Matthew 24:15-27: “Olivett Discourse: The Dramatic Signs That Occur During The
Tribulation”
by
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our study last week, we continued to look at the
signs which Jesus gave His disciples to look for in regard to the three
questions that they asked Him at the beginning of this chapter.
1.1.1.
The Three Questions Jesus’ disciples asked Him were:
1.1.1.1.When will
these things be (the destruction of the temple and of
1.1.1.2.What will be
the sign of Your coming (this is not a reference to the Rapture of the church,
but to Jesus’ Second Coming at the end of the 7 yr. Tribulation of the book of
Revelation when He is setting up His Millennial Reign upon the earth)?
1.1.1.3.What will be
the sign of the end of the age (when He will usher in His
1.1.2.
We saw that Jesus gave His disciples two different
types of signs:
1.1.2.1.General
Signs
1.1.2.1.1.We saw that
at the beginning of Jesus’ response to His disciples questions that He gave
them ‘General Signs’ to look for, and we saw that from the time of Jesus’
resurrection for the dead these signs would just continue to increase in their
frequency and magnitude until His Second Coming at the end of the 7 yr.
Tribulation of the book of Revelation.
1.1.2.1.1.1.These
‘General Signs’ related to the time of the destruction of the temple and the
overthrow of the nation of Israel, which occurred in 70A.D, but they also
pertain to all subsequent time since as they have been occurring in greater
frequency and magnitude since that time.
1.1.2.2.‘Dramatic
Signs’ or ‘Cataclysmic Signs’
1.1.2.2.1.We saw
though that Jesus also gave what we call ‘Dramatic Signs’ or ‘Cataclysmic Signs’
which pertain to that time during the 7 yr. Tribulation of the book of
Revelation which shall occur just before His Second Coming to setup His
Millenial Reign upon the earth.
1.1.3.
We saw that Jesus compares these signs to the pains of
childbirth, for they would start out small in intensity and occur infrequently,
however they would begin to occur in greater intensity and frequency, and then
towards then end they would increase exponentially in intensity and frequency
1.1.4.
I mentioned also that the only difficulty with
interpreting chapter 24 of Matthew (as well as Luke 21 and Mark 13) is knowing
where Jesus quits giving us ‘General Signs’ and where He starts giving us the
‘Dramatic Signs’.
1.1.4.1.I told you
last week that I thought that verse 8 ended Jesus’ ‘General Signs’ which He
gave to the church, and so last week we continued looking at the signs which
Jesus gave, and we looked at them from the perspective of their being the
‘Dramatic Signs’.
1.1.5.
We have seen now that if we hold to the Premillenial
Position of eschatology and simply keep in mind the context in which Jesus’
disciples asked Him the three questions, as well as the content of the
questions themselves, that we will see that chapter 24 of Matthew is not hard
to interpret correctly
1.2.
In our study
today, we will be continuing to look at the signs that Jesus gave to His
disciples to look for in response to their three questions, however I believe
that all sound Bible Commentators agree that from this point on we are now
looking only at the ‘Dramatic Signs’ which shall occur during the 7 yr.
Tribulation of the book of Revelation, and which shall immediately precede His
Second Coming to set up His Millennial Kingdom on the earth.
2.
VS 24:15 - “15 “Therefore when you see the
abomination of desolation which was
spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the
reader understand),”” - Jesus tells
His disciples to look for the sign of the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ which
Daniel the prophet spoke of
2.1.
Those who are in
the Amillenalist and Premillenialist schools typically believe that the entire
book of Revelation up until chapter 19 was fulfilled in history past, prior to
the destruction of the temple and overthrow of
2.1.1. There are many reasons why I do not believe that
Antiocus Epiphanes fulfilled the Abomination of Desolation:
2.1.1.1.It was in 175 B.C that he went into the temple and
committed these acts, during the intertestament period, and over 200 years
before the temple was destroyed in 70A.D.
2.1.1.2.Believing that Antiocus Epiphanes fulfilled the
prophesy of the Abomination of Desolation then means that Jesus was prophesying
falsely because here He is speaking of events in the future that they are to
look for, but this had occurred over 200 years prior.
