The Other Signs of the Lord's Return that the Church is Neglecting

Matthew 24:1-8 NIV Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.  (2)  Do you see all these things? he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."  (3)  As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us,” They said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 

When Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple, which eventually happened in A.D. 70, it was such an unimaginable event for them, that this led them to ask Jesus about when this would happen, and related it to the signs of the end of the age.

This is usually the chapter we run to when we begin to experience calamities, earthquakes (like we have been experiencing recently in the Philippines), severe storms, wars, and other calamities.

(6)  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  (7)  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  (8)  All these are the beginning of birth pains.

This is the reason why many are using the recent earthquakes we have been experiencing to warn everyone that our Lord is returning, and that this should move us to repent and turn to Him. And, surely, these are signs, and we should be warning others. But did you notice that Jesus said that these were just "birth pains"? Birth pains begin sometimes weeks before the actual delivery of a child. What a mother waits for is the actual sign.

This is why what I would like to point out is an emphasis that our Lord placed as He answered His disciples, which many of us seem to be overlooking as a “sign” of his coming.

When the disciples asked Jesus what the signs would be of the end of the age, the first thing that Jesus answered was:

(4)  Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.  (5)  For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. 

Then, again, in verses 10-14:

Matthew 24:10-14 NIV At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, (11) and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 

Watch out that no one deceives you. Deception. Many will come claiming to be the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, and will deceive many. The first thing Jesus tells His disciples is that they should not be deceived. Whether it was about the destruction of the temple, the signs of His coming, or the end of the age - the one thing that the disciples were to be warned about was deception.

Hasn't this been a "sign" that has been happening for so many years already? Are we not aware of the deception that is spreading around the world, bringing people away from Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as the One the Father sent, for our forgiveness of sins. No matter how much we share the gospel to them, they have other messiahs they can count on.

And deception today is not just about false religions or false gods. Money, material things, the economy, politics/politicians - these are the “messiah’s” of today. And the number one messiah, the answer to all our problems – OUR SELF. This is the deception that the people of the world are running to. As long as they have money, material things, the right political leaders, and as long as they are enjoying life, there is no need for Jesus Christ.

 Now, notice that, in chapter 24, Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He is warning them not to be deceived! How many Christians are aware that the same false messiah’s that the world is presenting are the same deceptions that are being spread within the church! Money, material things, the economy, politics/politicians, are the “messiah’s” of today. And the number one messiah, the answer to all our problems – OUR SELF How many so-called Christians are present during a Sunday service, but in reality, are worshiping false messiahs being preached in the pulpit. And even if pastors are preaching the right gospels, how many so-called Christians have been deceived by these false messiahs in their heart. 

There was another “sign” the Lord spoke of that many Christians are neglecting to look at:

(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. 

Because of the increase of wickedness, THE LOVE OF MOST WILL GROW COLD. Because many Christians have been caught in the deception of the world, their love for the Lord, love for the church, for fellow believers, grows cold. Isn't this happening within the church? How many claim to be Christians, but are just focused on themselves? There are so many Christians today, who may still be attending church services, but in their hearts are following false Christs.

Those who stand firm to the end will be saved. Those who stand firm against the deception of false Christs, false gods, false religion, and who keep the love of God in their hearts – these are the ones who will be saved.

This is why the gospel of the kingdom needs to be preached, shared, more aggressively, both in the world AND IN THE CHURCH! 

 (14)  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Notice what signals the end? It is when the gospel is preached to the whole world as a testimony to the nations that the end will come. And yet, how many Christians are neglecting preaching or sharing the gospel of the kingdom? We are so focused on ourselves, our lives, on how God will bless us and take care of us.  

No wonder, there is another “sign” that Jesus mentions that Christians today neglect to see, or check, in our lives:

Matthew 24:37-42 NIV 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.  (40)  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  (41)  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 

We are eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage. We’re just enjoying the life of the world. And we know nothing about the return of the Son of Man! And so, when He returns, we are surprised, just like those who did not heed the preaching of Noah.

Just like the flood, there are some who will be taken by the flood, and some that will be left. Who are those who will be taken, who will be caught flat-footed when our Lord Jesus returns? Those who did not keep watch. 

What did the Lord tell His disciples?

(42)  Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

It wasn’t about keeping watch for earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, famine, etc. It was to keep watch against deception, keep watch against false messiahs, and keep watch that we are living as a people who know that our Lord is returning.

The signs are already there. We don’t need earthquakes to tell us our Lord is returning. We should be keeping watch of the false messiahs that deceive us, the love of God growing cold in our hearts, and we should stand firm in our walk and obedience to our Lord. We should be taking heed of these signs the Lord has told us about – and not be deceived.

