Introduction
A. The disciples want to know just when Jesus is going to come again
1. Lets turn to Matthew 24:29
2. Well, we want the answer to that very same question
3. But, you know, Jesus has told us exactly when His return would be
Matthew 24:29 (NKJV)
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
4. Notice Jesus says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days”
a. In my mind what Jesus did not tell us was when the tribulation would begin
(1) So that we have the exact time of His return
(2) But, we do not know when the beginning of the key event of that time is, that is the tribulation
(a) Turn to Luke 21:23 - 24
5. Note a number of things in this Luke passage
Luke 21:23-24 (NKJV)
"But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. {24} "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
a. Christ has told us a number of things in this passage
(1) In verse 23 we read, “For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.”
(a) Is there distress in the land of Israel today?
(b) Yes there is, great distress
(c) Is there wrath being shed upon the people of Israel?
(d) Yes, there is, great wrath
(2) In verse 24 we read, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword”
(a) Are the people of Israel falling by the edge of the sword?
(b) We know that soldiers are dying in battle, “falling by the edge of the sword”
(c) Innocents are being killed by rockets and bombers
(d) I would say that the people of Israel are falling by the edge of the sword
(3) And again in verse 24 we read, “And they will . . . be led away captive into all nations”
(a) Are there still Jews and Hebrews in countries around the world
(b) We know there are
(c) Hebrews and Jews have been found in almost every country in the world
(4) And again in verse 24 we read, “And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”
(a) Is Jerusalem “trampled by the gentiles?”
(b) We know that Palestinians are still a significant portion of Jerusalem
i) And they dictate significant issues especially concerning the temple mount
6. We need to take note that Jesus did not return immediately after the fall of Jerusalem
a. The time of the gentiles still goes on
B. No people have ever gone through what the Jews have gone through
1. The Jews are still suffering under the hand of the gentiles
a. Hitler murdered 6 million Jews during the 2nd World War
b. And Jews around the world are still suffering
(1) They suffer prejudice
(2) They suffer hatred
(3) They suffer discrimination
(4) They suffer torture
(5) And they suffer being slaughter
(6) This will continue through the seven years of tribulation then Christ will return and bring peace
(a) Lets return to Matthew 24:29
II. Body
A. There will be astronomical signs
Matthew 24:29 (NKJV)
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
1. Look at what this verse says about the heavenly bodies
a. The sun will be darkened
b. The moon will not give its light
c. The stars will fall from heaven
d. And the power of the heavens will be shaken
2. Today, if a volcano spews forth smoke and ash, the sky is darkened
a. If there is a forest fire, spewing forth smoke
b. If there is a dust storm
c. I remember driving through Oklahoma during a dust storm. It started to rain so that what we had was a mud storm. The mud caused the sky to darken and I had to pull off the road often to clean off my windshield
d. And the sun light and moon light are blocked
3. We have meteor showers often on this old planet of ours
a. And there have been some meteors that caused great damage to our world
(1) There is evidence in the great meteor crater in Arizona
(2) Possibly Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana
(3) And very possibly the destruction to the forests in Siberia
4. Are these the kind of thing Jesus is talking about?
a. Will there is these thing, but on a world wide scale
b. Or another possibility and that is supernatural intervention
(1) God is capable of direct intervention
(2) But it may please the Lord to use other means, His servants
(a) Please turn to Isaiah 13:10-13
5. The Old Testament prophets speak of these things also
Isaiah 13:10-13 (NKJV)
For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. {11} "I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. {12} I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. {13} Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger.
a. Lets turn to Joel 2:30-31
b. Here is another Old Testament prophet who describes this future event
Joel 2:30-31 (NKJV)
"And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. {31} The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
(1) Now turn to Revelation 6:12 - 17
6. John the New Testament prophet of the end times reiterates the Old Testament prophets and the Savior Himself
Revelation 6:12-17 (NKJV)
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. {13} And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. {14} Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. {15} And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, {16} and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! {17} "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
a. These signs seem to be precursors to Christ’s return
b. When unregenerate man sees these things they run and hide, begging for death
(1) Evidently they know what all this means and would rather face death than Christ
(2) Why?
