Olivet Discourse Part 2
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Recap
Recap
Everything pivots on the Abomination of Desolation time wise
Jesus return for his church is eminent
The End is eminent
We must not let our love grow cold
We have a job to do
Points of Clarification
Points of Clarification
Rapture - is a word not found in scripture, but it is similar to the word Trinity. It is not used, but it is demonstrated. This word is derived from the latin word Rapio which is translated into the greek as harpazō which literally means “to seize” or “to catch away” by force. When 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says we will be caught up, harpazō, it means it will happen to us, we won’t have control of the situation but we need not be fearful of this, this is something to celebrate.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Signs in Heaven
Signs in Heaven
Jesus has just spent the last few verses describing what His second coming will be like. It will come suddenly, be seen by everyone, and be terrifying to all those who oppose the Christ that is coming! Jesus now spends some time describing what that will look like in more detail.
29 “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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days, points to the days after the:
abomination of desolation
After the Jews flee to a safe place to be protected from the wrath of the Beast
4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
After false prophets have come and attempted to deceive everyone
After the Lord will have sent his angels to proclaim the gospel to every nation, tongue and people.
What is his sign? Many have speculated.
The Greek word here for Sign is “semeion”say-mi'-on - an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.
“It is the regular word for the arrival of a governor into his province or for the coming of a king to his subjects. It regularly describes a coming in authority and in power.” Barclay
I think it’s interesting that the sign of the Son of Man follows the darkening of the sky. The sun will be darkened, the moon won’t have any light because the sun won’t be shining, the stars will fall. All of this to set the back drop for the sign of the Son of Man. It seems to precede His return as described in Revelation 19:11. Perhaps this sign is somehow related to the incredible cosmic disturbances that will precede the great event.
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
This is a time that was written of by the prophet Isaiah in Chapter 13.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.
Lesson of the Fig Tree
Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
We’ve seen the symbol of the fig tree used a lot by Jesus. Here he’s painting a picture of how obvious it will be when all these things happen. It’s obvious that when the fig tree puts OUT it’s leaves, we know that summer is near. He’s saying that by the time people see sign, semeion - saymion, HE will be near, at the very gate.
Jesus assured that when these signs appeared as He foretold (the abomination of desolation, followed by great tribulation, followed by signs in the heavens), His return to the earth would follow. When a fig tree buds, there is an inevitable result — summer is near and fruit is coming. In the same way, when these signs are seen, the coming of Jesus in glory with His church to this world will inevitably follow.
Up to this point, Jesus has given an important outline for end-times events.
There will arise catastrophes and persecutions, but those in themselves are not the sign of the end.
There will arise a pivotal sign: the abomination of desolation.
When the abomination of desolation appears, there are warnings to Israel to flee after the abomination.
On the heels of the abomination of desolation comes great tribulation, and cosmic disturbances.
In culmination, Jesus Christ will return in glory to the earth.
This Generation will not pass away - The generation Jesus meant cannot be the generation of the disciples, because they never saw Jesus return in glory as described in Matthew 24:30. It is undoubtedly the generation that sees these signs, that sees all the signs starting with the abomination of desolation.
No One Knows
No One Knows
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Here, Jesus refers back to the original question of Matthew 24:3 (what will be the sign of Your coming?). His answer is somewhat unexpected, saying of that day and hour no one knows.
To give this idea the strongest emphasis, Jesus claimed that this knowledge was reserved for His Father only. If Jesus Himself — at least during His earthly ministry — did not know this day and hour, it emphasizes the foolishness of any later person making certain predictions regarding the prophetic timetable.
How can No one know, but also know? It’s all based on what we learned from Daniel 12:11. Because of the sign of the abomination of desolation.
37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Essentially, it wasn’t just that lawlessness had increased and people were indifferent to the Lord. They were going on with their daily lives acting like nothing was different, there was no impending doom right around the corner. They didn’t just have their heads in the sand, they had grown to live and believe that their pleasure and wickedness was okay with them, regardless of what God says. Life goes on as they see it, and they will give no thought to what’s right around the corner or to the God that is bringing judgement.
Those in the days of Noah were warned, and judgment eventually came. To those who had ignored the warnings, it came suddenly and unexpectedly.
“That the coming of the Son of Man takes place at an unknown time can only be true if in fact life seems to be going on pretty much as usual — just as in the days before the Flood.” (Carson)
40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Disappearances - Here Jesus describes what it will look like when Jesus catches up His church as was stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
“Taken is the same verb used, and it implies to take someone to be with you, and therefore here points to the salvation rather than the destruction of the one ‘taken’.” (France)
Since the day and hour of this coming are unknowable, Jesus’ followers must be on constant guard for His coming.
Here is the Second Coming dilemma that has the church divided over how to interpret what Jesus is saying here. We have to look at the whole of scripture to find the truth.
Is it at an unexpected hour or is it positively predicted?
Is it business as usual or worldwide cataclysm?
Is it meeting Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) or is He coming with the saints (Zechariah 14:5)?
On one hand it seems like we will be able to see the sign that the end is coming, but on the other hand it seems that no one knows when it will come.
The dilemma is resolved by seeing that there are actually two “comings”. One is in the air, for the church — commonly known as the rapture or harpazō. The other is to the world in His, coming with the church, commonly known as the Second Coming of Jesus. The “contradictions” in Matthew 24 (and much of the rest of prophecy) are often solved by seeing there are really references to “two” returns of Jesus.
BE READY - We must be ready, because His coming for us is without warning. Jesus follows with a few parables to drive home this point.
Parables
Parables
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Jesus told us that we must carry on with faithfulness while the Lord is gone. We must be that faithful and wise servant who takes care of his master’s business while the master is away.
Jesus also promised that we will be rewarded for our faithful kingdom work. The servants serve the master, but the master knows how to take care of and reward the servants.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The attitude of the wicked servant, “my master is delayed” so lets live for selfish gain, eat and drink for tomorrow we die, is NOT the attitude of a faithful servant.
We are called to live in constant anticipation of Jesus’ return, and that means being about our business for Him now.
This last verse is the painful part of the truth of scripture and it gives opportunity for us to have even more urgency! When the end comes it will mean that the time of Grace and Mercy has ended. All opportunity to believe has now ended and judgment comes. There is an ultimate judgement that is unavoidable when dealing with a Just and Righteous God.
“In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” describes those that come to the end, realize the truth, and can do nothing about it. The door will be shut and they will be eternally separated from Jesus. Jesus, the source of all love, peace, grace, forgiveness, and life itself.
That truth is what is intended to move us to weep over the lost. It is intended to be on our minds as we walk alongside them in life. It is the truth that is intended to move our hearts to reach out to them and offer them the only hope there is. Salvation through Jesus Christ Alone!
We must not allow our hearts to grow hard toward this world we live in.
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.