************ Sermon on Belgic Confession Article 37f ************
Doctrine: Eschatology; we cannot use the signs of the times to date/calendar Christ's return
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on October 24, 1999
B.C. 37f
Matthew 24
"The Signs of the Times"
Introduction
I found this brochure in my mail-slot a couple of weeks ago (HOLD UP BROCHURE): "Millennium of Prophecy." Inside I read the following:
Prophecy for Power and Peace ... Through the Coming Storm.
You will understand:
Angels from Heaven
Armageddon
Israel in Prophecy
The Y2K Crisis
The Rapture
666 and the Beasts
... and much more!
You may not know what this word means and you may never have heard of this word before, but this kind of brochure comes from a point of view known as "dispensationalism." You cannot listen to North American religious TV or radio or browse in any Christian bookstore without coming across this viewpoint. I am thankful when those with this viewpoint give glory to Christ and preach the Gospel. I am appalled and embarrassed when they comment on world events in the light of Biblical prophecy.
So what do these dispensationalists say and teach? These are the people who make a big deal, a huge deal, about the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in the prophecy of Daniel – the dream about four empires. They identify the fourth empire with the Roman empire. This empire has ten horns, that stand for ten kings who will rise out of the Roman empire. Somehow they make a jump from the ten emperors of Rome to the ten countries making up the European Common Market. From the Common Market arises a little horn, the Antichrist, who will rule all of Europe from Rome. They believe that just before seven awful years of tribulation the state of Israel will come into existence – that's why dispensationalists got so excited about the formation of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948. And then they see the King of the South attacking Israel. While this fight is going on, the King of the North – whom they identify with Russia – will seize the opportunity to conquer all of the Middle East, including Israel and Egypt. Under the rule of the Antichrist the old Roman Empire comes to Israel's aid with the help of 200 million Chinese. In the war that follows the Russian army is destroyed and from Jerusalem the Antichrist rules all of the world.
Current world events like the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the growing strength of the European Common Market, the Chinese take over of Hong Kong, the diversion of the Euphrates River by Turkey, and so on are all seen as signs by the dispensationalists that their calendar of world events is coming quickly to a close.
What are we to think of this viewpoint? What does the Bible itself say?
I The Signs in General
A Today's "calendar prophets" often ignore or overlook Jesus' teachings against trying to find a time-line of world events leading up to the final days. Jesus warns against trying to ferret out the secrets of God by reading more into signs than are there.
The clearest passage is Jesus' conversation with His disciples just before He ascended into heaven:
(Acts 1:6-8) So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (7) He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. (8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Notice, Jesus tells His disciples "It is not for you to know the times or dates ..." This spells the end of the dispensationalist calendar. And many other passages teach the same thing (Mt 12:39; Mt 16:1-4; Mk 8:11-13; Mk 13:5-6, 21-23; Lk 17:20-24). When dispensationalists, then, make up a calendar of end-time events they are claiming to know something they have no chance of knowing.
There is a reason God does not want us to know the end-time calendar. The reason is that, if we did know, we would no longer be constantly watching and waiting for Christ's return.
Topic: Second Coming of Christ
Subtopic: Being Ready
Index: 1344-1350
Date: 10/1999.101
Title: The Pink Panther!
One of my favorite set of movies is "The Pink Panther" series. At some point in every one of these movies Inspector Clousseau enters his apartment and realizes that his man-servant Kato is hiding. Kato wants to jump out and attack Clousseau when Clousseau is totally off guard. So Clousseau stalks around his apartment, opening closet doors, looking up the chimney, checking under the bed, even opening the oven – hoping to find Kato before Kato jumps out and attacks him.
Because Clousseau does not know the where or the when of Kato's attacks he is always on guard. On the other hand there is no reason for Clousseau to be on guard if he knows exactly where Kato is hiding and exactly when Kato will attack.
It is the same way with the return of Christ. If we know the where and the when, if we have doped out a calendar of events, then there is no need for us to watch and wait for Christ's return.
B Those who make calendars of end-time events also do not understand the last days.
Now, what I am about to say about the last days may surprise you: the Bible is clear that right now, today, we are living in the last days. But this does not necessarily mean Christ is going to come any day or hour now. But I will still affirm that we are in the last days. That is obvious.
Why do I say we are in the last days? We are in the last days because of Christ and Pentecost. I think of what is said by the prophet Joel and the apostle Peter:
(Acts 2:17) "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."
The pouring out of Christ's Spirit means we are in the last days.
In the Bible "the last days" is a technical expression for the whole period of time between the first and second comings of Jesus Christ. The last days are the days of the Spirit. The last days are the days of missions, of evangelism, of witnessing by a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church. So, you see, the last days are now.
C Those who make calendars of end-time events also do not understand the nature of the signs of the times.
Many dispensationalist Christians make the mistake of thinking that the signs of the times refer exclusively to the end-time. They think the signs of the times have to do only with the period of time immediately preceding Christ's return. Matthew 24 is the one and only passage where the phrase "signs of the times" is used. In this passage the phrase refers NOT only to what is still future but also to what is happening in the present. Each of the signs of the times are to be found in our day and will only intensify as the time of Christ's return draws closer and closer.
The phrase "signs of the times," like the phrase "the last days," characterizes the entire period between the two comings of Jesus Christ. The signs of the times, like the pouring out of the Spirit, are a signpost that we are in the last days – those days between the first and second comings of our Lord.
D Finally, those who make calendars of end-time events also do a great disservice to the Bible and to the generations of Christians who came before them.
