Unparalleled Tribulation & Unbelievable Testimonies, Part 1 - Aug. 15th, 2021

Formal Elements / Descriptive Data

Text: Matthew 24:15-28

CIT: Matthew is talking about how Jesus sought to help prepare His disciples for things to come by giving them the drill and guiding them through deceptions

Proposition:

An “Always Ready” Disciple:

Knows the both the Signal & the Evactuation Plan

Is a student of Scripture sensitive to the signs of the times

Puts others first, prays like there is no tomorrow, and lives in light of the true Parousia

Statement of Purpose:

(1) MO – Ethical: to strengthen the conduct of Believers.

(2) SO –

I want my hearers to be an “Always Ready Disciple.”

Title (Topic/Name): Things to Come: Unparalleled Tribulation & Unbelievable Testimonies

Structural Pattern: Causal Relation, Cause-to-Effect starting with the cause and determining “What would the effect be?” Contextually, the Cause = the Signal; the Effect = Flee

Informal Elements / Rhetorical Data

Initiation — Life Interest — Beginning Movement/Episode/Issue: LM

Attention Getter - WARNING FOOLS

The following warnings were found on consumer products:

• on a Duraflame fireplace log: “Caution: Risk of Fire.”

• on a Batman costume: “Warning: Cape does not enable user to fly.”

• on a bottle of hair coloring: “Do not use as an ice cream topping.”

• on a cardboard sun shield for a car: “Do not drive with sun shield in place.”

• on a portable stroller: “Caution: Remove infant before folding for storage.” —Amy Simpson, Winfield, Illinois [1001 Illustrations that Connect]

Illustration - Life in the Fire House

Describe my times on FD Ride Alongs when an Alarm comes in. An Engineer or Paramedic who is repeatedly distracted, or habitually ignores the bell will not remain such for long. So too, if we are to be followers of Jesus, dedicated to His cause, we also must be “Always Ready” as believers.

LI: When I went through ballistics training as an armed guard, it was ingrained in us that it’s not a matter of “If” it’s a matter of “When.” Sinners are going to do what sinners do. And sometimes, God’s people are the ones that wind up in their way. What does it mean then to be an “Always Ready” Follower of Jesus?

Continuation — Progress — Middle Movement/Episode/Option: LM

Illustration - Tornado Alarm in School

TR: Sometimes, drills can be ludicrously ineffective, at other times, they serve to keep us sharp for potential conflicts

What if the worst happened here today? You’ve heard the horror stories of gunmen ascending unawares on congregations. What are you going to do in the fate of that moment? I’m not pulling the fire alarm here (though we’ve had that happen in our services before), but think it through before hand. Be prepared. Be always ready. Be not idle. There are a million ways this applies to every aspect of life, whether driving and the tire blows out, or eating and someone starts choking, or coming up on a scene as one of the first to witness an accident, or just everyday dangers in our backyards.

TS: Don’t dismiss what Jesus is saying here, be an always ready disciple. Be alert. Watch and pray.

Next Movement/Episode/Option: LM

Illustration - Preparations for Hurricane Ivan

EXP:

Unparalleled Tribulation to Come: Severe Pressure on God's Elect (Believing Israel) During the Great Tribulation

I. Jesus Gave His Disciples Flight Instructions in Preparation for the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Matt. 24:15-22)

A. The Signal Alarm: The Abomination of Desolation (Matt. 24:15)

Matthew 24:15 KJV 1900

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:)

1. The Prophet Daniel - Yes, That Very One

2. The Person of Discernment - Understandest Thou What Thou Readest?

3. The Person of the Abomination of Desolation - The Antichrist

Application - There are several reasons why the abomination of desolation must be a future event in God’s eschatological program. First, verse 15 is in a context of verses that describes events that have not yet happened (vv. 14–21; cf. v. 29). Second, Daniel’s seventieth week with its unique tribulation has not yet happened. Third, Mark described Jesus saying that the abomination of desolation would stand (masculine participle estekota) as a person who set himself up as God in the temple (Mark 13:14). This has never happened since Jesus made this prophecy. Fourth, other later revelation points to the future Antichrist as the abomination of desolation (2 Thess. 2:3–4; Rev. 13:11–18). [Tom Constable, ENB]

