MATTHEW 24
OPENS WITH..JESUS’ OLIVET DISCOURSE:The destruction of the temple and its implications.
Verses 1-2 tells us Jesus PREDICTS the destruction of the temple.
"Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple...
Jesus would contend NO more with the religious leaders, and NEVER again come to the temple in His earthly ministry. With emphasis, He went out and departed.
There is an emphasis on the idea of the verb. He was going away, like one who did NOT mean to return. They came to their Master, going before in a deeply preoccupied mood, and tried to change the gloomy current of His thoughts by inviting Him to look back at the sacred structure.”
His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple...
After the destruction of Solomon’s temple, this temple was originally built by Zerubbabel and Ezra (Ezra 6:15). Herod the Great (who ruled when Jesus was born) greatly expanded and improved it. This temple was the center of Jewish life for almost a thousand years – so much so, that it was customary to swear by the temple (Matthew 23:16), and speaking against the temple could be considered blasphemy (Acts 6:13).
After Herod’s work, the temple was huge...
Nearly 500 yards or meters long and 400 yards or meters wide. Herod’s plan for rebuilding started in 19 b.c. and was only completed in a.d. 63, taking more than 80 years. The temple was finished only SEVEN YEARS before it was destroyed.
But the Second Temple wasn’t just big; it was also beautiful. The Jewish historian Josephus said that the temple was covered with gold plates, and when the sun shone on them it was blinding to look at. Where there was no gold, there were blocks of marble of such a pure white that from a distance strangers thought there was snow on the temple.
Do you not see all these things?
The disciples wanted Jesus to look at the beautiful buildings; Jesus told them to turn around and take a good look at those things. These things, not building, implying indifference to the splendours admired by the disciples.
Josephus says the stones were white and strong; fifty feet long, twenty-four broad, and sixteen thick.
Not one stone shall be left here upon another...
Some 40 years after Jesus said this, there was a widespread Jewish revolution against the Romans in Palestine, and they enjoyed many early successes. But ultimately Roman soldiers crushed the rebels. In a.d. 70 Jerusalem was leveled, including the temple – just as Jesus said would happen.
It is said that at the fall of Jerusalem, the last surviving Jews of the city fled to the temple, because it was the strongest and most secure building in the city. Roman soldiers surrounded it, and one drunken soldier started a fire that soon engulfed the whole building. Ornate gold detail work in the roof melted down in the cracks between the stone walls of the temple, and to retrieve the gold, the Roman commander ordered that the temple be dismantled stone by stone. The destruction was so complete that today they have true difficulty learning exactly where the foundation of the temple was.
That shall not be thrown down...
This prophecy was fulfilled literally. There was a real temple, and it was really destroyed. The literal fulfillment of this prophecy establishes the tone for the rest of the prophecies in the chapter. We should expect a LITERAL fulfillment for these as well.
POOLE says it well, “We may also observe how little God values splendid houses of prayer when they are made dens of thieves.”
Verse 3 tells us Jesus’ prediction brings up TWO questions.
"Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
As He sat on the Mount of Olives...
Removed from the temple, yet overlooking it, the disciples asked Jesus questions about His bold prediction concerning the destruction of the temple.
It was an appropriate time for such a discourse.
WHY?
The religious leaders rejected Jesus, and would soon deliver Him to the Romans for crucifixion. He knew the bitter fate awaiting Jerusalem, and He wanted to give hope and confidence to His disciples who would soon be greatly tested.
When will these things be?
Jesus said the temple would be completely destroyed. It was logical that the disciples wanted to know when it would happen. Jesus will speak to this question, but only in the context of answering their next TWO questions.
And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?
The disciples probably thought they asked only one question. In their minds, the destruction of the temple and the end of the age were probably connected. But really, they asked two questions (some say three), and this second question is answered in the remainder of the chapter.
It may also be that this second question was asked as they remembered the events surrounding the first temple’s destruction: Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in the context of national judgment and exile.
And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? As Jesus answers this important second question, He will make many specific comments and predictions about the end times. These predictions have been the source of significant disagreement among Christians who have tried to understand them. Why didn’t Jesus simply say it so clearly that there was no possibility anyone could misunderstand Him?
