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MATTHEW 24:27-51
VI. THE NATURE OF THE
SECOND COMING
Jesus warns very clearly
that these proclamations are false and should not be believed. The arrival of
Jesus will be SUDDEN and SPECTACULAR like lightning flashing across the sky.
There will be no doubt about WHEN and WHO it is that is coming.
The warning to NOT
listen to these false prophets who claim that the Messiah is here is followed
by a very clear and simple reason. There can be no mistake.
Matthew 24:27
“For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west,
so shall the coming of the son of Man be.”
The second coming of
Jesus will be UNIVERSALLY visible like lightning flashing across the sky. Luke
records this at chapter 17:22-24.
And He said to the
disciples, "The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of
the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
Comment about "you will not see it." This
clearly states that the disciples will NOT see the second coming of Jesus.
see commentary at Luke 17.
"They will say to you, 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not run
after them. "For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of
the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His
day.”
The arrival of Jesus in
the clouds of the sky with power and great glory will be universally observed
and therefore INSTANTANEOUS.
“Behold He is coming with clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who
pierced Him.” Revelation 1:7
The flashing “from east
to west” is not stressed in Luke’s record – “from one end of the sky to the
other” – Lightning is not stationary, so SOME KIND of direction would
naturally be expressed, whether it be from east to west, or from west to east.
I suppose it can be argued whether this ARRIVAL will be viewed universally AT
THE SAME TIME, or whether Jesus will appear at one point and then “parade”
across the sky until all have seen Him. The problem with this second idea is
that it is not JUST an east to west idea, but also, a north to south idea. Of
course, one can claim that He will zig-zag all over the place until all have
seen him, but this seems a bit inconsistent with the language in my opinion.
I see it as an
instantaneous appearance of Jesus in power and great glory so that EVERYONE
will see Him at the same time, and immediately everyone will be challenged AT
THE SAME TIME with the impact of His arrival.
This seems impossible
according to the laws of physics, but of course, the activities of God are not
limited by these laws that He himself designed. The Bible is replete with
miracles that transcend the laws of physics.
This can be explained by –
(1) A stoppage of time so that the arrival can be seen by everyone AT THE SAME
TIME.
(2) An appearance that is simply RADIATED everywhere at the same time.
In whatever manner God does it, I think the language clearly IMPLIES that when
every eye will see Him, it will be at the same instant.
Not only that, but it
will be preceded by TWO unmistakable signs.
(1) The signs in the sun, the moon and the stars: Darkened sun, moon and
stars, with meteorites falling to the earth. Mat. 24:29
(2) The sign of the Son of Man. There is no teaching on what this sign might
be, but apparently it will be unmistakable. Mat. 24:30a
THE ALLEGORICAL “WHERE”
Matthew 24:27-28; Luke 17:37
At this time in Matthew’s account, Jesus makes a strange allegorical
statement. “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”
When we compare Matthew with Luke 17:24-37, we learn that at this point in
the Olivet discourse, the disciples ask the question, "where?"
We should add this question into the text at Mat. 24:27-28.
"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the
west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
(Luke 17) And replying they said, "where?"
28 "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."
At Luke 17:37, after recording that Jesus taught “one will be taken” (the
believer), and “one will be left” (the unbeliever), the disciples ask,
“where?”
However, they are NOT asking about where the ones taken will go, but they
are responding to the question that is RECORDED back at verse 17:24. They
are asking about where the Son of man will be revealed. It is that ARRIVAL
of the Son of man that is the primary focus in Luke’s record at this point.
Luke 17:22-37.
Luke’s placement of this “vulture” image is different from Matthew. The
order of the various events and teachings of Jesus recorded by Luke is not
the same as recorded by Matthew, Mark and John.
Luke’s gospel record is not chronologically precise when it comes to the
general teaching and travels of Jesus. His chronology is accurate as to the
historical setting in relation to the political contemporaries of the day.
Luke has taken some of what was taught by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, and
placed it at different locations throughout his gospel account, out of
chronological order, but related TOPICALLY. Luke was not an eyewitness, but
gathered his information from others. This does not deny the principle of
inspiration. The CONTENT is accurate and its integrity is preserved by the
Holy Spirit. But chronological precision was not a concern to either The
Spirit or to Luke in the recording of what Jesus taught.
One such example is the teaching about “the days of Noah” and the “one
taken/one left” section. Luke did not record this teaching in his chapter 21
on the Olivet Discourse, which is where this information was originally
taught according to Matthew 24. But he recorded it at Luke 17:26-30 and
34-36.
This question and answer do not belong here RIGHT AFTER Jesus teaches that
some will be taken and some left, as if to suggest that the disciples are
asking where they will be taken. Matthew records this statement in
connection with the coming of the Son of Man like lightning flashing across
the sky, but not in connection with the gathering of the elect (Mat.
24:27-28).
Matthew did not record the question, just the answer.
So when the disciples asked this question, "Where," they were asking where
will be the ARRIVAL of Jesus when He appears?
They were thinking of a specific location. But the corpse is not in a
specific location. They didn't understand yet, about the universal arrival
and appearance of Jesus at His return.
The answer Jesus gave is allegorical that reflects a common image not only
from Jewish culture as can be seen from the Old Testament (Job 39:30; Prov.
30:17), but from the laws of nature as well.
What we need to determine is the significance of this image as Jesus related
it to His arrival at the Day of the Lord.
The word that is translated as eagles is aetos.
This is the standard word for that specific classification of bird.
There is no need to translate it as vulture just because of the carrion
context.
Carrion is a part of the eagle's diet although not the most favorable as
they prefer hunting their prey.
Many ancient writers class vultures among the eagles.
Although many have attempted to identify a specific location for the corpse,
it seems to me that the best view is that the corpse is the entire corrupted
and sinful world.
Evil has progressed through the advance of the mystery of lawlessness, and
the earth is now filled with a DEAD BODY that needs to be removed by the
vultures. When Jesus returns, it is to begin the removal of the DEAD BODY
through the Day of the Lord judgments in preparation for the earthly Davidic
kingdom.
We know that this event will be universally visible. Every eye will see the
arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. It
will be visible like lightning flashing across the sky to every geographical
location on the earth.
The cosmic and earthly signs that will precede the actual arrival of Jesus
will be universally visible. The response of ALL the people is described as
"men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming
upon the world."
It is the corrupt condition of the world that brings the judgment from God.
This is portrayed in the vision shown to John at Rev. 14:14-16.
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one
like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His
hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling out with a loud
voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the
hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 Then He
who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was
reaped.
Isaiah 24:20.
The earth trembles like a heavy drinker And sways like a hut,
For its wrongdoing is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.
And Isaiah 13:11, So I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked
for their wrongdoing; I will also put an end to the audacity of the proud
And humiliate the arrogance of the tyrants.
Is. 26:21,
For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place To punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.
Just as is described at Is. 13:6-11
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the
Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every human heart will
melt. They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in
astonishment, Their faces aflame.
Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and
their constellations Will not flash their light;
The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. So
I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their wrongdoing; I
will also put an end to the audacity of the proud And humiliate the
arrogance of the tyrants.
It is at this time that the wrath of God and of the Lamb will begin to judge
the beast and his kingdom. Rev 6:16-17.
The fulfillment of the corpse image is the sinful earth, and those who are
spiritually dead. These will be subject to horrendous physical judgments
through the trumpets and bowls of God's judicial wrath.
The fulfillment of the vulture IMAGE is the arrival of Jesus in the clouds
of the sky to bring the DOL judgments on the sinful earth.
The REASON Jesus uses the eagle image to refer to his return is because that
is the specific counterpart to the corpse image.
The application is that in the same way that eagles pounce upon carrion, so
likewise will Jesus pounce upon the corrupt and sinful earth.
As Matthew recorded at vs. 24:29-30, Jesus continued with telling them what
signs will precede and basically announce His coming.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS about the
allegory
1. Matthew and Luke are
in apparent conflict.
That is resolved by the preceding paragraphs, and more completely by the
discussion on the correlation of the three Synoptic Gospels.
It seems quite unreasonable to me for this image to be spoken on two different
occasions for TWO DIFFERENT reasons.
Accordingly, one has to decide WHICH writer they are going to follow
concerning the placement of the statement.