4. The Place of the Abomination of Desolation - The Temple

Illustration - [Something] that should be noted about the Third Temple concerns the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi was the only tribe permitted by Mosaic Law to take care of the Temple and conduct the sacrificial system. It is interesting to note that while all other eleven tribes have lost their identity since the records were destroyed in a.d. 70, the Tribe of Levi has not. Unless a Jew is a member of the Tribe of Levi, he is unable to know from which tribe he is a descendant. Jews having names such as Levi, Levy, Levin, Levine, Leventhal, Cohen, and other comparable names are members of the Tribe of Levi. For the purpose of conducting service, only the Tribe of Levi matters. It is not important to know who the members of the other tribes are, but it is very important to know who the Levites are, and the Tribe of Levi is known. So in every way, the stage is set for the Temple to be rebuilt, and it is possible that it will be rebuilt before the Tribulation. If it is not, then it will certainly be rebuilt during the first part of the Tribulation; by the middle of the Tribulation, the Temple must have been built and functioning and been in operation for a little while. [Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Bible Study Collection]

Application - Rapture versus Return

The New Testament describes two facets of Christ’s second coming: (1) He will come for His church to escort her to His Father’s house (John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), and (2) He will come with His saints when He descends from heaven to judge His enemies and establish His glorious one-thousand-year Kingdom on earth (Zechariah 14:4–5; 1 Thessalonians 3:13). How can these facets both be true of Christ’s second coming?

I believe pretribulationism best resolves the seeming contradiction. This first facet is what I call the Rapture of the church: the Lord takes believers from earth to His Father’s house (John 14:3). The second facet is commonly called the second coming of Christ: believers return with Christ from heaven to the earth (Matthew 24:30). Both describe the Lord’s coming, but their differences indicate that they are two unique stages occurring at two separate times. Between these two stages, the Tribulation happens. The first stage—the Rapture—is imminent and signless and could occur at any moment (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The Second Coming, on the other hand, will be preceded by all kinds of signs (Matthew 24:1–29). The same event cannot be both signless and yet preceded by numerous signs. This is patently contradictory. It is difficult for the other views to make sense of the passages that describe these two stages so differently. But, by calling them two stages of the same event, the pre-Trib view successfully harmonizes these two descriptions of Christ’s coming.

However, some students of Bible prophecy strongly object to the notion that the Rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ are distinct events. They contend that this perspective is teaching two future comings of Christ, whereas the Bible only presents one event.

On the contrary, I view Jesus Christ’s coming as a single event in two stages; these stages are separated by at least seven years, during which the Tribulation happens. [Mark Hitchcock, The End: Everything You’ll Want to Know about the Apocalypse]

Application - I am not looking for the abomination of desolation—I wouldn’t know it if I met it on the street—but the people in the last days will be looking for it because it will be the sign to prove that they are in the Great Tribulation period. Instead of our looking for Antichrist and his abominations, we are told to be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). [McGee, TTB]

B. The Evacuation Plan: Flee for Your Life (Matt. 24:16-18)

1. Those in Judea - Run for the Hills (Matt. 24:16)

Matthew 24:16 KJV 1900

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

[Patrich, Joseph. “Hideouts in the Judean Wilderness -- Jewish Revolutionaries and Christian Ascetics Sought Shelter and Protection in Cliffside Caves.” Biblical Archaeology Review 1989, Vol. 15 (5), pp: 32–42. ISSN: 0098–9444] Describes the systematic six year exploration and excavation of more than 40 cliffside caves in the Judean desert a few miles northeast of Jerusalem along the cliffs above the wadis leading from the ridge down into the Jericho plain. These are, at least in part, man-made for specific purposes. There are six types with elaborate arrangements for human habitation. Most date from the First Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE) but were then reused during the Second Jewish Revolt (132–135 CE) against Rome. They are dated by a variety of finds, some spectacular (like a 2000 year old arrow and a cruse of balsam oil still fluid). Some of the caves were reused by Christian ascetics in the Byzantine period. [RTA]

