Synoptic Gospels 5: Herald of the Kingdom (7)
Pray Psalm 47.1-4.
Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.
Selah
Sing Psalm 47.1-4.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
O clap your hands, you peoples all, with joy to God your songs intone!
Shout out to Him, and on Him call, He is the mighty, sovereign One!
High is the LORD, O, fear His Name! He rules, a King o’er all the earth.
Nations and peoples He has tamed, the heritage of His holy worth.
Read Matthew 24.29-35; Mark 13.24-31; Luke 21.25-33; meditate on Matthew 24.29-35.
Preparation
1. How will the nations and peoples respond to the return of Jesus, the Son of Man?
2. How can we be certain that Jesus is coming again?
Meditation
In these verses, Jesus described the final events of earth as we know it. Peter wrote, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3.10). This seems to be what Jesus foretold in verse 29, the “dissolving” of the creation as we know it.
In verse 30, Jesus foretold what John reveals in greater detail in Revelation 19, the appearing of the Son of Man from heaven, visible to all the world (v. 27), and the mournful reaction of the unsaved peoples of the earth (cf. Rev. 6.12-17). Then, Jesus will gather all His elect to Himself, the dead in Christ rising first, then all who are alive and remain until His coming joining them to be with the Lord, as He comes in judgment (cf. Matt. 13.31; 1 Thess. 4.16, 17; Rev. 19.11-16).
Then, somewhat surprisingly, Jesus seems to have connected these events with the lifetimes of those hearing Him (vv. 32-35). But “this generation” does not necessarily mean only those alive during Jesus’ day. It can also refer to “an indefinite period of time, but in close relationship to human existence and in some contexts, a period of time about the length of a generation—age, epoch” (Louw and Nida). Jesus may have been deliberately vague here, thus heightening the attention of His contemporaries, but leaving open the possibility of a longer period of time.
The end of time as we know it holds thrilling promise for all who believe in Jesus and hold fast to Him. But for those who resist to the end, they will realize the full and terrible consequences of their choice: eternal separation in misery from the bliss and glory of King Jesus and the new creation. We have His unfailing Word on it (v. 35).
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The beautiful, comforting, and exciting prospect portrayed here is one that the religious have been arguing about time out of mind. But why? Why should any of this be a point of contention? The indisputable fact here is this: King Jesus is coming back one day! That’s it. We don’t know when. We don’t know exactly what it will be like. We are finite folk with brains that can comprehend majestic things only vaguely:
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part,
but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Cor. 13.12).
But do not be mistaken: Jesus will return. And when He does, time as we know it will end;
and a new heavens and a new earth will be ushered in for those who have believed in Him.
“But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God,
to those who believe in His Name:
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God” (Jn. 1.12, 13).
All will change, all will pass away,
except for God’s Words, which will by no means, pass away (Matt. 24.35; Mk. 13.31; Lk. 21.33).
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever” (Is. 40.8).
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You will endure;
yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
like a cloak You will change them, and
they will be changed.
But You are the same, and
Your years will have no end” (Ps. 102.25-27; Heb. 1.10-12).
And what about this waiting?
God uses waiting to firm up our faith.
It also gives His children more time to do His Kingdom work;
and wrong-believers can become right-believers in Jesus.
Our perception of time differs from His—ours needs to change:
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3.8, 9).
“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets,
that he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie.
Though it tarries,
wait for it;
because it will surely come.
It will not tarry” (Hab. 2.2, 3).
The King will return—just as He said!
Reflection
1. Do you think very often about the return of the Lord? When you do, how do you feel?
2. What would you say is involved in “waiting” for the promise of Jesus to return?
3. How might you use the promise of Jesus’ return to encourage your fellow believers?
Concerning Christ’s second coming, it is foretold that there shall be a great change, in order to the making all things new. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Matthew 24. 29-41
Pray Psalm 47.5-9.
Jesus is King and Lord! Pray for the progress of the Gospel and the Kingdom of our Lord. Devote this day to working for His Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
Sing Psalm 47.5-9.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God has ascended with a shout, the LORD with sound of trumpet bold!
Sing praise to Him, let praise ring out; let praise throughout the world be told!
God is the King of all the earth; sing praise to Him with glorious psalms!
He rules the nations by His worth, and on His throne receives their alms.
Princes of peoples gather all to Abraham and to our God.
Exalt the LORD, and on Him call. The earth is His, so praise our God!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. In our twice-weekly Crosfigell column we have begun a new series on Brendan, called “The Navigator.” Why was he called that? Join us and find out. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, enters the home stretch now by leading us to pray for our church’s impact. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
