March 24, 2008
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Biblical Eschatology Revisited
The Sign of His Coming: Part 3We have now covered parts 1, 2, and 2B (interlude on false prophets). This is the third part in a
series of posts where we are looking at Matthew 24 and how Christ
answered His disciples’ three questions.1. When will these things happen?
2. What will be the sign of Your coming?
3. What will be the sign of the end of the age?To summarize, Jesus’ answers to questions #3 and #1 are clear:
1. re: What will be the sign of the end of the age?
a. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to all the
nations, and then the end will come. Matthew
24:14 (NASB)2. re: When will these things happen?
a. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple occurred when the
“people of the prince who is to
come” (from Daniel 9:26… Jesus refers to this so this becomes a portion of the context) arrived and
surrounded the city. This is “called the Abomination of Desolation” (in
a literal sense for the city) and
starts a period of great tribulation
that has never been or ever will be excelled.
b. This occurred in 70 AD and proceeds up until today and until something called the “times of the
Gentiles” are fulfilled. That appears to coincide with Christ’s return to earth in judgment and the
liberation of Jerusalem from the Gentiles once and for all. This makes sense in that the final week of
Daniel’s 70 Weeks (7 years) will occur at the very end of this period of time.
c. “b” lines up well with Luke 21, as we will find that those in Judea in
70AD were told to leave because
the “days of vengeance” will have arrived. Some
will die but some will be taken captive and Jerusalem
will be trampled
under foot until the “times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled.
d. We have not yet reached the end of the “times of the Gentiles”
since Jerusalem and the Temple
mount remains trampled under foot by Gentiles.
While Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948, the temple
mount is still under
Gentile occupation/control.3. re: Jesus provides added description for false Christs and false prophets
a. They will deceive many and will use false signs and wonders.
b. Since we haven’t seen such a manifestation since 70 AD it is
likely that while there are certainly many
deceivers, those that have
extraordinary power may appear at the end of this period.
c. There is an interesting correlation between these deceivers and the “man of sin” in II Thessalonians 2.
d. The manner of their coming is contrasted to Christ’s whose coming
will be extremely quick and
surprising rather than coming slowly from the
drawing of large crowds.Let’s now focus on the third and final question (#2 in the list above) which involves the sign of His coming.
But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then
the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING
ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send
forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His
elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31 (NASB)As far as a time sequence here, we see that this happens after the
tribulation of those days which tells us that that period of time has
transitioned into the “past” and a new time period begins. Now Jesus
gives us some specific items that will indicate that this has happened.
Let’s list them:1. The sun will be darkened.
2. The moon will not give its light.
3. The stars will fall from the sky.
4. The powers of the heavens will be shaken.
5. The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.
6. All the tribes of the earth will mourn.
7. He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet.
8. Christ’s own will be gathered together from the “four winds” from one end of the sky to the other.Given that He’s indicated eight specific things to happen all at once, this
makes the event extremely rare and specific. This is a benefit to us
since only an event with all of these happenings would be the “qualifying
event” i.e. the beginning of the end for the time of the Gentiles. This strongly suggests a change of
administration i.e. a change from God working with Gentiles after 70AD back to Him working more directly with Israel again. If that is true then we should see in the scriptures some sort of action from the Lord showing that this sort of change had occurred (and we will).Is such an event really literally found in the Scriptures? Yes. To see the only event that I have found that matches this list, we’ll need to take a look at Revelation 6 & 7. First, Revelation 6…
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the
whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the
earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every
mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of
the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the
strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and
among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to
the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on
the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their
wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:12-17 (NASB)We can see from this passage what correlates with the list above. After a
great earthquake (likely causing some severe geophysical changes i.e.
every mountain and island were moved out of their places), we see the
following:
(note the text in parenthesis refers back to Matthew 24)1. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair. (The sun is darkened.)
2. The whole moon became like blood. (The moon will not give its light.)
3. The stars of the sky fell to the earth. (The stars will fall from the sky.)
4. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up. (The powers of the heavens will be shaken.)