2. Those at Home - No Time to Pack (Matt. 24:17)

Matthew 24:17 KJV 1900

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

The roof, which was flat, was used for prayer, drying vegetables and other functions. The staircase from this roof was on the outside of the house; one could thus descend without entering the house. [IVPBCNT]

Quote - “In the ruins of Pompeii there was found the petrified body of a woman in the act of snatching her jewels.” [D. L. Moody, Notes from My Bible]

Illustration - Signs of the Times 631

The May 1984 National Geographic showed through color photos and drawings the swift and terrible destruction that wiped out the Roman Cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 b.c.

The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil. They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.

The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record—weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius’s warning!

There are similar “rumblings” in our world: warfare, earthquakes, the nuclear threat, economic woes, breakdown of the family and moral standards. While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming day of Judgment (Matt. 24). People need not be caught unprepared. God warns and provides an escape to those who will heed the rumblings. [750 Engaging Illustrations]

3. Those at Work - Get Out While You Can (Matt. 24:18)

Matthew 24:18 KJV 1900

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Workers would wear an outer cloak to the fields when they began the day about 6 a.m.; as the day grew warmer, they left their cloaks on the edge of the field. [IVPBCNT]

Illustration - 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Haiti, Hundreds Dead

…Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking. “I woke up and didn’t have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street,” Verneus said. Haiti is still recovering from a major earthquake that struck close to the capital 11 years ago that killed approximately 250,000, flattened swathes of buildings, and left about 1.5 million homeless.

As bad as reports like this are, and as much as they break my heart, there is coming a time of Tribulation that Jesus assured will make this travesty look like a minor casualty.

C. Further Considerations for the Time of Trouble (Matt. 24:19-22)

1. Maintain Compassion Amidst Great Tribulation: Pregnant & Nursing Mothers First (Matt. 24:19)

Matthew 24:19 KJV 1900

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

2. Prayer that Moves God: Intercession for Those Who Will Be Most Impacted By the Trouble (Matt. 24:20)

Matthew 24:20 KJV 1900

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

a. Seasonal Difficulties to Avoid - Not in Winter

b. Religious-Political Difficulties to Avoid - Not on Sabbath

Application - We might think that if God has determined that Jerusalem will fall on a winter Sabbath; then God has determined it. Why would we bother him with our plea for safe travel? But that’s not how God works. That’s not how prayer works. Prayer is mysterious, as mysterious as the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. We know that God is sovereign; we know that God hears our prayers. And we know that our prayers, in some way, affect God. Think about the prayers of Abraham or Moses. Think about the personal interaction they had with the Almighty. Prayer works; otherwise, Jesus wouldn’t have commanded his followers here or elsewhere to pray. John Bengel summaries well the theology and history of verse 20: “Prayer helps; they prayed, and flight did not take place in winter.” It was August. Don’t underestimate the power of our prayer to the sovereign God. [Preaching the Word Commentary]

3. Despise Not: Understand the Severity of the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Matt. 24:21)

Matthew 24:21 KJV 1900

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Application - Suffering and Victory

Suffering is terrible, but at the same time it is a sharing in Christ’s victory over evil. Josephus reports the unbelievable amount of suffering and slaughter that occurred at the siege and leveling of Jerusalem. The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles as well as the slaughter of the Jews by Antiochus IV were all summed up in the terrible events of AD 66–70. Yet even that was a precursor to the martyrdom of thousand of Christians down through the centuries, which itself will be completed in the coming final holocaust at the hands of the Antichrist. Yet the NT is firm on this point—the suffering of God’s people is a sharing in the suffering of Christ (Phil 3:10; Col 1:24) and will end in a sharing in his victory (Rev 7:14; 19:14; 20:4). [ZECNT]

