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As you will hear in this podcast, given the wild-eyed speculations with which Christian community has historically been bombarded regarding all-things prophecy-related, Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 give us a good warning indeed. A warning which explains why we want to take a sober, strictly-Biblical look at what Jesus taught in Matthew 24-25 about His Second Coming and the end of the age.
Let me remind you that we are now on Tuesday of Jesus’ final week, a mere seventy-two hours before His crucifixion.
For the disciples, not to mention Jesus Himself, a head-spinning turbulent few days had just passed, highlighted by the Triumphal Entry and the Cleansing of the Temple. Yet, without trying to be clichéd about it, they hadn’t seen anything yet.
And frankly, neither have we.
So for the moment, as they took a brief breather to gather their thoughts and emotions, Jesus and the twelve disciples huddled on the Mount of Olives and took in the breathtaking view laid out before them.
We can only imagine how many confusing thoughts were cascading through the disciples’ collective minds. So it’s no wonder that even in this moment of solitude that might have otherwise provided some much-needed quiet contemplation, they asked Jesus the question that was now haunting their hearts.
Naturally, they wondered about the future and how all of this 3+ year wild-ride they had been on with Jesus would end.
So, in response to their question, Jesus told them.
Ergo, the Olivet Discourse.
Though the Olivet Discourse centers primarily upon the events of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, which we will distinguish in this podcast, I thought it would be most-beneficial to give you a complete overview of the entire prophetic puzzle and its seven principal pieces before we break down Jesus’ Olivet Discourse.
Last week, we discussed Rapture and AntiChrist. (Podcast #171)
This week, we’ll consider the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation.
And next week, we’ll round out this introductory overview by highlighting the Second Coming, the Millennium, and the Eternal State.
However, before that, let’s look at Jesus’ precursory warning:
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. (Matthew 24:3-4)
And, before we get embroiled in the Tribulation, as you will hear here, I must first make one especially helpful, clarifying remark about the Rapture.
Within the entire anthology of Paul’s New Testament writings – 13 letters – there is one declarative sentence, which in my mind, stands out among the rest. It is especially illuminating in regards to our eternal destiny.
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
In other words, the moment that you and I close our eyes for the last time (when we die), in that split second, we open our eyes in heaven. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There is no “soul sleep”, nor Purgatory… there is no lag time between us dying here and being in Christ’s presence up there.
When we die, our earthly remains go to the grave. As God told Adam:
“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
Or, from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, we are familiar with this phrase:
“…earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
In other words, it doesn’t matter what form our dead body may be in, the inevitable truth is that it will decompose.
But, our souls or spirits rise immediately upon death into God’s blessed and holy presence where we who believe in His Son will remain forever.
So, when Paul wrote about the Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 4 and said:
…the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
Paul is not referring to the believers’ souls or spirits here, but the bodies of those who have died before the Rapture occurs. Paul makes himself even clearer in 1 Corinthians 15:40-52,
There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies…
What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever.
That’s the Rapture Paul is talking about. And he’s talking about our bodies, because our spirits can’t be raised, as they would be in the presence of God (to be absent of the body is to be at home, or present, with the Lord)
Paul continues…
And we who are living will also be transformed.
In other words, if we are to be so lucky as to be alive when the Rapture happens, our bodies will also be transformed, on the way up, when we will meet one another and Jesus in the air!
For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
We know our future. It is secure in a great reunion with Jesus Christ!
Now, in regards to the Tribulation, know that the seven-year Tribulation does not begin with the Rapture. The Rapture will cause world-wide confusion, no doubt. And, the collective influence of good that the world’s committed Christ-followers exerts upon the earth will be gone, along with the Holy Spirit, who indwells us Christians. All this will open the door for a charismatic and persuasive political leader. This man is the anti-christ, aka the Beast, aka the man of lawlessness.
Now, I remember some 40 years ago, believing that what the Bible says about this time and this man is true, but I couldn’t conceive in my wildest dreams how the world’s population would rally around one man like this. How could the entire globe elect someone to the highest office who is possessed by the devil?
As time has moved along, this has become more and more conceivable. It even makes sense.
Now, back in Jesus in HD 167, we talked about the prophesy in Daniel 9 and Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. At the end of this chapter, Daniel also foretells about the anti-christ:
The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven… (Daniel 9:27)
This treaty will consist of the following clauses:
- It will guarantee the security and safety of Israel and bring peace to the Middle East for seven years.
- Israel will be allowed to rebuild its Temple. Now, those who know their geography are aware that there is currently a golden Muslim dome currently at this site. According to Scripture, this building isn’t even mentioned, nor is it an insurmountable issue.
Now, the moment that this treaty is signed, THAT is when the Tribulation will begin. Ironically, the first half of the Tribulation will be anything but full of tribulation for the earth. Yet, even though the earth will see 3 1/2 years of peace, the anti-christ will be in charge, thus the apt name “The Tribulation”. And with all the world’s Christians gone, this leader will both celebrate and be celebrated as the world’s greatest peacemaker. He will economically unite the world under one currency and one economy under which the world will financially thrive. He will also militarily unite the world. Therefore, nations will no longer battle one another. Wars will cease. Then, he will unite the world under one religion. Religious extremism and the accompanying terrorism will cease. Everyone will fall under the umbrella of a one-world religion. Most likely, with Christianity gone, all the religions of the world will combine under the worship of one god. Finally, the world will be united politically under a single government.