Luke inserts parts of Christ’s discourses ALL OVER THE PLACE and does not
follow the precise order of content as Matthew and Mark do.
It is more reasonable TO ME that Matthew is to be followed as to where this
statement should be located in the chronology of Christ's discourse.
If we can’t agree on that placement, then there can be no resolution
when trying to figure out what the “vulture” statement means.
WE FIRST have to agree about what the disciples are asking.
If Matthew is followed - THEN - the question is asking, “WHERE will the Lord
arrive when He comes back.”
If Luke is followed (literally) - THEN - the question is “WHERE will the
taken-ones go to.”
2. However, it is quite
unreasonable for this image to be used to answer a question as to “where the
TAKEN OUT ones will go,” as it APPEARS to do in Luke’s account. Even if, as
with the pre-trib camp, the “taken ones” refers to unbelievers being taken to
judgment, it still does not make sense, for at Armageddon there really is no
“taken in judgment.” There is simply a physical destruction (death) of those
who are assembled on the earth, and the vultures will eat up the dead bodies
afterwards. And at the separation of the sheep and the goats at Matthew
25:31ff, there is no one being taken from a work site or a bed.
3. Matthew’s account answers the question as to “where the Lord will come upon
His initial arrival.”
And since His arrival/appearance is probably instantaneously visible, the
answer would be WHERE THE “evil” CARCASS is located.
It is located ON THE EARTH. In other words, Jesus is not telling them to think
of any ONE particular geographical location, but it is the earth in general
that is in view with specific reference to the CHARACTER of the earth as a
dead corpse that needs to be dealt with.
4. Another option for
this initial ARRIVAL LOCATION is Palestine, where the Beast has set up the
abomination of desolation in the Holy Place. But this is a moot point IF the
arrival constitutes a universal appearing, for if “every eye will see Him,”
then it matters not WHERE He first appears.
5. Some have suggested
that the use of this image identifies the location of Christ’s return as “on
the mountains of Israel” (Ezek. 39:4, 17), and “on the open field” (Ezek.
39:5). In this case, it would certainly refer to the battle of Armageddon,
although there is still controversy over that. This will be dealt with in more
detail when I get to Matthew 24:29-30.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
TRIBULATION
Matthew 24:29a
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days”
As already seen in
connection with verse 22, the tribulation will be OFFICIALLY cut short from
its expected duration by the sovereign decree of God the Father at some
unknown day and hour (Matthew 24:36, 42-44) at least 5 months (Revelation 9:5)
before the end of the 70th week.
The end of the
tribulation is not something that will be announced. It will simply be
EVIDENCED by the signs in the sun, moon and stars. These signs are not a sign
of the end of the tribulation, but a sign that the second coming of Christ is
about to occur.
The end of the
tribulation will be realized by the FACT that the beast will suddenly be
totally distracted from furthering his persecution agenda against those who
don’t worship him.
(1) The SIGNS will have everyone in fear and panic.
(2) The Christians will suddenly all be removed in the VISIBLE event of the
rapture (although there will be new believers soon enough).
(3) And then the serious judgments of the trumpets will interrupt the beast’s
supply and control of the economic resources.
So when God the Father
DECREES to cut short the tribulation, at that moment the signs in the sun,
moon and stars will occur, which announce the arrival of Jesus at His second
coming and the inception of the time PERIOD known as The Day of the Lord.
It is at this arrival of
Jesus in the clouds of the sky that the rapture will occur and the
DAY OF THE LORD will begin. The events of the
tribulation do NOT include either the trumpet or the bowl judgments, but both
of these are expressions of God’s justice upon the kingdom of the beast after
the tribulation has ended.
THE SIGNS IN THE SUN,
MOON AND STARS
Matthew 24:29
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED,
AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken”
This is not describing
any eclipse type event, but a supernatural act of God that literally and
physically darkens the sun, moon and stars. The image of the stars falling
from the sky describes the fact that light from these orbs will also be
diminished. It could also include meteorites falling to the earth, which would
“humanly speaking” explain the disappearance of the stars – although we know
that the actual stars do not fall to the earth.
This is the very same
event that was prophesied in the Old Testament as occurring BEFORE the arrival
of the Day of the Lord. Joel 2:30-31. “And I will display wonders in the sky
and on the earth, blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned
into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of
the Lord comes.”
The “blood moon”
indicates a very dark red effect caused by the darkening of the sun. The moon
of course does not have its OWN light, so this indicates just a slight
reflection of light that will be barely discernable.
This establishes the
fact that the DAY OF THE LORD and the second coming of the Messiah are
basically the same event. And both will be preceded by these awesome things;
things of such a nature that they have not been seen before in the same
manner, and will therefore cause great panic, fear and sorrow in those who are
not prepared for the coming of Jesus.
The signs on the earth were also mentioned by Jesus but were only recorded by
Luke. However, they are indicated by Matthew’s account that indicates the
stars (meteors) will fall to the EARTH. Luke at 21:25-26. “And there will be
signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations,
in perplexity at the roaring of the seas and the waves, men fainting from fear
and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the
powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
The phrase, “the powers
of the heavens will be shaken” is a summary statement concerning the celestial
disturbances that make it appear as though the heavenly orbs are DISAPPEARING.
THE DAY OF THE LORD
The arrival of the Day
of the Lord is also described by Isaiah at chapter 13:6-13.
Verses 1-8 describe the invasion of the king of the North, which will occur
DURING the Day of the Lord judgments.
Verse 6 describes the NATURE of the Day of the Lord events; “destruction from
the Almighty.”
Verses 7-8 describe the fear and panic that will be expressed by the
unbelievers who witness the SIGNS of the impending judgments from God.
Verse 9 again states the destructive nature that will characterize the Day of
the Lord.
Verse 10 describes the SIGNS that immediately precede the arrival of the Day.
“For the stars and their constellations will not flash forth their light;
The sun will be dark in its going, and the moon will not shed its light.”
(This corresponds with Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:25, and Rev. 6:12-13.)
Verses 11-12 describe the judgment on the world through the Day of the Lord
judgments.
Verse 13 repeats the SIGNS that portend the arrival of the Day of the Lord.
“Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble,
And the earth will be shaken from its place (earthquake as at Rev. 6.)
At the fury of the Lord of hosts
In the day of His burning anger.”
(This corresponds with Matthew 24:29 and Luke 21:26; “the powers of the
heavens will be shaken.” And with Rev. 6:14, “the sky was moved away like a
scroll.”)
All these prophecies
point to the event that will occur at the SIXTH seal of Revelation 6:12-14.
“And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became
like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts
its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was moved away like a
scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved out of
their places.”
The sixth seal mentions
the great earthquake described at Isaiah 13:13, while the other passages
mention only that there will be great things happening on the earth.
The fire and the columns
of smoke mentioned by Joel will be caused by the meteorites hitting the earth
and by the massive earthquakes and volcanic activity that will be felt around
the world. The roaring of the sea will also be caused by the earthquakes
producing tsunamis all around the world.
The statement, “and the
sky was moved away like a scroll when it is rolled up,” describes what Jesus
said about the powers of the heavens being shaken.
The verb for “moved away” (separated – in the NASB) is apochoridzo as an
aorist passive indicative. It means to SEPARATE from in the sense of move away
from as at Acts 15:39. “they separated (moved away) from one another.”
Here then, it indicates that the sky was moved away or REMOVED just like a
scroll when it is rolled up. That is, it disappears so that it is no longer
visible to the human eye. This communicates the darkening of the sun and the
moon and stars, as well as the meteorites falling to the earth.
This correlation with
the sixth seal also indicates that the first 5 seals correlate with the events
described in Matthew 24:9-28, and therefore occur during the tribulation.
Once we recognize that
Matthew 24:29 refers to the DAY OF THE LORD that is mentioned at Joel 2 and
the other places in the Old Testament, it is a simple and logical step to
recognize that when the apostles use this term, they are referring to the very
same event.
1Thessalonians 5:2, "the Day of the Lord will come
just like a thief in the night."
This refers to the occurrence of the cosmic signs and the arrival of Jesus in
the clouds of the sky.
2Thessalonians 2:1-2, " the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him . . . that the Day of the Lord
has come."
