Matthew (Part 10)(BST 11-25-07)

Matthew (Part 10)
Bible Study Time 11-25-07

In Matthew, Chapter 24, the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the destruction that would be coming upon Jerusalem. He spoke of the beautiful temple that Herod had built and said:

Matthew 24:2 NKJV
2 . . . "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

This prompted the disciples to ask:

Matthew 24:3 NKJV
3 . . . when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Now up to this point Jesus and the disciples had spent a good portion of their time telling people that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, but from these questions it is apparent that the disciples knew that something big was going to happen before the kingdom could be established. They knew that it was not going to be a simple matter of Jesus just taking over the reins of government.

Jesus had told them that He was going to be killed and raised from the dead, but Luke tells us that the disciples understood none of these things. However, just because they did not understand it does not mean that they did not hear it. In fact, Matthew says that after Jesus told the disciples about His future death, burial and resurrection, Peter took the Lord aside and said, this shall not happen to you.

Obviously, Peter heard the statement and understood what Jesus said even if he did not understand how such a thing could happen.

Matthew indicates that almost immediately after this, Jesus also told the disciples that:

Matthew 16:27 NKJV
27 . . . the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

At this point the disciples knew that some truly awesome things were going to take place before the kingdom could be set up. They knew that Jesus was going to die and be raised from the dead, and they knew that somehow He was going to come to the earth again with power and great glory.

It’s no wonder then that they came to Jesus and asked, “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

We need to bear in mind that as Peter spoke to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost, he was aware of all the things that Jesus taught them in Matthew 24. He knew that before the kingdom could come the Lord Jesus would have to return to the earth in a marvelous display of glory and power. He knew that before the coming of the Lord there would be many imposters claiming to be the Christ, there would be wars and rumors of wars, there would be famine, pestilence and earthquakes. Peter may have also been thinking about the abomination of desolation which Jesus said would surely come before the coming of the Son of Man.

Peter obviously did not know how all of these things were going to transpire before the Lord’s return but he knew that somehow they would take place. Peter was much like we are today in that we don’t know all of the details about the events of the last days of the Church but we do know that God wants us to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we, like Peter, simply follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we leave the details of the future in the hands of the Lord.

As Peter taught on the Day of Pentecost, he may have had in mind one particular statement by the Lord. In Matthew 24:9, Jesus had said:

Matthew 24:9 NKJV
9 . . . they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.

With this in mind, Peter and the other Apostles had to know that before the establishment of the kingdom at least some of them would be raised from the dead even as Jesus was raised from the dead. As a result, when the Apostle James was killed by Herod in Acts, Chapter 12, the other Apostles were not surprised or deterred in their zeal to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This hope of eternal life by means of the resurrection was something that had been emphasized from the time of John the Baptist. In John, Chapter 3, we see that John the Baptist said:

John 3:28,30,35,36 (NKJ)
28 "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'
30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.
35 "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

When the people asked Jesus for the bread that gives eternal life, Jesus said:

John 6:35 NKJV
35 . . . "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

John 6:39-40 NKJV
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews knew that the last day was the Day of Judgment when the Messiah comes to the earth to destroy all that is evil. Here Jesus declares that at the last day He will raise up those who believe in Him that they may have everlasting life.

When Lazarus died, Jesus went to raise Him from the dead. As He drew near to Bethany, Martha came to greet Him and said:

John 11:21-24 NKJV
21 . . . "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha said to Him,"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Martha knew and believed what Jesus had taught concerning the resurrection of believers at the last day, and she was confident that her brother would be one of those resurrected saints. When Martha spoke of the resurrection at the last day, Jesus said:

John 11:25-27 NKJV
25 . . . "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
27 (Martha) said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

Martha’s hope in the resurrection to eternal life was based in her faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. She did not believe that Jesus died for her sins or that He would die for her sins. That had not yet been revealed. But she did believe all that God had revealed up to that point.

In I Corinthians, Chapter 15, Paul reveals the full gospel for us today, and interestingly enough He too associated it with the doctrine of the resurrection. He starts off the chapter saying:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

Then immediately, Paul says that after His resurrection, Jesus:

1 Corinthians 15:5,6 NKJV
5 . . . was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 (And) After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once . . .

Paul says, folks, the resurrection is real. Jesus was raised from the dead and was seen by all these people. Then Paul says, if Jesus was raised from the dead then we too will be raised from the dead if we believe that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and that He rose again the third day. Then Paul says:

1 Corinthians 15:12-13,17-19 NKJV
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 . . . if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (Oh, brothers and sisters!)
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

He says, when we take the name of Jesus, we must consider the cost because we know that we will be hated, persecuted and maybe even killed for Christ’s sake. If there is no resurrection from the dead for those who believe, then we are the biggest fools of all time. Our faith is all for nothing if there is no resurrection from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NKJV
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Indeed, all shall be made alive someday. Whether saved or unsaved, all will be brought back from the dead. As Jesus said:

John 5:28-29 NKJV
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear (My) voice
29 and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Jesus said that the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected from the grave, but He gave no indication at this point that these two resurrections would be separated by 1000 years. That particular bit of information is not revealed until John writes Revelation, Chapter 20. But here in I Corinthians, Chapter 15, Paul does reveal for the first time that the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected in two different resurrections. Paul says that in Christ all shall be made alive:

1 Corinthians 15:23-24 NKJV
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

So Paul confirms what Jesus said, that at the time of the coming of the Son of Man there will be a resurrection of believers, but then Paul reveals that there will be another resurrection for unbelievers at a later time.

In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus gave a very simple outline of the events that would take place at the end of the age with the great tribulation period being followed by the coming of the Son of Man and His gathering of the saved Elect unto Himself. He said that the Son of Man will gather the Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So, the disciples knew that there would be a resurrection of believers at the coming of the Son of Man, but they may have thought that those believers who are alive at the coming of the Lord might go into the kingdom as mortals. However, Paul said in I Corinthians, Chapter 15:

1 Corinthians 15:50-51 NKJV
50 . . . that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —

Paul says that no saved person will go into the kingdom without first receiving from the Lord a new, glorified body. He said that this will happen:

1 Corinthians 15:52-54 NKJV
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."*

Well, these passages all refer to the time of the coming of the Son of Man which will occur at the end of the tribulation period. However, the Apostle Paul tells those of us who are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ that we will be taken up to be with the Lord before the tribulation period begins. To us Paul says:

Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV
4 . . . God, who is rich in mercy . . .
5 . . . made us alive together with Christ . . .
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Colossians 3:1,2 NKJV
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV
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 . . .

Colossians 3:4 NKJV
4 (For) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

As Paul writes to us in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, we see no mention of anything that is associated with the tribulation period. In fact, we see no mention of the coming of the Lord. In these letters, it’s all about the appearing of the Lord in the heavens and the glorious rapture of the church at the time of His appearing.

Well, it certainly has been a pleasure studying with you this morning, and I’ll look forward to studying with you again next week at this same time.

Church links:
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