PASTOR - CHOOSE THE GOOD PART OF OUR CALLING

I have been seeing a lot of posts from my fellow pastors concerning burnout in ministry from dealing with problems in the church, criticisms, feedback, etc. And many, if not all, of the articles, do give encouragement and great advice in how to deal with them. It is a reality that pastoral work is burdensome. Pastors and elders deal with the souls of their members. And a number of times these are spiritually stubborn, hard-headed and foolish souls, just as our own souls are as well (fellow pastors, never forget that). But sometimes it's the physical toll of studying, preparing a sermon, preaching, counseling, and other aspects of ministry that just drain us physically and spiritually.

The articles I have read have been giving good and sound advice. But I’m writing this because I feel that there is one area that these articles I have been reading have not been dealing with, which I feel is the essential part of dealing with all the situations and problems that we may face in ministry - THE PRAYER LIFE OF THE PASTOR. This is prayer as COMMUNION WITH THE LORD. Spending time, making time, to enjoy Him in worship and listening to Him through His Word.

I'm not saying that the writers in the article don't pray, or don't see prayer as essential. But it seems to be lacking in the solutions and encouragement that they give. This is what has prompted me to share this.

In all my 30+ years in ministry, this is what has kept me going. The burnout is there, the physical and spiritual toll is there, the pain and hardship of inner conflicts in the church is there. But God, by His grace, has kept me going primarily through my spending time with Him and His Word.

It's making time to just sit, worship, exalt Him, submit to Him, and listen to His life-giving Word revive my heart.

By His grace He has kept my prayer life consistent. This doesn't mean I don't have dry moments where I don't "feel" Him, or His Word doesn't seem to minister to me - these moments come time and again. But He has continually called me to fellowship with Him, and be revived, refreshed, and receive wisdom and guidance from His Word.

We can only go to His Word and see how His servants have been totally dependent on this time of communion with Him.

Moses is the first example that comes to mind. He had his "tent of meeting", where he spoke face to face with God.

Exodus 33:7-11 NASB  Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.  (8)  And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent.  (9)  Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses.  (10)  When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.  (11)  Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Many today fail to see the gracious benefit we have "in Jesus' name" of being able to commune with the Father. What Moses alone enjoyed, and what Joshua desired, we have in Jesus Christ. This is a benefit that every pastor, elder and minister should use everyday!

Of course, our Lord Jesus Himself, when He was man, is the ultimate example of His communion with God His Father. Look how many times Luke records Jesus praying:

Luke 3:21-22 NASB  Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,  (22)  and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."

Luke 5:16 NASB  But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Luke 6:12-13 NASB  It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

And why did He spend the whole night in prayer to God you may ask? He was going to choose the "twelve".

(13)  And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

Luke 9:18 NASB  And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?"

Luke 9:28-29 NASB  Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  (29)  And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.

Luke 11:1 NASB  It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."

And, in probably the hardest moment of His earthly ministry, where do we find our Lord?

Luke 22:41-42 NASB (41)  And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,  (42)  saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

It is no wonder, that when the first conflict within the church came, in Acts 6, look how the apostles dealt with it:

Acts 6:4 NASB  "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

They obviously saw, and learned, from their Lord, how essential prayer and the ministry of the Word was. The apostles were not to be distracted or affected by the complaining of the Grecian Jews that they were not being served food. We see the story of Acts 6 as the appointing of the first "deacons". But we may miss out on what the apostles devoted themselves to.

And I would like to believe that prayer coming first was intentional.

It is almost automatic for a pastor to devote himself to the ministry of the Word - study, preparation, preaching/teaching. How many of us devote ourselves to prayer?

Fellow pastors, elders, ministers of the gospel - our call brings with it physical toil and hardship, which will bring a toll upon our bodies. Yes, there will be conflicts and attacks from within the church - unfair comments and criticisms, disobedience, non-submission to leaders, carnal living.

But what is the one thing that will keep us going? PRAYER. SPENDING TIME IN OUR “TENT OF MEETING”, WORSHIPING HIM, LISTENING TO GOD, BASKING IN HIS PRESENCE, MINISTERED TO BY HIS WORD. This is where we fellowship with the Shepherd of our souls, who will guide us as we shepherd His sheep with His wisdom and strength.

This is the one thing that we should never ever neglect. And no matter what we face in ministry, we will have the power, strength and wisdom that we need to push through, to carry on. 

Luke 10:38-42 NASB Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. (39) She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. (40) But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." (41) But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; (42) but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His Word. She chose the good part.

May we choose the good part of our calling.