(3) They know that “the great day of His wrath has come
(4) And they know that noone will be able to stand
(a) Lets go one to Matthew 24:30
B. The coming of the Son of Man
Matthew 24:30 (NKJV)
"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
1. Here Christ speaks of the sign of His coming
2. But, He does not tell us just what that sign will be, “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven”
a. Many orthodox and conservative theologians have suggested 4 possibilities
(1) Some say a star like the sign of Christ’s birth
(2) Others say it will be the Shekinah Glory of Christ Himself
(a) Shekinah Glory means the glory of God among men
(b) When God entered the tabernacle they saw His glory and called it the Shekinah Glory, the glory of God among men
(c) When Jesus walked the earth, He was the Shekinah Glory
(3) Other theologians believe that the sign will be the cross
(a) The sign of a huge cross in the sky
i) Which would attract people’s attention
ii) And it would be difficult to misinterpret
(4) The last possibility is simply the arrival of Christ Himself
(a) There on the Mount of Olives
(b) Causing the Mount to split
i) Turn to Revelation 19:11-16
(5) This is my idea of the sign of Christ’s second coming
Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. {12} His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. {13} He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. {14} And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. {15} Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. {16} And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
(a) We are told in Scripture that the entire planet will see what is going on in Jerusalem
i) Turn to Revelation 11:8-9
Revelation 11:8-9 (NKJV)
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. {9} Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.
(b) It has been suggested that the cameras of CNN will make such a world wide prediction come true
(c) If so, then the world will also see the coming of the Lord
i) Lets look at verse 30 again
3. The tribes of the world will mourn
Matthew 24:30 (NKJV)
"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
a. Think about this, there shall be a sign that triggers the coming of the Son of Man. Whatever the sign is, a number of things are certain.
(1) Now the stars point toward the eternal power and Godhead and love of God in a beautiful creation.
(a) Then the stars shall point toward the wrath of God
(2) Now the Shekinah glory, the glory of God, shines before men calling them to righteousness.
(a) Then the Shekinah glory shall shine before men consuming them for their unrighteousness.
(3) Now the cross stands before the world attracting the world to God.
(a) Then the cross shall stand before the world condemning the world.
(4) Now Christ stands before the world as its Savior.
(a) Then Christ shall stand before the world as its Judge.
(5) Now Christ beckons men to come and know Him
(a) Then men will hide and call for death
b. There are signs of Christ's presence now. There are also signs that His return is ever so near. How much better to mourn and repent now than to be left with nothing but mourning then. The day is coming when it will be too late to turn to Christ.
c. Today, every man is without excuse. There are signs and evidences that He is the Savior of the world, God's very own Son. Much better to have the Son of Man appear now, in a person's heart and life by faith, than to have Hun appear in the skies as a person's Judge
(1) Well, lets turn to Matthew 24:31
C. The mission of Christ’s angels
Matthew 24:31 (NKJV)
"And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1. Question
a. Who are the elect?
(1) There is a slight disagreement as to who the elect are
(a) J Vernon McGee believes that the elect are Jews
(b) Jews are scattered through out the world and so the angels will go through out the world and gather them to Israel
(c) Other preachers believe that the elect are every Christian survivor at Christ’s coming
(d) One commentator remarked that these will be few when compared with the unregenerate survivors
(e) Turn to Matthew 25:32-33
(2) Jesus will deal with both groups
Matthew 25:32-46 (NKJV)
"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. {33} "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. {34} "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: {35} 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; {36} 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' {37} "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? {38} 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? {39} 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' {40} "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' {41} "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: {42} 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; {43} 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' {44} "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' {45} "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' {46} "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
(3) We will deal with this passage as best we can when the time comes
(a) Turn to Matthew 10:42
(b) But remember, how we manifest our love for our neighbor is a critical point in this world
Matthew 10:42 (NKJV)
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