4. Motivation for Divine Intervention on Behalf of God's Elect - Those Days Cut Short (Matt. 24:22)

Matthew 24:22 KJV 1900

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Jesus warned, 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 intensity of God’s judgment and the wrath of the devil will be such that no one will survive. However, for the “elect’s sake” (Israel), God will shorten those days. It is clear from the books of Daniel and Revelation that the final period of the Tribulation is exactly 1,260 days or 42 months, both of which are three-and-one-half years. Therefore, the shortening foretold by Jesus is not in the quantity of the days, but rather in the length of the days. In Revelation 8:12, clear reference is made that during the fourth trumpet judgment, the length of the days will be reduced by one third to sixteen hours a day. Perhaps God will speed up the rotation of the earth. The long, accepted axiom of a twenty-four hour day will be utterly shaken. Matthew 24:22 makes clear it is out of God’s mercy unto Israel that this will happen. [Sorenson, UTB]

There are two themes here, God’s absolute sovereign control over history and the severity of the tribulation suffered by the saints. Matthew uses the divine passives “had … been shortened” (ἐκολοβώθησαν) and “will be shortened” (κολοβωθήσονται) for Mark’s more direct “If the Lord had not cut short … he has shortened” (Mark 13:20). God is in charge even of the forces of evil, and he will not allow “those days” of suffering to go too far (cf. “was given” in Rev 6:1–8, 13:5–8 for a similar theme). [ZECNT, Mt.]

Application - But from all these pictures there emerge certain great truths.

(1) They tell us that God has not abandoned the world; for all its wickedness, the world is still the scene in which God’s purpose is being worked out. It is not abandonment that God contemplates; it is intervention.

(2) They tell us that even an ever-increasing presence of evil must not discourage us. An essential part of the Jewish picture of the day of the Lord is that a complete breakdown of all moral standards and an apparent complete disintegration of the world must precede it. But, for all that, this is not the prelude to destruction; it is the prelude to recreation.

(3) They tell us that both judgment and a new creation are certain. They tell us that God contemplates the world both in justice and in mercy; and that God’s plan is not the obliteration of the world, but the creation of a world which is nearer to his heart’s desire. [NDSB]

TR: From Desecration to Desolation (24:15–22)

1. The destruction of the temple will be preceded by an act of desecration

2. This desecration is the signal for believers to flee from Jerusalem

3. This flight is urgent and must not be delayed

4. This flight will impose hardship on those who undertake it

5. The suffering associated with the temple’s destruction will be unparalleled in human history

6. God will graciously shorten the period of suffering for the sake of Jesus’s followers [EGGNT]

TS: Jesus warned His disciples that there would be an unparalleled time of trouble that would come prior to His Second Coming, but, He then went on to warn them about how they might also be deceived into believing He had come, when He clearly had not. It is important to pay attention to warnings.

Consummation — Climax — Ending Movement/Episode/Option: LM

Illustration - Ignoring Gas Poison Warning

Henry Nelson, of Wilmington, Delaware, was a veteran of World War II. He had served as an instructor in the Army Chemical Warfare Department. Yet he ignored a warning by the superintendent of the Riverside Housing Development that the apartment he lived in was being fumigated with hydrogen-cyanide gas, tore down the barricade at the door and went in after two blankets.