5,6. Men of all stations of life hiding themselves in caves calling
for the rocks to fall on them because God’s
and the Lamb’s day of wrath
has come. (All the tribes of the earth will mourn.)
a. Now why would they do this? They had to see what was going on. (The sign of the Son of man was
recognized.)
b. How would they associate that this was God’s judgment even though
so many simply hate to confess
that there is even a God, let alone
admit that Jesus Christ is His Son? They had to see something like
His
sign in the heavens to be forced to acknowledge this.So, you might be asking me right now where do we find the angels and His people gathered? (i.e. where are the other points?) They are not in Revelation 6 … we only
need to move on to the next chapter. Revelation 7 opens with angels now dealing with the Lord’s people, first 144,000 from every tribe of
Israel are sealed by four angels and another multitude of His people (which no one could count) are
gathered before the Throne and before the Lamb which should complete the list rather well and even tell us who these people are in this multitude..Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 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. Revelation 7:13-14 (NASB)
If we don’t make these
people be anything other than what the scripture says they are (believers in Christ), then we
have a clear correlation of what Jesus was talking about in the Olivet
Discourse (Mt 24, Luke 21, etc.) It even suggests of a changeover of
administration from His current portion of His plan to the next on the
prophetic calendar and Israel again comes in focus.Such an interesting find… and there’s more. Let’s take a look at some implications of all this next time. Mr.Vee
Comments (13)
Nice outline.
Does “all the tribes of the earth shall mourn” include Zechariah 12:10? One day I’d like to list all the Messianic expectations as these we have to hope for too.
I would like you to consider something. Joel spoke of the sun becoming dark and the moon turning the color of blood. The moon turns this color during certain phases of a lunar eclipse. The gospel accounts testify the sun went down for about 3 hours on the afternoon of the crucifixion. Peter testifies in Ac 2 about this event, quoting Joel, as if this event has just happened. I believe it had just happened, less than two months previous. Various ancient histories report an unusual day when there was “something like a solar eclipse” accompanied by great earthquakes, but it occurred during the period of a full moon – a solar eclipse would not have been the cause of the darkness. According to NASA calculations a lunar eclipse would have been visible over Persia and points east during the period of mid-afternoon (Jerusalem local time) 3 April 33 AD (14 Nisan [Passover]). If God rotated the earth (and we have two precedents for this in the OT) placing Jerusalem in darkness, the blood red moon of mid-eclipse would have been visible in the darkness that should have been mid-afternoon. It seems obvious to me that Peter’s sermon spoke of an event fresh in the minds of the people there. It seems also that many of the OT references to the great and terrible day of the Lord are references to the crucifixion and the judgment to follow.
Another point, too, about the tearing of the curtain. It seems to me that the torn curtain has more to do with letting the law come to the people than the often stated idea of the law itself being torn. It wasn’t the law torn, but the boundary keeping it from us – perhaps the boundary protecting us from it. Perhaps judgment has long since taken place and we now merely await execution (or ultimate mercy).
Just my 2 cents.
Koldodi,
Thanks.
re: Zechariah 12:10… As a matter of fact, now that you’ve mentioned it, it probably would. In fact, that seems like a brilliant observation since as much as I can determine, it makes SO much sense given all that follows that event that I now would be surprised if you weren’t right. I had originally thought that would happen at the same time as Zechariah 14/Revelation 19 but I think you’ve got something there.
re: Messianic expectations
I’d really like to see that list. Please let me know when you have something to share! Mr.Vee
Koldodi,
I forgot to mention that I agree with you that the Messianic expectations are a hope for not only Israel but I would also add that it is truly for the whole world as well. Contrary to what people say about some people running for office these days, the Messiah is the One who we’ve all been waiting for. Blessings, Mr.Vee
Hi, Professor,
It really good to hear from you again! Hopefully, I have understood your points well enough to address the appropriately.
I have no issue with what you have said about Joel’s prophecy. Those things indeed did happen. In fact, it makes so much sense for Peter to have referred to it at that time. You do make a good point of suggesting that it is very difficult to have a lunar eclipse when it is daytime and have a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse occurring on the same day. To understand this, one has to understand how eclipses happen. I wonder if this sort of sign is indeed something that would even strike fear into a staunch “unbeliever” and would certainly evoke the cries of terror mentioned in Revelation’s sixth seal. The only thing that is missing from Joel’s prophecy is the rest of the details that Christ told the disciples would happen in the “sequence of events” that lead up to His second coming. In this case, the details really do matter. So what you bring up is quite important, though. I am wondering if what we see in Joel’s prophecy is very much a part of the “sign of the Son of Man” that will happen in the “sixth seal event” and perhaps is the very reason why people will understand what will be going on when it does happen.
re: the tearing of the curtain brings the Law to us
I think you are very close here but I sense that perhaps there is still a little something in the way? The following passage from Hebrews 10 helps me understand why the veil/curtain was rent in two… (In fact, much of the center portion of the book of Hebrews addresses the entire matter of Christ, the Aaronic priesthood, the Law, etc. in an extremely thorough fashion although not always referring to the curtain as directly as this one.)