The context indicates that these three terms are synonymous, or rather, refer
to the very same event that occurs when Jesus arrives "in the clouds of the
sky with power and great glory."
2Peter 3:10, "for the Day of the Lord will come
like a thief."
Peter uses the language established by Jesus to refer to the second coming and
the promise to the church.
1Corinthians 1:8, "who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ."
There is no basis for making this term refer to anything other than the Day of
the Lord, that has been taught throughout the Old Testament and referenced by
Jesus at Matthew 24:29.
Philippians 1:6, "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the
day of Christ Jesus."
Once again, this refers to the one and only DAY OF THE LORD.
Philippians 1:10; 2:16; 2Cor. 1:14; 1Cor. 5:5. These all refer to the same
event - the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky with power and great
glory, at which time He will gather the saints for a meeting with Him in the
sky.
See Topic:
THE DAY OF THE LORD
THE SIGN OF THE SON OF
MAN
Matthew 24:30a “And then
the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn.”
Included in the signs
that the arrival of the Messiah and the Day of the Lord is about to occur, is
a more specific sign that is not mentioned anywhere else. That more specific
sign will be “the sign of the Son of Man.”
Exactly WHAT this is, we are not told. However, it is certain that this will
be an OBVIOUS indication that the “thing” that has been talked about for a
couple thousand years is now about to occur – the return of Jesus Christ.
All of these things will
happen over a relatively small period of time, perhaps encompassing one entire
day. This is determined by several things.
1. The nature of some of
these things is a matter of “cause and effect” rather than things that ALL
occur instantaneously.
2. There is TIME for the unbelievers to panic and actually RUN AWAY in an
attempt to hide before they actually SEE Jesus coming on the clouds of the
sky. Luke 21:26; Rev. 6:15.
3. The instruction given to believers at Luke 21:28: “But when these things
begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near.”
THE ISSUE OF TIMING
According to the parable
of the TREES (Luke 21:29-33; Mat. 24:24-36), Jesus taught that we can know
the SEASON when He will return, but we cannot know the day or the hour.
The season is the time period of the tribulation IN GENERAL, which will begin
at the midpoint of the 70th week, but will be cut short
(interrupted, amputated) at an unknown day and hour before the end of the 70th
week.
On the very day that God decrees to cut short the tribulation, it will be
evidenced first by the awesome signs in the heavens and on the earth. It seems
that these signs will last for a short time since they appear to be “cause and
effect” type phenomena.
At Matthew 24:33, Jesus
said, “when you see all these things know that He is near – at the door.”
At Luke 21:28, He said, “But when you see these things BEGIN to happen, then
straighten up and lift up your head because your redemption is drawing near.”
At Luke 21:31, “when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of
God is near.”
Although Luke does not
mention the tribulation events in chapter 21, I believe that the words Luke is
quoting from Jesus refer to the season of the tribulation, in general, and to
the SIGNS, specifically.
I believe there is a
delay between the SIGNS and the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky. The
term, “all these things” then, refers to those signs specifically, and the
last half of the 70th week, generally. However, the term does not
include the visible arrival of Jesus, which will occur some time AFTER those
signs occur.
Most of the rapture and
second coming passages in the New Testament indicate that the gathering of the
saints will occur immediately upon the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the
sky. Accordingly, when Jesus arrives, there is no TIME for the response
described at Luke 21:28; “straighten up and look up.” The gathering will occur
at the very instant that we see Him.
THE RESPONSE OF THE
UNBELIEVERS
It is AFTER the signs
and the sign of the Son of Man that we are told of the actions of the
unbelievers in attempting to escape “the things that are coming upon the
world,” (Luke 21:26). It is AFTER this response that they then see Jesus
coming on the clouds of the sky.
Likewise, it is after those signs that the believers are told to “look up.”
Thus, when Jesus appears in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory,
EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM both believers and unbelievers.
The “mourning” of the unbelievers will continue (Rev. 1:7) and the believers
will be immediately gathered into the clouds of the sky to meet Jesus and will
then be taken to heaven.
At the sixth seal, there
is no mention of the arrival of Jesus, just the occurrence of the signs in the
sky and on the earth. And as with Matthew and Luke, the response of the people
occurs after the occurrence of the signs. So at Revelation 6:16-17, when the
people panic and try to hide, it is in response to the SIGNS of Christ’s
arrival. The actual arrival will occur AFTER that response, thus, after
Revelation 6:17. The RESULT of Christ’s arrival is then described in
Revelation chapter 7.
(1) Rev. 7:1-8 describes the conversion of the 144,000 Jewish bond servants
who will believe in Jesus after the church has been removed.
(2) Rev. 7:9-17 describes the presence of the raptured saints in heaven. These
will be raptured as soon as Jesus arrives after Rev. 6:17. They will be
gathered together by the angels “for a meeting with the Lord in the air”
(1Thes. 4:17) and will then be taken to heaven. Revelation 7:9 does not
describe the PROCESS of the rapture, but the FACT that the rapture had already
(or “just”) occurred, and the saints are thus seen as completely gathered
before the throne of God in heaven.
To summarize:
According to Luke, there will be a small period of time between the SIGNS and
Christ’s arrival.
Thus -
(1) The signs occur over the period of at least one day.
(2) The sign of the Son of Man will occur after those signs begin to manifest.
(3) It is then that everyone will panic and try to hide from what is about to
happen.
(4) The believers will respond also in anticipation of the any-second arrival.
(5) Then – sometime after the signs have been manifested, everyone will see
Jesus coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
This is the same order given to us by Matthew.
Matthew 24:29-30
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED,
AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power
and great glory.”
And the same order is
given by Mark, without mentioning the reaction of the people.
Mark 13:24-26
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and
the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the
Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”
Isaiah also recorded the
response of the unbelievers in view of the judgments that will come upon them
after the beginning of the day of the Lord. Isaiah 13:6-8.
“Wail, for the day of the LORD is near!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s heart will melt.
And they will be terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.”
However, until Jesus
actually comes back, there is opportunity for any of these unbelievers to
trust in Him as their Lord and Savior. Joel 2:31-32
“The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Will be saved.”
Those who trust in Jesus
BEFORE He arrives, will be saved and be included in the group of saints who
will be raptured out from the earth. This can be designated as SALVATION
PREPARATION, and all who have thus trusted in Christ will realize the promise
of 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “Who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
Those who trust in Jesus AFTER He arrives, will be saved, but remain on the
earth during the time of judgment, and have the privilege of representing Him
while His wrath is being poured out on the unbelievers.
There is no direct
mention of anyone being saved between the signs and the arrival of Jesus, but
the invitation of Joel 2:31 is certainly valid and applicable to all. And of
course there will be many converts after the rapture. The first to be saved
after the rapture will be the 144,000 Jewish bond servants of God as indicated
at Revelation 7:1-8.
During the Day of the Lord judgments the gospel will be proclaimed as is
indicated at Revelation 14:1-7. “Fear God and give Him glory.”
And some are saved just
before the 7th trumpet judgment sounds.
Revelation 11:13, “And the rest became respectful (fearful) and gave glory to
the God of heaven.”
Thus, after the Day of
the Lord judgments are completed, there will be a multitude of believers on
the earth who will go alive into the Messiah’s kingdom in their mortal bodies.
But first, the living unbelievers will be removed from the earth.
(1) Jewish unbelievers (fat sheep) removed from the earth leaving only the
Jewish believers (lean sheep) to go into the kingdom. Ezekiel 34:14-17.
(2) Gentile unbelievers (goats) removed from the earth leaving only the
Gentile believers (sheep) to go into the kingdom. Matthew 25:31-46.
THE RESPONSE OF
BELIEVERS
After the signs that
announce the arrival of Jesus, but before He actually arrives in the clouds of
the sky with power and great glory, there will be a period of time during
which both unbelievers and believers will express their emotional responses.
Luke records what Jesus said for the believers at Luke 21:28.
“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
A. These things: refers to the signs in the heavens and on the earth –
specifically. But it occurs during the time period of the tribulation, which is also
a sign post.
B. The verb “begin” is archo as a present middle participle and refers to
the inception of the events just described.
