Six Future Events

JULY 26, 2020 STUDY NOTES SIX FUTURE EVENTS BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION Before we begin our verse by verse study of Matthew 24 let us consider 6 future events It is important to understand the meaning of and the timing of these six events: (1) The Seventieth Week of Daniel (2) The Abomination of Desolation (3) The Great Tribulation (4) The Cosmic Disturbance (5) The Coming of the Son of Man (6) The Day of the Lord In Matthew 24 Jesus gives us an understanding of these future events He also puts them in a chronological order, the order in which they will occur In our study of Matthew 24 watch for these events to be identified Watch for the time words indicating the order in which they will occur We must not be date-setters concerning the return of Christ No one knows for certain the day that Christ will return But scripture gives us signs and events that will precede the return of Christ An understanding of some of the key events will help us answer some questions: Are we living in the “End Times?” Are we now able to see signs of these events coming to fulfillment? Are we the generation that will see the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th Week? THE SEVENTIETH WEEK OF DANIEL (Daniel 9:24-27) The 70th Week of Daniel is one of the most important prophecies in all-of the Bible Daniel was given a vision of the future for his people, the nation of Israel (watch Israel) A vision for the nation of Israel and her holy city, Jerusalem (Vs.24) The vision covered a time-period of 70 sevens of years which was a total of 490 years The 490 years are divided into three periods, the first period covered 49 years The second period covered 434 years, the total of the first two periods is 483 years There is a gap of time between the fulfillment of the 483 years and the final 7 years We are still in the time gap, within the time gap is what is known as the “last days” The “last days” are an unspecified time-period between the 1st coming and 2nd coming of Jesus Days that had their beginning with the coming of the Messiah (Heb. 1:1-2; 1 Peter 1:20) Days that will end with the coming of the “King of Kings” (Rev 19:16) The final period of Daniel’s prophecy will be for seven years, which is yet to come The final 7-year period of the 490 years is known as the 70th Week of Daniel The first 483 years were literally fulfilled, the last 7 years will also literally be fulfilled The final 7-year period will begin with a covenant, Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. The covenant will be between the prince that is to come, the Antichrist, and the nation of Israel The future Antichrist is Satan’s man and Satan’s last attempt to destroy the Kingdom of God Antichrist will put forth Satan’s final effort to destroy Israel and the Church The person of the Antichrist may or may not be known at the time of the signing of the covenant He will have been on the scene for some time but not identified as the Antichrist A future third temple will be built in Jerusalem Antichrist may be responsible for it being built It will not be necessary for the entire Temple structure to be immediately rebuilt All that is necessary to fulfill scripture is a place for sacrifices to be offered Sacrificial offerings will be permitted within the Antichrist covenant with Israel The place for those sacrificial offerings may not be built until the 70th week begins The 7-year covenant may give Israel permission to rebuild the temple Or, it may be rebuilt before the signing of the covenant (preparations are now being made) Middle East Peace talks have been national news for years, yet peace does not exist today The covenant between Antichrist and Israel will be for the peace and protection of Israel When that time comes Israel will greatly need peace and protection (already true) The best way to refer to this future time-period is to call it “The Seventieth Week of Daniel” It is misleading to identify the future 7-year period-of time as the “Tribulation” (often done) Many call that time-period the “Tribulation” because they believe it to be the time of God’s wrath Their conclusion is that there will be 7 years of tribulation or 7 years of God’s wrath Scripture does not confirm a seven-year period of tribulation In Mt. 24 we will learn of other events that will occur within the “Seventieth Week of Daniel” Such as a well-known event that will divide the future seven-year period-of time That event is called the “Abomination of Desolation” (which is not the wrath of God) The second of the six major future events that we are looking at--THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION The angel Gabriel described the event in Daniel 9:27 as the “overspreading of abominations” Jesus called this event the “Abomination of Desolation” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) The reference of Jesus identifies it as being yet in the future The Abomination of Desolation is a key to putting together the order of future events The future 7-year period begins with the signing of the covenant between Antichrist and Israel In the middle of the 70th Week the Antichrist will break his 7-year covenant with Israel At that time, after 3 ½ years, he will cause the sacrifice and offering to cease (Daniel 9:27) That is why it is called the “Abomination of Desolation” Jesus said that you are going to be able to “see” this event The person who will be standing in the holy place will be the Antichrist His standing in the holy place is the abomination that causes desolation At that time, the Antichrist will be identified, the world will know who he is The apostle Paul describes the same event in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (study it close) The “falling away” is a departure or an apostasy, a great rebellion or great revolt The original Greek language literally reads, “The Apostasy” According to scripture, “The Apostasy” will be a well-known event “The Apostasy” will be what Jesus called the “Abomination of Desolation” The “Abomination of Desolation” will be the event that reveals, “that man of sin” “That man” refers to an actual human being and not a system of evil influence “That man” is evil, he is the “man of lawlessness,” and he is a man of flesh and blood The Antichrist will be the “Man of Lawlessness” and he will be a man Never-before