Destruction

Destruction

The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity – 11/9/2025

Matthew 24:15-28

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s Holy Word for consideration today is our reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew with special emphasis on verses twenty-seven and twenty-eight which read as follows:

[Jesus said,] “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

There are some passages of Scripture that seem strange to us at first glance. That is to say, the sayings or events are difficult to unpack without some insight into the historical context. This passage from Matthew 24 can seem like one of those. Jesus speaks of abominations, desolations, fleeing to mountains, and vultures gathering around a corpse. And yet these words were not only meant for people long ago that heard them as the Lord spoke them, but they are also for us, His Church at the present time. Christ is teaching us how to understand the times in which we live and how to remain steadfast in faith until He comes again.

The Historical Context: The Destruction of Jerusalem

Jesus begins by speaking of the “abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel.” To His disciples, this must have evoked memories of great desecrations, foreign armies that desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem, pagan sacrifices offered in the holy place of the Temple, and how God’s sacred place, this same Temple on Mount Zion, was defiled. But Jesus points His hearers forward to an event that would happen about forty years after He spoke these words. That is to say, the fulfillment of this prophecy spoken by Daniel  recorded in chapters nine and eleven of his book, the fulfillment of this prophecy was found in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Roman armies under Titus, the same Titus who would go on to be Emperor of Rome in 79 AD.

The temple, once filled with the glory of God and the holy sacrifices, was torn down. Not one stone was left upon another. The city burned. The people fled, died, or were taken into captivity. Daniel and Jesus’s prophetic words were fulfilled in terrifying detail, just as they said. And this did not happen by coincidence or by mere political circumstances. It was the judgment of God upon a nation that had rejected the Messiah when He came to them in the flesh.

Why Were the Jews Scattered? Their Rejection of Christ and a Warning for Us

The destruction of Jerusalem is not merely a piece of ancient history, it is a warning. God had made Israel His chosen people. And this was for the reason that they might be the people from which the Messiah, Jesus, would be born and who would receive the Messiah with joy and faith. But when Christ came, the religious leaders did not recognize the visitation of God. They refused Him. They opposed Him. They crucified Him. And so the judgment of God came. St. Paul says that this is a partial hardening.[2] To this day, one of the most difficult groups of people to evangelize are the Jews.

But before we shake our heads  in astonishment at them, we must hear the warning for ourselves. To reject Christ, His Word, His grace, or His Church, is to place oneself under the same judgment. We cannot assume God's favor simply because we were born into the Christian Church or because we have our names in the membership registry of some congregation somewhere that we are better off than the descendants of Jacob. Israel could assume God's favor simply because they had the temple. Many in our day assume God’s favor because they have some of the outward trappings of the Christian religion. But the question is always the same: do we believe in Christ?

This Is the Pattern of History Until Christ Returns

The destruction of Jerusalem is not just an event in the past, it is a pattern of events of this world that will play out until the Last Day. There will be false teachers and false Christs. There will be apostasy. Nations will rise and fall. Churches will grow cold. Believers will suffer, and the world will rage. But through it all, Christ remains your Savior and Lord.

Jesus tells us that there will be many who claim to speak in His name but preach another Christ, a Christ who matches the world’s desires instead of the Word of God. This false teaching attracts people because it promises life, but it delivers death. This will continue until Christ returns.

Jesus Warns Us to Flee Destruction and Be Watchful

When destruction came upon Jerusalem, Jesus told His disciples to flee, to escape to the mountains, to leave everything behind. And many Christians did. They listened to the words of Christ and were spared. Though we do not have a specific warning about an impending national or local calamity from our Lord, we should still flee from evil and death. Our enemies tend not to be invading Romans, but the old enemies of sin, death, and the devil. The Lord bids us to be vigilant, to repent, and to the peace of faith.

The latter part of our Lord’s prediction turns to the suddenness of His return. It is true that the incarnation and birth of our Lord was sudden and unexpected. So too will His be His return in glory. Meanwhile, we must pay attention, not to see that day coming as if we could predict what our Lord says no man may know, but so that we are not found unprepared.  that would lead us away from Him. He calls us to watchfulness, to vigilance, to repentance. And this return will most certainly happen. It will be sudden and unavoidable, just like a streak of lighting on a dark night. You won’t miss it.

And this event will not be one of horror or hardship. For Christians it will be a day of rejoicing because it is on that day we will have in full what we have now in part. That is to say, we will have forgiveness, life, and salvation that last forever. There will be no decay or corruption, no death or disease. All will be as the Lord wills us, for us, our salvation, and our good.

The Corpse and the Vultures: A Picture of False Teaching

Jesus ends in our reading today with a striking image, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” A corpse is death. It has no life. It cannot give life. Yet vultures flock to it.

So it is with false teaching.

False doctrine may look appealing. It may promise freedom, progress, relevance, joy, but in the end, it is a dead thing. It cannot give life, only take it. And those who gather around such teaching find themselves feeding on death. The image here is stark, but it shows how seriously our Lord warns us away from false teaching in His name. False doctrine can only breed death because it is apart from Christ.

The living Church feeds on Christ in forgiveness by His and His sacraments. The false church feeds on human opinions, self-made spirituality, and empty promises. One leads to life.The other leads to destruction. One is built on the saving death of Christ, the other is built on the wants and desires of sinful human beings.

Conclusion

Jesus speaks these words so that you would not be led astray, so that you would not lose heart, and so that you would not be shaken when the world trembles. Christ has not abandoned His Church nor will He ever do so. He reigns over history and He sustains His people. And He will come again suddenly, openly, unmistakably to gather His saints. Feed not on the corpse of false teaching but on the living Christ who gives His body and blood for your forgiveness and life.

And when He comes again, He will come for you.

In the Holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

 The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Matthew 24:27-28 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the New Testament are from the English Standard Version.

[2] Romans 11:25