Three Repeated Warnings
Deceivers - The ‘Discourse’
begins with a warning to “beware lest anyone deceive you.” This was
given to his disciples, not to unregenerate sinners, and these coming deceivers
will “deceive many.” Likewise, “many
false prophets” will come, not just a few. The victims targeted for deception
are the very “elect” of God - (Matthew 24:4-11, 24:23-24, 24:26).
The content of the deception will include false
information about the return of Jesus. For example, deceivers will claim that he
“is here” or “there”, that he is “in the wilderness” or “in
the secret chambers.” Some will claim, falsely, that “the season has
drawn near” - (Matthew 24:23-26, Luke 21:8).
The prediction that disciples would “hear
of wars and reports of wars” refers to what the deceivers would claim, that
is, the “signs” to which they would point as harbingers of the rapidly
approaching “end.” Jesus did not deny that wars, earthquakes, and the
like would come; however, they are not “signs” of the “end” - “The
end is not yet!” - (Matthew 24:4-6).
Dates and Chronologies - Jesus warned
further that “no one knows that day and hour, neither the angels of the
heavens nor the Son, except the Father alone.” For emphasis,
he ended the declaration with the term “alone,” which is emphatic
in the Greek sentence. The Father is the ONLY exception to the
rule, period.
This theme was repeated at least four times. Additionally,
he stated that believers do not know “on what kind of day” he would
come - “At an hour you do not expect.” The version in the gospel
of Mark adds - “For you do not know when the season is”
- (Matthew 24:42-44, 24:50, 25:13, Mark 13:32-35).
Jesus made the most complete warning about
the timing of that day just prior to his ascension. The disciples asked him when
he would restore the kingdom:
- (Acts 1:7-8) - “It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has set within His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you will be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.”
Vigilance - Rather
than calculate chronologies, disciples must concern themselves with
disseminating the gospel to all nations. In the interim, they must remain prepared
for his sudden and unexpected arrival. He will come “at an hour you think
not” - (Matthew 24:14, 24:42-44, 25:13, Mark 13:32-36).
The ‘Olivet Discourse’ is NOT a
detailed outline of future events that will occur during history’s final few
years, nor does it provide a timetable by which astute believers can ascertain
the time of the “end” and the “arrival of the Son of Man.” Instead,
it provides clear warnings about deceivers who will plague the church with
deceptions and false expectations about the future, a condition that will
endure for the entire period between the resurrection and the return of Jesus.
The conclusion Jesus draws is that disciples
must be prepared at every moment for his sudden and unexpected arrival. What
matters is not knowing the timing of the day, but whether one is prepared and
found busy about his business when the “Son of Man arrives on the clouds of
heaven.”
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