C. Once the “season” of the tribulation begins, the believers will know
that the Lord could return at any moment. But during this time they are to
continue living as faithful ambassadors, especially in Palestine (Mat.
10:21-23), and don’t need to be continually looking up in the sky. But when the SIGNS and the sign of the Son of Man occur, they are told to “look up” in expectation for the Lord is about to arrive to gather
them together with Him in the clouds of the sky. Mat. 24:31; 1Thes. 4:14-17.
D. Redemption here refers to the resurrection of the body which will occur
when the angels are sent forth to gather the elect to meet the Lord in the
sky. It is at that time that all the saints will receive a resurrection
body.
This is called “the redemption of the body” at Romans 8:23.
It is not referring to redemption from sin because that is already an
accomplished fact.
See Topic: REDEMPTION
E. However, some believers will be unprepared for Christ’s return, even
though they have been living through the tribulation. Thus, when the signs
occur, these believers who are “out of fellowship with God,” will be ashamed and embarrassed when He actually arrives. John describes this possibility
at 1 John 3:28, using the term “abide in Him” to indicate the believer who is
walking right
with God.
“And now little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may
have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”
This can be designated as EXPERIENTIAL PREPARATION.
F. Paul also discusses the possibility that believers will be unprepared
for the return of Christ. 1 Thes. 5:4-11
Verse 4
SALVATION PREPARATION
“But you, brethren, are not in darkness that the day should overtake you like
a thief.”
This is the way it SHOULD be since the believer has been delivered out of the
darkness into the light.
Verse 5
“For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of
darkness.”
This states the positional status of the believer.
Verse 6
EXPERIENTIAL PREPARATION
“So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and in control
(sober).”
This states the possibility that the believer can be unprepared for the
arrival of the Day of the Lord, and gives us warning to avoid that failure.
Verse 8a
“But since we are of the day, let us be in control.”
Since we are IN CHRIST, let us live and walk like it. Since we are sons of
God, let us behave like sons of God.
Verse 8b
“By having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the
confidence of salvation.”
This states HOW the believer will be able to maintain CONTROL and fellowship
with God. It is by USING the spiritual resources that God has provided. (1)
living by faith, (2) radiating love and (3) claiming the confidence of our
salvation status.
Verse 11
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another just as you also are
doing.”
It is through mutual encouragement and spiritual growth that the believer will
be strengthened to live according to the standards of God’s character and to
be walking in the light when the Lord returns.
Peter gives us the same
exhortation at 2 Peter 3:10-18.
Verse 10
“The Day of the Lord will come like a thief.”
It is the same exact context as at 1 Thessalonians 5 and at Matthew 24.
Verse 11
EXPERIENTIAL PREPARATION
“. . . what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and good worship.”
States the desired life style and indicates the possibility of failure.
Verse 12
“looking for and diligently promoting the coming of the day of God.”
This indicates that the believer should live in confident expectation of
Christ’s return and should be living a life style that promotes it – teaches
it.
Verse 14
“Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found
by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.”
Peter exhorts us to live a spiritually and morally consistent Christian life.
Verse 17
“You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest being
carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own
stability.”
Peter relates the possibility of being deceived and losing one’s spiritual
stability.
Verse 18
“But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Exhortation to spiritual growth as at 1 Thessalonians 5.
Throughout the Olivet Discourse, Jesus warned the believers several times to
be prepared and watchful.
Matthew 24:42, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your
Lord is coming.”
Verse 44, “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour when you do not think.”
And at Luke 21:34-36
"Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with carousing and
drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a
trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.
But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have
strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand
before the Son of Man."
Strength to escape, refers to endurance during the specific time of
tribulation which will begin at the mid-point of the 70th week. There will be
intense pressure facing every Christian during this time, when the beast will
be attempting to enforce his economic policies all over the world. Revelation
13:7, 17 describes the extent and nature of the beast's oppression of
Christians.
And
"to stand before the Son of Man" refers to "not shrinking away from Him in
shame at His appearing," as we saw at 1 John 2:28. The emphasis, in view of
the amplification in the New Testament, is that the believer can stand before
the Son either – PREPARED, that is, in fellowship with God (abiding in Him)
and have initial great joy (Jude v. 24).
OR
The believer can stand before the Son – UNPREPARED, that is out of fellowship
with God and experience great shame and remorse.
This does not mean that
the "out-of-fellowship" believer will be left behind at the rapture but simply
that his initial reaction will be great shame and remorse. Later, at the
justice seat of Christ where all his works as a Christian will be evaluated,
he will suffer loss of reward for his times of unfaithfulness on earth. But he
himself will be saved. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.
See Topic:
Partial
Rapture Theory
The
same warning to be prepared is given to the readers of the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 16:15
("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and
keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame.")
This is addressed to the readers of the book of Revelation, both believers and
unbelievers, to warn them of the event of the 6th seal that will begin the
"end-times" judgments of the Day of the Lord.
The
phrase, "come like a thief," occurs only 5 times and always refers to the
return of Jesus at the arrival of the Day of the Lord (1Thessalonians 5:2, 4;
2Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; Revelation 16:15). The use of this term
originated based on the parable Jesus taught at Matthew 24:43-44
"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of
the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not
have allowed his house to be broken into.
"For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
when you do not expect it."
Believers will thus, be reminded of the urgency for testimonial consistency
throughout their lives that they might not "be ashamed, and shrink away from
him in fear at His presence," 1 John 2:28.
Unbelievers will once again be reminded that if they are not spiritually
prepared through salvation relationship with God, they will be left behind at
the rapture and many of the men and women, if not killed by one plague or
another, will end up as part of this troop movement into the Valley of Megiddo
where they will face the sword of Jesus.
At
all times throughout history, God has been faithful to provide the information
people need to enter into relationship with Him. This time of great judgment
from God is no exception. The 144,000 "servants" of God are still present on
the earth representing the truth of God to all who will hear. The message of
these "servants" is found at Revelation 14:6-7 and is called, "an everlasting
gospel."
The
quote from God at this point in the scenario, indicates not only, God's
concern for His own people, that they be "prepared" through fellowship abiding
with Him, but that He is still concerned for all who are willing to come so
that all who "call upon the name of the Lord will be saved."
When Jesus descends to the earth to face the nations at Armageddon, He will
already have been present in the clouds for over five months, having come "in
the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Mat. 24:29-31; Rev.
6:12-14). AT this physical descent TO the earth, He will not come like a
thief. It is true, that no one will know EXACTLY what hour or even day He will
descend, but the judgments will have been on-going for over FIVE MONTHS
already (Rev. 9:5), and an "any time" arrival is really not an issue at this
point. The world will have ALREADY experienced the "signs in the sun, moon and
stars," and SEEN the arrival of Jesus in the clouds. At that event of the 6th
seal, the world will know that judgment is impending.
Revelation 6:15-17
"And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from
the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;
for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?"
However, prior to the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky at the 6th
seal, when many unbelievers will NOT be experiencing judgment, but instead
will be facing the "peace and security" issues of association with the beast
(1Thes. 5:3: Mat. 24:38-39), there will be no thought of the second coming of
Jesus or of judgment.
That is why this warning is placed here. It is given just before the vision
tells about the FINAL judgment that comes in the Valley of Megiddo, and warns
all who will listen that it is the second coming that will initiate the events
leading up to it. Of course, for the beast-worshippers, who will already have
taken the mark of the beast, their destiny in the lake of fire is
irreversible. But for the many who will be experiencing only a TASTE of the
benefits of beast worship, there is still a chance to trust in Christ and be
saved.
Jesus gives the same warning at the close of the book of Revelation, exhorting
the readers to SALVATION PREPARATION.
Revelation 22:12, 17
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with Me, to render to every man
according to what he has done . . . And the Spirit and the Bride say, COME.
And let the one who hears say COME. And let the one who is thirsty come; let
the one who wants to, take the water of life freely."
VII. THE ARRIVAL OF
JESUS
Matthew 24:30c
and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power
and great glory.
