The Time of His Coming MATTHEW 24:29a Matthew 24 describes what the Bible calls the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is a time of unprecedented judgment on the world for its sin. In our day, most people call it the “Tribulation.” “Immediately after the distress of those days” (Matthew 24:29a). “Those days refer to a time of trouble never before seen on the earth and never to be seen again. In the days to come the whole world will be plunged into chaos as the Antichrist rises to power and the various judgments of Revelation are poured out on the earth. When those days have come to their appointed fearful climax, then Jesus will return to the earth. The Heavenly Signs of His Coming v. 29b “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29b). Note that Jesus mentions specific cosmic “signs” of the return of Christ. The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky. The heavenly bodies will be shaken. There is no reason to doubt that this will happen. After all, Colossians 1 tells us that in Christ all things hold together. He is the “glue of the universe.” If Christ were to say the word today, the sun would be darkened, the moon would go black, and the stars would fall from the sky. The only reason things hold together right now is the sovereign word of the Lord Jesus Christ. All these things are signs of divine judgment. They are God’s way of waking up a rebellious world and saying, “You wanted nothing to do with me so I let you go your own way. The Day of Judgment has finally come.” When Christ returns, It will be the most amazing event in world history. The Reality of His Coming v. 30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). Zechariah 14 tells us that when Christ comes, his feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives. “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (Revelation 1:7 ESV). Around the first coming inscribe the word HUMILTY in letters large and bold. Around his second coming inscribe the word GLORY so that all the world may see. Though he was once “despised and rejected of men,” he will one day return “in power and great glory. The Result of His Coming v. 31 When we think of this time called the day of the Lord (the tribulation), we normally think about the judgments that will take place during that time. We must also understand that there will be a great deal of evangelism on during that time he. “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matthew 24:31). Once Christ returns to the earth, he will send the angels to gather the “elect” from the four corners of the earth. The “elect” are the true believers in Jesus found in every country and in every culture. This gathering of the “elect” suggests a worldwide harvest of souls in the final days. Even when Satan is let loose to wreak havoc on the earth, even then God’s grace will have a profound effect on millions of people. Those who are chosen by God and called by God will respond in saving faith. While the world goes to hell, millions will find the way to heaven. What is even more strange is the fact that God will set aside hundred and 44,000 Jewish people to be evangelists during that terrible time. They are like 144,000 apostle Pauls, and the great numbers of Jews will be saved. Romans 11:26 says that when Christ returns, “All Israel will be saved.” At this point the prophecies of Zechariah will come to pass: “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah” (Zechariah 12:7 ESV). “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10 ESV). “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1 ESV). We would think that during that time like we see in Revelation of persecution that no one would be saved. Just the opposite is true. There will be many thousands saved during the time of the antichrist during. It was then early church days that the blood of the martyrs of the seed of the church. It is not persecution that keeps people from being saved. It is our apathy that comes from being saved. Our society is best that is in because people are complacent. The church has become a commodity people have forgotten what it is to worship GodBecause. So in this terrible time, there will be many thousands saved. II. The Lesson of the Fig Tree vv. 32-35 Our passage closes with an explanation about the timing of the Second Coming and an encouragement about the enduring nature of the words of Jesus. A. An Illustration from Nature vv. 32-33 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door” (Matthew 24:32-33). The disciples would have easily understood this illustration. They knew that every spring the leaves begin to grow on the twigs and the buds begin to develop. That was a sure sign that summer was not far away. It might be a few weeks or several months, but the leaves and the buds meant that summer was coming soon. In the same way, the coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation will be preceded by a whole series of events, some of them mentioned by Christ in Matthew 24, others found in the Old Testament, and still others set forth in the book of Revelation. Those events will be so strikingly obvious that they could not be missed. They are like key pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that finally fall into place. When you see those pieces of the prophetic puzzle, you know the end is near. There are many “signs” that may be seen in greater or lesser degree in every generation. It is the combination of signs plus the increasing tempo of those events that will mark the last days. Plus there are some absolutely unique things, such as the “abomination that causes desolation” by the Antichrist on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem at the midpoint of the Tribulation that will tip off thoughtful observers that the coming of Christ is “near, right at the door.” More tomorrow, please like and share
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 11:00:01 +0000
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