MATTHEW: The King in Jerusalem

Today we return to Matthew where Jesus is still speaking to his disciples and now he spells it out to them that if people are claiming to have seen the Messiah, don’t believe them! Why? Because it’s just not true! His disciples aren’t to go rushing around panicking and trying to find the returned Lord Jesus, or going all around the countryside looking for him because when he returns, they will know. As we’ve seen there will be great distress before Jesus comes again, but when he comes, we won’t be distracted by anything else, we will know. So just like the disciples, we aren’t to go chasing around myths of the retuned Jesus! Anyone who we would find is a liar!

When he returns Jesus won’t be hidden, it won’t be a secret, and there will be no doubt. It will be as obvious as bright lightning on the horizon and it will be as obvious as birds picking at roadkill by the side of the road. The main point of all of this is that anyone who claims to be the returned Jesus is a fraud and a false prophet so don’t chase after them! We can have complete confidence in the truth that Jesus is Lord and will come again so stand firm and resist the temptations to seek out these myths.

In Australia today there aren’t many people claiming to be the returned Jesus but there are some who try to find out dates and small details through endless numerology and etymology. While these things may not be harmful at first, they can so quickly turn our eyes from Jesus to our efforts to try and look for him! So let us not be distracted but continue in the truth of the Gospel and work for God’s glory as we await the return of our great king. MC

Questions

Have you heard any accounts of people claiming to be the returned Jesus? What has been the end result of things? How can you throw off distractions and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a God who keeps his promises. Thank you for the promise that Jesus will come again and bring in the kingdom in its fulness. Help us not to be distracted but to keep on working for you. Amen.

The Thessalonians were still faithfully following God, responding to their election and believing the truth. As a result of these great things, Paul gives thanks to God because of their faithfulness which has persevered even through trial, testings, and questions! He is so thankful for God’s work through them and on the back of these thanksgivings, Paul urges them and prays for them to continue, to hold fast onto the truth and to find their foundations in it.

Similarly here today, if you are reading this, I give great thanks to God for you! It is so encouraging to see people persevering in their relationship with Jesus from all different backgrounds and experiences. I also want to urge us all to keep on going and building our lives on the firm foundation of the truth of the Gospel and to never let it go. In the 21st century it seems that truth is up for grabs. It seems that people can believe whatever they want. People dismiss Christianity because it claims to be the only true way to God and they almost find it offensive! However, we can be sure that God has revealed himself to us and that his promises are sure through Jesus Christ. So we keep on going but in the knowledge that we can’t do this by ourselves.

We can’t possibly live the Christian life by ourselves and on our own merit but only by the grace of God. Some of this we can witness already (such as the church), but some of this is internal such as God’s transforming work by the Spirit who encourages us, strengthens us, and points us to Jesus. So just like Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, we should pray for us and each other that we would be constantly encouraged, that we would stay firm, and hold onto the truth no matter the circumstances and in the face of Satan’s schemes. MC

Questions

Specifically, what things encourage you in your walk with God? How are you going in your faith at the moment? What could you do right now to help your faith stay firm for your lifetime?

Prayer

Faithful God, we give you great thanks and praise for your work in and through us. Give us your eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage our hearts, and strengthen is in every good deed and word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

As we saw yesterday, today we are again exhorted to not panic but to keep on trusting the Lord in the face of testing times, especially at the coming of the Lord. Paul tries to jog the memory of the Thessalonians asking them if they remember how he was telling them these things when he was there in person with them. However, he still feels the need to clarify these things about the end times, specifically here about the man of lawlessness.

Before Christ comes, this person is going to be revealed but at the moment he is being held back. In the meantime, some of this power of darkness is at work. It’s almost like a dam that is being held by the wall but some water is leaching out. We are told that he will be released by the authority God. When he is released however, he will be quickly defeated and overthrown by Jesus. It’s no struggle, there is no epic battle, but Jesus is victorious. His power is so mighty that all he needs to do is speak a word and this person is crushed. His splendour is so great that all he needs to do is stand in the room and the darkness and evil is lightened and destroyed. But this won’t be before this person has had some leeway. People will be deluded, deceived, and condemned as a result of his work similar to the work of Satan and God will hand them over to their wickedness because they have rejected the love and grace that he has offered them.

