Sermon: The foremost convulsion (Matt 24:29-30)

WHAT IS FOREMOST?
The Foremost Convulsion (Matt 24:29-30)
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2012

(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)

There are certain unpleasant events that, if possible, a person would want to avoid.

Ed was applying for a job as a signalman with the local railroad and was told to meet the inspector at the signal box. The inspector gave Ed a quiz. "What would you do if you realized that two trains were heading toward each other on the same track?" Ed answered, "I would switch one of the trains to another track." "What if the lever broke?" asked the inspector. "Then, I would run down to the tracks and use the manual lever there," Ed replied confidently. "What if that lever had been struck by lightning and was inoperative?" the inspector challenged. "In that case," Ed continued, "I'd run back up here and use the phone to call the next signal box." "What if the phone was busy?" the inspector asked. "Well, then," Ed countered, "I would run to the street level and use the public phone near the station." "What if it had been vandalized?" inquired the inspector. "In that case, I would run into town as fast as I could and get my Uncle Bert." This puzzled the inspector, so he asked, "Why would you do that?" ..."Because Uncle Bert's never seen a train crash!"

There are certain unpleasant events that, if possible, a person would want to avoid...but sometimes all he can do is watch it happen. That will be the case for many of those who witness The Foremost Convulsion.

As Matt 24 opens, the disciples ask Jesus how circumstances will unfold leading to his eventual reign.

Matt 24:3b [W]hat will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

Jesus warns them not to be misled by events that will be unpleasant but not uncommon, events that will occur several times in the course of history, be they natural or man-made, but are not the ones immediately preceding his return.

Matt 24:6a You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.... 7b There will be famines and earthquakes.... 11 [M]any false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

This series of catastrophic occurrences may seem to go on indefinitely, especially for those who experience them, but the series will eventually culminate in the most catastrophic event, at least for God's people. Jesus tells the disciples to pay particular attention when that happens, because it will start a countdown to the end, enabling them to make The Foremost Computation, which we considered earlier.

Matt 24:15 when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel...

What follows will be a rapid acceleration of events. Notice how Jesus ties "the abomination" to what follows.

Matt 24:15 "So when you see...the abomination.... 19 How dreadful it will be in those days.... 22a If those days had not been cut short.... 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!'...do not believe it.... 29a Immediately after the distress of those days.... 30a At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear....

This continuous chain of final events indicates that the abomination of desolation, the basis for The Foremost Computation, will lead, in short order, to...

* XXXVI The Foremost Convulsion¹

...which precedes...

• The pageantry of God (Matt 24:29-30)

...when Jesus returns. Please turn to...

Matt 24:29 Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 30 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

The final link in the chain of end-time events will be marked by unmistakable atmospheric disturbances.² Referring to this same period, God predicted these disturbances through several prophets centuries earlier (see n. 1).

• He said through Isaiah...

Isa 13:10b The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

Isa 34:4b ...all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine....

• He said through Ezekiel...

Ezek 32:7 ...I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.

• He said through Joel...

Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine....

• He said through Amos...

Amos 5:20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

• He said through Zephaniah...

Zeph 1:15 That day will be...a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,

This is what Jesus reiterates in answer to the disciples' question about "the sign...of end of the age" (v. 3b).

1. Your savior's return will have nature in physical turmoil.

Moreover, what so drastically affects people's environment will also influence their temperament, because...

2. Your savior's return will have nations in emotional turmoil.

As Jesus says here, "all the nations of the earth will mourn."³ What will cause them such distress? What will they be doing in the days before his appearing?

In many ways, the period leading up to Jesus' return will be quite ordinary. Some people, perhaps those farthest from the conflict's epicenter, will go about their business as if nothing is wrong. He describes the situation in...

Matt 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Other people, however, probably those closest to the conflict's epicenter, will realize something is wrong but will not yet know that God's final judgment has begun.⁴ John, in his Revelation, depicts the initial stage as the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Rev 6:8b They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague....