The hope of the
apostolic church concerning Christ's second coming was founded in the very
teachings of Jesus, Who made it perfectly clear that He was indeed going to
come again and deliver His believing ones out from this world and take them to
a heavenly home. There are some who believe that Jesus taught two second
comings; one for His believers, and one for the nation of Israel. Such a
distinction is found only in the academic maneuverings of these people rather
than in the plain and simple language of Christ's words. By comparing passages
from the Old Testament and the gospels, it can be shown that there is only ONE
second coming, but that there are TWO phases to it. The first phase is the
ARRIVAL phase, which is the appearing of Jesus in the clouds of the sky in
power and great glory with the angels of God in attendance. From this initial
event, several things occur which take place over a period of several months
and culminate with the DESCENT phase, which is His physical descent to the
earth onto the Mount of Olives to defeat the rebel armies of the world at the
battle of Armageddon. A huge confusion exists because many view
this physical descent to the mount of Olives to be the second advent in
contrast to the coming of Jesus in the clouds, which is the ACTUAL second
advent.
This passage describes
the one and only second coming of Jesus. Every time the Scripture mentions the
second coming, it refers to the one and same event that is prophesied here.
The second coming is the arrival of Jesus IN THE CLOUDS of the sky.
It is a physical and visible and glorious event.
The descent of Jesus to the three battle grounds of the Armageddon campaign is
not the second coming. It is an event that will occur several months AFTER the
arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky.
See Topic: Armageddon – When Armies Move
There is absolutely no
reason to interpret the second coming that Jesus mentioned at Matthew 10:23;
16:27; and 24:3, 30, 37, etc. as any different from the second coming He
mentioned at John 14:1-3.
For details see article:
The Second Coming According to Jesus
It is the very same
second coming that the angel mentioned at Acts 1:11, and that Paul describes at Titus 2:13 as the HAPPY HOPE of the
church. “looking for the happy hope and appearing of the glory of the great
God and our Savior, Christ Jesus.”
There are SIX factors
associated with the second coming of Jesus.
The FIRST factor is that His return will be universally VISIBLE. Revelation
1:7 says that “every eye will see Him.” Matthew 24:30 implies EVERY, and with
Revelation 1:7, it is confirmed that this will be a VISIBLE arrival.
The word group, “revelation” indicates that it will be a visible arrival.
(apokalupto and apokalupsis) 1 Pet. 4:13; 2 Thes. 1:7; Lk. 17:30; 1 Cor. 1:7;
Col. 3:4;
1 Pet. 1:7, 13.
The factors “power” and “glory” also indicate that the arrival will be
visible.
The “lightening” factor indicates that the arrival will be visisble.
Matthew 24:27
“For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west,
so shall the coming of the son of Man be.”
The SECOND factor is
that this arrival will be “on the clouds,” or as at Luke 21:27, “in a cloud,”
and at Acts 1:9-11, “a cloud.”
“This Jesus who has been taken up from you into the heaven, will come in just
the same way as you have watched Him go into the heaven.”
Thus, He will arrive in the clouds but be seen as though “riding” on ONE
cloud.
However, this is not the same
event that is shown to us at Daniel 7:13-14.
“I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language
Might serve Him.”
This event refers to the
ASCENSION and SESSION of Jesus to the right hand of the Father after His
40-day resurrection ministry. The dominion that is given to Him is ASSIGNED to
Him, but He will not begin to administrate that dominion until He actually
comes back and defeats His enemies through the Day-of-the-Lord judgments.
Psalm 110:1, “Yahweh said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your
enemies a footstool for your feet.”
The THIRD factor
associated with the second coming of Jesus is that it will be with POWER. This
indicates that He will intend to use great power to judge those who have
rejected Him. This JUDGMENT aspect of His arrival is stated at 2Thes. 1:8;
Jude 14; Matthew 16:27; and implied at Rev. 6:15-17.
The FOURTH factor
associated with the second coming of Jesus is that it will be WITH GLORY. Not
only will it be visible, but it will be SPECTACULAR so that there can be
absolutely no mistake that this is indeed the return of Jesus.
A. The glory of the Father: Mat. 16:27, “come in the glory of His Father.”
B. His own glory: Mat. 25:31, “comes in His glory.”
Both “glory” factors are
mentioned in the second-coming promise given at Titus 2:13. “the appearing of
the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
The FIFTH factor
associated with the second coming is the presence of angels.
Matthew 16:27 states, “The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His
Father with His angels.”
Matthew 25:31 says, “and all the angels with Him.”
2Thes. tells us that He will be revealed “with His mighty angels in flaming
fire.”
Jude 14 states, “The Lord came with His holy ten-thousands.”
The SIXTH factor
associated wit the second coming is that it is at this time that Jesus will
gather together His saints as He promised at John 14:1-3.
VIII. THE RAPTURE: THE
GATHERING OF THE SAINTS
Matthew 24:31
"And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER
TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
The gathering of the
saints is initiated by Jesus, but the actual physical mechanics will be
accomplished by the angels.
The language at Mark 13:27 recognizes this detail. “And then He will send
forth the angels and HE will gather together His elect from the four winds,
form the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.”
After the rapture, Jesus
will remain on the earth to administer the Day-of-the-Lord judgments.
I believe that His location ON THE CLOUD to pour out this judgment is
portrayed in John’s vision at Revelation 14:14-16. “And I looked, and behold,
a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a
golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand . . . and He who sat
on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
This does not violate
the promise of 1Thes. 4:17, “and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” The
idea of “always with the Lord” refers to our STATUS and RELATIONSHIP. It does
not mean that we will be in His physical presence every minute of eternity. It
means that our eternal HOME will be with Him. Notice that according to John
14:1-3, the believers will have various dwelling places located “in My
Father’s house.”
In the “bride” analogy, it can be said that the wife is ALWAYS with her
husband, but not AT HIS SIDE every minute of the day.
The great trumpet is
directly associated with the gathering and resurrection of the saints. 1 Thes.
4:16
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise
first.”
Paul describes this as the “last trumpet” at 1 Corinthians 15:52.
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be
changed.”
At verse 23, Paul wrote that this will occur “at His coming.” He uses the
word, parousia, which is the same word used by Jesus all throughout Matthew
24.
As noted earlier, Matthew uses it four times and it is used 13 additional
times in the epistles - consistently for the ONE and only second coming of
Jesus, which will be visible, physical and in GLORY. The word means a "being"
beside (para). Both ideas of arrival and presence are in view, with greater
emphasis on the idea of ARRIVAL, thus the translation, COMING.
Matthew 24:3, 27, 37, 39.
1Corinthians 15:23; 1Thes. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2Thes. 2:1, 8; James 5:7,
8; 2Peter 1:16; 3:4, 12; 1 John 2:28.
This trumpet is not the 7th trumpet of Revelation 11:7 and 15.
They should not be equated but are separate and distinct.
Paul's use of "last trumpet" refers to the call to assembly in the context of
the Roman games; or even in a military context. Either of these would be
Paul's frame of reference. In both of these cases there was a preliminary
trumpet (sometimes 2) and then the last one which was a call to assembly. This
is the call to assembly for the gathering of the saints.
He
would have no knowledge of John's vision and the 7 trumpets.
Even though the Holy Spirit "melds" all of scripture, it is not advisable to
interpret Paul's use in any other way than the cultural context of the day
which speaks of the "call to assembly."
That is what will occur at the rapture. It is called THE trumpet of God at 1
Thessalonians 4:16, because it is at this time that he will "call" for the
gathering of his people to meet Him in the clouds of the sky. Nor does it
require the "actual" occurrence of one or two trumpet blasts before it, for
the image in Paul's mind is simply focusing on the final blast which is the
"call to assembly."
Even though God’s judgment will begin at the coming (parousia) of Christ the
7th trumpet will occur AFTER there has already been SIX previous expressions
of divine judgment (Rev. 11:14-15). It is the announcement of the 7 bowl
judgments, which are God’s final judgment on the earth before Christ begins
His kingdom reign on the earth. It is not a call to assembly.
See Topic: The Seventh Trumpet
The
saints will be gathered together from the earth and taken to heaven.
The verb is episunago as a future active indicative. The noun, episunagōgās,
is used by Paul at 2 Thes. 2:1, “our gathering together to Him.”
At 1 Thessalonians 4:17 describes it as a meeting with the Lord. “Then we who
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds for a
meeting with the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Later, in Matthew 24, at verses 40-41, the word “taken” is used to describe
this gathering. The Greek is paralambano and means to be taken to the side of
someone.