Our purpose and our warning is to not be deceived by such lies. All that we hear, all that we learn we must test and see if it is inline with God’s word no matter what source we hear it from. We aren’t to do things out of panic but as a measure to avoid the traps of the evil one. Satan will do all he can to divert our eyes and attention from the truth, but we can resist him because we are God’s chosen people, we have his Spirit dwelling within us, and we have his word to us. Let us keep on holding onto and contending for the truth of the Gospel. MC

Questions

How are we to react when we come across teaching that is deceptive?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you that you will have the final word on evil. Help us to resist and flee from Satan’s schemes and to hold onto your truth. Amen.

‘Don’t be alarmed!’ These three words can be so simple but also so hard to pay attention to. When things are unclear or not the way that we would have them to be, it is easy to become panicked and alarmed because we aren’t in control. When it comes to the coming of the Lord, we aren’t in control and we don’t have a minute by minute schedule of what is going to happen exactly. Because of this, it is all too often that Christians around the world try and take control by making things happen to try and trigger the coming of the Lord, or try and predict the date of when he will come because it’s human nature to find comfort and security in knowledge. On the other hand, Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica to find comfort in the fact that Jesus will come again, so don’t panic but stand firm.

He asks them, “not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by teaching allegedly from us.” Is seems that there were people trying to trick the Thessalonians into thinking that Jesus had already come. However, Paul reassures them that this isn’t the case. Before Jesus comes, Paul describes a time when there will be rebellions and the ‘man of lawlessness’ is revealed. The identity of this man isn’t revealed but we are told that he will exult himself completely, he will put himself in place of God, and he will proclaim that he is God. We aren’t told how this will exactly work out but perhaps that isn’t Paul’s point. Paul’s point is to reassure the Thessalonians that there will be testing times ahead and when they come, they aren’t to panic but to trust in the one who is ultimately in control, Jesus. MC

Questions

What can cause you to become unsettled or alarmed? Why shouldn’t we be alarmed when come out with all types of theories about the coming of the Lord? How should we react? What is the ultimate hope that we have when Jesus comes again?

Prayer

Gracious and Loving God, who has promised to return; thank you that your promises are sure and that we can trust in them, knowing that only your word is firm. Help us to not panic about things we don’t or can’t know but to investigate them clearly, and trust in your wisdom above ours. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Yesterday we saw that there were going to be horrors in the Temple and now Jesus picks up that here in this passage. Jesus describes a series of horrific events that will occur when the disciples see, ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ which is a direct quote from Daniel. Scholars have commonly noted that Daniel’s vision was a prediction of Antiochus IV, the Syrian king who slaughtered a pig on the altar reserved for burnt offerings to the Lord and set up a statue of Zeus on the altar in the Temple. This would have been an absolute horror for the Israelite worshippers at that time as pigs were ceremonially unclean, and a statue of another god was in the place of the Lord. However, this all happened in 167BC so Jesus couldn’t have been referring to this exact occurrence but he sees a further fulfilment of the vision of Daniel. In 70AD, the Temple was completely destroyed and was used by the Romans to sacrifice to their gods and in the years of the early church there was intense persecution.

Here, Jesus seems to be referring to both of these periods at once. He warns his disciples that there will be great, unequalled distress and that those times will be dreadful but the hope is that it won’t last forever and that Jesus knows this suffering and pain. He has warned his disciples and that he himself will experience great torment, pain, and distress through his victory on the cross.

As we read these verses our hearts can be heavy and filled with sorrow and that is very appropriate. Suffering and distress is real and it will accompany the coming of Jesus. However, this all isn’t without hope and those days won’t last. There is something greater and better coming. Jesus will come again and put an end to all suffering and all distress and will bring justice to those who bring torment and suffering. Our role is to stand firm knowing that he is in control. MC

Questions

In the midst of pain and suffering, how can you stand firm in Jesus? What difference does it make knowing that Jesus will ultimately have the victory?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, who knows and sees all things, help us when we are in distress to look to you, to stand firm in you, and trust you in all things, Amen.

