Heavens News Alert

OCTOBER 11, 2020 STUDY NOTES MATTHEW 24:27-28 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES HEAVENS NEWS ALERT INTRODUCTION The local and national news media will break into a T.V. program to give us current news The purpose is to spread important news, news that should concern us, as fast as possible Even faster than T.V., we now have email and cell phone contacts that can immediately alert us Breaking news can now be spread world-wide in a matter of minutes The day is coming when Heaven will break into the daily program of the world with a news alert Much faster than any communication can ever be, you won’t need a T.V., computer, or cell phone Heaven will get the immediate attention of the world in a split-second The sky above will light up the universe with the most important news alert ever given Heaven will declare what the Bible has revealed to us will one day take place Jesus is about to answer the disciple’s question, what will be the sign of your coming? (vs. 3) Verse 27 is not the sign itself, but the notice that the sign of His coming is about to appear In the previous verses Jesus told us that when He returns no one will have to look for Him The world will know that He has come and will know why He has returned No one will have to ask, is that Him, is that really Jesus the Christ? In the next few verses Jesus is going to tell us what the heavens are going to tell us And no one will ask, what are the heavens telling us? Heavens news alert will be clearly understood throughout the world, Jesus is coming! How clear will the message of heaven be? THE SKY WILL LIGHT UP Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. The word “For” takes us back to why Jesus said “believe it not” Here is why you don’t want to believe false prophets when they tell you that Jesus has come He now gives us the reason for not believing all-of the talk about His return by false prophets The return of Jesus will not be in a secret place such as in the wilderness It will not be something hidden as in a private room, it will be a visible, global event It will not be difficult to know when the true Christ returns to earth The whole world is going to know when Christ returns Jesus gives us an illustration to explain why no questions will need to be answered For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; “For as,” means “just as,” and is a term of comparison Identifying something that will not be missed or mistakeable, you will know what it is “Lightning” is visible, it is not difficult to see, it is easy to identify You know what “lightening” is when you see it, it appears suddenly, and it gets your attention You don’t have to be told what lightning is when you see it, especially this kind of lightning Lightning that comes out of the east and shines even unto the west Is there a reason why Jesus did not use the directions of north and south? Probably! If you continue to go north you will reach the North Pole, the northernmost point on the earth Which is diametrically opposite the South Pole, at the North Pole all directions point south If you continue to go south you will reach the South Pole, the southernmost point on the earth The South Pole is the opposite side of Earth from the North Pole, from it all directions are north If you travel east, you will continue to travel east, you do not reach the west by going east 1 If you travel west, you will continue to travel west, you do not reach the east by going west From horizon to horizon, there is no point where East stops and West begins There is a reference in the OT identifying with the east and west, Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. David used the heavens to share with us the grace of God that has been bestowed upon us When we experience God’s forgiveness, our sins forgiven can no longer be found Just as you cannot find the west by going east or find the east by going west So, what is Jesus telling us through His illustration of the lightning from east to west? Heaven will alert the world, getting their attention, something is about to happen in the heavens No one will miss the return of Christ, the whole world will witness His return The world can see lightning that “Shineth” from the east to the west “Shineth” means “to give light,” illuminate, or “to light up” Describing lightning that lights up the whole sky from the east to the west, as far as you can see You cannot help but see it, you cannot overlook it, it is clear, visible, and identifiable Lightning such as the world has never seen before will light up the heavens Lightning that will light up the darkness of night or even the brightness of day Lightning that the whole world will witness at one time, throughout the world, no one will miss it The same word translated “shineth” is found again in, 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. “Shall appear” is the same word used again with the same meaning, Heaven alerts the earth Verse 30 tells us that the lightning of verse 27 is not the sign of His appearing The lightning is a comparison, telling us that heaven will get the attention of the world All eyes and ears will be turned toward the heaven above the earth when Jesus appears There will be no question about it, no questions will be asked, the world will know, “That’s Him” I think we should also notice that the lightning “comes out of the east,” an interesting point The “east” is an interesting study in scripture, when Jesus was born wise men came from the east Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, The next verse tells us why they came, they saw “His star in the east,” Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. The star in the “east” directed them to the place where Jesus was born, Mat 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. We look to the east for the rising of the sun, which we find in, Rev 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, In the original “ascending from the east” actually reads “from the rising of the sun” In Revelation 7 we are given information related to the return of Christ and the Day of the Lord Heaven sent forth a message to tell us of the first coming of Christ to the earth (Matthew 2) People had to learn that He had come and learn why He had come, Jesus told us, Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. When Christ returns to the earth the world will know that He has come, 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. The saved will know why He has come, 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. The lost world will know that Christ has come, Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 2 The world will know who has come and why He has come, 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: Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? As we continue our study in Matthew 24, I will refer to Revelation 6 several times Study Revelation 6, it is an important passage identifying the order of events Later we will compare the 7 seals with the order of events found in Matthew 24 Jesus now tells us the meaning of His illustration of lightning that lights up the universe so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. “So, shall also” identifies a comparison, comparing the lightning and His return That kind of lightning is one of the ways to describe the return of Christ to the earth The coming of the Son of Man will be as distinct and unmistakable as the lightning He described Illustrating the glory of Christ coming that