One reason why prophecy may seem vague or imprecise is because God wants every age to have reasons to ALWAYS be ready for Jesus’ return. We should not think of Jesus’ return as an event far off on a time line, but something we have been running parallel with since the day of Pentecost.
Others suggest that God’s intention was to keep the future somewhat vague and clouded to confound the Devil, even as the resurrection of the Messiah was vague in the Old Testament.
Though some prophetic interpretations are different, we are sure of this: He is coming again, and we must be ready.
Verses 4-8 tells us Jesus describes general world conditions during the period between His Ascension and the time immediately preceding His second coming.
"And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Take heed that no one deceives you...
From the outset, Jesus warned the disciples that MANY would be deceived as they anticipated His return. There have been times in the history of the church when rash predictions were made and then relied upon resulting in great disappointment, disillusionment, and falling way.
One notable example of this was the prophetic expectation in 1846 with William Miller in the United States. Because of his prophetic interpretations, calculations, and publications, there were hundreds of thousands in the United States who were convinced that Jesus would return in 1846. When He did not, there was great disappointment, with some falling away, and some cultic groups spawned from the prophetic fervor.
See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet...
The kind of things Jesus mentions in this section are not the things that mark specific signs of the end. Things like false messiahs, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have certainly marked man’s history since the time of Jesus’ Ascension – but were not specific signs of the end. In effect Jesus said, “Catastrophes will happen, but these will not signal the end.”
JESUS WANTS US TO BE WATCHFUL, STAY FOCUSED ON SHARING HIM WITH ALL WE MEET, BUT TO LIVE EACH AND EVERY DAY AS IF IT IS OUR LAST DAY TO SHARE, SHINE, AND SHOW HIM. I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED SINCE JESUS RETURN TO HEAVEN? HOW MANY CHRISTIANS HAVE ALREADY GONE HOME TO BE WITH JESUS? SO FOR ANY OF US WHO LOVE JESUS, TODAY COULD BE OUR LAST DAY IN THIS DEVOLVING FALLEN WORLD. SO WE ARE NOT TO BE SO FOCUSED ON THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH, MUCH LESS FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE SAVED DURING, AND BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS AT THE END OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION. JESUS WANTS THE DISCIPLES AND US TO MAKE THE VERY MOST OF EVERY DAY FOR HIM.
In the midst of any great war or any great famine or any great earthquake, it is natural to believe that the world is coming to an end. But Jesus said there is a far more specific sign that would indicate His return, and He describes this later.
All these are the beginning of sorrows...
Though none of those events are the specific sign of the end, collectively they are a sign. When Jesus described these calamities as the beginning of sorrows, He literally called them the beginning of labor pains. Just as is true with labor pains, we should expect that the things mentioned – wars, famines, earthquakes, and so on – would become more frequent and more intense before the return of Jesus – without any one of them being the specific sign of the end.
Verses 9-14 tells us Jesus describes what His disciples must expect during the time between His Ascension and Second Coming.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
They will deliver you to tribulation and kill you...
In the period after Jesus ascends to heaven and before He comes again, His disciples should expect to be persecuted. This may make His followers believe the end is near, but this also is not the specific sign of His return.
Will betray one another...
SPURGEON says it well, “Persecution would reveal the traitors within the Church as well as the enemies without.”
False prophets will arise and deceive many...
In the period after Jesus ascends to heaven and before He comes again, the disciples of Jesus will see many false prophets, and their success. But these also are not the specific signs of His return.
Deceive many...
SPURGEON adds, “Alas, that such teachers would have any disciples! It is doubly sad that they should be able to lead astray ‘many.’ Yet, when it so happens, let us remember that the King said that it would be so.”
TURN ON THE TV, AND IT IS LOADED WITH DECEPTION FALSE TEACHERS, EVANGELISTS, CHURCHES. WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, WE KNEW AND STUDIED THE BIBLE IN ALL AREAS OF THE CHURCH LIFE. BUT TODAY, WHEN YOU WALK INTO ONE BIBLE STRONG CHURCHES, OR TURN ON THE TV YOU SEE DECEPTION, LIES, TWISTING, AND OUT RIGHT SELF-EDITING OF THE BIBLE TO MEET THEIR OWN MAN-CREATED DOGMA GROWING IN ALL CHURCHES. THIS IS CALLED UNIVERSALISM, GLOBALISM. WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN AND WE ARE ALL GOING TO HEAVEN.