2.1.1.3.Some have said that Antiocus Epiphanes was intended by
God to be a type of the Antichrist, and though we may see similarities in him
and his character to that of the Antichrist, for Him to have fulfilled this in
the inter-testamental period would not be the normal way in which God creates
types in the scripture.
2.2.
In Daniel
9:25-27, we see that Daniel first of all gave us the key for interpreting
all future before God establishes His kingdom upon the earth, and in these
verses Daniel lays out a 70 week timetable, and he also reveals the Abomination
of Desolation that will occur in the last week of the timetable, “25 “So
you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and
sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of
distress. 26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and
have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city
and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there
will be war; desolations are determined. 27 “And he will make a firm covenant
with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to
sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who
makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is
poured out on the one who makes desolate.””
2.2.1. In this prophesy of Daniel’s we see that of the total
70 weeks of the prophesy timetable, that the first 69 of the weeks will
comprise the period of time from the period of the Babylonian Captivity and
Cyrus King of Persia’s ‘decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem’ (Ezra 1:3)
until ‘Messiah the Prince’ shows up on the scene (Matt. 21:1-5). Since Daniel tells us that each week
represents a 7 year period, we know that this period was 483 years long, and we
know by adding up the dates that the end of the 483 years occurred when Jesus
made His Triumphal Entry into
2.2.2. What happened after this 69 week period occurs is that
God put in a big gap of time to account for the ‘Church Age’ to occur. This period of time known to us as the
‘Church Age’ is called the ‘Time of the Gentiles’ in the scriptures. When the ‘Time of the Gentiles’ or ‘Church
Age’ is completed, the church will be raptured and then the 7 yr. Tribulation
of the book of Revelation will occur.
This 7 year period of the Tribulation comprises the 70th week
of the prophesy.
2.2.3. At the beginning of the 70th week, the
Antichrist (or Beast) will make a covenant with
2.2.3.1.In 2 Thess. 2:3-4, we read about the Antichrist
taking his place in the temple and demanding to be worshipped during the
Tribulation, “3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come
unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the
son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god
or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
displaying himself as being God.”
2.2.4. In Daniel 11:31, Daniel wrote more about the
‘Abomination of Desolation’ that will occur during this time, “31 “And
forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with
the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.””
2.2.5. In Daniel 12:9-11, Daniel becomes even more
clear about the time frame for this ‘Abomination of Desolation’ when he writes
that the end will occur 1,290 days after this, or 3 ½ years later, “9 And
he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up
until the end time. 10 “Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the
wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who
have insight will understand. 11 “And from the time that the regular sacrifice
is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290
days.””
2.2.5.1.God told Daniel that only we who are around in the
latter times will understand this prophesy, and when Israel became a nation in
1957, suddenly the church across the world began to understand how prophesy was
going to unfold up until Christ’s Second Coming.
3.
VS
24:16-18 - “16 then let those who are
in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to
get the things out that are in his house; 18 and let him who is in the field
not turn back to get his cloak.” -
Jesus tells His disciples that those who see this sign of the
‘Abomination of Desolation’ that they are to flee
3.1.
Notice from verse
16 that the instructions in these verses and the ones that follow, that deal
with what they are to do when the see the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ occur,
are intended for those who are living in the city of Jerusalem and its direct
surroundings.
3.1.1. Many people have gotten way off in their
interpretation of chapter 24 of Matthew because they think that these
instructions pertain to those who live all over the world, however these apply
just to those living in and around
3.2.
Jesus tells His
disciples that when they see the sign of the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ that
they are to do the following:
3.2.1. They are to ‘flee to the mountains’ to escape the
slaughter that is going to occur of the Jews when the Antichrist violates the
covenant of peace that he established with Israel at the beginning of the 7 yr.
Tribulation Period, for he will slaughter many many Jews.
3.2.2. They are to not go down from their housetop.
3.2.2.1.Again people get off in their interpretation of
chapter 24 of Matthew when they think that these things pertain to the people
who live all over the world. People in
3.2.3. They are not to go and to get things out of their
house.
3.2.3.1.The whole point of these instructions is that the
people need to make the fastest trek out of
3.2.4. Those who are out in the field are not to go back to
their house and get their cloak (or coat).