will illuminate the sky from the east to the west The sky will be bright, filled with the Glory of Christ, ablaze with the glory of Christ The coming of Christ will be visible, global, glorious, and unmistakable An understanding of the Greek word translated “coming” is important It is the word most often used in the NT when speaking of the return of Christ to the earth The meaning of the word is coming, arrival, or presence, especially continuing presence In the book of Matthew, the word is found only 4 times, all in Matthew 24 It is found when the disciples ask their question in verse 3 We find it when Jesus gave us the comparison of lightning in verse 27 In verse 37 it is used again as a comparison, Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. When we get to verse 37, we will study why Jesus used Noah’s day as a comparison to His return The word is found again in, Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. There are different opinions concerning Matthew 24:37-41 There are different views concerning who is taken and who is left, we will study those views For now, let us consider some thoughts concerning the “coming of the Son of man” THE COMING OF JESUS When Jesus comes again, He will not appear in a manger in swaddling clothes There will not be a star in the east to announce His arrival Heaven will alert the world, gaining the full attention of all mankind The sky from one end of heaven to the other will reveal His coming Wise men will not have to ask, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” The world will know that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has come Herod or no other king will-have to search for Him, Mat 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. We are told what the kings of the earth will do when Christ returns, Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; This verse describes lost humanity left behind at the time of the rapture They know why they are left behind when Christians are taken away, Rev 6:16And 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: They know that the time has come for them to face the wrath of God, Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? OT and NT scripture identify the coming wrath of God as the “Day of the Lord” The “Day of the Lord” is known as “the great day of His wrath” 3 There are those who teach that the OT references to the Day of the Lord have been fulfilled That the day of God’s wrath was the time of God’s chastening hand upon Israel OT prophecies warned of the near judgment that Israel would face, and they did face God’s anger But those times were also a foreshadow of the future “Day of the Lord” (Near/far prophecy) Several prophecies found in the OT reveal that there is within them the future “Day of the Lord” The future wrath of God is found in Joel, Isaiah, Obadiah, Zephaniah, and Amos Paul explains the future Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 Paul also gave Christians a promise concerning the Day of the Lord, 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 rapture will occur before the day of God’s wrath falls upon Satan and a sinful world The same promise is found in, 1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, To interpret prophecy, you must distinguish between the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord They are not one and the same as often taught today The Great Tribulation is not the wrath of God, it is Satan’s wrath, Satan having his day of wrath The Great Tribulation is Satan’s wrath against the elect of God, the True Church The Day of the Lord is God’s wrath against Satan, sin, and the followers of Satan and sin Christians are not exempt from Satan’s wrath, but we are exempt from God’s wrath The Day of the Lord will not begin until God removes the church from the time of Satan’s wrath It will be the rapture that will cut short Satan’s persecution of God’s elect, 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. It is not the 70th week of Daniel, the final 7 years of his prophecy, that will be cut short The return of Christ will cut short Satan’s persecution of God’s people, the elect Christ will remove the church from the earth during the time of the Great Tribulation In some way, Matthew 24:28 is related to what Jesus has just taught us in the previous verses But what is verse 28 telling us? Good question! Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. When I came to this verse, I was reminded of something that occurred over 50 years ago I visited a men’s Sunday School class, an old men’s class, the teacher asked a man a question The teacher read a verse and asked, what do you think this verse means? His answer was, I think it means exactly what it says, the teacher agreed and moved on I am tempted to tell you that verse 28 means exactly what it says I am tempted to read the verse and move on to the next verse Which is exactly what many commentaries do, they go from verse 27 to verse 29 And in some way, they blend in verse 27 with verse 29 without any explanation of verse 28 I researched more than 50 sources for this verse and found almost that many different views In more than one commentary I came across a reference made by Bishop Ryle Bishop Ryle wrote in the late 1800’s that he found 56 writers with different views of this verse We can only imagine how many different views you will find today I will not discuss the views, I am only going to share my conclusion, concerning Matthew 24:28 As always, you begin an interpretation of a verse by studying the context The verse begins with the word “For,” which turns our attention to the previous verse According to verse 27, the attention of the world will be turned unto the return of Christ The return of Christ will not be a secret, people will not be asking, what has happened? The return of Christ will be unmistakable, there will be no doubts, no questions asked A sure sign from heaven will alert the world, Heavens news alert will be, Jesus is coming Verse 28 is an illustration of the understanding and the attention that will be given at that time A “carcass” is a corpse or dead body, A dead body attracts vultures or buzzards The “eagles” are probably what we call vultures or buzzards that gather over the dead body 4 Vultures know when an animal is dead, they know a carcass by sight or smell, or both They give full attention to that carcass, they gather-together because of what they know The world will know that Jesus has returned and what it means to the world (Rev. 6:15-17) Verse 28 not only takes us back, it takes us forward, to what is going to take place That which is going to take place in the future is because of what has happened in the past In verse 28 we have an illustration describing the return of Christ The history of sinful man requires the future judgment of God Before verse 28, Jesus has described for us a world that requires the return of Christ Following verse 28, the return of Christ is described Verse 28 is an illustration describing “the coming of the Son of man” (read verses 27, 29, 30) The lost world will identify the return of Christ as easy as a vulture can identify a dead corpse They will gather-together as described in Revelation 6:15-17 There will no longer be scoffers mocking the return of Christ (2 Peter 3:3-4) They will come to believe in the return of Christ, but it will be too late to escape God’s wrath Today is the day to put your faith in Jesus Today is the day to believe that He is coming back to the earth Listen to the song 5