One reason for people's uncertainty about the source of this trouble may be that similar elements—wars, famines, earthquakes—have always been present. In fact, Jesus warns his disciples not to misinterpret them by assuming they are part of the final judgment.⁵

Matt 24:6b Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.... 8 All these are [just] the beginning of birth pains.

At first glance, the difference in such concluding events may be their intensity, and only close examination will reveal that they are not simply the result of living in a fallen world but actually do represent divine judgment, as God pours out His wrath on the unrighteous.⁶ In any case, even after considerable loss of life, most people will not yet recognize God's hand at work, and they will not repent.⁷ Again, John, in his Revelation, records that...

Rev 9:20 The rest of mankind that were not killed... still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons and idols.... 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

That is how committed to wickedness some will be in the days before Jesus' return.

It is amazing how people can maintain their resistance to God in the face of retribution from God, yet they will. John further records that...

• They will be scorched by fire, which they will recognize as God's wrath against them, but they will not repent.

Rev 16:8b ...the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

• They will be plunged into pain, which they will recognize as God's wrath against them, but they will not repent.

Rev 16:10b Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

Only when Jesus actually arrives will it dawn on the unrighteous—those who survive God's judgment to this point—that they have "backed the wrong horse." By then, it may be too late for them, certainly if they are among the military forces arrayed against him.

What Matthew relates briefly about Jesus' arrival in v. 30, that he will come "on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory,"⁸ John treats more fully in Rev 19, describing his appearance, his apparel, and his agenda.

Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and Trite. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a [private] name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.... 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this [public] name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

As far as his opponents are concerned...

Rev 19:19 ...the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.... 21a [They] were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse....

(Matthew's description of Jesus' glorious return is, in John's description, a gory return, as he confronts and defeats his enemies.)

Given that you know how things will turn out then, how should you conduct yourself now? ...Jesus gives several instructions in this chapter.

• First, stay skeptical of others' claims⁹ Jesus says...

Matt 24:4 ...Watch out that no one deceives you.... 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.

This is not advice Jesus normally gives. He generally commends belief, as in...¹⁰

Mark 1:15c Repent and believe the good news!

Or he criticizes unbelief, as in...

John 5:38b [Why] do [you] not believe the one [God] sent [?]

Here, in Matt 24, Jesus is commending unbelief. Do not believe reports that the messiah has returned without your realizing it. His advent will be obvious to all. So, stay skeptical of others' claims to the contrary.

• Second, stay steadfast in your commitment. Jesus says...

Matt 24:13 ...he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Repetition is sometimes an indication of importance. For example, Jesus tells the disciples several times about his impending death and resurrection. In...

Matt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples...that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Matt 17:22b The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23a They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.

Matt 20:18 ...the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19b [and o]n the third day he will be raised to life!

Jesus knows that, if the disciples are not paying attention, those events will catch them by surprise. Likewise, he reiterates the importance of remaining faithful, saying in...¹¹

Matt 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Matt 24:12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Jesus does not want the loyalty of his followers to flag when times are tough. So, stay steadfast in your commitment.

• Third, stay sharp for his coming. Jesus says...

Matt 24:32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.... 42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.... 44a So you also must be ready....

When Jesus assumed human form, he surrendered some of his divine prerogatives.¹² He retained much of his supernatural power, which enabled him to do many miracles, but he gave up some of his omniscience. Hence, about his return, he said...¹³

Matt 24:36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

We, too, are among those who do not know the specific time of Jesus' return, yet, he said we should pay attention to the signs...¹⁴

Luke 21:28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Although you will not know the precise moment Jesus will arrive, you need not be caught by surprise. So, stay sharp for his coming.

When the disciples asked Jesus about "the sign of [his] coming and of the end of the age," they probably expected the end to take place in their lifetime. He disabuses them of their expectation, indicating that much needs to happen before his coming. At the time that event does occur, there will be no mistaking it, as The Foremost Convulsion will precede the pageantry of God when Jesus returns "with power and great glory" (v. 30). Are you ready for it?

Having considered The Foremost Convulsion, we will look next at The Foremost Condescension, which exhibits the preeminence of God, in Phil 2:6-8).

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.

(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)