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Matthew 24 – Part 8 – What is “the sign?”

What is “the sign?”

“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 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.” Matthew 24:30-1.

So, what is that sign? Could it mean the sign that the Son of man is in heaven and not a vision of Him coming from heaven? The sign that the Son of man is in heaven refers to Jesus’s statement to His accusers in Matthew 26:64: “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” In other words, Jesus knew that after He was executed, resurrected and ascended to heaven, He would have all power in heaven and on earth to destroy His enemies and His church’s enemies.

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Matthew 24 – Part 7

Jesus Makes the Timing Very Clear Yet We Keep Getting it Wrong

“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 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.” Matthew 24:30-1.

“Now, we have him,” the end-of-the-world pursuers say. How can he explain this portion. Clearly, Jesus returns physically at the end of time, according to this passage. But this entire passage is bookended by timing verses. The first, of course, is when Jesus’ disciples ask him when the temple will be destroyed, and He answers very clearly and explains the signs of an event we already have the historic record of its occurrence. Then he follows with a specific timing statement for those who didn’t have that history . . . yet. “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:34-5.

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Matthew 24 – Part 6

How Can It Be That Israel’s 1st Century Leaders Were Judged So Harshly?

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29. Here is what Luke says in Luke 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.”

Again, the bible itself explains the bible. “Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” Genesis 37:9. Joseph’s dream was immediately understood by his brothers, his father, and his mother. Genesis 37:10. He would rule over them. Why would Continue reading “Matthew 24 – Part 6”

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Matthew 24 – Part 5 Jesus Makes Clear “When” – So When Will We Listen to Him?

Jesus Makes Clear “When”

“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.” Matthew 24:2.

“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Matthew 24:34.

Like bookends, Jesus explains perfectly when His coming occurred. Yes, occurred – past tense. Particularly when we have the benefit of historical hindsight, our refusal to listen to Him now is even more unforgiveable. Jesus told His disciples that not one stone of the temple would stand upon another, then the disciples asked Him when that event would happen, then Jesus told them. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. I hate to tell you this, but you have missed the Great Tribulation.

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Acts – Stephen, Herod, & II Thessalonians

Stephen, Herod, & II Thessalonians

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” II Thessalonians 1:3-10.

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Matthew 24 Part 4

Deception About the End

“Don’t be deceived.” Vss 23-28 tell you that if someone says that Christ’s final return in person has happened, don’t listen. His return will not be in secret or like that of a normal person; His final return will be so incontrovertible that no one will be able to miss it. Notice that the deceivers are wrong on at least two critical points: One, they’re wrong on the timing (there’s that word again). They’re too early! The deceivers are those who claim He’s walking around on earth as a regular person when He’s really in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father.

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Acts chapters 6 & 7

The Prophet Stephen, aka Martyr

Stephen, above all others in the New Testament Church, even the apostles, understood the timing issue. See Acts chapters 6 and 7.

What was the faithful Israelite’s attitude at the time of the coming of Christ? He believed the law of Moses, the prophets, the histories, and the Psalms of David. He had a view of Israel as the premier nation, the nation God had chosen for a special purpose. I like to imagine that the 12 were that type; with all their failings, they were hoping for God’s promises of a kingdom to come true and to be a part of it.

Stephen was not one of the 12. We don’t know, but he might have been a follower in the crowds around Jesus, or he might have been someone who while visiting during the Feast of Pentecost, was such an Israelite like the Apostles. He caught the vision of the Kingdom, but Stephen was amazing. He Continue reading “Acts chapters 6 & 7”

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Matthew 24, part 3 – It was right in front of us all along

Matthew 24, part 3 – It was right in front of us all along

It does not take complex degrees from seminary or understanding of the Greek to figure out the meaning of Matthew 24. Just read it for what Jesus intended. He’s the Christ, and He’s a prophet, the final prophet, but not the only one. He speaks like the prophets of old, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. Ever read them? They use colorful, picturesque language to make their point as powerfully, as poignantly, as effectively as possible. Do you think God has no emotion? He created us with emotions. His prophets’ language expresses emotion and great meaning.

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Acts Chapter 3 & “Till His Enemies Are Made His Footstool”

Acts 3 & Christ’s Footstool

In another message in Act, Peter seems to say that the new is still to come.

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21.

But does this “restitution of all things” occur in one event at the end of the world or in a process that begins at the second coming? “Yea, and all the Continue reading “Acts Chapter 3 & “Till His Enemies Are Made His Footstool””

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Matthew 24 – Part 2

This Gospel Must Be Preached in All the World

Most people reading the bible do not know how to interpret prophetic language. Instead of using the bible to interpret the bible, they use the newspaper or the most simplistic method. Here’s an example from Matthew 24. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14.

Have you ever really thought through that one? Let’s look at it from the typical “the end is near and it’s hopefully getting nearer” perspective.

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