MANY DO NOT EVEN USE THE BIBLE, BUT PERSONAL ANECDOTES AND LIFE EXPERIENCES.
MANY DO NOT EVEN CITE CORRECT SCRIPTURE NOR INVOKE JESUS NAME AT ALL. AT BEST THEY SAY, "OUR GOD OR GOD" AND EACH RELIGIOUS GROUP THINKS THEIR "GOD" IS THE GOD. BUT THEN AND NOW WE KNOW THERE ARE 1000s of gods, but only ONE JESUS CHRIST.
WE NOTICE IT IS NO LONGER THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAYS, DOES, CLAIMS, PROMISES, WARNS, BUT I I I I I...I PROCLAIM, I PROPHESY, I BELIEVE, I HEAL, I PRAY, I SAVE, I GRANT, I CAN GIVE, I CONDEMN, I WARN...
AND EVERY TIME WE HEAR THIS...WE SHOULD CHANGE THE CHANNEL OR LEAVE THAT GROUP, CHURCH, OR RELIGION.
Lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold...
In the period after Jesus ascends to heaven and before He comes again, His disciples should expect to see society become worse and worse. But this also is not the specific sign of His return.
EVERY SINGLE HOUR OF EVERY SINGLE DAY 1000s of unborn babies are aborted, and their body parts sold for profit.
EVERY SINGLE HOUR OF EVERY SINGLE DAY we read of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, neighbors HORRIFIC ABUSE, FGM, or MURDERING each other.
EVERY SINGLE DAY WE READ OF PARENTS SELLING THEIR PRECIOUS CHILDREN INTO SEXUAL SLAVERY.
EVERY SINGLE DAY WE READ OF THE ELDERLY, DISABLED, DEPENDENTS BEING ABANDONED TO THE ELEMENTS, THE STREETS, THE FATES, IN FAVOR OF THEIR FAMILIES BEING SELF FOCUSED.
This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come...
Jesus also promised that before the end, the gospel would go out to the whole world. The persecution, false prophets, and general downgrade of society would NOT prevent the spread of the gospel.
The church is to take this seriously as their duty. However, God assured that it will happen: I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue and people – saying with a loud voice. “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.” (Revelation 14:6-7)
Verse 15 tells us The sign: the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel.
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),”
When you see the “abomination of desolation”...
Essentially, the abomination of desolation speaks of the ultimate desecration of a Jewish temple, the establishment of an idolatrous image in the holy place itself, which will inevitably result in the judgment of God. It is the abomination that brings desolation.
FRANCE adds, “The desolating sacrilege is a literal Greek rendering of the phrase…An ‘abomination’ in Old Testament idiom is an idolatrous affront to the true worship of God.”
Standing in the holy place...
This means that the abomination of desolation takes place in the Jewish temple. This is the only plain meaning of the phrase holy place. Some believe it happened in a prior Jewish temple, before it was destroyed in a.d. 70. Others – more properly – believe it will happen in the holy place of a rebuilt temple during The Tribulation.
For centuries, there was only a small Jewish presence in Judea and Jerusalem. Their presence in the region was definite, and continuous, but small. It was unthinkable that this weak Jewish presence could rebuild a temple. Therefore the fulfillment of this prophecy was highly unlikely until Israel was gathered again as a nation in 1948. The restoration of a nation that the world had not seen for some 2,000 years is a remarkable event in the fulfillment and future fulfillment of prophecy.
Those who believe that the events of Matthew 24 were all or mostly all fulfilled in a.d. 70 have a difficulty here. There is no good evidence at all that what they believe was the abomination of desolation (the Roman armies or their ensigns) were ever set up as idolatrous images in the holy place of the temple. Instead, the temple was destroyed before the Romans entered.
As spoken of by Daniel the prophet...
