Cosmic Disturbance

FEBRUARY 2, 2022 STUDY NOTES SUBJECT: COSMIC DISTURBANCE BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION The titles, Cosmic Disturbance or Celestial Disturbance are not found in scripture They are the titles given by theologians to identify what is taught in scripture God’s Celestial Disturbance is often referred to in scripture, it is a significant event Which is known as the Cosmic Disturbance, an important event, that Christians must understand Why is it so important? Because it will be a message from God for the True Church Christians need to understand today what that event will tell the True Church in that day It will also be a warning to the world, Christians need to understand what that warning will be The Comic Disturbance is an announcement to the church and a warning to the world It is important because it will occur before the return of Christ to the earth takes place At the time of the return of Christ the wrath of God will fall upon Satan and the sinful earth The day of God’s wrath is identified in scripture as the “Day of the Lord” The Day of the Lord is not the same time-period as the tribulation or the “Great Tribulation” The Day of the Lord will not take place without a warning from God That warning from God will be a world-wide warning, no one will miss it, all will see it From heaven and from earth, God will warn the world of the coming of the Day of the Lord Our present world has a great interest in the heavens above, which is a major study of our day Science is continually seeking to know more about the heavenly bodies in relation to earth Satellites and space stations now send information throughout the earth One day God’s heavenly bodies will have a message for the world, and all will see and hear it The Cosmic Disturbance will announce the beginning of the Day of the Lord on the earth God revealed the fact of the Day of the Lord to several OT prophets, that day will come God has also revealed the fact of the Day of the Lord in the New Testament Bible scholars agree, the Day of the Lord will come, the debate is, when does it begin? An understanding of the Cosmic Disturbance will help us identify the time of the Day of the Lord There are many questions that need to be answered concerning the future of the saved and the lost Bible scholars agree, God will rapture the church, the debate is, when will it happen? An understanding of the Cosmic Disturbance will help us identify the time of the rapture There are other events that we know will take place, but again the question is, in what order? Is there a future day for Satan, a day that could be called “Satan’s Day?” If so, will there be a sign that Satan’s Day has-come to a conclusion, that Satan’s day is over? The answer is, yes, that sign will be the Cosmic Disturbance, it is an important future event The disciples had some questions for Jesus as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, 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 shall these things be? Jesus had told them of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Luke’s account gives us the answer to the first question, Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Jesus is giving a chronological order of the events that will occur before the end of this age His words are what is known as a Near/Far Prophecy or prophecy of Double Fulfillment Things that would soon occur, a near prophecy, and would be a foreshadow of future events Page 1 of 6 The same event would be a far prophecy, a type of that which will occur in the future The words of Jesus were fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed the temple What the Romans did in A.D. 70 is a type of what will happen to the Jews again in the future Which will be during the 70th Week of Daniel, and known as the “Abomination of Desolation” There is a parallel between the desolation in A.D.70 and that within the 70th Week of Daniel Jerusalem will again be destroyed by the people of another prince who is yet to come Antichrist will be the prince to come, Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week 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. In Matthew 24 Jesus is describing events that will take place in the 70th week of Daniel Which is the final 7 years of the prophesied 490 years described in Daniel 9:24-27 The first 483 years have already literally been fulfilled and the final 7 years is yet to come There is a time gap between the fulfillment of the 483 years and the final 7 years We are still living within the time gap and waiting for the final 7 years to begin Many call the final 7 years the “Tribulation,” but scripture identifies it as the 70th week of Daniel The 70th week begins when the Antichrist makes a covenant with the nation of Israel (Dan 9:27) In the middle of the week (7 years) the Antichrist is going to break the covenant, after 3 ½ years That prophecy is what Jesus is describing in, 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:) It is an event that we are to watch for, Jesus said we will be able to see it and identify it The Abomination of Desolation will also be the beginning of 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 Great Tribulation will be Satan’s attack upon God’s chosen nation, Israel It will also be a time of violent persecution inflicted by the Antichrist upon the followers of Christ The time-period that we can call Satan’s Day, the Great Tribulation will be Satan’s day of wrath Satan’s day of wrath is yet to come, which will be a unique time-period, one of a kind The world has yet to see what Jesus is describing, we could be the generation that will see it The Cosmic Disturbance will announce the conclusion of Satan’s day, he will be defeated Back to the questions of the disciples, the second question, what will be the sign of thy 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. The disciples wanted to know when Jesus would return, would they know that He had come? Would God give them a sign to reveal the coming of Jesus? Notice that they did not ask for “signs” (plural) they asked for a “sign” (singular) Something that would be distinct, they wanted something supernatural from God Let’s consider their third question, “What will be the sign of the end of the world?” “World” must be understood as the world in which we now live and understand it “Age” is the best translation, meaning the time in which the disciples were living Which is the same age that we are living in today, so, what will be the sign of the end of the age? The disciples thought His coming “in the name of the Lord” would be the end of the present age Jesus is going to answer their questions, but not in the order in which they were asked In Matthew Jesus answers the third question first, there is a reason why Jesus does that Jesus is giving us a chronological order of events that will occur at the time of His 2nd coming The sign of the “End of the Age” is found in, 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: Jesus’ answer to the third question relates to the answer for the first question Page 2 of 6 Which identified with the “Abomination of Desolation” and the “Great Tribulation” The sign of the end of the age will be “immediately after the tribulation of those days” The sign that announces the “End of the Age” will be the “Cosmic Disturbance” (Mt. 24:29) In the next verse we have the answer to the second question, the sign of Christ coming, 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. “And then” continues to describe the order of events (“Then” is found 9 times in Matthew 24) The event found in verse 30 immediately follows the Cosmic Disturbance found in verse 29 Which is “after” the tribulation of those days according-to Matthew 24:29 “Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven” “Shall appear” is the same word translated “shineth” in, 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. “Shineth” means “to give light,” illuminate, or “to light up” Describing lightning such as the world has never seen before, which lights up all-of the heavens 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 Just as lightning that brightens the sky from the east to the west, so will Jesus appear in heaven Get the picture, because of the Cosmic Disturbance, the heavens and the earth will be in darkness Then from the east to the west the supernatural brilliance of the Glory of Christ will appear Jesus Christ will be clearly seen and recognized by the brightness of His glory His Glory will declare that what you see in heaven is because the Son of Man has come in power Following the Cosmic Disturbance will be the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven “And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,” why? “They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory The world will know that the “Day of the Lord” has come, Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Now let’s look at verses referring to the “Cosmic Disturbance,” OT and NT verses And compare all that we have stated so far with them, will we find the same truths presented? A DESCRIPTION OF THE COSMIC DISTURBANCE There are many scripture references to the “Cosmic Disturbance in the Old Testament Isaiah describes the Cosmic Disturbance in a passage referring to 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. (One purpose of the Day of the Lord) Isaiah speaks of the Cosmic Disturbance between two verses describing the Day of the Lord, 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. Then Isaiah goes back to a description of the Day of the Lord, 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. Joel describes the Cosmic Disturbance and the Day of the Lord, first 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: Then Joel describes 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? There is another reference to the Cosmic Disturbance, Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and Page 3 of 6 the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Joel not only gives us a description of the Cosmic Disturbance he also gives a time-period The Cosmic Disturbance will occur “before the great and terrible day of the Lord” Another reference to the Day of the Lord from Joel, Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Then Joel refers to the Cosmic Disturbance, Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. The Cosmic Disturbance has a message of hope for all of God’s people, they will need it Jesus told us when the Cosmic Disturbance would occur, 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: Jesus said it will take place “immediately after” the tribulation of those days “Those days” of tribulation are referring to the “great tribulation” identified in, 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. We find the same time-period 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 According to Jesus those days are a unique time-period, a one-time event, easy to identify Also, according to scripture there is only going to be one such event as the “Cosmic Disturbance” The Cosmic Disturbance will be the sign that Satan’s day has come-to a conclusion The time of the tribulation, Satan’s day, is now over and the Day of the Lord will begin Joel states that the Day of the Lord will not begin before the Cosmic Disturbance takes place Peter preached the same facts concerning the Cosmic Disturbance, Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: Which will occur 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: Jesus states the Cosmic Disturbance will announce the coming of the Day of the Lord Isaiah, Joel, Peter, and Jesus present the same order of events, which is also found in Revelation The “Cosmic Disturbance” will occur immediately after the “Great Tribulation” And will take place at the time of the opening of the 6th seal, Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Verses 12 and 13 speak of the Cosmic Disturbance, look at what is described in, Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (We will come back to this verse in a moment) The Cosmic Disturbance described in verses 12 & 13 will bring fear to the world, Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; They will know the meaning of the Cosmic Disturbance, a warning of the wrath of God, Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: We are told why there is such fear upon all of those left upon earth, Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? The Cosmic Disturbance represents the ending of the old age and the beginning of the new age It will occur before the Day of the Lord begins, a day that all will see and identify, the question is Page 4 of 6 “Who shall be able to stand,” which brings our attention back to, Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. “The heaven departed” literally means the heaven was split, the firmament was separated There is an emphasis of how quick the heaven will split, why does it happen at this time? Luke helps us to understand this verse in relation to the Cosmic disturbance and Christ return Luke tells us what is really going to happen to real people when they see it all really happen It will happen, Luke shares some additional information concerning the Cosmic Disturbance There will be a global impact, like that described in the opening of the 6th seal (Rev. 6:12-17) An event which will affect people worldwide, all nations, all people, saved and lost The Cosmic Disturbance, Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Fear will fall upon the lost world, Luk 21:26 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. Luke has a word concerning the ungodly, they will be in great fear and distress Their hearts will pound with fear because of what is about to happen to them After the Cosmic Disturbance Christ will be seen in the clouds, Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. The Cosmic Disturbance has a message for the Church, “your redemption draweth nigh” Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. When the saved “look up” they will see the heaven split, the firmament separated (Rev 6:14) “Your redemption draweth nigh” refers to the gathering of God’s elect, 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. The “elect” is not limited to Israel) In each reference the order of events is the same: The Cosmic Disturbance after the tribulation Announcing the return of Christ, the message to the Church is, your redemption draweth nigh The emphasis of Rev. 6:14 is how quick it will all happen, 1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. There will be no secret about what is happening, every eye shall see it happening, Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. There is something happening in heaven that all upon the earth must see That which all earth-dwellers will see, hear, and witness, the whole world will witness it Which Isaiah explains, Isa 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty. Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: Social status will lose its status, worldly wealth will be worthless, material goods meaningless “The LORD alone shall be exalted in that day,” believers will be with Him that day But it will be the LORD that will be glorified that day, Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: CONCLUSION Page 5 of 6 The order of events is the same throughout scripture, 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: 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. 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. Page 6 of 6