“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
“THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM. AFTER THOSE DAYS”, SAYS THE LORD: “I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”
He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”
“Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:10-22 (NASB)
From these verses, the veil/curtain was Christ who kept the Law from causing us to be immediately judged for sin and who is the judicial justification for delaying God’s wrath on us until the proper time for judgment. Because Christ was already predestined to die for sins, God could rightly delay judgment. When He offered Himself on the Cross, shed His blood and died, He forever removed from us the judgment that would have come from the Law by taking that on Himself. The protective veil was rent not to release the Law so much as it was that we were released from our sin and could now come boldly before the mercy seat because Christ, our High Priest was now. When this happened, indeed the very Law of God that condemned us is now written on our hearts and minds. The obvious implication of this shown by the tearing of the curtain is that there was now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus and further that now the Law was written on our hearts and minds. From this, there could be no barrier between God and us now. The veil/curtain was not needed any more.
.
That was a kind of “a long way around the barn” but I hope that helps. If not, let’s try again… its pretty late here for me but I wanted to try to address your points right away. Blessings, Mr.Vee
@veritas_verbatim - So, did judgment occur at the time the vale was torn? Was that just the beginning of the period of judgment. Is there something different about what happens upon our death now compared with prior to Christ’s death? Inquiring minds want to know.
Hi, FKIProfessor,
Actually, it seems like there is an assumption that isn’t clearly revealed to me in your response so I’m not quite sure of what it is but I’ll take a shot at what I think I hear. Again, if I’m missing your point, we’ll just try again.
Your question “So, did judgment occur at the time the vale was torn?”
Actually, that’s a trick question. It has two answers. One answer is “yes”, for believers this happened on the Cross and then the veil was torn from top to bottom giving us full access to the Father (through the veil). The second answer is “no”, for unbelievers that judgment still awaits. See II Peter 3:7-13. Again, Christ’s flesh was represented by the “veil” which was rent after He had satisfied God for the atonement of sin through His shed blood. This was conclusively established in Hebrews 10:20. You might refer to Luke 23:44-46, Matthew 27:50-51, and John 19:30 to contemplate what happened there and connect Christ’s own statement with “it is finished” with the rending of the veil. He was clearly speaking of the judgment for sin was finished for all time for those who would believe. The rending of the veil symbolizes the reconciliation that happened at that time. After His death on the Cross, we did not need the protection of the veil to hold back God’s judgment on us any more. Therefore, this further reinforced in verse 19 and 20… which indicates that the judgment is over for believers… or else how could we have confidence to enter the holy place?
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 (NASB)
Further, if we look in Daniel 9:24, we see that Christ indeed fulfilled yet another portion of God’s prophetic plan by finishing the transgression, to making an end of sin, to making atonement for iniquity. In verse 26 of that passage there was a point where the Messiah would be cut off and have nothing which we understand as Christ’s death on the Cross.
If we can accept it, this is the genius of God the Father predetermining Christ’s death on the cross for our sins before the foundation of the world. God was justified in offering mercy to us since the matter was settled before anything was made or could sin. We need only refer to a few verses beyond to the passage you mentioned earlier, specifically, Acts 2:22-24 and also I Peter 1:17-21 and Hebrews 9:24-28 to understand this is how God had planned things. With this in mind, we see why God put the “veil” between Himself and us… with Christ being the mediator between God and man.
Your question: Was that just the beginning of the period of judgment?