The mention of the abomination of desolation is taken from the book of Daniel. They shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation (Daniel 11:31). This describes a complete desecration of the temple, prefigured by Antiochus Epiphanies in the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Paul elaborates on the future fulfillment of this in:
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: "That day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
Daniel 12:11 gives additional insight: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days (until the end)." When this sign is set up, the end may be determined – there will be almost three and one-half years to go until the consummation of all things.
Yet when we understand the importance and what is said about this event – the abomination of desolation – we must give priority to this event, even more than the easiest interpretation of Matthew 24:34.
· It is the critical sign mentioned in Matthew 24.
· It is the warning to flee mentioned in Matthew 24.
· It is the sign of the consummation of all things in Daniel 9:27.
· It is the sign foreshadowed by Antiochus Epiphanies in Daniel 11:31.
· It is the precise marker of days to the end in Daniel 12:11.
· It is the revelation of the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
· It is the image of the beast in Revelation 13:14-15.
Taking these passages in their most plain meaning, the abomination of desolation can NOT be the Roman armies or the ensigns they marched under; it can NOT be totalitarian governments or any other conjecture. The abomination of desolation must be some kind of image of the Antichrist set in an actual temple, and is the decisive sign for the end.
This means that for the most part, Jesus’ predictions in Matthew 24 have not been fulfilled; or at least that the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 was a foreshadowing fulfillment, even as the desecration of the temple under Antiochus Epiphanies was a foreshadowing of the ultimate abomination of desolation.
Whoever reads, let him understand...
Here Jesus directed us again to the central place of understanding, the abomination of desolation. It was almost as if Jesus said, “Don’t miss this. If you don’t understand this, you won’t understand many other things.” And this is exactly the error of many who, with good intentions, misunderstand the plain meaning of the abomination of desolation. Let him understand!
Verses 16-20 tells us Jesus warns what should be done when the abomination of desolation appears: flee immediately.
“Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”
Then let those who are in Judea flee...
These are warnings specifically addressed to Israelites. Judea, housetops, and Sabbath all speak to a Jewish environment.
In light of the broader context in this chapter, these words of Jesus should be understood as having primary application to those who WILL see the abomination of desolation in the very last days, during the great tribulation – events that are yet to occur.
Yet there is no doubt that in some ways the catastrophe that came upon Judea and especially Jerusalem in a.d. 70 was a prefiguring of that future event; an imperfect foreshadow of the ultimate fulfillment. For this reason, virtually all the Christians fled Jerusalem and Judea in the years leading up to a.d. 70, when the Roman armies arrived in the area intent on putting down the Jewish rebellion. There is reasonably good tradition that Christians abandoned the city, perhaps in a.d. 68, about halfway through the siege.
DID YOU KNOW...
Eusebius and Epiphanius say, that at this juncture, after Cestius Gallus had raised the siege, and Vespasian was approaching with his army, all who believed in Christ left Jerusalem and fled to Pella, and other places beyond the river Jordan; and so they all marvellously escaped the general shipwreck of their country: not one of them perished.
Sadly, THE REST OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, ought to flee to the mountains. They did not; they crammed themselves into the city and into the walls of Jerusalem from all over the country, and that very folly multiplied the grim horror of the famine of the siege a hundredfold.
Then let those who are in Judea flee...
This is because at the appearance of the abomination of desolation, the desolation will first be poured out at Judea, and because the church will not be a factor at this time, having already been caught up to meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Because Jesus told His disciples about the abomination of desolation (which is set up by the Antichrist in the middle of the Great Tribulation) and warned them of this coming destruction in the Great Tribulation, some Christians believe that all Christians will go through the Great Tribulation. To them, it seems evident. Why would Jesus say these things to His disciples if His disciples would not experience them?
The answer is simple. We know from this passage and other passages that God will remove His church before the fury of the Great Tribulation, catching them away to meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Yet this information is valuable for the followers of Jesus so they can understand His plan for the future. This information is especially valuable for those who will become His disciples in the Great Tribulation after the church is gone.
We do well to remember that the disciples who heard Jesus say these words saw NONE of these things. Yet it was still good for them to hear it. Even if Christians will NOT go into the Great Tribulation, it is good for them – and those who will become Christians in the tribulation – to know what will happen during that time. Jesus spoke to all ages here.