The neighbors saw him remove the sign and barricade and go in, and they called the Development office. But when employees arrived it was too late. Nelson lay sprawled on the living room floor with the two blankets in his arms. Despite both written and verbal warnings, and despite his training in the Army, he had gone to his death. —G. Franklin Allee [Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations]

Discuss Fire Drills and False Starts. Point out how the Disciples all fled from Jesus at His arrest, but this was not the real signal to flee that Jesus had given them. They were driven by emotion rather than knowledge, and jumped the gun when they should’ve thought things through better

EXP:

Unbelievable Testimonies: False Speculations about Christ’s Coming in the Time of Jacob's Trouble -

+ Jesus Warns His Disciples Concerning the Fictions of False Messiahs vesrsus the Fact of His Sudden Parousia

II. Jesus Warned Beforehand, "Believe them Not." (Matt. 24:23-28)

A. Mistaken Speculations About the Parousia of Messiah (Matt. 24:23-26)

1. False Miracles (Matt. 24:23-24)

Matthew 24:23–24 KJV 1900

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Illustration - Deluded Thinking

The Bolsheviks murdered the last Czar of Russia and his family in 1918. But rumors persisted that one or more of the children may have survived. One of the best-known rumors involves Anna Anderson, who claimed in 1920 to be Anastasia, one of the Czar’s daughters. (Interestingly, that name is the Greek word for “resurrection.”) Even after DNA testing proved that Anna was not related to the royal family, many people clung to the hope that she really was Anastasia.

One of the reasons for this hope was a belief that the survival of one of the royal children might lead to an eventual restoration of the glory days of the Russian monarchy. Thus Anna served as a kind of “messiah figure” for royalists. The problem in the logic is that of first envisioning a desired end result, then finding evidence—however flimsy—that will hopefully lead to or bring about that desired end.

It is not likely that we will hear someone on the street say literally “I am the Christ” or “I am the Messiah.” Yet some charismatic leaders (both religious and secular) seem all too eager to allow themselves to be seen as messiah figures if it will further their ends. It’s hard to figure out who is worse, the messiah figure or the followers of that figure who delude themselves. Make sure that you are neither. There is only one Christ, only one Messiah. —A. W. [KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2010-2011]

2. Fair Warning (Matt. 24:25)

Matthew 24:25 KJV 1900

Behold, I have told you before.

Isaiah 48:5 KJV 1900

I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; Before it came to pass I shewed it thee: Lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, And my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.

Application - Jesus [essentially] said, “See, I have told you ahead of time” (Matt. 24:25). In another passage which is even more striking our Lord affirmed,

John 13:19 KJV 1900

Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

This passage teaches us two things about prediction: (1) historical fulfilment is the ultimate interpreter of prophecy, for it is only when it comes to pass that we will know with certainty what that prophecy really meant (a caution for humility in this area); and (2) all fulfilment of prophecy vindicates the one who is the great “I am.” It never proves that we were right or that our charts were more accurate than someone else’s; on the contrary, it proves that only God knows the future, and that only he spoke the truth before it came into being. [Kaiser, Back Toward the Future]

3. False Messages (Matt. 24:26)

Matthew 24:26 KJV 1900

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Application - False Prophets

Do not believe the lies of the false prophets ... Christ will unmask all the charlatans, but he has also stated our responsibility to do so here. The record of the church is not good. Most cult leaders of our time have not been noted and opposed until it was virtually too late and they had already established their power base. We dare not follow the bad example of Pergamum and Thyatira (Rev 2:12–29), whose tolerance allowed the heretics to subvert so many of their members. For us it is not so much tolerance as theological ignorance and lack of concern. We do not even notice people are teaching heresy until it is too late. God will hold us accountable for our lack of vigilance (Heb 13:17; Rev 16:15). When Christ returns, such teachers will be made visible and judged for their evil deeds. How much better if we bring them back to Christ before it gets that far (Jas 5:19–20)! [ZECNT]

B. The Unmistakable Parousia of Christ (Matt. 24:27-28)

1. An Unmistakable Picture of the Coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:27)

Matthew 24:27 KJV 1900

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.