No. Judgment and atonement for sin was then forever complete for those who believe. Yet for those who do not believe it still awaits through God’s patience and mercy. Take a look at this passage in II Peter, where Peter wrote some time after the resurrection and Pentecost about this upcoming judgment:
But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. II Peter 3:7-13 (NASB)
So, as far as the believer is concerned, no. Judgment was effectively passed before the foundation of the earth when Christ was pre-determined to die for our sins. In the full execution of God’s overall plan, Christ’s death was the keystone to everything and it even remains so today with regard to whether we accept His blood atonement for our sin or not. To understand this, we need to look at our own legal system of judgment. There is a trial, then a verdict, then sentencing, then comes the execution of the sentence. The first three happened before creation. The last part occurred when Christ died on the Cross. That’s not the whole story but deals with the judgment of sin, iniquity, and transgression only.
Your question: Is there something different about what happens upon our death now compared with (those who died) prior to Christ’s death?
No, as we can see judgment happened much earlier than that so it makes all judgment for sin contingent on Christ’s sacrifice in space and time whether it was a future or past event for any particular person. So there is equal application of God’s working here. Without trusting in the shed blood of Christ for our sins, we have no hope. That was true before the Cross and after. Those who were before, did so this very thing under the Mosaic Law or by faith like Abraham before that although perhaps it might not have been so clear as it is now and had a somewhat different manifestation. Now this might not seem like much but remember Christ still had to die in space and time to complete the propitiation and atonement for sin. So those who died before the crucifixion were waiting, pending the completion of this judgment for sin that was laid upon Him. Said another way, their release was not forthcoming until the completion of the final act. So it makes so much sense now why we read in Matthew 27:50-53 of the saints who had died previously were resurrected and walking in the streets of the city. It could be said that His death (and subsequent resurrection) released the captives that were held and could not be judicially released until the judgment on sin had been fully satisfied in space and time and then He took them to be with Himself i.e. “taking those who were captives captive” because He had bought and redeemed them with His own blood which at that point was fully realized.
So that’s it for now except for something I’d like to ask… am I answering your questions properly? I feel like I’m missing something here and I’d like to not let that go and would like to address it properly. Anyway… I hope this helps. Mr.Vee
@veritas_verbatim - You answered what I asked, but I feel it was I who failed to properly form the question. The answers you gave were pretty much as expected given the questions. In fact, it was far far better than I could have done and I very much appreciate all that you’ve said. As for what I’m driving at – let me try again…
At the time the vale was torn another event happened. The dead were seen walking about in Jerusalem (Mt 27:52-53). Peter also spoke in his letter of Yeshua visiting spirits in prison (2 Pe 3:19). Something great and terrible – to borrow the OT expression – happened then. I’m trying to mentally quantify it. This is where I’m really looking for help. This question is similar to asking what really changed at Pentecost. I want to know what really changed at the moment of death of our Lord. Of course it was fulfillment and of course his sacrificial death was able to cover sin for all time for those elect. I’m looking for whatever it is that can quantify the difference before and after. It is easy to speak in chronological terms. It is also easy to speak in purely spiritual terms. But God created us as both physical and spiritual and there must be some way to see both here. Can you help?
Hi, Professor,
I’ve been considering your query since you posted it ie. “I’m trying to mentally quantify it… I want to know what really changed at the moment of death of our Lord.”
Depending on what you are trying to discover, perhaps a good systematic theology text might reveal what you are looking for but I suspect, knowing a little about you, that you are looking for more than that. I think I’ve tried to write about eight different answers for you and its simply going to be so large an answer that doing it here in the comments may be rather inappropriate and unwieldy. So here’s a quick answer, its probably not the best but let’s try this and perhaps we can look for further clarification so that we can put some boundaries on what you’d really like to know.
That quick answer is: Everything changed but faith. I think I’ve tried to write it out and its just so much going on there that nothing that exists is not affected by Christ’s death on the Cross for the propitation of sin. Every place I look in the scripture was either focused toward this or looks at the things now possible as a result of it. The extent of the changes are so vast and pervasive it is only equalled by the Fall.
So that’s what I have for now… its a lot to think about. I’m not trying to put you off either. Its just BIG STUFF as a beloved pastor used to say about things like this. I am a little disappointed not being able to just give you a simple four or five sentence paragraph but I think we might be spending eternity wondering about the wonderous thing that happened there. I hope that helps but I suspect it doesn’t. Mr.Vee
@veritas_verbatim - Mr Vee, perhaps you could do me an incy-wincy favor. Next time you reply, if you click the reply link then write, it sends me an email so I know to come back and add to the conversation. I don’t get around xanga as quickly as I used to and when I have two or three dialogs raging at once I can forget to come back and check.