Dispensationalists, with their time-lines and calendar of events, assume that the Book of Revelation was written in code – a code that only they have managed to break. In their talk about modern-day Israel, Egypt, Russia, China, and the European Common Market they further assume that no one before the 20th century could actually understand the book of Revelation. In other words, the book of Revelation was written for us in the 20th and 21st centuries – to tell us the end will happen in our day. Or, to put it another way, the last book of the Bible was not meant for any Christians who came before our time.
Opposed to this way of thinking is John's statement that the book of Revelation was written to the seven churches in Asia (Rev 1:4). And, if it was written to them, then it follows that it was also meant to be understood by them.
As we look now at the specific signs listed in Matthew 24 it may be helpful to group them under three headings: 1) Signs indicating the grace of God; 2) Signs indicating opposition to God; 3) Signs indicating the judgment of God.
II Signs Indicating the Grace of God
A The grace of God is seen in the sign mentioned in verse 14:
(Mt 24:14) 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.
The proclamation of the Gospel to all nations is one of the signs of the times.
"The Gospel ... will be preached in the whole world." Jesus does not mean that every last person on earth must be converted before Christ's return; we know from the rest of Scripture this will never be the case. Nor does Jesus mean that every individual on earth must hear the Gospel before He comes again. Jesus is talking about groups rather than individuals. What He means is that the Gospel must be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. The sense appears to be that all nations, all peoples, all tribes, all languages are to be called to decision. All nations, all peoples, all tribes, all languages are to decide for or against Christ. All nations, all peoples, all tribes, all languages are to be called to account.
This sign of the time, do you know what it means for the church? As I already said, we are in the last days. This sign means that these last days are the days of missions, of evangelism, of witnessing by a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church. The period between Christ's two comings is the missionary age. This is a time of grace, a time in which God invites and urges all men to be saved. So this sign of the time gives us our marching orders, our purpose for these last days.
B This sign makes it very difficult to date the time of Christ's return. Who can be sure when the Gospel has been preached as a testimony to all nations? Over 7,000 languages have been identified today. The Bible has not yet been translated into half of them. Into how many of these languages and dialects must the Bible or parts of the Bible be translated before we can say it is a testimony to that nation? Or, how many members of a nation or tribe must be exposed to the Gospel before one can say that the Gospel is a testimony to that nation or tribe? We must humbly admit that only God will know when this sign has been completely fulfilled.
The fact that the Gospel is being preached on air waves throughout the world, that Scripture is being translated, that missionaries are going out to the farthest corners of the earth, are all signs that Jesus has come and that He is coming again. But, they do not tell us the exact time of His return. In the meantime, the church must keep on proclaiming the Gospel faithfully throughout the world, knowing that this is a precondition to our Lord's return.
III Signs Indicating Opposition to God
A In Matthew 24 Jesus identifies three signs of the times which indicate opposition to God: namely, tribulation, apostasy, and Antichrist.
First, Jesus indicates tribulation as one of the signs of the times when He says:
(Mt 24:9) "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Cf Mt 24:21-22)
Jesus is telling us, then, that one of the signs of the times between His two comings concerns persecution. Throughout this present age the world will oppose the Kingdom of God. Christians, says Jesus, can expect to suffer for who they are and what they believe.
When Christians suffer tribulation or persecution we have to recognize what this means: it means that Christ will surely return.
B The second sign which indicates opposition to God is the sign of apostasy. Jesus tells us that men will fall away from the true worship of God. As this is one of the signs of the times, one of the signs of the last days, He is telling us this also will happen throughout the history of the church.
(Mt 24:10-12) 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. (12) Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold ... (cf Mt 24:24; Heb 6:6; 10:29; 1Tim 4:1)
What is clear is that in the time between Christ's two comings there will be church members who fall away. None of them will be true believers however (Jn 10:27-29; 1 Pt 3:5); but many who have made an outward profession of faith will slip and fall. And we've seen that, haven't we? Think of the many sons and daughters of our families – men and women who were raised in the faith – who have slipped away. There is hardly a single family which has not been touched. We can only hope and pray that their falling away is temporary and not permanent.
C The third and most striking sign of opposition to God is the sign of the Antichrist. Jesus tells us about this sign when He says,
(Mt 24:23-25) At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. (24) For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. (25) See, I have told you ahead of time.
The sign of the Antichrist is to be found throughout the present age but reaches its culmination in the appearance of THE Antichrist.
The Antichrists and THE Antichrist speak against the Most High God and try to wear out the saints.
I look around the world and I see so many heresies and so many heretics: the New-Age Movement and other Eastern religions, the Unification Church and their claim that the Rev. Moon is the Christ, Rabbi Schneerson of Brooklyn who doesn't discourage claims that he is the Messiah. Each and everyone of these Antichrists are but proof that Christ's return is getting closer and closer.
IV Signs Indicating the Judgment of God
Finally, let us look at signs which indicate divine judgment: wars, earthquakes, and famines. Jesus talks about them:
(Mt 24:6-8) 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.
These signs point to divine judgment. This does not mean that people who undergo suffering or death as a result of disasters like wars, earthquakes, or famines are more wicked than all others; Jesus never allows us to think or talk that way (Lk 13:1-4). But these signs do mean that the present world is under God's curse (Gen 3:17). These signs do mean that the wrath of God is constantly being revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and wickedness of men (Rom 1:18). These signs are continual reminders that the Judge is standing at the door (James 5:9).
Like all the other signs, these too mark the entire period between Christ's first and second comings. They are indications that God is working out His purposes in history. When they occur, we are not to become fearful, but are to accept them as "the beginning of birth pains" (vs 8) leading to a better world.