Zechariah 9:14 KJV 1900

And the Lord shall be seen over them, And his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: And the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, And shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

Application: Insights on the Title, “Son of Man”

Jesus asks whether people will continue to believe when the Son of Man comes (Luke 18:8). Disciples should stay vigilant to the end, praying that they will be able “to stand before the Son of Man” on the last day (Luke 21:36). Some of Jesus’ disciples will not die before seeing “the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). In the coming world when the Son of Man sits on his throne, the twelve disciples will also sit on thrones, ruling the people of God (Matt. 19:28). In the future the disciples will desire “to see one of the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:22). The Son of Man will come as clearly as lightning that blazes across the entire expanse of the sky (Matt. 24:27; Luke 17:24). People “will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). People will be unprepared for the Son of Man’s coming as they were unprepared for judgment during the days of Noah and Lot (Matt. 24:37–39; Luke 17:26–30). The Son of Man is coming at an hour that people do not expect (Matt. 24:44; Luke 12:40). He will come with a brilliant glory and reign on his throne (Matt. 25:31). Jesus tells the religious leaders at his trial, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62; cf. Luke 22:69). The future sayings emphasize the glory of the Son of Man when he comes to the earth. He will reign and rule and determine the final destiny of those on earth.

If we put the Son of Man sayings together, it becomes clear that according to the Gospel writers, Jesus is the Son of Man. He has the authority to forgive sins, seeks those who are lost, and is the Lord of the Sabbath. At the same time, he is the suffering Son of Man. He will be rejected by his contemporaries and ultimately be sentenced to death. His death should not be viewed as an accident; rather, he dies as a ransom for many. Nor will death triumph over Jesus as the Son of Man. He will be raised from the dead, and in the future he will come again with power as the Son of Man reigning at God’s right hand. He will punish those who do evil and will vindicate the righteous. The high Christology in the Son of Man sayings is evident. He is clearly identified with God and takes on divine prerogatives as the one who forgives sins, is the Lord of the Sabbath, and is the judge of all on the last day. [Schriener, New Testament Theology, p. 219]

Illustration - God Strike Us with Lightning!

Lightning and thunder can be pretty scary at times, but even they have a purpose. In everything there is some good! When a storm comes, and the lightning and thunder is flashing and crashing around us, we hope it will soon pass. But, would you believe, lightning has a purpose? Plants would die if it weren’t for the lightning! In order for the plants to grow, they need food from the air and the ground. The air is filled with a food we can’t see, a gas called nitrogen. The plants can’t use it until it becomes nitrates. What turns nitrogen into nitrates? Lightning! When the lightning flashes in the sky, the electricity makes the change. If there were no lightning, there would not be enough nitrates, and all the plants would die. Isn’t it amazing that what scares us, God uses to do something good? It’s time God struck us with lightning so we will begin to do what He expects of Christians!

2. An Unmistakable Proverb of the Parousia (Matt. 24:28)

Matthew 24:28 KJV 1900

For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

As strange as this statement may seem, it gives specific indication how Christ’s return in power and great glory is different from the Rapture. At the conclusion of Armageddon when Christ appears, there will be a great slaughter of the forces of the antichrist in the vicinity of Megiddo in Israel. God calls the fowls of carrion of the heavens from the ends of the earth to clean up the carnage. See Revelation 16:14, Revelation 14:14-20, Revelation 19:17-21, and Luke 17:37. [Sorenson, UTB]

Jesus’ saying is probably not too different from the saying, “Where there is smoke, there is fire.” When the day finally comes, and the Son of Man makes his appearance, there will be unmistakable signs, just as surely as one may expect to find corpses if there are vultures circling overhead. The grim proverb is selected, probably because it is consistent with the whole negative tenor of the dangers and calamities that have been described in vv. 15–28. The saying may be proverbial, but it also paints a realistic picture of what may be expected in the end times. [BKBC Mt.-Mk.]