No problem on not having a short answer. I suppose it is more matter of what we perceive. I asked the question because I’ve been to both ends of the spectrum and failed to find satisfaction in either. Perhaps it is because God is bigger than either end. By “ends” what I mean is that at one end you can say everything changed, but on the other end you can say it was simply the completion of a step that was already determined, known before as well as after, and so on. Then there’s the matter of the souls resurrected and yet to be resurrected. In other words, what happens when we die? Is the answer to that question different for a believer now than it would have been 3000 years ago? If so, how do you explain Jesus speaking with Moses (one can reasonably explain Elijah)? How about Saul speaking to Samuel at Endor? If we live in some form or fashion after physical death, then how does this relate to the great resurrection yet to come? Does this mean we are reunited with our flesh again on this world? Are we all simply too feeble of mind to comprehend? The question is begged because Jesus was physically resurrected. He walked, spoke, had a corporeal body that Thomas touched, and ate fish and bread. He was seen by hundreds of witnesses. His resurrected body is also described as being able to appear and disappear at will. Certainly God can do this, but why? Why bother with a physical body if it isn’t physical according to the laws of nature God Himself put into place? My wife asked me about this and I had to admit I didn’t have a simple answer.
I’m not asking for a great theological diatribe – just a simple conjuring of your thoughts. Your short answer was that everything changed. Okay. I’ll take that as a launching point in spite of what I perceive to be perfect unity and continuum of God and God’s plan from the beginning of time.
Thanks so much for taking a whack at my whacky questions. As you know, I do enjoy “big stuff” and I really think these are the things worthy of our time. Again, thanks for endulging me.
Hi, Professor,
No problem on the delay in responding. I couldn’t have even answered you at all until today. What wonderful timing! The Lord is good.
BTW, I sent you a personal message arranging for a better medium to dialog (like email) since the response I have is very long and is best done privately for the time being with the intent on developing some material to address this topic here as its own subject. Since you’ve spent time contemplating this a lot longer than I have and the Lord seems to be causing me to remember things about this subject in His Word and helping me understand them, I would like to further explore these questions with you. I wouldn’t want to ignore an opportunity like that. If you can help, I’d greatly appreciate it.
Thanks, Mr.Vee
Or is the ‘end of the time of the Gentiles’ the 3.5 years Revelation 11:2 says Israel will be downtrodden?
@Anna -
Hi, Anna. In a word, yes. Interesting thought. Let me take it a little further. Observe the words “months”, “days”, and “times”. “Months” is the unit of time measure for the activities of the Enemy, “Days” are the time units for “God’s witnesses”, and “times” (like in Daniel) are related to God’s dealing with Israel in the last days. In both “months” and “days”, these are spoken of as the time of “authority”. You find these words in Revelation chapters 11 and 13.
Anyway, I now think that the transition point for all this starts at the 6th seal and culminates with the sealing of the 144,000 of the tribes of Israel… remarkably lining up with all the Messianic Judaism going on now… that’s rather interesting to me. Now here’s another connection that I found recently… and it has to do with the Exodus. The trumpet judgments are like the plagues of Egypt that preceded the actual leaving of Egypt(no, they are not the same but the same technique God uses), a time where God is warning the world of impending judgment but hasn’t fully unleashed it. I say that because at the end of the sixth trumpet we see a note that no one repented of their evil deeds. Why would that be important if it wasn’t like the plagues of the Exodus? There will be no chance for repentance with the bowl judgments. That is “same” as the destruction of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.
In the end… the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to all the world and then the end will come where the Church is pulled out and appears before the throne of God that coincides with the sealing of the 144,000 and the “plagues of the trumpets” occur first to nature and then affecting men just like in back in Egypt. So we see that, there will be no repentance while the two witnesses of God are in authority and at the death and resurrection of the two witnesses, the seventh trumpet is sounded which essentially says that the 3.5 years is now underway and the Beast has 42 months to do his dirty deeds and it consummates with Christ taking him out and the world powers with him and his false prophet. It is in this last 42 months that God will protect his people Israel in a very special way such that the Beast cannot find them.
Now if you have anything to comment on that, you are quite welcome but these are things that I’ve been thinking about for some time now and if it is a help to you or your comments a help to me on this, I think that we both could benefit from it! Blessings, Mr.Vee