Words that Last

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

God, my Friend and Lord, this day is Yours. I offer You my acceptance for whatever You might send.

Read MATTHEW 24:26-35

^[26] “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ^[27] For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^[28] Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. ^[29] “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ ^[30] “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ^[31] And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. ^[32] “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ^[33] Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. ^[34] Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ^[35] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Meditate

Faith that makes a difference is faith that fixes its eyes on the ultimate rather than the immediate.

Think Further

“A prime mark of the Christian mind is that it cultivates the eternal perspective. It looks beyond this life to another one” (Harry Blamires). The rest of Matthew 24, enigmatic though it might appear, urges us to look to that future day. Once again we are viewing the mountain range, trying to determine if this passage describes the foreground or the far horizon. Is this a description of what happened in first-century Jerusalem, or of what will happen on the final day when Christ returns?

There is a strong case for understanding this as a description of what happened during the lifetime of those who heard Jesus’ words. “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (34). The things to which Jesus refers–wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, martyrdom, desecration of the Temple and the spread of the Gospel across the known world–did take place during that generation. On the other hand, others see the verses as describing Jesus’ return at the end of the age. Verses 27-31 are graphic. Everyone will see the dramatic and inescapable nature of his coming. It will signal the gathering of God’s people from every corner of the globe. The fig tree (32) is a symbol of hope: the twigs become tender, the leaves appear, and so the summer is near. Jesus is coming back.

What really matters is that we trust the Lord’s Word. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (35). The world we know is decaying and will one day end, but Jesus’ words will never pass away: what he has spoken is enduring and reliable. The Christian cultivates that eternal perspective, trusting Christ’s eternal word rather than looking at the world around us. For sure, Jesus will return. He has said so.

Apply

How well are you are doing on keeping an eternal perspective on life?

Closing prayer

Loving Father, forgive me for getting fixated on the immediate, to the neglect of the eternal. Sharpen my focus on Your perspective.

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