Verses 21-28 tells us Coming after the abomination of desolation: GREAT & GREATER tribulation.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
Great tribulation, such as has NOT BEEN SINCE the beginning of the world until this time...
Jesus said that this will be the most awful time in ALL history. IN OTHER WORDS, ADD ALL THE WARS, THE EVIL, DEMONICS, CORRUPTION, NATURAL HORRIFIC DISASTERS, MURDER TOGETHER AND IT WILL NOT BE AS BAD AS THE LAST 3.5 YEARS OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION WILL BE. When we think of the terrible wars, plagues, famines, and genocide history has seen, this is a sobering statement. NO ONE HAS FORGOTTEN THE MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS KILLED BY POLPOT, STALIN, LENIN, HITLER, ISIS, OR THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS KILLED IN WW 1 AND WW2. THE FAMINES THAT HAVE KILLED MILLIONS. THE TSUNAMIS THAT HAVE KILLED MILLIONS. THE HURRICANES THAT HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS. THE WILDFIRES AND EARTHQUAKES THAT HAVE KILLED MILLIONS. When God pours out His wrath on a God rejecting world, it will be truly great FULL HORRIFIC BEYOND UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL tribulation. AND THINK ABOUT THIS, IN THE LAST 3.5 YEARS PEOPLE WILL WANT TO DIE, WILL TRY TO KILL THEMSELVES AND THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO IT. THE ONLY ONES WHO WILL DIE DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION ARE ALL THOSE WHO REFUSE THE MARK OF THE BEAST AND ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR. AND ALL THE LEGIONS OF DEMONS, MILLIONS, WILL BE SET FREE OVER THE FACE OF THE EARTH TO TORMENT & POSSESS THE REJECTING IN THIS WORLD FOR 6 MONTHS.
Those who believe that the events of Matthew 24 were all or mostly all fulfilled in a.d. 70 are in the unenviable position of arguing that the calamity that befell Jerusalem at that time was the worst catastrophe of all history. This is not possible to adequately defend historically. As bad as the catastrophe of a.d. 70 was, there have been subsequent wars and calamities even worse. This reminds us that this great tribulation – this time of catastrophe such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time – has not yet been fulfilled.
Look, here is the Christ...
No one should be deceived about the nature of Jesus’ coming. It will not be secret or private, but as plain as lightning that flashes across the sky. But in the midst of such tribulation, there will be a temptation to look for false messiahs (false christs and false prophets will rise).
SPURGEON adds, "As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man: “Christ’s coming will be sudden, startling, universally visible, and terrifying to the ungodly.”
The coming of the Son of Man...
JOHN MACARTHUR SAYS, "There, in very clear, concise, straightforward, understandable terms, the Lord Himself tells us about the greatest event in anticipation of any believer, and that is the second coming of Jesus Christ. He came once, He will come again. In fact, as He was ascending, it tells us in Acts chapter 1, leaving the earth after His first coming, He ascended up into heaven, physically, bodily, taken away in a cloud. And two angels came and said: “This same Jesus who is taken up from you shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.” In other words, as He went away, so will He return, physically, bodily, in clouds. Just the way He went away. The very same Jesus, in the very same way.
Now, the world is very familiar with the circumstances and the features of Christ’s first coming. The world is very familiar with Bethlehem, with the manger, with shepherds and wise men and a star and Herod. The world is very familiar with Joseph and Mary and gold and frankincense and myrrh and the song of the angels. They pretty well have that story all down pat. But the world is far less familiar with the story of His second coming with all of its features and all of its attendant circumstances. And yet the prophets have given us, including Jesus Himself, the greatest of all prophets, very clear instruction as to the character, the features, of the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ. And in the three verses I just read to you, our Lord Himself describes His second coming. Not all of the elements of it, but the very moment that it occurs. The sign that it has arrived.
You say: “What period of time is that?” Well, it’s a period of time begun with a very special event. Verse 15: “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the Holy Place, whosoever reads, let him understand.” And we talked about the fact that that event called the abomination of desolation, it is a desecration of that which is sacred, and it is a ruination of that which is dedicated to God that triggers this great Tribulation period.