Today we are stepping back from Matthew for some context, specifically we are going to look at Daniel. A lot of what Jesus refers to in the later chapters of Matthew has its background in these later chapters of Daniel. In the time of exile, it seemed like there was no hope for Israel. The nation was carted off to Babylon and whatever that was left in the land was in ruins. God had enacted his judgment on his people. However, even in this time, there were people who were still faithful to the Lord, who were repentant. Daniel was one of these people. Earlier in this chapter, Daniel had been pleading for God to show mercy to his people. While Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel came and gave him a vision and this is where we land here today.

A time frame is set up of ‘Seventy ‘sevens’’ or seventy weeks. Now we have to remember that this is apocalyptic literature so we shouldn’t take this as a literal time frame but as a whole period of time. This is because seven represented wholeness or completion. In this time period, Jerusalem will be rebuilt and the ‘Anointed One’ or the Messiah will come! However, there will be times of trouble. The ‘Anointed One’ will be put to death and have nothing, and the city will be once again raised to the ground. In the Temple there will be an abomination, a horror, something detested, and something absolutely appalling. Eventually, the Temple was rebuilt and the Anointed One, Jesus Christ did come but was cut off, having been cut off from the Father at his death on the cross. Some years later, there were absolute horrors occurring in the Temple in 70AD. Daniel was waiting for the restoration of the Temple and a mighty warrior Messiah, but this vision shows us that his hope and ours shouldn’t be in a Temple made of stone but it is to be fixed on Jesus. Jesus who is the true Temple and whose kingdom will never fall by human hands, but will last forever. MC

Questions

Prayer

Almighty God, you alone are just and you are to be feared. Thank you that you are sovereign over all and help us not to trust in human forces or schemes but ultimately in you alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Whilst in Australia we experience relative freedom to follow Jesus, this is not necessarilly the case for many Christians globally today. In fact, the Barnabas Fund estimates that up to one in ten Christians around the world face pressure and persecution, ranging from everyday harassment and discrimination to violent attack. Of course, this is not something new, but has been the case from the very first followers of Jesus (which we can read about in the New Testament) and extends right up to today. Should we be abhorred by this? Of course! However, should we be surprised by this? No. Why? Because Jesus warned his disciples that this would be the case, that we shouldn’t expect the road to be easy, and that before he returns that many will suffer for their trust in him.

Why does Jesus want us to know this? So that we would not turn away from what we believe, so that we would stand firm to the end and be saved. That’s the precise sort of conviction that Jesus desires in us! It’s the precise sort of conviction evident in so many martyrs who have gone before us. That we wouldn’t be swayed by the difficulties that we face, nor seduced by the comfortable lies whispered of the deceiver, but that we would hold fast to the Gospel, no matter the cost. That’s why Jesus is warning the disciples. He wants them to know, that when things get tough (which they certainly will), that this is not a sign that God’s plans have failed, but that the end is drawing closer and that we can have confidence that God will prevail. That we should pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed, that we will be enabled to face difficulty with confidence, and that we would pray that those who are persecuted would stand firm in Christ alone. AL

Questions

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you that suffering and persecution is not the end, but that you will bring true justice to the world. Please help us, and especially those who face persecution, to stand firm in Christ and proclaim the Gospel to the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Temple was a phenomenally impressive building, grand in stature and stunning in beauty. Thus, for Jesus to predict that the Temple would one day be completely destroyed would have been extremely difficult for the disciples to believe. How would that be possible? When would it occur? What would be the signs? These are the types of questions that would have been on the disciples hearts, and they are the precisely the types of questions that they later ask Jesus as they sit on the Mount of Olives (remember, the very place that was a reminder that God’s King and judgment would arrive one day). But as Jesus answers the question - a response that we’ll take some time to unpack as this section speaks of both the destruction of the Temple (which happens in 70AD) and his later second coming - it’s critical to note that Jesus is less concerned with precise details (i.e., dates and places) and more concerned with his disciples being ready - that we would stick to him, not be deceived, live consistently (even amidst trouble), and be found ready when he returns.