It was used by Jesus a few days after the Olivet discourse to describe the
intimacy of the rapture. John 14:1-3. “I will take you to myself so that where
I am there you may be also.”
The
gathering will be first, in the sky as 1 Thes. 4:17 indicates. The language at
Matthew 24:31, “from the four winds,” indicates that believers from all over
the entire earth will be removed.
The phrase, “from one end of the sky to the other,” indicates that the angels
will gather all the saints from the earth into the sky and they will be
assembled at one location in the cloud where Jesus is located.
Mark 13:27 describes this as, “from the farthest end of the earth, to the
farthest end of heaven.” This might be worded this way to indicate the final
location after the rapture, as being in the third heaven as is indicated at
Rev. 7:9ff. In either case, the comparison with all the pertinent passages
indicates that there are three steps to the rapture. (1) The removal of dead
and living saints FROM the earth (Mat. 24:31, 40-41; 1Thes. 4:16-17. (2) A
meeting in the air with the Lord (1Thes. 4:17; 2Thes. 2:1; Col. 3:4). (3) The
arrival in heaven (John 14:1; Rev. 7:9ff).
It is then, at this
time, after the gathering of the saints out from the earth, that the wrath of
God and of the Lamb will begin to judge the beast and his kingdom. Those who
are spiritually dead will be subject to horrendous physical judgments which
will culminate in the battle of Armageddon where the corpses of the fallen
soldiers will be food for the scavengers of the sky (Revelation 19:17-18). At
Matthew 24, when the elect are gathered out INTO THE SKY, the non-elect remain
on the earth to go through "the things which are coming upon the world," as
Luke 21:26 indicates (parallel to Mat. 24). These Day of the Lord judgments
begin and culminate in the land of Palestine, and as studied at verse 28, it
is probably this that Jesus has in mind when he answers the disciples'
question of "where," with "Wherever the corpse (body) is, there will the
vultures be gathered." The corpse is the dying body of the beast and his
kingdom which is centered in Jerusalem, and his destruction will become final
30 days after the end of the 70th week at the battle of Armageddon.
However, before the
judgments actually begin, the Lord will wait for the conversion of the 144,000
Jewish bond-servants, which is described at
Rev. 7:1-8.
IX. THE PARABLE OF THE
TREES
Also during the Olivet
Discourse, Jesus used several parables to teach about His second coming.
The first one is
commonly designated as the parable of the fig tree, but that is an erroneous
and misleading designation. The focus of this teaching is that
the child of God can know the general season or time frame for Christ's
return, but will not know the specific hour or even day.
Matthew 24:32
“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become
tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.”
First of all
it is important to realize that, according to Luke 21:29, the image in the
parable is a group of trees, and not one particular tree type. Thus, the
common idea that the fig tree serves as a symbol for the nation of Israel,
and teaches that the generation that sees the fig tree (Israel) in bloom
(I.e., back in the land), will be the generation that sees the return of
Christ, is a misrepresentation of the parable. Now, in view of the present
conditions in the world and in the Middle East, it IS POSSIBLE for "these
things" to happen, in the years after the time of this writing, which is
2024.
But the real message of the parable of the trees is that the generation that
sees the events of the tribulation is the generation that will see return of
Jesus.
At Luke 21:29-30, we
find:
And He told them a
parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees;
as soon as they put forth {leaves,} you see it and know for
yourselves that summer is now near.”
Notice that it is the
fig tree AND ALL THE TREES!
The parable is not
intended to refer to Israel as represented by a fig tree. The purpose of the
parable is to teach about the signs of summer pointing to the return of Jesus.
What then are the
"signs" of summer? They are the events which begin at Matthew 24:9; the events
of the tribulation which begin when the beast sets up his image and takes his
stand in the temple. It is the generation that sees this "great tribulation"
that will see the return of Christ.
Matthew 24:33
“even so you too, when you see all these things, know that He is near, right
at the door.”
Any "symbol" must FIRST
be understood literally and THEN determine how it relates to the spiritual
truth being illustrated. The "image" that Jesus gives us at Matthew 24 and
Luke 21 is a "natural" and "common" and yes, "literal" image that requires no
associations beyond that "natural" image. Jesus said that JUST LIKE when you
see leaves on the fig tree, indeed all the trees, you know that the season is
about to change. THAT IS ALL THERE IS. Don't look at Israel. Don't look for
anything other than the very "simple" and "natural" image that Jesus is
placing before our eyes. There is no contextual reason to go beyond that. If
we do, then we bring up something that He does not have in mind.
What DOES He have in
mind?
Here, we have to be very
careful to recognize that Jesus mentions “these things” two times and each
time it has a slightly different application. This is seen at Luke 21:25-31.
At verse 28, “when these things BEGIN to occur” refers to the signs that
immediately precede the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky. It is at
that time that the believers are to “lift up your heads,” for His arrival will
occur probably within a day.
But at verse 31 (and Matthew 24:33), the signs of summer are “when you see
these things happening.” This refers to the events that precede the arrival of
Christ by several months – possibly as many as 36.
So at this point, Jesus has in mind the "events" of the tribulation that He
just described in Matthew 24:9-28. He does NOT have in mind when Israel is
back in the land. If for no other reason, the very fact that Israel IS right
then IN THE LAND, renders that interpretation meaningless.
Nor does He have in mind
the signs of verses 29-30 or the return of Christ and the gathering of the
elect. Many months before those SIGNS occur, that generation will KNOW that
the END-TIMES period has arrived. At that time the believers will certainly be
more expectant than ever before, but they will not be looking up in the sky.
The phrase “when you see all these things,” refers to the things that PRECEDE
the return of Christ by several months. Since that return is mentioned in
Matthew 24:30, and occurs in direct association with the cosmic signs in verse
29, the “things” must also precede those verses. Thus, it is the events that
precede the cosmic signs that are the “signs of summer.” He is referring to
the events of the tribulation which He described beginning at verse 9.
Matthew 24:34, “Truly I
say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take
place.”
For the believer who is
oriented to prophetic teachings, the beginning of the 70th week
will also be a sign post that the period of the “end times” has begun.
However, there will still be several years from the point of time before
Christ will return. So, not only does “right at the door” not apply at that
point, but it is also not something that Jesus had taught about. But when the
tribulation begins, it is then at that time, that His return could occur at
any moment. Granted, there needs to be a span of time for Satan to initiate
and further his Messianic agenda through the beast, but exactly how long that
will be is a total unknown factor. It is thus that once the tribulation begins
the return of Christ can be said to be imminent and not before.
Christ’s intent is NOT
to make the fig tree "represent" some nation.
It is just to give us something to indicate "progress" as one event leads to
the next.
1. leaves = summer is
near
2. all these things = His coming is near.
The word generation here
refers to the people who are alive at that time.
It is used in this way – to refer to a group of people living at a particular
time - at Matthew 11:16; 12:39-45; 17:17; 23:36.
It is the group of
people who are alive at the time of the tribulation who will witness the
second coming of Christ. This does not give us a specific amount of time other
than the normal duration of a generation. However, as we compare scripture
with scripture, we learn that the tribulation cannot last longer than about 36
months. We know this because the judgment of the 6th trumpet alone
will last 5 months (Rev. 9:5), and the time remaining for the duration of the
70th week is only 42 months. And the tribulation will end at the 6th
seal, which will occur before any of the trumpet judgments even begin.
THE VERACITY OF CHRIST’S
TEACHINGS
No matter what
transpires on this earth or in heaven, these prophetic words of Jesus will not
pass away.
Matthew 24:35
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”
The fact remains that in the distant future the present heavens and earth will
be destroyed and changed (Rev. 21:1; 20:11; 2Peter 3:7, 10-13). And as FINAL
and PERMANENT as that will be, such an event will have no effect on the
veracity of the prophetic teachings of Jesus, nor on anything that He taught.
THE DAY AND HOUR FACTOR
However, even though we
will know, the general time frame for Christ's return, there
is still the unknown factor of the day and the hour.
Matthew 24:36
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the
Son, but the Father alone.”