You remember what we said? Israel in the end time will be in their land. They will rebuild the temple. They will be worshiping God. They will be protected by the antichrist. But in the middle of the seven-year period that Daniel says he makes a pact with them, in Daniel 7, he says in the middle – pardon me, in Daniel 9, he says in the middle of that period, the antichrist will break the covenant and he will abominate – that is, he will desecrate, he will blaspheme – the sacred place of the Jews. He will tear out the altar to God and he will establish an altar to himself. He will make himself the God of the world. And this is described to us not only by the prophet Daniel but also by John in the Revelation. And he becomes the one to be worshiped and therefore he desecrates, he abominates. And when that happens, and he calls the whole world to worship him, then the signal has come that the Tribulation has begun.
And the events of the Tribulation are generally described in verses 4 through 14. It’s a time of deception. It’s a time of war. It’s a time of famine and earthquake. It’s a time of persecution and hatred. It is a time of false prophecy. It is a time when evil is so rampant that many people who appear to be religious will defect from religion and abandon themselves to evil. In other words, it’s going to be the worst time the world has ever known. It’ll be a time, we see in verse 21 and following, without an equal. And unless the days were shortened – that is, the time of daylight was condensed – no one would survive. False prophets everywhere. And terrible sinful corruption described like the carcass of a dead animal in verse 28.
And so there’s coming on the world this time of tribulation like no other time. A time of gross evil like no other time. A time of murder, a time of slaughter, and antichrist is going to try to slaughter all the Jews, he’s going to try to slaughter all those who would name the name of Christ. And that is why verse 16 says when you see this initiating event take place and the antichrist sets up his idol which is himself in the temple, then you better flee to the mountains, because Judea, where Jerusalem is, is going to be the center of his attack as he tries to wipe out God’s people, Israel and any believing people from among the Gentiles who happen to be there.
So it’s going to be such a time like no other time. You better run and you better run fast and hope you’re not pregnant and hope you’re not carrying a little baby and hope it isn’t winter and raining and hope it isn’t the Sabbath so you get stoned by some legalists for running. You better hope you can get out because a slaughter is going to come like no slaughter in the history of the world. And we’ve gone through all that detail in the last few weeks. Now verse 29: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days,” not just any tribulation, but the tribulation that we have seen discussed in verses 4 through 28. Immediately after that, that is the time, that is the sequence for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, remember that the disciples feel it must be very near because they know the Lord is the Messiah, because He has cleansed the temple, you remember, threw out the moneychangers and the buyers and the sellers. Because He has promised that the whole temple will be torn down and not one stone will be left upon another. They believe, then, that He is going to come and wipe out hypocritical, false Judaism. He is going to wipe out the false religious leaders. He is going to purge the nation. And because they’ve already seen Him cleanse the inside by throwing everybody out and He has just predicted that the stones are going to be torn down, they believe His coming is very, very near. And with very anxious hearts, they have sat down with Him on the Mount of Olives and they have said: “Lord, how near is it? And what is the sign we look for that You’re going to come into Your full parousia, Your full presence and be King?” And they must believe it’s only a matter of days now before this is all going to happen. And the Lord says I’ll answer your question, it can’t happen until immediately after this time period. And they don’t realize that this time period is thousands of years into the future from where they are. But our Lord makes it very clear that it isn’t until that time period after which the second coming occurs.
Now, you remember that we said that there will be a terrible slaughter among the Jews and Zechariah says two out of three will be killed and only a third will be preserved. God will save a third of them. The rest are going to die in this terrible holocaust. There will also be the saving of a hundred and forty-four thousand Jews, twelve thousand from every tribe, according to Revelation 7, so that they can evangelize the world. And no matter how the antichrist tries, or anybody else tries, you can’t kill them. Revelation 7 says they’re sealed and protected. Also, in the 14th chapter of Revelation, read about them. So the Lord’s going to spare some of those people but it’s going to be such a terrible time, unless there is supernatural protection. In the case of the general group, it seems as though Michael – chapter 12 – is going to be the one who comes down to take care of them and to sweep them away into safety. In the case of the hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish missionaries to reach the world, God Himself supernaturally protects them, but the rest are going to be vulnerable to disaster and death, and so they are told in verse 16 to run. It won’t last long. The period of Great Tribulation lasts how long? Three and a half years, that’s all. And immediately after that, the second coming.