3.2.4.1.Again time is of the essence, therefore anything that
holds them back could cause them to be caught and killed.
4.
VS 24:19 - “19 “But woe to those who are with child
and to those who nurse babes in those days!”” - Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’ upon nursing mothers
in that day when the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ occurs
4.1.
It is very hard
to flee quickly if you have a child, for any impedance will slow you down. Therefore, Jesus sorrowfully pronounces a
‘woe’ upon those who are nursing babies in that day.
4.2.
It is also very
possible that when fleeing
5.
VS 24:20 - “20 “But pray that your flight may not
be in the winter, or on a Sabbath;”” -
Jesus tells His disciples to pray that they will not have to flee
5.1.
Again, since time
is of the essence in order for them to flee before the forces under control of
the Antichrist capture them and have them murdered, Jesus tells them that they
ought to:
5.1.1. Pray that the day that these things happen will not be
‘in the winter’ when due to the rains and cold that it would be harder and more
uncomfortable to flee quickly.
5.1.1.1.I was reading in the paper just yesterday that the
rains in the surroundings of
5.1.2. Pray that the day that these happen will be ‘on a Sabbath’
when the Sabbath attendance or even Sabbath Laws themselves could be a
hinderance to them being able to flee immediately.
6.
VS
24:21-22 - “21 for then there will be
a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world
until now, nor ever shall. 22 “And unless those days had been cut short, no
life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be
cut short.”” - Jesus tells His
disciples that the day that these things happen will be a day of ‘great tribulation’,
a day unlike any that has ever occurred in the whole world, and one which could
potentially have killed everyone living on the face of the earth
6.1.
These verses
alone tell us that the signs that Jesus gave which we have covered beginning at
verse 15 (or sooner) are signs which will accompany the 7 yr. Tribulation
Period of the book of Revelation, for there is global impact in them and
potential to destroy all life on our planet.
6.1.1. This could not have been said of the events that
occurred in 70A.D. when the t emple in
6.2.
Some will die as
martyrs when this occurs, as we see in Rev. 7:14, with the many martyrs
that are slain are described as those who have come out of the ‘Great
Tribulation, “14 And I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to
me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
6.3.
The following
Table from Paul Lee Tan’s book, “A Pictorial Guide to Bible Prophesy”, and
modified, reveals the catastrophic nature of the 3 sets of 7 judgments that
will come upon the earth during the 7 yr. Tribulation Period:
From Paul Lee Tan’s Book, “A Pictoral Guide To Bible Prophesy”
|
During the 7 yr. Tribulation Period of the Book of Revelation the world will be battered under- (1) God’s divine judgments of the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, & 7 bowls; (2) Antichrist will issue absolute economic and political decrees which bring further woes; and (3) Satan and his emissaries will concentrate activities on earth (Rev. 12:12) |
As the world begins to come apart, supernatural events will transpire worse than any ecologist’s nightmare. Acts of man and judgments from God will combine to cause-
|
And destructions to
occur in other areas of human life-
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|||||||
THE 3 SETS OF 7 JUDGMENTS OF THE 7YR. TRIBULATION IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION |
|||||||||
|
SEVEN
SEAL JUDGMENTS (Rev. 6) |
FIRST |
SECOND |
THIRD |
FOURTH |
FIFTH |
SIXTH |
SEVENTH |
||
|
Rider on White Horse : The Antichrist |
Rider on Red Horse: Wars, Threats, Terrorism |
Rider on Black Horse: Famine and economic ruin |
Rider on pale horse: Death and Hades |
Martyred saints and more persecutions |
Physical Disturbances, earthquakes |
Silence; then, the 7 Trumpet Judgments occur |
|||
|
SEVEN
TRUMPET JUDGMENTS (Rev. 8-9) |
FIRST |
SECOND |
THIRD |
FOURTH |
FIFTH |
SIXTH |
SEVENTH |
||
|
1/3rd Earth on fire; 1/3rd Trees on fire; All grass burned |
1/3rd Sea Becomes Blood; 1/3rd Ships sink; 1/3rd Fish die |
A falling star poisons 1/3rd of all rivers and 1/3rd of all fountains |
1/3rd sun darkened; 1/3rd moon darkened; 1/3rd stars darkened |
Demonized locusts torture men 5 months |
1/3rd of mankind dies; 200 million men go from Asia to the |
Huge earthquake and 7,000 die in |
|||
|
SEVEN BOWL JUDGMENTS (Rev. 16) |
FIRST |
SECOND |
THIRD |
FOURTH |
FIFTH |
SIXTH |
SEVENTH |
||
|
Boils on followers of Antichrist |
All sea becomes Blood; All fish die |
All rivers are turned into blood |
Sun scorches all mankind |
Total darkeness covers earth |
|
Earthquake topples all cities on earth; |
|||
6.4.
