The Cosmic Disturbance

OCTOBER 18, 2020 STUDY NOTES MATTHEW 24:29 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE COSMIC DISTURBANCE INTRODUCTION Now is a good time for a quick review of what we have learned in Matthew 24 It is important that we see the order of events as Jesus presents them Jesus told us of future events that will occur in verses 3-7 Which He called the “beginning of birth pangs,” Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. The events described in verses 3-7 have been occurring throughout the ages According to vs. 8 they will begin to increase in frequency and intensity just as birth pangs do In verse 9, we have the first of 9 times, that the word “then” is used in Matthew 24 It is important to follow the word “then,” which gives us a chronological order of events There will “then” be persecution of the Jews and the followers of Christ, referring to the Church Because of the persecution there will be problems among one another (vs. 10-12) People will betray one another, hate one another, deceive one another, and iniquity will abound The love of many will grow cold, but Christians must remain faithful and be patient Christians must endure and present the Gospel with the emphasis that Jesus is coming (vs. 13-14) We find that the Antichrist will come before the return of Christ (vs.15) As predicted by Daniel, Dan 9:27 And he (Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant (of death) with many (Israel) for one week: (7 years) and in the midst of the week (the time of deception) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. The Antichrist will make a so-called strong covenant of peace with the nation of Israel The signing of this peace treaty will be the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel Which is the final 7 years of the 490-year prophecy given to Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27) At the time the peace treaty is signed, Israel may not have much of a choice due to persecution Israel will be seeking help and Antichrist will have proven that he is the one who can help We are not sure of all-of the conditions under the treaty, which will turn out to be a false treaty But Israel will be allowed to reinstitute the OT sacrificial system in a rebuilt temple After 3 ½ years, Antichrist will commit the event that will identify who he really is, Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Daniel said that the “Abomination of Desolation” will be seen in the middle of the 70th week Which is 3 ½ years after the signing of the peace treaty with Israel The Abomination of Desolation is a key event which will identify other events When it occurs, there will be no doubts about who the Antichrist is (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) Throughout the years there have been many who have been suspected as being the Antichrist At the mid-point of the 7-year covenant, the Antichrist will be revealed, no question about it Which will also identify which peace treaty is the one predicted by Daniel We may or may not be able to recognize the signing of the covenant when it happens When we see the Abomination of Desolation, many events of prophecy will be revealed In verses 16-22, we have the “Antichrist Alert,” Jesus gives severe warnings to those in Judea Following the Abomination of Desolation will be the “Great Tribulation,” Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. The Abomination of Desolation will be the beginning of the future Great Tribulation The Great Tribulation will be an unparalleled time in the entire history of the world Once it occurs it will never be equaled, never again will there be anything like it 1 The time period of the Great Tribulation will be cut short for the sake of the “elect,” Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. The “elect” are God’s people, saved Jews and saved Gentiles united-together as the True Church It will be the persecution of God’s people that will be cut-off, not the time-period of the 70th week Christ will return and remove the Christians from the persecution of the Great Tribulation The return of Christ will be an everyday conversation among people at that time (vs. 23) The True Church will have been be a strong witness of the truth that Jesus is about to return Satan will take that opportunity to deceive people concerning the return of Christ (vs. 24) He will lead people astray from the truth of Jesus’ return and point them to false Christs Satan will even attempt to deceive the elect through false Christs and false prophets Christians will see, know, and understand the truth, all because of Jesus, Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before. Jesus will warn, do not believe the false Christs, false prophets, or the Antichrist (vs. 26) You will know when He returns and will not have to go looking for Christ after He has returned The return of Christ will not be a secret, Christ will not be in hiding after His return Jesus illustrates the return of Christ for us, Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Verse 28 is an illustration of the understanding and the attention that will be given at that time Then there will be another unique event take place, such as has never happened before Immediately after the Great Tribulation will be the “Cosmic Disturbance” THE COSMIC DISTURBANCE Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: The disciples were waiting for the answer to their questions, Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? The disciples had three questions for Jesus: (1) When will these things happen? Referring to the destruction of the temple when one stone will not be left upon another (24:2) (2) What will be the sign of your coming? Referring to what Jesus had said to them in, Mat 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (3) What will be the sign of the end of the age? Thinking that His coming “in the name of the Lord” would be the end of the present age And that Jesus would then establish the Messianic Age Jesus will answer their questions but not in the order of which they ask them Verse 27 is not the sign of His coming, Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. The lightning is a comparison, telling us that heaven will get the attention of the world All eyes and ears will be turned toward the heaven above the earth when Jesus appears There will be no question about it, no questions will be asked, the world will know, “That’s Him” Is verse 29 the sign of His coming? Let’s study it and find out “Immediately” means “at once,” straightway, or instantly “After” gives the time, which will be “after the tribulation of those days” Jesus has described “those days” in the previous verses, the days of the Great Tribulation The days which had their beginning with the “abomination of desolation,” Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. “Those days” are the days of the “Great Tribulation,” Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 2 The Great Tribulation will be cut short for the sake of God’s elect, God’s people, Christians The troubled times of the Great Tribulation will come before what is now being described Jesus said, the Cosmic Disturbance will occur after the Great Tribulation The same is found in Mark’s account, Mar 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, Both accounts teach that the Cosmic Disturbance will occur “after” the Great Tribulation And it will occur “before” the end of the 70th Week of Daniel In verse 3, the third question of the disciples was, “what shall be the end of the age?” Jesus will now answer the disciples question concerning “the sign of the end of the age” The sign of the end of the age is the “Cosmic Disturbance,” which is a term not found in the Bible But it is a theological term describing an event that is often found in Scripture Some call it the “Celestial Disturbance,” because it is an