Now, let’s go to a second word.
The FIRST word is SEQUENCE, the SECOND one is SETUP.
How does the Lord set up this event?
You could use the word scene, scenario, stage, but the Lord sets the stage for the second coming. It is a marvelous thing. Verse 29 again: “The sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give its light, the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” I mean this is just incredible. The whole universe as we know it, as we experience it, begins an instant disintegration. In verse 25 of Luke 21, Luke writing basically on the same Olivet Discourse, adds more things that Jesus said. Each writer sort of fills out the fullness of what the Lord said. And Luke says there will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity – terrible confusion – the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Now, if you add Luke to Matthew, you’ve got a pretty dramatic scene. It isn’t just the sun darkened, it isn’t just the moon not giving its light, it isn’t just the stars falling, it isn’t just the powers of the heaven being shaken as if the earth is detached from that, it’s also on the earth. And the thing is so dramatic and so cataclysmic that it says men’s hearts will fail them for fear. The Greek actually says: “Men will expire.” Men will expire and it’s just a simple way of saying they’re going to drop dead everywhere. People are going to literally drop dead out of total terror. Their hearts will stop – apopsuchÅ – which is to say to breathe out. They will breathe out their last. They’ll die. When the Lord comes back in judgment, He will only slay with the sword that proceeds out of His mouth the wicked that haven’t already died of a heart attack or died in sheer terror so that their functions just shut down, the fear was so totally gripping.
I mean it’s hard for us to understand this and to conceive it, but one key statement is at the end of verse 29 that sort of helps you with all of it. “The powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” Now, in the heavens, which encompasses the whole universe, everything is held together by power. There is a control, a controlling influence. In fact, we know what that power is because in Hebrews 1 it says that the Son upholds all things by the what? Word of His power. It is God Himself in the Son who holds things together. Just as He created everything, He holds things together so that gravity doesn’t fluctuate, so that orbits don’t fluctuate. And we can send off little things into space and clutter up the universe with all of our little Tinker Toys and we know where they’re going to go and where they’re going to stop and what they’re going to do in their rotation and what they’re going to do in their orbits. And we can calculate all of that because of the unchanging, fixed powers of the heavens so that bodies move consistently at all times and they do what is predicted for them to do.
Our scientists can even mathematically predict things, years, centuries, thousands of years into the future because they have such uniformity from the past. The heavenly bodies are controlled by the upholding power of the Word of God. But all of a sudden, the Lord lets go, and the powers that normally hold the universe together no longer do that and you have helter-skelter, chaos, with all of the heavenly bodies at random careening through space. And the earth becomes a victim of this incredible breakdown of the whole universe.
Now, specifically, He says, the sun goes black. The implications of that are just staggering – staggering. No sunlight. And man, of course, cannot survive without that. The temperature change is cataclysmic. And then the moon doesn’t give its light, obviously, because it’s reflected from the sun. The tides are instantly chaos. The stars begin to tumble out of their places. In Revelation, it says the heavens are rolled up like a scroll and the stars begin to fall like shaking overripe figs off of a fig tree. The whole universe begins to fall apart, to disintegrate.
I suppose a faint way of understanding this would be to read to you a section from a book by Velikovsky, who approaches some of the scientific phenomena relative to the earth. And he says that if, for example, a heavenly body was loose in space and it happened to pass close to the earth and just cause the earth to tilt a fraction on its axis, here’s what would happen, and I quote: “At that very moment, an earthquake would make the earth shudder. Air and water would continue to move through inertia; hurricanes would sweep the earth and the seas would rush over the continents, carrying gravel and sand and marine animals, and casting them on the land. Heat would be developed, rocks would melt, volcanoes would erupt, and lava would flow from fissures in the ruptured ground and cover vast areas. Mountains would spring up from the plains and would travel and cli