God’s wrath is
being poured out upon the world during the 7 yr. Tribulation, however He will
hold back His judgments because otherwise they would kill everyone on the face
of the earth.
6.5.
The judgments of
the 7 yr. Tribulation Period are held back for the sake of ‘the elect’, which
refers in this particular context to the people who have committed their way to
Christ and come to salvation during the Tribulation Period.
7.
VS
24:23-27 - “23 “Then if anyone says
to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and
wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told
you in advance. 26 “If therefore they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the
wilderness,’ do not go forth, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not
believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes
even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”” - Jesus tells His disciples that when the
Abomination of Desolations occurs that they need to beware of False Christ’s
and False Prophets who will even show great signs and wonders
7.1.
Notice that Jesus
says, ‘then’, here for He is indicating that the sign that He is now revealing
is that period when the Abomination of Desolation occurs, which we have seen
occurs right in the middle of the 7 yr. Tribulation Period of the book of
Revelation.
7.2.
Many people
reading this chapter, as well as Luke 21 and Mark 13, forget to look at all of
the verses in context to one another and thus they come up with some kooky
interpretations. It is about that time
when the Abomination of Desolation is occurring that Jesus tells them that the
false Christ’s and false Prophet’s will ‘show great signs and wonders’. There will be false Christ’s and false
Prophet’s all throughout history, but it is during this particular time that
they will have Satanically generated power to perform great signs and wonders.
7.2.1. In 2 Thess. 2:8-9, we see that the Antichrist
will have all power to perform signs and wonders, “8 And then that
lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His
mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one
whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs
and false wonders.”
7.2.2. In Rev. 13:11-15, we read that the man who is
the Campaign Manager and PR Manager for the Antichrist during the 7 yr.
Tribulation Period, the one called ‘The False Prophet’, has tremendous power to perform great signs
and wonders, “11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and
he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. 12 And he exercises all
the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and
those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of
heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell
on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the
presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to
the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And there
was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the
beast to be killed.”
7.2.2.1.This is bizarre here because somehow the False Prophet
is given power to command fire to come down from heaven at will and to to
supernaturally cause this image of the Antichrist which is set up to come to
life and even to speak.
7.2.2.2.Those who refuse to worship the Beast shall be killed.
7.3.
We Christians
must come to realize that it doesn’t matter whether or not a person is a great
charismatic speaker, has a great following, or even that he may be able to
perform healing or miracles, for if that person is teaching or preaching
anything that is contrary to the Word of God he is a false Teacher or Prophet
and we must not have anything to do with his ministry.
7.3.1. As I have reminded you so many times, we need to judge
all ministry by the Word of God, and reject that which is false.
7.4.
What Jesus is
trying to get across to His disciples in these verses is that:
7.4.1. The Second Coming of Christ will be unmistakable for
those who are living upon the face of the earth, so that they should ignore
anyone who might suggest that the Lord has returned and He is here or He is
there.
7.4.2. The Second Coming of Christ will be global, and
therefore it doesn’t even matter where you may be upon the face of the earth
when this event occurs for you will know that it has happened.
7.4.3. The Second Coming of Christ will be unexpected for all
who are upon the face of the earth.
7.4.4. The Second Coming of Christ will occur
instantaneously, in the time that it takes for lightening to flash across the
sky (or as Jesus said on another occasion, ‘in the twinkle of an eye). The speed of light is 3 x 108
meters per second, and that is how fast lightening travels across the sky.