upheaval of the heavenly bodies The powers of the universe will be shaken, all-natural light in the heavens, will be turned off The earth’s atmosphere will be in total darkness Similar language is often found in the OT and used to describe chaos and judgment The Cosmic Disturbance represents the ending of the old age and the beginning of the new age In recent years, we have seen many history making storms and disasters Record numbers of tornadoes, floods, dust storms, droughts, snowstorms, and hurricanes Major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, and tsunamis are now being predicted All-of those happening at one time would be nothing compared to what Jesus now describes This is not a total solar or lunar eclipse, this is not a “blood-moon” It will be something that the world has never seen before and will never see again For those who know the things that Jesus has taught, there will be no mistake about it The time now described is not the Great Tribulation, the tribulation is being cut off So, what is going to happen? shall the sun be darkened, When Jesus died on the cross there was darkness, Luk 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. There was darkness because the sun was darkened, Luk 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. This was not an eclipse of the sun, the sun was not naturally darkened, as often witnessed This was supernatural darkness from the hand of God identifying a time of judgment The judgment was upon Jesus who was bearing the sins of all who would ever be saved, 1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. The darkness was because Jesus was paying the price for our transgressions, Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Jesus was bearing the judgment for our sins, 2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus is telling us in Matthew 24 that there will be another day of darkness Another day of supernatural darkness from the hand of God identifying with judgment The darkness will announce the coming judgment of God upon Satan, sin, and those who are lost That future time of God’s judgment is known as the “Day of the Lord” The Cosmic Disturbance and the Day of the Lord are often united in scripture Peter preached it in the first sermon preached after the beginning of the Church Age, Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: Peter said the Cosmic Disturbance will occur “before” the “notable day of the Lord come” The cosmic disturbance did not happen when Jesus died on the cross or on the Day of Pentecost 3 It did not occur with the coming of the Holy Spirit, but we are told when it will occur It will occur before Jesus comes in the air to judge Satan, Antichrist, sin, and the followers of sin The sun will become dark, there will be no light from the sun That is the reason why the moon will cease to give her light-and the moon shall not give her light, There will be no light from the sun giving light to the moon The earth will have no source of light The natural lights of heaven will be turned off and the earth will be in total darkness and the stars shall fall from heaven, This does not refer to shooting stars, or a Meteor Shower,” it is a supernatural event It is the hand of God who is in control of the universe, the One who created the heavens, Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The beginning was the hand of God, the end of the age will be by the hand of God The stars falling from heaven is an announcement from God, the end of the age has come “Heaven” is singular, referring to the atmospheric heaven where we see the stars at night There will be no light from the sun to lighten the day There will be no light from the moon or stars to lighten the night Darkness throughout the Bible is a symbol of sin, moral evil, judgment, and death There will be total darkness upon the earth and then at that time of darkness--and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: “Heavens” is plural, this disruption will come all the way from the third heaven It is a divine disruption that comes down from the dwelling place of God, the third heaven We have called this divine disruption of the heavens that Jesus describes the Cosmic Disturbance Matthew 24:29 can be called a general sign of the return of Christ but verse 30 is the specific sign I believe that verse 29 can be called the specific sign of the coming Day of the Lord The Cosmic Disturbance will be God’s warning to the world that the Day of the Lord has come Often the Cosmic Disturbance and the Day of the Lord are united in the context of scripture Peter said that God said, Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: (Cosmic Disturbance) Then Peter tells us when the Cosmic Disturbance will take place, before the Day of the Lord, Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: God gave the sign of the end of the age to Isaiah, who speaks of the Day of the Lord, Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Isaiah describes the events of the cosmic disturbance and the Day of the Lord (Isa. 13:9-11) In verse 9 Isaiah speaks of the Day of the Lord In verse 10 he speaks of the Cosmic Disturbance, Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Isaiah then tells us why the Day of the Lord will come, Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Another Day of the Lord passage is found in Joel, Joel speaks of the cosmic disturbance, Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 4 And then Joel speaks concerning the Day of the Lord, Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Joel gives us the order of these events, Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Joel said the Cosmic Disturbance will occur “before” the terrible Day of the Lord begins Which is the same order that Jesus is presenting in Matthew 24 Putting these verses together we find the correct order of future events The Cosmic Disturbance will occur immediately after the tribulation of those days (Mt 24:29a) The Cosmic Disturbance will occur before the great and terrible day of the Lord come (Joel 2:31) The 6th seal is the cosmic disturbance announcing the coming of the Day of the Lord (Rev. 6:12) The Day of the Lord will begin with the opening of the seventh seal (Rev 6:12-17; 8:1) The trumpet and bowl judgments describe the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the earth The Day of the Lord will not begin until after the True Church is raptured The rapture of the Church will usher in the time-period known as the Day of the Lord The order of events reveal that the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are not the same The Great Tribulation is the day of Satan’s wrath, his days are limited The Day of the Lord is the day of God’s wrath The Cosmic Disturbance is the sign that marks the Day of the Lord, and the “end of the age” After describing the “sign of the end of the age,” (vs. 29) Jesus describes the “sign of His Coming” (vs. 30) Christ is not going to return to the earth without a warning to the world that He is coming The Cosmic Disturbance will be the warning that Jesus is coming to end the present age And then there will appear the sign of His Coming CONCLUSION Through verse 26 of Matthew 24 Satan has had his day, it appears that he has been victorious Verse 27 & 28 are an illustration of what will happen next Verse 29 is the announcement of what is going to happen next The Cosmic Disturbance announces the end of the age That which will end the age is the return of Christ Verse 30 begins with the greatest “and then” ever written, Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Following verse 30, the event that the elect are praying for will take place, Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Satan is going to find out that there will be no celebration for him, his followers, or the demons Satan’s party time will be over when Christ returns Listen to the song 5