has there been one exactly like him, nor ever again will there be one like him The Antichrist will oppose God, he will exalt himself above everything that is called God He puts himself in place of everything that is worshipped, he sets himself up in God’s temple He proclaims himself to be God, he demands that the world worship him Which will be Satan’s final attempt to accomplish his original goal when he rebelled against God At the time of the fall of Lucifer, he said, “I will be like the Most High” (Isa 14:12-14) The ultimate goal of Satan is to be God, he wants to be as powerful as God He does not want to be responsible to anyone, he wants all others to be responsible to him He does not want to answer to anyone, especially God He wants to be in complete control of all living beings He wants to be the total authority over all things, his goal is to make all things subject unto him Satan cannot replace God, so his only hope is to counterfeit God and Christ Satan will reach the highest point of his goal at the time of the “Abomination of Desolation” The true identification of the Antichrist will be revealed at the Abomination of Desolation At that time, all will know who the real Antichrist is (2 Thessalonians 2:3) The one who commits the “Abomination of Desolation” will be the “son of perdition” Literally, “the son of destruction,” meaning that the Antichrist is doomed (Revelation 20:10) All of that which has been described will begin to happen at the mid-point of the 70th week 3 ½ years from the signing of the covenant of peace with Israel That which follows will be the most horrible period-of time ever known to humanity The Abomination of Desolation will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation--THE GREAT TRIBULATION The time of the “Great Tribulation” is directly related to the “Abomination of Desolation,” Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. “For then” refers to the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24:15 Jesus called the time-period that follows the abomination of desolation “The Great Tribulation” The Great Tribulation will begin with the abomination of desolation The “Great Tribulation” will not be for a 7-year period-of time The Great Tribulation will not be the day of God’s wrath, it is not the time of God’s judgment The Great Tribulation is the day of “Satan’s wrath, Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. God will allow Satan to have his day of wrath before the beginning of God’s wrath Satan’s day will be a day of tribulation, affliction, and persecution upon God’s people There is only one time-period that can be called the “Great Tribulation” The Great Tribulation will be an unparalleled time of distress and affliction In the beginning of Matthew 24 Jesus presented events that will be a time of sorrow (Vss. 4-7) But then He said that those things would only be the beginning of sorrows, Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. Jesus warned of the severity of the time of Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:16-22; Mark 13:14-20) There has never been anything like it in history It will be the worst persecution upon Israel and the church ever known to that time It will be greater than Nero’s Rome, Stalin’s slaughter, or Hitler’s Holocaust That is why it is called the “Great Tribulation” It begins with Satan’s man, the Antichrist, setting himself up as God (2 Thess. 2:1-4) The fifth seal is the time of the Great Tribulation (Rev 6:9-11) Christians will face persecution and martyrdom during the Great Tribulation (Rev 7:9-17) Jesus tells us that the days of the Great Tribulation will be shortened, Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. “Those days” in verse 22 refer to the days of “great tribulation” in verse 21 “Those days” are the days of the Great Tribulation which will be cut short Mark’s account reveals the same thing, the days that will be shortened, Mar 13:20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. It will not be the days of the 70th week of Daniel that will be shortened (Not the 7-year period) It will be the days of Great Tribulation that are cut short Jesus will explain the event that will cut short the Great Tribulation But first, we are told of the event that will announce the event that cuts short the tribulation THE COSMIC DISTURBANCE Jesus taught that the Cosmic Disturbance would occur immediately after the tribulation, Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: “Those days” of tribulation (vs.29) are the same as the great tribulation (vs. 21) The account found in Mark agrees with the Matthew’s account The Cosmic Disturbance will be after the tribulation, Mar 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, Mar 13:25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. Both accounts teach that the Cosmic Disturbance will occur after the Great Tribulation And it will occur before the end of the 70th Week Isaiah describes the events of the cosmic disturbance in a passage referring to the Day of the Lord, Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Isaiah describes the same event that Jesus does in Matthew 24:29, Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Then Isaiah describes the event known as the Day of the Lord, Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Joel speaks of the cosmic disturbance, Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: Joel identifies the cosmic disturbance with the Day of the Lord, Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Joel identifies the same order of events that Jesus reveals in Matthew 24 First the Cosmic Disturbance, and then the Day of the Lord, Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Pay attention to the word “before” The Day of the Lord will not occur until after the Cosmic Disturbance Which again reveals that the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are not one and the same The Cosmic Disturbance will occur “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Mt 24:29a) The Cosmic Disturbance will occur before the great and terrible day of the Lord come (Joel 2:31) The Cosmic Disturbance will be God’s announcement to the world that His wrath has come The Cosmic Disturbance will also announce to the church that Jesus has come back THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN The Cosmic