The catalyst that will allow this man to achieve all this will be that he will negotiate lasting peace in the Middle East. The world’s Jews will take this to mean that he is the first coming of the Messiah. The rest of the world will conclude that he is simply the leader we all have been longing for because he will be able to do the “unachievable”.
This global utopia will come to be during the first half of the Tribulation. John foretold about this in Revelation 13, calling this leader “the beast”:
And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. (Revelation 13:8)
Their “point of no return” is when the people of the world will decide whether or not to take “the mark of the beast”… a technology, interestingly enough, that is available today for the first time in world history.
He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name….His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)
So, as he takes control of the world’s economy, he will enforce law that prohibit anyone from doing any legal business unless they have taken the oath of this “mark” and sworn allegiance to him.
Now, understand that as dark as the clouds may appear, God always has His silver lining. This silver lining in this particular situation is that while the beast will have his mark, God has His own mark!
There will be a remnant of faithful people to God upon the earth!
Going against the grain of the rest of the world’s population, there will be a relatively small number of notable individuals who will be exceptions to the global rules – a remnant of people who will refuse to take the beast’s mark.
Among them will be a group known as “The 144,000”.
The Bible is very descriptive about this group. They will all be men. They will all be Jewish. And they will all be virgins. I don’t know if God will raise them up, or if they will be left behind after the Rapture, but the Bible is clear that there will be, circulating around the globe, 144,000 prophets, similar to the prophets of the Bible. They will proclaim that salvation is available by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And because of their influence, there will be those who will refuse to take the mark of the anti-christ and confirm their allegiance to Jesus Christ.
And for them… life is going to be miserable!
In fact, the overwhelming majority of them will be killed during the seven-year Tribulation. Though, some will live to see its end.
One way or the other, anyone who chooses to either take or deny the mark of the beast will not do so in a cavalier manner. This decision will in no way resemble today’s quick “Jesus Prayer” that we often see occurring at summer camps. It will be a decision of life and death, and the people will clearly understand it as such.
In fact, along with the mark, the anti-christ will erect a statue of himself (and actually give it the ability to speak!) and anyone who refuses to worship the statue will be put to death. (Revelation 13:14-15)
It’s at this point – 3 1/2 years after the treaty – that everything will change. The anti-christ will put his statue in the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem, he will violate his very treaty that brought on the seven-year Tribulation, and he will declare himself as god.
Paul explained this era in his second letter to the Thessalonians:
He [the man of lawlessness] will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
And at that moment, the Great Tribulation will begin. In other words, the Great Tribulation consists of the final 3/12 years of the Tribulation. The distinction is made because the first half of the Tribulation will be peaceful. But, when the anti-christ takes his place in the Holy of Holies and declares himself as god, this will happen:
When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
During the Great Tribulation, God will begin to move against the anti-christ, and His judgements will fall upon him and his followers, from which there will be no escape.
Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.”
…and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.
…and it [the sea] became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.
… then the rivers and springs became blood.
…Then the sun [scorched] everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.
Then [the beast’s] kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.
Then the Euphrates River dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance. (Revelation 16:1-12)
But, going back to the Rapture, Paul said this about the Christians of his day – and today, as well – as we:
wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
The wrath that Paul is talking about is all those judgements listed in Revelation 16. Hence the importance of the Rapture, and why the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation. Paul says as much four chapters later in 1 Thessalonians 5:9,
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ
We will be taken from this world before His wrath falls upon it. This has always been His pattern. He did it in the day of Noah, in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of course as He took His people out of Egypt before the final plague.
Now, going back to the beginning of this portion of Scripture that we have been going through in Matthew’s Gospel – the Olivet Discourse – the disciples had asked Jesus what the signs will be for them to look out for that will proceed the Tribulation and Jesus’ second coming.
For this week’s entry, I will merely say that His second coming will occur AFTER the Tribulation. (We will develop it more in the weeks to come). But, concerning this, Jesus told His disciples
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22)
You see, there will be some, due to the preaching of the remnant of 144,000 Believers, who will refuse the mark of the beast, submit themselves as committed Christ-followers, somehow survive the deathly onslaught of the anti-christ and his forces, and live to see the end of this terrible 3 1/2 years.
But what I find incredibly disturbing and almost unbelievable is that during this whole period, God will still hold out hope in His heart that somehow people will still repent. But, instead of turning from their allegiance to the anti-christ, despite all the calamity that they will be in the midst of, their stubborn will won’t be broken.
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17)
These are people who would rather pray to rocks than to Jesus. They would rather have the rocks crush the life out of them than simply bow their knee to the Lamb. Instead, they will curse God. I find that stunning!
Yet, the thing about God that scares me the most is that, given enough time, God will give us exactly what we want… even if that is an eternity without Him.
These verses tell us about a future population of people who, even with all of this suffering around them, who simply need to cry out to God for His mercy and forgiveness and like a faucet, He would turn off the hot water. But the thing they will want is anything but Jesus. And they would rather be crushed to death than to repent and love Him.
They will want anything but Jesus. And so, God – in His love – will say, “Okay… anything but Jesus is what you will get.”
At the conclusion of the Great Tribulation, the anti-christ will amass the combined military might of all the nations together at the great natural battlefield known as Armageddon. You see, the whole purpose of this “world army” is to fight against God’s heavenly army. The anti-christ will unite the nations, so there won’t be any need to fight against nor defend each other.
This will all culminate in one final, desperate attempt for Satan to be done with Jesus forever. This will be not only a physical war, but a spiritual war.
And Jesus will rise to the challenge. He will return to the earth at this point – His second coming — with His angelic army!