Overview of Matthew 24 -- Part 2

Both the first and second advents of Jesus Christ are necessary to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. What Christ began in His first advent He continues by the Holy Spirit between His advents. Furthermore, He will perfect at His second advent what He began and continues by the Spirit between His advents (Acts 1:1-11). This postgraduate course of instruction was very important for the disciples and all the elect.

The Book of Acts appropriately follows the Books of facts (preceding Scriptures). The elect who are regenerated prove their faith by their works: “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” (James 2:17-22 NASB). In reality, the ascended and glorified Savior, the Captain of the saved (Heb. 2:10 KJV), continued working by the Holy Spirit through the disciples (apostles). Their qualification was that they had seen the Lord: “AM I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” (I Cor. 9:1, 2 NASB). Since the completion of Scripture (Jude 3), Christ is continuing to build His assembly (Matt. 16:18) until His bride is completed (Eph. 5:24-27). Everything written by man—the Koran, Book of Mormon, Key To The Scriptures, etc. —is heretical because it is not God-breathed (theopneustos).

The Book of Acts records events in a period of history that is transitional in certain respects. Some things in this Book, such as Pentecost and certain apostolic powers, are never intended to serve as a permanent norm for the assembly of Christ in this present age. The miracles of this age are not great public exhibitions of Divine power or wonders designed to compel belief. The absence of great public exhibitions of Divine power is understood only by the Biblical understanding of the kingdom. (Study Ps. 50.)

Miracles are connected with the kingdom. They are the signs of the kingdom that were given as a testimony to Israel. The kingdom belongs in a peculiar sense to Israel by covenant. Its establishment has been assured upon their repentance. The miracles of Acts indicate their purpose and meaning: “Until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:2, 3 NASB).

The Epistle of Hebrews was written to Christians in the nation of Israel: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will” (Heb. 2:3, 4 NASB). The Jewish believers of that generation had tasted the powers of the “age to come” (Heb. 6:5). The “age to come” cannot be the “church age” because that had already come and was then running its course. It cannot refer to the eternal state because there will be no diseased to be healed or demons to cast out. The true meaning is the age of the messianic kingdom.

The great miracles of Acts were not only attestations of apostleship but also a foretaste of the kingdom to come. When miracles take place during the present era of the assembly, the providential devices of God veil them. Because of this, the willful skeptic is permitted to attribute a miracle to secondary causes, which often presents difficulty for the Christian to prove its supernatural character. However, the remnant of Israel and all the elect of God are enabled by the grace of God to understand that God’s present silence will be broken (Ps. 50:7-23; Matt. 23:39; Rom. 11:1-5, 25).

When all dreams of a utopia (a place or state of political or social perfection) are swept away by harsh reality, the Biblical truths concerning the kingdom will be regarded worthy of highest consideration. As the perfection of Christ’s human nature cannot be denied, the perfection of His work that finds its completion in the kingdom cannot be refuted. The past and present are preparatory stages for the future kingdom.

The true meaning of the kingdom can be determined only by a thorough investigation of all the Biblical material on the subject. Its meaning should not be determined by a few isolated passages from the Bible, such as “is within you” (Luke 17:21 KJV)—“is in your midst” (NASB), “cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 KJV and NASB), “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink” (Rom. 14:17 KJV)—“the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking” (NASB), and “hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13 KJV)—“transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (NASB). How can these verses be harmonized with Matthew 21:43—“…the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it” (NASB) and Acts 1:6—“And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (NASB). Paul’s statement to Timothy concerning the kingdom must not be overlooked at this point: “I SOLEMNLY charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom” (II Tim. 4:1 NASB). These verses should suffice to prove no person can handle the Scriptures properly without the correct concept of the kingdom.

There is no argument that the disciples needed the postgraduate course to which Christ subjected them. The disciples could not harmonize Calvary with the hope of the kingdom. Christ’s resurrection became the connecting link between His suffering and His glory to follow. The apostles knew nothing about an already existing kingdom. Christ’s reply confirmed the disciples’ view of the kingdom. He did not tell them they were mistaken in their view of the kingdom. The Lord Jesus did not deny that the kingdom would be restored to Israel. This is subsequent to what He told the chief priests and elders of Israel: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it” (Matt. 21:43 NASB). The nation to whom the kingdom will be given is described in I Peter 2:9—“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (NASB).

Matthew 21:43 must not be considered apart from the immediate context of Matthew 21:42-44—“Jesus said to them, Did you never read in the Scriptures, THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust” (NASB). The following tenses should be considered in these verses: (1) Christ as the stumbling stone is past tense: “The stone which the builders rejected” (Matt. 23:37-39; Luke 21:20-24). (2) Christ as the foundation stone is present tense: “This became the chief corner stone” (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:19-22; I Pet. 2:4-8). (3) Christ as the smiting stone is future tense: “He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces” (Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45; Rev. 19:11-18).

Present day cults are known by their promises of no more financial problems, health problems, etc. The Bible, unlike cults, does not promise present kingdom conditions. However, the elect are effectually called and saved in the realm of hope. Therefore, like Abraham of old, they see things from a distance (Heb. 11:13). Christians who understand the meaning of the kingdom experientially realize what it means to welcome things from a distance (Heb. 11:13). The Spirit of regeneration helps Christians in their infirmities (Rom. 8:26).

The Christian must have a definite knowledge of God because he cannot evidence regeneration apart from a clear testimony of his conversion (I Pet. 3:15). The Spirit has revealed to him the truth Christ spoke to His disciples: “In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20 NASB). “In that day” is the day of the Spirit’s revealing (I John 2:20, 27). The truths revealed in John 14:20 are the same phrase in all three relations, but one must not conclude that they are of the same nature. Christ being in the Father is a most intimate relation because both Father and Son are eternal. Here the unity in the Godhead is revealed (John 10:30). “In My Father” denotes a distinct personal subsistence of the second Person in the first Person in the Godhead. The Christian is in Christ because of the Father’s choice, the God-Man’s redemptive work, and the Holy Spirit’s regenerating (John 3:3-8). “I in you” denotes a relationship between Christ and the Christian so great that even the elect angels desire to investigate—“long [desire] to look” (I Pet. 1:12).

The Christian’s present inheritance is recorded in I Corinthians 3:21-23—“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God” (NASB). God’s servants are for the Christian’s spiritual profit because they care for their souls (Heb. 13:17). The world (world arrangement) belongs to Christians. It is the place for their training. Life is theirs and must be viewed in its highest degree of spiritual achievement. Death is their unusual possession. The children of God are not its victims but its victors (I Cor. 15:55-58). Things present include unpleasant as well as pleasant things. Things to come are theirs. What wealth will soon be revealed! (Rev. 21-22).

The Christian’s future inheritance is unspeakable. The Holy Spirit is the earnest of his future inheritance. He is an heir before he is a possessor of the inheritance. He presently enjoys the blessings and assurance of the inheritance, but the earnest is only the foretaste of what is to come in the future. The redemption of the body and the glories of the kingdom are future. Both Pentecost and the Transfiguration were foretastes of the kingdom. God never begins anything without bringing it to completion.