Disturbance will be the sign of the end of the age, the earth will be filled with fear Because the natural lights of the heavenly bodies will be darkened, the universe will be darkened But the greatest fear will come at the time of the “sign of the Son of Man in heaven,” Mat 24:30 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. (Nothing secret about it) “And then,” at the time of the Cosmic Disturbance, at the time of total darkness From the east to the west the supernatural brilliance of the Glory of Christ will appear Jesus Christ will be clearly seen and recognized by the brightness of His glory That which will identify him as the Son of Man will be His “power and great glory” The sign of the end of the age is the Cosmic Disturbance The sign of the coming of Jesus is the manifestation of His power and great glory The two signs are given back to back The two signs will be given before the Day of the Lord begins They will occur after the tribulation when the tribulation is cut short (Matthew 24:22) They will bring great fear on all the tribes of the earth (Revelation 6:12-17) When the sign of the Son of Man appears the tribes of the earth will “mourn” (Mt. 24:30) The same word “mourn” is translated “shall wail” in Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. “Wail” means to strike or beat one’s body, particularly the breast, with the hands in lamentation Literally, they will mourn, they will be filled with fear, life will be filled with despair Luke’s account of the return of Christ agrees with Matthew, Luk 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; The time of the Cosmic Disturbance will bring fear upon the lost world, Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. But their greatest fear will come when they see the “Son of Man’ coming, Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. The order that Luke presents is first the Cosmic Disturbance and then the return of Christ But then Luke adds another very important point which reveals the future events When these things happen, the Cosmic Disturbance and the return of Christ, Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke places the time of the rapture at the time of the Second Coming When Jesus returns in a cloud we will be caught up to be with Him, 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: There is no time-period designated between the rapture and the return of Christ Luke calls it our time of “redemption,” Paul calls it “caught up together,” 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That which will bring fear to the world will bring comfort to the believer, 1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Why are these words so comforting? Because believers are delivered from the wrath to come, 1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. The church will be removed from the earth before the day of God’s wrath begins, 1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, The day of God’s wrath is not the time of the Great Tribulation, it is the Day of the Lord THE DAY OF THE LORD Some believe that the Day of the Lord is the same as the Tribulation or the 70th Week of Daniel That is why they call the 70th week the “Tribulation” Indicating that the Great Tribulation is the day of God’s Wrath They place the beginning of the Day of the Lord with the beginning of the 70th week Allowing them to teach that the rapture occurs 7 years before the Second Coming of Christ Scripture does not present a two-fold coming of Christ separated by a 7-year time-period Scripture does not designate the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord as one and the same The Day of the Lord does not begin when the 70th Week begins It does not begin when the Great Tribulation begins The Day of the Lord will begin with the opening of the seventh seal (Rev 6:12-17; 8:1) The trumpet and bowl judgments describe the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the earth The Great Tribulation is the time of Satan’s persecution upon God’s people through the Antichrist The first time that the word “wrath” is found in Revelation is at the opening of the 6th seal Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: The 6th seal announces that the time of God’s wrath has come, Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? The prophets describe the Day of the Lord as the time of God’s judgment and wrath upon Satan and sin: A day of reckoning (Isaiah 2:12) A day of judgment (Isaiah 2:13-17) A time when God “ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:19,21) The time of destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:15; Isaiah 13:6) A day cruel, with fury and burning anger (Isaiah 13:9) A time when God will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity (Isaiah 13:11) A time of divine wrath and fierce anger (Isaiah 13:13; Zephaniah 1:15; 2:2) A time when God’s indignation and fury will be directed against the nations (Isaiah 34:1-2; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:14-2:3; Zechariah 14:3) A time when God’s vengeance will be revealed (Isaiah 34:8) A day of vengeance that belongs to the Lord God of Hosts (Jeremiah 46:10; Isaiah 34:8) A day of the Lord’s anger (Zephaniah 2:2-3) A day that is unique (Zechariah 14:1-7) A time of fire from the Lord (Joel 2:3,5,30; Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8) CONCLUSION At the end of our study of Matthew 24 we will share a more detailed list of future events With a better understanding of the return of Christ we can do that There are many other events that connect with the fulfillment of the 6 that we have looked at Jesus gave us a road map to follow until He returns, telling us how to live until He comes He gives us road signs to alert us, warn us, and instruct us as we travel the road of life According to scripture there is nothing secret about the coming of Jesus His return is not sign-less, we are to watch for the signs, and when we see them, Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. There will be a generation of Christians that will see all-of the events begin to come together, Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. We could be that generation Christian you will face trials and troubles and maybe tribulation and persecution But read the end of the book, your journey with Jesus is worth it, listen to the song