So often when we think of Jesus’ return, we can be caught up in trying to ‘decode’ signs rather than focusing our lives on being found ready. This sort of thinking can develop into an unhealthy fixation that leads us into distraction or deception. That is, when we’re more concerned with predicting when Jesus’ return, we end up distracted from the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us, and potentially susceptible to be deceived by others! Our concern should be less with precisely when the King will return, and more with the reality that he is our King right now!

Questions

Prayer

Almighty Lord, we thank you that we can have absolute confidence that Jesus will one day return to judge and rule the world. As we wait, please help us to live lives in accordance with your will, trusting in your plans, that we would not be distracted nor deceived in the meantime. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Following his challenge to the Pharisees, Jesus now turns to the crowd and pointedly warns them about hypocrisy. This must have got the religious power-holders talking! That the religious leaders of the time failed to practice what they preached is at the heart of Jesus’ critique. The problem, as Jesus makes clear, is not with the Law or their Scriptures, but with the hearts of those who have been entrusted with God’s truth. God demands not just a reciting of his Word, but for our lives to authentically reflect his rule and reign. It seems that the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees were motivated by their own glory instead of God’s glory!

Religious hypocrisy by those who follow Jesus is of course still alive and well today. Social research in Australia notes that hypocrisy is one of the biggest ‘belief blockers’ for those who don’t yet follow Jesus. In recent years, it has been absolutely heartbreaking as it has been revealed of the abhorrent ways in which people entrusted with leadership in the church have betrayed and abused people whilst hiding behind positions of power. We should be greatly grieved by this, yet we should also take heed of the hypocrisy in our own lives. Often our hearts can be full of mixed motivations as we seek to serve God. Take some time today to ask God to show you any areas of hypocrisy in your own life. Lay it before the cross, seek his forgiveness, and ask for help that we might more clearly live lives that sincerely – in heart and action – follow the Lord Jesus. AL

Questions

Prayer

Merciful God, please forgive us for the times in which we have been motivated by our own agenda instead of yours. Please forgive us for the ways in which we can outwardly be seen to ‘doing the right thing’ yet in reality, our hearts are far from you. Thank you that you are merciful and that because of Jesus we can be assured of forgiveness. Please refresh us with your Spirit that we might more clearly orientate our hearts and lives sincerely for your glory. Amen.

Whilst we may at first glance think that this encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees is some sort of riddle, there is much more at stake. The Pharisees are attempting to put Jesus to the test with their questions. However, very quickly the tables are turned on the Pharisees, who have been busy asking questions, as Jesus effectively now asks them who they think the Messiah was. In fact, Jesus’ response is a direct challenge for those gathered to recognise him as the Messiah. It was commonly anticipated that the long-awaited Messiah would be a descendant of David, however no one expected the Messiah to be God. Yet, as Jesus quotes Psalm 110 (i.e., “The Lord says to my Lord...”) he’s making it abundantly apparent that the Messiah would indeed be even greater than David (after all, David calls him Lord!). This is a shocking revelation to those gathered, and as Jesus challenges their understanding of who the Messiah would be, it must have crossed at least some of their minds that Jesus was the one. No one dared to say anything in reply. No one dared to ask any more questions! Perhaps this great and glorious news was just too much for them to process, or perhaps they simply couldn’t accept the reality of God when the truth was outside of their expectations. What’s clear is that they were far more comfortable in discussing God in theory, rather than submitting to God with their lives.

The challenge for humanity is not only to recognise the true identity of the Messiah, but to actually submit to Jesus with our lives. The Pharisees, at this stage, couldn’t bring themselves to do that, but many others saw Jesus for who he was and decided to make him the Lord of their lives. How wonderful it is that God not only desires us to know about him in theory, but that we would know him personally and submit our lives to him. AL

Questions

Prayer

Loving God, we thank you that you desire for us to know you and make you the centre of our lives – not just to know about you! Please help us to more clearly see Jesus for who he is, that we might rightfully enthrone him in our hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.