1-13
[1] “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. [2] Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. [3] those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, [4] but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. [5] But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. [6] “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ [7] Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ [9] But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. [11] “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ [12] But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ [13] “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
The question may arise as to; “How do I insure I do not run out of oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit, when the bridegroom, who is symbolic of Jesus Christ, comes to the wedding for His bride?
It is noted that the bride of Jesus Christ is His church. It is composed of the saints who are the true born-again believers in Him. To see this let us read the following vision God gave to the apostle John concerning the marriage supper of the Lamb, who is Jesus. The Scripture of interest for this study is,
Revelation 19:7-9
[7] Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” [8] And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. [9] Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
Let us notice the following verse,
8 … The saints were clothed in clean and bright linen, which represents their righteous acts.
Thus, to answer the question of; “How do I not run out of oil to keep my lamp lit and keep my linen garment clean and bright?”, we go to the,
PARABLE OF THE VINE
To read this parable, we go to,
John 15:5-8
[5] “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. [8] By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Let us notice the following verses,
5a … Just as the branch must remain in the tree or vine to bear fruit, so it is with us. As Jesus said, for us to bear fruit we must abide in Him.
It is noted that to abide in Christ means we are to consider ourselves crucified and live the rest of our lives by faith in Him. In other words, we are to place our faith in Jesus Christ so that, through the Holy Spirit living within us, He will live His life in and through us. To see this let us read how the Apostle Paul described his Christian life as it is recorded in,
Galatians 2:20
[20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Let us now return to the Parable of the Vine and notice the following verses,
5b … Without Jesus we can do nothing of eternal value. In other words, as when a branch is removed from its tree or vine it loses the nourishing sap, begins to wither and ultimately dies. It is the same for us. If we do not abide in Jesus Christ then we begin to wither and lose the nourishment. Consequently, over time the Holy Spirit’s light emitting from us begins to diminish and fade away. Thus, we become like a withered branch to be thrown into the fire.
7 … Not only must we abide in Jesus Christ, we must also abide in His Word. In other words, we are to daily spend time prayerfully reading the Bible. If we do this, we can now pray knowing it will be done. The reason it will be done is because, by knowing His Word, we will now be able to pray within Jesus’ will and desire. Consequently, we can now come in Jesus’ name before God the Father. To see this, let us read from,
1 John 14-15
[14] Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. [15] And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
DISCUSSION
Is this it? Is all I have to do is to become born-again of the Holy Spirit, spend prayer time with Jesus, read His Word and all will be well with me? The answer to this question is simply … No!
First of all let us remember that the bride of Christ was wearing a clean and bright linen cloth which was the righteous acts of the saints.
Secondly, let us not forget Jesus’ illustration about the two servants. Let us recall that the master of the house, who is symbolic of Jesus Christ, told his servant that while he was away he was to feed or care for His household. It is the same for us.
The caring for Jesus’ household includes both the spiritual and physical aspects of their life. To see this we begin with,
The spiritual aspect of our life
To see this let us read why God gave each member (not just a select few) of His body at least one Spiritual gift. To do this we got to,
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
[4] There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. [6] And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. [7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.
Let us notice the following verse,
7b … Each born-again believer has at least one Spiritual gift for the profit of the members of Jesus Christ’s church.
This brings us to,
The physical aspect of our life
In addition, members of Jesus’ household are also to be involved in their physical care and feeding. To see this we begin by reading the following Scripture from,
James 2:14-18
[14] What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? [17] Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. [18] But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
To expand upon this we go to,
1 John 3:17-19
[17] But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? [18] My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. [19] And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
In other words, faith without works or good deeds is just like the withered branch … dead.
Before we arrive at an erroneous conclusion of this discussion, we must never forget that:
The Bible does not teach us that we are to earn our salvation by doing good deeds. However, by using the gifts He has freely given us, we are to express or bring forth fruit from our faith. Consequently, in doing this we will be caring for and nurturing the members of His household.
To expand upon this we go to,
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
[1] Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
This now brings us to the point or message of this whole discussion. To read it we go to,
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
Before we read this parable it must be noted that, in addition to money, the talent in this parable also represents the gifts, both spiritual and physical, that God has given us. With this in mind let us go and read from,
Matthew 25:14-30
[14] “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. [15] And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. [16] Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. [17] And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. [18] But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. [19] After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [20] So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ [21] His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ [22] He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ [23] His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ [24] “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. [25] And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ [26] “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. [27] So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. [28] So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. [29] ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. [30] And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
OBSERVATION
After reading through the above study you, as I did, may come to realize you have fallen short in utilizing the spiritual and physical gifts God has given us. Rather than falling into despair let us remember we are only human and not perfect. For an example let us read what Paul wrote concerning his own imperfections along with a description of how he dealt with it.
Philippians 3:12-14
[12] Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. [13] Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, [14] I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
CLOSING
Let us close this study by reading Paul’s encouragement for us to remain steadfast and faithful in our love and service for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as recorded in,
Philippians 3:17-4:1
[17] Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. [18] For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: [19] whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. [20] For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. [4:1] Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
Shall We Pray?
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