THE DAY OF THE LORD - PART II (TRIBULATION)
Matthew 24:4-14
INTRODUCTION: In Matthew 24 and 25, Christ answers the question of the disciples as to the events leading up to and surrounding His return in power as He ascends to His rightful throne as the Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and the Seed of David. The events He gives are not signs which precede His return for the church. They are in fact events which take place during that first part of the Day of the Lord. As such they give us an insight into the events and nature the Tribulation Period.
I. THE NATURE AND THE EVENTS OF THE TRIBULATION
A. Deceivers - Matthew 24:4-5 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." - the 1st seal - the 1st of the four horseman of Revelation
1. Revelation 6:2 "And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."
2. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
3. Daniel 8:25 "And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand."
4. The antichrist will bring a false peace and prosperity to an unstable world which will solidify his popularity and acceptance.
5. Erwin Lutzer - Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it; better to have lost some battles than to have retreated from the war; better to have failed when serving God than to have succeeded when serving the devil. What a tragedy to climb the ladder of success, only to discover that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall!
B. Wars - Matthew 24:6-7 "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom"
1. Revelation 6:4 "And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."
2. During the tribulation, the world will experience devastating warfare that will kill millions of people.
3. After one battle according to Ezekiel 39, it will take seven months to bury the dead.
4. World violence can dominate the news and lead us to believe that we are on the brink of Armageddon. But we are not. Armageddon is at least seven years away.
C. Famines - Matthew 24:7 "... and there shall be famines..."
1. Revelation 6:5-6 "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. [6] And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."
2. The luxuries of the wealthy are not hurt by this worldwide famine.
3. Lamentations 4:9-10 "They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. [10] The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people."
D. Pestilence - Matthew 24: 7 "... and pestilences..."
1. Revelation 6:8 "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
2. Plagues and epidemics typically follow warfare and famine. During the Tribulation, there will be worldwide epidemics decimating 1/4 of the world’s population.
3. The super-germs, impervious to treatments, bio-chemical warfare developments, anthrax, and toxic carcinogens all pale in comparison to what the pestilence of the Tribulation will be like.
E. Earthquakes - Matthew 24:7 "...and earthquakes, in divers places..."
1. Revelation 6:12 "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;"
2. Between 1900 and 1970 there were 37 severe earthquakes reported. From 1971 to 1980, there were 56. In the 1980s, there were 74. From 1990 to 1995, there were 125 "killer" earthquakes of 6.5 or more on the Richter scale.
F. Persecution - Matthew 24:9-10 "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. [10] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."
1. Revelation 6:9-11 "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
2. There will be an intense hatred of the Jews by the Antichrist that will cause Israel to flee to the mountains for survival. All who embrace Christ will come under extreme persecution from the forces of Satan.
G. A Remnant - Matthew 24:14 "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."
1. In Romans 11:25-27, Paul declares that the spiritual blindness of Israel is only temporary and that they would be restored. During the Tribulation, God raises up a remnant who would receive and declare Jesus as the Promised Messiah, the Deliverer.
2. Revelation 11:3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."
3. Revelation 7:4, 9, and 14 "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.... After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hand. ... And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
II. FIVE REASONS WHY I BELIEVE THAT THE CHURCH DOES NOT GO THROUGH THE TRIBULATION.
A. The Believer has already been judged and cannot come into judgment
1. John 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
2. Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
B. God has not appointed to endure but to be delivered from the wrath of God.
? I Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"
C. During the Tribulation Satan’s attack is directed at Israel not the Church.
? Revelation 12:12-14 "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibitors of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. [13] And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. [14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."
D. During the Tribulation the witnessing body is the 144, 000 Jewish remnant not the church.
1. Revelation 11:3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."
2. Revelation 7:4, 9, and 14 "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.... After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hand. ... And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
E. Two Old Testament Examples picturing the deliverance of the saved.
1. The Example of Lot
a. Luke 17:28-30 "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; [29] But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. [30] Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
b. When God was going to pour out His wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness note the statement of the angel in Genesis 19:22. "Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. ..."
c. The judgment would not fall until the child of God was taken out of harm’s way.
2. The Example of Noah
a. Genesis 7:1, 16 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. ...And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in."
b. God called Noah and set him safely apart from the wrath He poured out.
Conclusion: Dr. George Sweeting, Past President of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, used to tell of the day he noticed an unusual combination of bumper stickers on the car of a man who was visiting the school. The coincidental message conveyed by the two stickers prompted Dr. Sweeting to suggest to the unsuspecting visitor that he might want to remove one of them. One read: JESUS IS COMING! And the other: ESCAPE TO WISCONSIN.
The only deliverance or escape from the coming Tribulation is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Without that relationship, one will be left behind to face the Day of God’s Wrath and Vengeance. One reason that God has not had the trumpet sound setting in motion the events we have spoken of is seen in the words of II Peter 3:9. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Is He waiting for you?