It has already been
established that the second coming mentioned in this passage is the one and
only second coming and is the same second coming that is taught everywhere
else in the New Testament. It does NOT refer to the physical descent of Jesus
at the battle of Armageddon. That descent is NOT His second coming, but is an
event that will occur at least 7 months after His second coming.
Since God will CUT SHORT
the tribulation from its expected duration of 42 months, and since there is no
specific time given when He will do this, there is no way for us to know what
day and hour it will occur. In fact at the time of Christ’s teaching, He
Himself, in His humanity, was not even aware of when that would happen. And of
course, the angels likewise were unaware. Only the Father had it all mapped
out when He would initiate the second coming, just as Paul wrote at 1Timothy
6:15, “which He will reveal at His own time.”
Thus, as already
indicated, we have the often repeated exhortation to be ready. Such
exhortation is addressed to both the church and the unbelievers. For
unbelievers the issue of preparation will be trust in Jesus as the
Messiah/Savior. For the believers, the exhortation is concerned about shame
and sorrow in His presence (1 John 2:28).
LIKE THE DAYS OF NOAH
During the general time
frame of the tribulation period, most unbelievers will be occupied with the
peace and safety provided for them through worshiping the beast.
For the beast-worshippers, they will be actively enjoying the false system of
security provided through beast worship. For many unbelievers, they will be
facing the challenge to embrace the beast and his promise of “peace and
security,” or to resist and face death or isolation and deprivation.
Keep in mind that the tribulation is tribulation ONLY to those who have not
associated with the beast and his messianic agenda, and at that, only to the
extent that the beast reaches throughout the world.
So secure will be their
thinking, that Jesus describes the basic daily activity of these "beast
worshipers" to be as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39).
"For the coming of the
Son of Man
will be just like the days of Noah."
The point of comparison
is the unexpectedness that resulted from an indifferent occupation with the
normal activities of life.
"For as in those days
which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did
not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the
coming of the Son of Man be."
Everyone will be going about
their lives happy and at peace, proclaiming "peace and safety" (1Thes. 5:3),
then sudden destruction will come upon them. Neither Jesus nor Paul addresses
the REASON for this false security. Jesus indicates that it is during the time
of the tribulation that this will be an issue. Paul just indicates it is
before the day of the Lord arrives, except in his second letter, he clearly
relates it to the tribulation (2Thes. 1:6-7; 2:1-10) and the man of
lawlessness. But we learn later that they will feel secure because they are
enjoying the temporal economic benefits of beast worship.
It should be further
noted that the point of comparison here is not the idea that people
(unbelievers) are taken "all away," but that judgment comes when people are
occupied with material things. The verb, “took away” simply describes the
MECHANICS of the judgment.
At Luke 17:27, the word that is used is “destroyed”
(apollumi), and indicates death rather than any kind of removal.
It is indeed, an over
concentration on the idea of "took them all away" that has led many to think
that Jesus does not have in view His return to gather the church (the rapture)
but instead the gathering out of the wicked just before Jesus sets up His
kingdom. In the Noah generation the “took them all away” factor simply
describes HOW the judgment was carried out. In the second coming generation,
the judgment will be carried out on those who are left behind via the trumpet
and bowls of Revelation.
The subject of the
entire context is the gathering OUT of His "elect" in a supernatural manner,
and not the removal of unbelievers. And there is only one time when that
happens - at the beginning of the Day of the Lord via the rapture of the
church.
Paul refers to this
judgment on the unbelievers as "sudden destruction" at 1 Thessalonians 5, and
he has in mind the Day of the Lord judgments which will be poured out on the
world very shortly after Jesus removes His people from the earth through the
rapture.
This is not a warning to
believers, but is teaching that gives believers orientation to what it will be
like just before Christ returns. As we have seen before, believers are secure
in their salvation, but can be out of fellowship with God.
But the issue here is
SALVATION PREPARATION. And the only way to be prepared for the return of
Christ and NOT be left behind is to fulfill Joel 2:31, “whoever will call upon
the name of the Lord will be saved.” And Revelation 22:17, “and let the one
who wants take the water of life freely.”
There is only one reason to use the example of the flood and of Sodom (Luke
17:28-30) to teach about the suddenness of Christ's arrival.
It is because in both cases, the people are simply caught off guard and
consumed by the immediate judgment that came upon them.
The flood suddenly.
The fire and brimstone suddenly.
It is the same thing at 1Thes. 5 - they are caught off guard, unprepared
because they have not trusted in Christ. Therefore, sudden destruction will
come upon them - like a thief.
Jesus states specifically what He was thinking about when He used these
illustrations.
When Jesus uses these two illustrations, He does NOT mention sin or angels.
It should be obvious that there is nothing wrong with "eating and drinking
and marrying and giving in marriage."
There is nothing wrong with buying, selling, planting, building.
The issue is, "they did not know until the flood came and took them all
away."
Here in Mat. 24, all the explanations are about being caught off guard and
THAT DAY catch you like a thief.
Concerning those periphery factors that occurred "in the days of Noah" -
that Jesus did not even mention.
1. Concerning the angelic infiltration of Genesis 6, there is no reason to
bring angelic dna into the human race again. Then - it was to corrupt the
gene pool so that Messiah could not enter as true humanity. He has already
come and accomplished eternal redemption. There is no point, reason or
purpose to corrupt the human gene pool again. IT WON'T MATTER anyway. ANYONE
who trusts in Christ will be saved.
2. The description of man's sinfulness in Gen. 6 - did not go away after the
flood. It was STILL there as per Gen. 8:21, and as evidenced in every
generation after that.
X. THE RAPTURE DESCRIBED
In Matthew 24:40-41, the uniqueness of the rapture is described as,
Then there shall be two men in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women {will be} grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
(Luke 17:34, “two people in one bed, one will be taken and the other will be
left.”)
Some have stated that this refers to the unbeliever being taken away in
judgment. It is suggested that this will occur at Matthew 25:31. However,
the gathering of the nations after Armageddon is NOT what happens at the
“one taken-one left” event. At Matthew 25:31, ALL are gathered and then
separated after evaluation. Here, one is SUPERNATURALLY removed from the
presence of the other, and the other remains behind – at the mill, in the
field or in the bed.
Another point of confusion about WHO is taken, results from a failure to
understand that in the Greek, the word TAKEN at verse 39 is different from
the word TAKEN at verse 40, and refers to two different ideas.
Any English translation SHOULD indicate the difference in meaning.
At verse 39, the Greek word for taken, is airo and means to carry away,
remove or to lift up. The idea is clearly one of judgment as is indicated at
Luke 17:27, where the word DESTROYED is used instead of taken.
Thus, at the flood, the waters came and DESTROYED those who were left
behind.
In that case, they were destroyed immediately as the flood waters engulfed
the entire earth.
At the second coming, the ones who will be destroyed (taken, airo) are not
destroyed immediately, but remain on the earth to go through the DOL
judgments.
At verse 40, the word taken, is paralambano, and means to receive or take to
the side of someone. This is the word used at John 14:1-3, where the promise
of being gathered to Jesus is given to the disciples. When they hear Him
teach in the upper room about His coming to take them to Himself, they
should be reminded of what He taught just a few days before about "one taken
and one left." At Matthew 24:40, the ones who are taken are the believers,
the elect, who are said to be gathered at verse 31. The ones who are left
behind are the unbelievers who must face the sudden destruction of the Day
of the Lord judgments that come from the wrath of God and of the Lamb (1
Thes. 5:3; 2 Thes. 1:6-8; Rev. 6:16-17).
The word, paralambano is used 49 times in the New Testament and never in a
bad sense.
Even at Matthew 4:3 when the devil "takes" Jesus to the desert, or at
Matthew 12:45 when the demon "takes" 7 others to repossess the unbeliever,
it is not really a "bad" taking. The "taking" itself is neutral.
This description is intended to explain the “gathering together of the
elect” at verse 31. The elect are gathered OUT from the earth and INTO the
sky. They are not taken to some other location on the earth. Furthermore, it
is a supernatural gathering or TAKING, and not something that can be
explained or understood as a natural occurrence. That is why Jesus gives the
three examples that He does (Luke 17:34 adds the third example of two people
being in one bed). They illustrate the supernatural nature of this
separation.