...v. 28 is a picture of the public return of Christ, the judgment of his enemies, or the resurrection of the saints. All are possible, but the order of likelihood follows the order here. The first fits v. 27 well and is the consensus of most today, yet the second would make sense as God’s response to the evils of the wicked in ch. 23 and 24:15–21, and the general resurrection of the saints is presented in vv. 29–31. [ZECNT]

Application - Counterfeit Christs (24:23–28)

1. If someone has to tell you about it, Christ has not returned

2. If someone attempts to use miracles to convince you, Christ has not returned

3. If his location is distant or secret, Christ has not returned

4. If his glory is not displayed for all the world to see, Christ has not returned [EGGNT]

FR: We have some veteran saints here this morning who could tell you there is no mistaking the drill from the real deal. I remember talking with one man who told me about his time sailing, and how they would be out in the vast waters, doing drills sometimes for drills sake, but then, when 9-11 hit, things were completely different. All the drills they had done had kept them honed for the moment when they would activate all systems. Maybe you are listening to this message because you found some of our archives, and you are one of God’s elect who have seen first hand some of the horrors that our Savior described briefly in this prophecy, I want to be a blessing to you friend, don’t be led astray. You will know when Jesus returns. It will be unmistakable. Do not listen to anyone who might lead you astray, just pour yourself into the Holy Scriptures that will never pass away, even though the earth might seem like it’s falling out from underneath you. Just hold on, and share your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ unto the last. Trust God with all the other details.

Perhaps though you’re here today, or listening along somewhere and you wonder, “What’s this got to do with me? I’m not going to be around when what Jesus describes here happens.” You can say that if you’re saved. If not, then today is the day to place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and prepare your soul for things to come, namely, the rapture. But even then, amidst this crooked and evil generation, don’t forget that God’s people down through time have lived with the same blessed hope that you and I have today, and these verses have helped them though they never saw fully what Jesus described here.

The delay in Christ’s appearing led some to question whether that day would in fact ever come. In this situation Jas 5:7–8 calls for patience “until the Lord’s coming [τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ κυρίου].

James 5:7–8 KJV 1900

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near [ἡ παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου ἤγγικεν].” [NIDNTTE]

They each in their own course lived as though it could be any moment, and so we too live one day at a time, standing by faithfully, drilling as needed, and following our marching orders to preach the gospel to every creature, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and disciple them to likewise take up their cross and follow Jesus with us, ever listening for that Trumpet sound to catch away the Bride of Christ, even so, Come, Lord Jesus.

Application - Convinced the cover of night can hide their depravity, humans persuade themselves that God does not see nor know. “Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20).

But there is coming the ultimate day when Jesus returns to the earth to sit upon His throne. “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” (Matthew 24:27). To look upon Jesus on that day would be the same as staring at the sun on a cloudless day. The brilliant glory bursting upon the earth will leave petrified humans frozen in their tracks unable to respond to Him. How foolish the armies of the world will look as their massive weapons of destruction melt in His presence. Instantly, arrogant humans will be subdued, and those who taunted Him and profaned Him will comprehend how omnipotent He is. The professor who denied Him, the minister who disdained Him, the human who derided Him - all will fall before the glorious Son of God in abject terror.

It will bring the reversal of the ages. The discouraged and broken will now “go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Like a pony set free to gallop in the meadow, the oppressed victim of evil will now run and leap with great joy. The oppressed will “tread down the wicked” so that they are “ashes under the soles of your feet” (Malachi 4:3). Burnt in the fire of God’s oven, the wicked tormenters will be nothing but “mounds of ashes beneath the triumphant feet of God’s saints.”41

Once more we are reminded: “in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.” It would not happen soon enough for the critical scorners in Malachi’s day; it will not happen soon enough for the critics in our day. Yet, in God’s perfect timing, He will perform as He promised. ‘The Day’ will be the moment the wicked are repaid and the righteous are recompensed. [Paul Schwanke, Sick and Tired]

An “Always Ready” Disciple:

Knows the both the Signal & the Evactuation Plan

Is a student of Scripture sensitive to the signs of the times

Puts others first, prays like there is no tomorrow, and lives in light of the true Parousia