Matthew 24 - How Can You Get Ready for Jesus' Return?

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The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

Jesus predicts the downfall of the temple by saying one stone will not be left upon another. It will all come tumbling down. The temple was the center of Jewish life and their relationship with Yahweh. The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed in 586 B.C. but was rebuilt by King Cyrus.

When was the 2nd Temple built in the Bible?

The beginning of the Second Temple period (586 BC-AD 70) is marked by the return of Jews to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon in 538 BC. They were allowed to return under an edict issued by Cyrus King of Persia. By 515 BC the reinstated Jewish residents had completed building the Second Temple. (www.moon.com)

Matthew 24 is also called "Olivet Discourse", as Jesus taught the disciples about the end times on the Mount of Olives. The disciples ask Jesus, "What will be the signs of your coming and the end of the age?"  

Jesus describes the things that will happen before he returns. Many will come claiming to be the Messiah, but they are false messiahs. They will deceive many. There will be wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation. There will be famines, and earthquakes. He calls these things the beginning of birth pangs. 

Jesus then describes the treatment the disciples will receive as his followers and it is not good. They be hated, persecuted, and some will even die for their faith in Him. Their will be an increase in wickedness and people will begin to fall away from their faith. Those who stand firm until the end will be saved. Importantly the gospel will be preached to all nations. 

God loves all people equally and wants every person to have a chance to hear the gospel and respond. Peter's second letter addresses those who were getting impatient, as they looked forward to Jesus' imminent return. They were wondering why he hadn't returned yet. This is one of the most important verses in the bible, 

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Then, Jesus describes the desolation which causes an abomination in the temple. What will this be? 

Essentially, the abomination of desolation speaks of the ultimate desecration of a Jewish temple, the establishment of an idolatrous image in the holy place itself, which will inevitably result in the judgment of God. It is the abomination that brings desolation. Guzik

Those who believe that the events of Matthew 24 were all or mostly all fulfilled in AD 70 have a difficulty here. There is no good evidence at all that what they believe was the abomination of desolation (the Roman armies or their ensigns) were ever set up as idolatrous images in the holy place of the temple. Instead, the temple was destroyed before the Romans entered. Guzik

For a further explanation of the details of the end times, see the book of Revelation, which was the vision Jesus gave the apostle John on the island of Patmos, where he was exiled.  Another interesting statement Jesus makes is, 

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

The leads one to believe that the believers who are alive on the earth at that time will undergo severe testing and persecution. So, the tribulation will be limited to a certain period of time. Some people think this description applies to the fall of the temple in A.D. 70, but it is unlikely because the context of all of these happenings are in conjunction with Jesus' return, which obviously has not happened yet. 

After this there will be great event involving the sun, the moon, and the stars. 

“‘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.’[

This was prophesied two times in Isaiah in chapters 13 and 34. Then Jesus describes his great and glorious return. 

And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they 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 loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Note the people on the earth will mourn, because they will finally realize the Messiah they rejected was real. But for those who believed in Jesus, they will be gathered from the four winds and the heavens. The is commonly called the "rapture". 

Then, Jesus says one of the most important as we think about the end times and make predictions of its coming like so many have done for the past 2,000 years. One thing all these prognosticators have in common is that they have all been wrong. Jesus' words warn us that we should even try to predict the day or hour of his return. 

 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. "

If Jesus, who while he lived on earth as a man, did not know the date of his return, I think it is dangerous for us to make predictions. 

How then we stand in regard to Jesus' return? 

I think the most important thing Jesus teaches his disciples regarding his return is, 

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Again this assumes we won't know when Jesus will return. He will come like a thief in the night. The only way we can be prepared for a thief is to take the necessary precautions to safeguard our house, but also to be on watch. 

The most important thing is for us to be READY! How can we be ready? The people in Noah's day were not ready they were busy doing things in their ordinary lives but do not heed the warning Noah gave them. I think the most important thing for us to do as we await Jesus' return is to do the things he taught and commanded us to do included but not limited to:

1. Give our undivided attention to fulfil the Great Commission to reach all nations with the Good News. This was Jesus main message to the disciples after He rose from the dead!

2. Make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them all Jesus commanded.  (I.e. bible study, prayer, being in small groups, training for evangelism)

3. Train those disciples to make other disciples. 

4. Live a life worthy of our calling. 

5. Draw people to our churches by living a life that makes people want to know more Jesus. 

6. Do your best to avoid hypocrisy. Though none of us are perfect, many unbelievers call Christians hypocrites, so they can rationalize their own bad behavior. Nonetheless hypocrisy can be a huge turn off for potential Christians. 

7. Show our love by caring for those in our community who in need, especially widows and orphans. But also those who are legitimately homeless, the addicted (if they are ready to get help), and those who are sick. They will know we are Christians by our love. 

These are 7 ways we can ready for Jesus' return.  It is easy for us to get distracted from these things, because we have an enemy who will do anything to prevent us from bringing Jesus' kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. 

What areas of your life do you need to focus on to be more ready for Jesus' return? What areas distract you from being part of your church and the fulfillment of the Great Commission? Who are some other people you can meet with on a regular basis who also are trying to be ready for Jesus' return? We need each other. There are no "lone ranger" Christians! 

People get ready Jesus is coming soon!