• End-times, the Rapture, The 1000 year reign of Christ, Heaven, Hell, Why are they important?
• A fellow skeptic once asked the famous atheist Voltaire if he would speak some words of comfort to a friend who was dying. Voltaire responded, "I don’t think I can do that. The thought that there might really be a hell plagues me continually."
• Eschatology is the study of end times, particularly from the Bible.
• There are different schools of belief about how things on earth are going to wrap up.
• Based upon interpretations of the scripture, there is a latitude for different beliefs, as the belief of a certain end-time doctrine is not included as a requirement of salvation.
• Part of the confusion comes between Jewish end-time prophecy and Church end-time prophecy.
• For most of the Church age, Israel did not exist as a nation.
• Israel's Old Testament prophesies often looked past the Church age.
• Prophesies concerning Israel and the end time do not account for the Church, although there are mentions of the Church.
• To reconcile the Eschatology of Israel and the Eschatology of the Church will create create some headaches.
• However, if you understand the end-time prophesies of the Church and view the eschatology of Israel for them, things clear up some.
• There is still room for debate, and much debate exists.
• There are some things, however, that based upon scriptures, are non-negotiable when it comes to Eschatology.
• Today, I want us to look at them and why they are important.
• Before we get into the passage, I want to set the scene and see how improper eschatogy is involved with this passage.
• You have to place yourselves into the mindset of the disciples to really understand the significance of this Text passage.
• The disciples were following the One they believed to be the Messiah.
• They believed this from the start. John prophesied it.
• Joh 1:35-37 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
• They even recruited for the Messiah.
• Joh 1:40-41 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ).
• By this time, they had seen the Messiah heal the sick, cast out demons, feed thousands with one sack lunch on two occasions and other great miracles.
• And now they had seen Him meet with their spiritual heroes who had long been dead: Moses and Elijah.
• But something didn't click for them. Something seemed amiss.
• The scribes and Pharisees picked up on it. They talked about it.
• The disciples heard them and now that discussion was a the forefront of their minds.
• Mal 4:5-6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."
• The scribes were saying, "This can't be the Christ. Malachi said Elijah would come first. He has not come."
• The disciples said, "What about John the Baptist?"
• The Pharisees and scribes quickly point out, John denied it.
• Joh 1:19-21 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
• So, said the scribes, Jesus cannot be the Messiah because Elijah had not come.
• Now, after the transfiguration, these disciples had just seen Elijah and Moses, and that was really encouraging.
• But then Jesus told them not to tell anyone, especially the scribes.
• They could not use this to argue against these experts.
• This was upsetting to the disciples.
• Secondly, the Elijah of the Transfiguration didn't stick around to get things set in order, as they expected.
• This raised several questions in the disciples minds.
• Jesus had made clear to them that He was the Christ.
• How did He explain this weakness in His teachings. (TEXT)
Mar 9:10-13 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" 12 And he said to them, "Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."
• Much of what Jesus said here is academic, and I will try to navigate these tough waters without getting shipwrecked.
• Let's try to understand the significance to us in this by asking two questions.
What is the deal about the coming of Elijah?
What does it have to do with the coming Christ and the end of time?
• In Bible days, the of a coming king would be proceeded by a messenger.
• This was always the case except in one interesting situation.
• When the groom king came to pick up His bride, it was totally unannounced and not preceded by his forerunner.
• A forerunner would come for the king to pick a bride from a village.
• A forerunner would come for the king and the bride to set up their home.
• But a time between these, when the king would pick up the bride for the wedding, the forerunner would be the best man, accompanying, but not going ahead of the groom.
• Before Jesus came the first time, John came.
• The coming of John the Baptist was a fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming Messiah.
• See what the angel told Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist?
• Luk 1:13-17 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
• John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, but when asked if he was Elijah, said "No".
• That was a truthful answer.
• It was still required for a people to be prepared for the Lord, but his Lord was not coming as conquering King.
• He was coming as the suffering servant.
• Jesus' answer to His disciples was pointing to another coming, one of a conquering King.
• In preparation for the conquering King, Elijah would come to set things in order.
• Like the mechanical frame at the bowling ally, Elijah will put things in place for the King to accomplish His ultimate purpose.
• The first time Jesus came, it was to set up a spiritual Kingdom, one that would require only the spirit and power of Elijah, in the presence of John the Baptist.
• The next time He appears, it will be with surprise, simply to extract His bride (the Church) and the wedding party from the world.
• Elijah will be with Him but not precede Him.
• 1Th 4:13-18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
• When Jesus comes again, all the saints will accompany him, when He comes for His bride.
• But He will come one final time. As conquering King
• When He comes, Elijah will precede him, and as Jesus said, set things up for Him to establish up Jesus' earthly kingdom.
• Rev 11:3-8 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
• Some believe these two witnesses will be Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets.
• Others believe these two witness to be Enoch and Elijah, two who we are told did not experience death.
• This we know, Elijah was predicted to come before Jesus sets up His earthly, physical kingship on the earth.
• Jesus said, "The spirit and power of Elijah was here, and you killed him."
• "But the Messiah must suffer and die before the earthly Kingdom is established, so Elijah will come before that."
• Let's move from to some application before we wrap up this passage.
1. When something in the Bible doesn't click with your theology, you best check to see if your theology is amiss.
• Foolish is the man or woman who says there is nothing left to be understood.
• Part of our theology is to not be questioned because it is embraced by faith.
• Those are non-negotiables, such as the deity of Jesus Christ, inerrancy of scripture, the virgin birth, salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, and that He is coming again.
• Many other things we grow to understand.
• God desires a relationship with you. In that relationship, He wants you to grow.
• Part of the relationship in this life is the endless discovery of who He is.
• It is the endless growing understanding of His Word as He reveals Himself to you.
• To grow, some beliefs have to be changed as you learn more.
• Pro_18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
• We are to be teachable in this life or God calls us a fool.
• Greg has in his Bible, Christian growth is half learning what you don't know and half unlearning what you think you know.
• Beyond the non-negotiables, it never hurts to ask God afresh if He is saying something deeper to us from His Word to reveal Himself more.
2. You live best when you expect Jesus to come soon.
• I heard about a man wearing a T-shirt. It said, "Jesus is coming. Look busy".
• I don't believe that man or the maker of that t-shirt really believed it.
• Some have a problem with the concept that Jesus is coming soon.
• Many of the early Church leaders actually taught that Jesus would come in the year 2000.
• They said, 2000 years from Adam to Abraham, 2000 years from Abraham to Christ, and 2000 years from Christ to the New Kingdom.
• That didn't happen.
• There are some things that God wants you to know about Jesus second coming.
• A. First, no one will be able to tell you when Jesus is coming.
• Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
• B. We are supposed to expect the Lord any time.
• Mat 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
• There are many passages that say that Jesus is coming soon.
• The Greek structure depicts that when He comes, it will be suddenly.
• The point is, when you recognize His coming, there will be no time left to prepare.
• This is emphasized in Matthew 25 in the parable of the 10 virgins.
• The imperative, Be ready now.
• If you are expecting to see a sign, like Elijah first, as were the scribes and Pharisees, you will be too late in getting ready.
• He's coming. I don't know when. But I hope to live like it might be very soon.
• The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding. Each show is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward. He apologizes for the interruption, but the theater is on fire, and he begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion. The audience think this is the most amusing turn of the evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last he can do no more. The fire raced through the whole building and the fun-loving audience with it. "And so," concluded Kierkegaard, "will our age, I sometimes think, go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators."