There will be two people working side by side. One will be taken out from
the earth and the other will be left behind. There will be two people (not
two MEN) in one bed. One will be taken out from the earth and the other one
will be left behind.
The issue here is not WHERE these people are, but simply the fact that there
will be a sudden, visible and supernatural disappearance of believers away
from the unbelievers.
In actuality, when the rapture occurs, there probably won't be any believers
"next to" to any beast worshippers.
But Jesus is not concerned here with the technical issue of whether
believers will be next to beast worshippers or not. Just the fact that
believers will be received to the side and the unbelievers will be left on
the earth.
PROOF THAT THIS IS THE RAPTURE:
This event at Mat. 24:40-42 is an instantaneous type event. That is, BOTH
things will happen at the same time.
The ONLY thing that qualifies as instantaneous is a rapture event, and the
ones taken can only refer to believers.
Only believers are REMOVED in this manner.
At the second coming of Jesus, there are no unbelievers who are TAKEN AWAY.
That is, they are not REMOVED from the earth and taken to a different
location.
Jesus teaches about an explicit rapture event, which no one can adequately
refute.
Fact 1: The coming of the Lord will occur after the tribulation. Mat.
24:29-30
Fact 2: The gathering of CHRIST'S elect ones will occur at that time. Mat.
24:31.
Fact 3: That very same gathering is described at Mat. 24:40-41 as "one taken
to the side."
Greek, paralambano.
At the one and only second coming of Jesus of Mat. 24:30 and John 14:1-3,
there are no unbelievers who are TAKEN to the side (received).
At the "supposed" second coming of Rev. 19:11, there are no unbelievers
REMOVED (taken).
According to OT Scripture, after Jesus descends, He will go to Edom and do
some heavy judging.
Then the battle of Jerusalem, when He stands on Mt of Olives.
In Jerusalem there will be a whole bunch of hand to hand combat. No
unbelievers will be removed instantaneously.
And then after that He will go to Megiddo.
There is no instantaneous TAKEN of unbelievers during these post-6th seal
events.
Except for the ones who are killed in Edom, in Jerusalem and in Megiddo -
The ACTUAL removal of the rest of the unbelievers will happen during the 45
days AFTER Armageddon with -
1. The REMOVAL of the goats from the sheep. Mat. 25:31ff
2. The removal of unbelieving Jews from the believers. Ezek. 34:17-22;
20:33-38
There simply is no "one (unbeliever) taken" event that takes place during
the parousia of Jesus.
At a pretrib rapture: the unbelievers are not TAKEN away. They are not
removed. They are not taken or received to the side of anyone or any place.
BUT - if Mat. 24:40-42 is used by pretribbers to refer to the rapture, then
the ENTIRE context must refer to the SAME arrival of Jesus which is after
the trib of those days.
At a prewrath rapture: the unbelievers are not TAKEN away. They are not
removed.
They are not taken or received to the side of anyone or any place.
In either case, it is the believer who is REMOVED.
There is no instantaneous TAKEN of unbelievers during these second coming
events.
For that matter, after the rapture event, there is no instantaneous removal
of believers either.
The ACTUAL removal of the unbelievers will happen during the 45 days AFTER
Armageddon with -
1. The REMOVAL of the goats from the sheep. Mat. 25:31ff
2. The removal of unbelieving Jews from the believers. Ezek. 34:17-22;
20:33-38
Then ONLY BELIEVERS go alive into the earthly kingdom.
The only instantaneous removal of ANYONE must be at the rapture - whether it
be post-trib, pretrib or prewrath.
Concerning parlambano:
The word itself does not indicate the REASON for the action of the verb. To
ADD anything else is interpretive and not a translation.
There is no negative or positive idea; beneficial or non-beneficial; good or
bad inherent in the meaning of the verb.
Some have suggested that the word MEANS "to be led off as a prisoner," such
as at Matthew 24:40, 41; Luke 17:34-36.
However, the word does NOT mean to be led off as a prisoner.
It just so happens that that is the REASON He was taken.
But the verb does not mean that.
At Mat. 4:5 and 8, in the active voice: "then the devil took Him"
That is, took him to the (his) side.
The REASON for taking is not in the meaning of the verb.
There is nothing good or bad in the use of the verb.
At Acts 23:18, "so he took him and led him to the commander."
There is nothing in the use of the verb that indicates good or bad.
For more details about paralambano see:
Topic: paralambano
During the months of the tribulation, in the areas of the world that are not
directly under the control of the beast, it will be an environment that is
in a extreme deprivation situation because of the beast’s economic controls.
But still, life goes on and people will need to interact within their
respective societies. Work, sleep and survival will be the focus of
everyone's activities. In these situations, there will be believers and
unbelievers, side by side, who will suddenly be separated by the gathering
out of the believers through the rapture.
This also indicates that there will be some parts of the world that are not
directly governed by the beast’s authority, although he has been given that
authority (Rev. 13:5-7) for 42 months. It simply means that full
implementation of beast worship will not occur by the time that the Lord
returns. That is in fact, what the cutting short of the tribulation
indicates; so that there will still be non-beast worshippers alive at that
time.
See Topic: The Reign of the Beast
There are only two other places where the rapture event is actually
described.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
“Behold I tell you a mystery; we shall not all DIE, but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for
the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we
shall be changed.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds for a meeting with the Lord in the air, and thus we
shall always be with the Lord.”
Matthew 24:42
“Therefore be on the alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”
Here we have the first
stated warning that urges preparation.
This has been fully discussed before but the urgency of the matter is stressed
by Jesus, and stressed again at verse 44.
The warning is addressed to both believers and unbelievers as is indicated by
the destiny that is given in the first parable (taken/destroyed), and the third
parable (weeping and gnashing of teeth).
The use of the term “your Lord” is not restricted to believers, for whether
someone trusts in Christ or not, He is still the Lord of Lords and King of
Kings. At Matthew 25:44, the unbelievers who are assigned to the lake of fire
(verse 41) address Jesus as “Lord.”
XI. TWO PARABLES
Jesus then gives two
illustrations of preparedness to encourage the hearers to be ready. The first
one is a simple point of moral logic.
At Matthew 24:43,
"But be sure of this,
that if the head of the house
had known at what time of the night the thief was coming,
he would have been on the alert
and would not have allowed his house to be broken into."
The moral principle
supports personal defense in protecting your property and family from criminal
intrusion. It is not consistent for Jesus to use such an illustration if He
did not approve of the moral principle that the illustration revolves around.
See Topic: SELF DEFENSE for more details
How can a member of the
human race be ready for the arrival of Jesus?
It is by trusting in Him as the Savior so that when He returns, that believer
will be taken out (Matthew 24:40), gathered together (Matthew 24:31), and meet
with Jesus in the air (1 Thes. 4:17).
Verse 44
“For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
when you do not think He will.”
This does not mean that
Jesus will come AT NIGHT. The nighttime is simply the context for this
particular illustration. In actuality, His arrival in the clouds of the sky
will be universally visible, and therefore be seen simultaneously in all time
zones. In fact, as seen above, there will be some people who will be at their
work locations when He arrives.
PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL
STEWARD
Matthew 24:45-51
It appears that Jesus
taught this parable earlier to the disciples and to a gathering of the people.
Luke records it at Luke 12:40-46 and adds a few additional details. The
question the disciples ask at verse 41 indicates that there are more people
present than just the disciples.
Another choice is to
suggest that while Jesus is teaching the Olivet Discourse to the disciples, a
group of other people gather and sit down to listen as well. This would be
consistent with my belief that Luke took portions of what Jesus taught and
intermingled them throughout his gospel record, arranged by topic and not by
chronological order. Matthew does not mention that there are other people
gathered, but that in itself does not militate against my suggestion. The
people were always following and flocking around Jesus, even sometimes when He
tried to get away to be alone. In addition to that, the nature of His
instruction goes beyond the disciples and is addressed to unbelievers as well.
I really don’t care for the idea that Jesus taught the same things in the same
order on two or more different occasions.
After teaching the
people the parable of self defense at Luke 12:39 and Matthew 24:43, Jesus
repeats the exhortation for preparedness.
For
commentary see: Luke 12:35-48
This now completes the chapter, but not the discourse. Jesus taught
three additional parables which are recorded in
Matthew chapter 25.
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