This evening we're going to look into the Gospel of Matthew chapter 24, and in particular in verse 3. We'll read the first three verses. Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to him. And he said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another which will not be torn down. As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And tonight, we're going to be looking at what is meant by this term, the end of the age. Now in this passage, verses one and two are very clear. Jesus declares that the temple will be torn down. And in verse 34, Jesus declares that the temple will fall during that generation. And that is, in fact, what happened in 70 AD. And we also see that in verses 1 and 2, Matthew's describing events as Jesus was leaving the temple. We see Jesus was going out from the temple, and the disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to him. And Mark tells us in his account in Mark 13 that they were exclaiming concerning the beauty of the temple buildings. And so now in verse three, as Jesus and his disciples had left the temple, Jesus for the last time, they now begin to walk across the Kidron Valley and they come to the Mount of Olives. And that's a place from which they are overlooking the temple buildings. And Jesus, we are told, is sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking across the valley to the beautiful terrace courts and all of the marble that seemed to shine in the sunlight. And Jesus told them that all this beauty was about to crumble to the ground. Now Matthew and Luke both speak of the disciples generally asking questions of Jesus. But Mark 13.3 states it was just the inner circle, Peter, Andrew, James, and John who were questioning Jesus. But all three evangelists record that the disciples asked Jesus when the temple would be destroyed. Mark and Luke record the disciples also asking, what will be the sign of the destruction of the temple? What events will precede its destruction? Mark 13.4, tell us when these things will be and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled. And Luke has a similar passage in chapter 21. But Matthew records it this way. tell us when will these things happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age. So while all three writers are recording the disciples asking what would be the sign that would precede the fall of the temple, how would they know that the destruction of the temple was imminent? But Matthew records a different follow-up question. What will be the sign, not of the destruction of the temple, but of your coming, and of the end of the age? Now, there's no contradiction in the three Gospels, but this question was important to Matthew, while it was apparently not as important to Mark and Luke, so as to cause them to record it. And there's one other thing we want to note here. Both of the questions of the disciples, as Mark and Luke record them, are clearly confined to the time of the temple and its destruction. In Matthew, the disciples' questions speak of Jesus coming and of the end of the age, and so may not be confined to the time of the temple. On the other hand, both questions may speak of the period until the fall of the temple. So, Jesus answered the first question, when would the temple fall? And he answered it by saying, during the lives of some of those who were standing there, during that generation. And as we know, that prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when General Titus came and the temple fell to the ground. So the question of the disciples that is left before us is this, what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And in order to understand what the disciples may have had in mind with these questions, we first must look to the context. And the context is this. Jesus has come to Jerusalem just a few days before, and throughout chapters 21, 22, and 23, we find Jesus speaking of the end of the rule of the scribes and the Pharisees, of the kingdom being taken from them and given to a nation producing the fruit of it. And Jesus is also speaking of the impending demise of the nation of Israel and Judaism. And Jesus had declared that that time had come. In chapter 23, verse 35, Jesus had said that as a result of their wickedness upon that generation, people alive at that very time would fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah. Verse 36, truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. So Jesus was saying that the long history of Israel's rejection of God and his messengers had reached its culmination. Now Jesus' words in those two verses provide a key to understanding chapter 24, verses 1 through 34, because in verse 34, Jesus concludes this section of his discourse with very similar words. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now, while we cannot be certain of this, the way this question is asked, as recorded in Matthew, seems to indicate that the disciples interpreted Jesus' words to mean that the fall of Jerusalem, and in particular the destruction of the temple, would mean the end of the age. It also appears that the disciples assumed that Jesus coming and the end of the age would occur at the same time, or were at least closely related in time. Remember, they've asked about the sign of his coming and of the end of the age. And so, the wording here indicates Jesus may have said more to his disciples about the end times and eschatology than is recorded in the Gospels. And we're also left to wonder whether the disciples believed that the destruction of the temple would be at the same time as Christ's coming and would mark the end of the age. We simply don't know what was in the disciples' minds. But we do have Jesus' words, not only in this chapter, but throughout the Gospels. And Jesus has spoken to them before this about the end of the age. Jesus spoke of two ages, the present age and the age to come. Many claim to find a third age in Revelation 20, but Jesus never spoke of any third age and nor did any other New Testament writer. And as I said, while we can't be certain of what was in the disciples' minds when they asked the question, on the basis of what we know that Jesus had taught them, it's probable that when they used the term end of the age, they used the term as Jesus had used it to speak of the last day, the day of judgment. But remember, they at that point had not even accepted that Jesus was going to die. They would resist that. They were not convinced he would rise, and it was not clear to them that he would return to his father in heaven to rule and reign. So any idea of his return from heaven back to earth is far from their minds. Peter, one of those asking this question, actually tried to stop the Romans from arresting Jesus. He drew his sword and tried to defend Jesus. And Peter and John, remember, were shocked when they went to the tomb on the third day and it was empty. The disciples, even after Jesus had risen and was about to ascend to his father, were still looking for the reestablishment of an earthly kingdom of Israel. They still did not understand the Old Testament prophecies and they didn't understand the nature of Jesus' mission. And their understanding of the events that would take place both during their generation and in the distant future was at that point very limited. So it is not by any means certain that when they asked this question they had in mind a return of Jesus from heaven to earth. But that's not what's so important about the passage. What's of much greater importance is Jesus' answer. And it is this question asked by the disciples that gave rise to Jesus' answer in what is known as the Olivet Discourse. So first let's define our term here. What's meant by the end of the age? What meaning did Jesus assign to this term? We don't know whether he assigned the same meaning in his answer as the disciples did in their question, but we can look to Jesus' words. And we need to recognize Jesus doesn't even use this term, end of the age, in his answer. Jesus speaks of two ages, the present age and the age to come. And it leaves no room, by the way, for a third intermediate age. Jesus never spoke of such. And we're going to see in just a second that that age to come is an eternal age. It's not limited to a thousand years or any other period of time. It is eternal. So, what do Jesus and the New Testament writers say about the present age and the age to come? Jesus told his disciples some things about both ages. Luke 16.8, in the parable of the steward, Jesus said that the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than are the sons of light. Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 1.20, that in this age, the wisdom of the world is made foolish by God. The wisdom of this age is foolishness to God. 1 Corinthians 2.6, Paul writes, we do speak a wisdom, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age. It's a wisdom of God. Galatians 1.3 and 4, Paul writes that this present age is an evil age. The Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins so that he might rescue us from this present evil age. So this is an evil age, the present age. 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes that the God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so they might not see the light of the gospel. The unbelieving are blinded in this age. In Luke 20, 34, Jesus contrasts the present age with the eternal state, the age to come. Sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age neither marry nor are given in marriage. In Matthew 12, 32, Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." Now, in Mark 3.28, in the parallel passage to Matthew 12.32, we see that the age to come is eternal. Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but Mark 3.29, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. And there is no forgiveness after one departs this earthly realm. That forgiveness must occur and must be brought about by a coming to Christ while one is in this life. And we see the same truth here, Mark 10, 29. This is where Peter had said to Jesus, Lord, we've left everything and followed you. And Jesus said to him, truly I say to you, there's no one who's left house or brother or sisters or mother or father or children or farms for my sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he'll receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions, And in the age to come, eternal life. In the age to come is eternal life. It is eternal. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus speaks of the end of the age as the time of his return in judgment and final consummation. Matthew 13 39 The harvest is the end of the age. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it shall be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Here, the end of the age, we clearly see, refers to Jesus' return and the final judgment on the last day. And notice, we still see the wicked among the righteous up until the end of the age. And then the wicked are taken down and thrown into the furnace of fire. We see the same truth in Matthew 13, 49. So it will be at the end of the age, the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous. So at that point, the age ends, and that's the day that Christ returns in glory with his angels to judge the world and usher in the new Jerusalem. There is no third intermediate age anywhere in Jesus' teaching. And Jesus will give the apostles instructions before he leaves, but after he rises, a mission they are to carry out until the end of the age, until that day he returns. And he tells them, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Meanwhile, Jesus reigns. He reigns right now. Ephesians 1, beginning in verse 19, these are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the one to come, Christ reigns in both ages. So, in the disciples' minds, after all this teaching from Jesus, the end of the age certainly meant that a dramatic change would take place, though they don't seem to understand all that that entails. And in his answer, Jesus will not use the term end of the age. In his answer, Jesus will speak of the end in verses 6, 13, and 14. Now, is Jesus in any of those passages referring back to the disciples' question concerning the end of the age? Well, that's possible, and some read it that way. But the context in those verses most likely speaks of the signs that will precede the destruction of the temple, and the city of Jerusalem, and the end of Judaism. It was indeed the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D., the end of the Jewish age. But we don't anywhere in the Gospel see Jesus speak of the present age as the age of Judaism or the Jewish age. And again, Jesus and Paul both clearly spoke of that present age ending with the arrival of the eternal age to come. So Jesus spoke of two ages, the present age and the age to come, and he made it clear that the age to come will be eternal, and that it would begin with the end of the present evil age. And Jesus' answer to the disciples' questions is going to cover two entire chapters, chapter 24 and 25. And, beginning in chapter 25, verse 31, Jesus will return to that theme from Matthew 13 and the parables of the wheat and the tares, where he taught about what would occur at the end of the age. He will return to that Matthew 13 theme in 25-31. There were two parables that Jesus spoke that are relevant for us in chapter 13. There were others. the wheat and the tares, and the dragnet cast into the sea." So the harvest we saw in Matthew 1339 was the end of the age, and in 1349, in explaining the dragnet parable, so it will be at the end of the age, the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous. Now, in 2531, and at least by this point, Jesus is now speaking of the future yet to come. But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Now this is the fact that's now added to those other passages, Jesus sitting on his glorious throne. But all the nations again will be gathered before him as they were in chapter 13. He will separate them from one another. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And to those on his left, verse 41, he will say, Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. So, as we have seen, In the New Testament, Jesus plainly used the term, the end of the age, to refer to the day of his return, his second coming, the day of judgment, the last day. They're all the same day. Now, no one possesses the divine knowledge that's necessary to completely unravel all of this and to discern every single thing Jesus is saying in this passage here in Matthew 24. But He does have a clear lesson for us all. And we know some things for sure. Let's not forget scripture outside of Matthew 24 and outside of these apocalyptic books teaches Jesus will return. He'll return in glory. He'll return in victory. He'll return for those who are trusting in him. All who are trusting in him will be called to him and will be forever with the Lord. In a city, a new Jerusalem, where there's no pain, no hunger, But in verse 42 in Matthew 24, our Lord cautions all his people to be on the alert. And that's the important message here. We must always be ready for the Lord's return. The main emphasis in both chapter 24 and 25 is the necessity of always being on alert, of serving our master and being faithful to him. Because eternity for any one of us could begin before this night is done. Well, Father, we thank you for your covenant with Abraham, your covenant with David. We thank you for the promise and the covenant made through Jeremiah. We thank you for the eternity that you have laid aside and prepared for those who love you and serve you. We thank you for the forgiveness that we didn't earn or didn't deserve, but that you made available to us by your grace through the sacrifice of your son. We pray, Lord, you will impress these words deep into our hearts. Keep us always ready for your kingdom and for your glory. In Christ's name, amen.