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About-Him.Com Devotional 11-19-2005
Http://About-Him.Com/ My Thoughts on the Life of Christ, from His Baptism to His Ascension. Par. 200a: Discourse on Signs and Coming Events (The Coming of Jesus) Mt. 24:15-42; Mk. 13:14-37; Luke 21:20-36 We concluded last week's devotional with the admonition of Jesus that we are to watch for the Abomination of desolation that was mentioned by the prophet Daniel. Matthew 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:) Da 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 Jews had experienced a preview of the Abomination of Desolation when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig on the altar in 168 B.C. He also dedicated the temple to a heathen god. There would be a future fulfillment in A.D. 70 when the Romans would stand in the temple and proclaim Titus as emperor which their armies sacrifices to heathen gods. However, all was not fulfilled at that time. Daniel described a man who we commonly call the anti-Christ in conjunction with the abomination of desolation. This man would divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:21-45), and make a covenant with the Jews and then break it (Daniel 9:27). This did not happen in 70 A.D. There was no peace agreement with the Jews, so it must be a future event. Daniel 12:1-4 places the time for this at "the time of the end," with a time of great tribulation in close proximity to the resurrection of the dead. Revelation 13:11-18 describes a man called "the beast" who issues a mark, without which no man can buy sell or gain. With the integration of the world around computer technology, we certainly can see how it can happen in the future. The apostle Paul gives a vivid description of this "man of sin" in II Thessalonians 2:3-12, and tells us that he will be revealed just prior to the Lord's coming. See Matthew 24:16-22 In verse 16-22 Jesus once more addresses the immediate concern of being ready to escape the tribulation that was coming on the Jewish nation in less than forty years. I believe that His words have a dual application for us and a coming tribulation. When they saw the abomination of desolation, they were to flee to the mountains without looking back. The Christians did this and were saved. Even though one million Jewish people were slain in one day, there has been worst tribulation since. The death toll of two world wars along with the holocaust and , the Russian and Chinese purges is somewhere around fifty million people. Genocides such as was administered in Armenia by the Turks against the Christians exacted extremely high death tolls. I feel that these, along with the atomic bombing of Japan exceed what happened on that terrible day in A.D. 70. However, all of this will pale when compared to the future tribulation of the anti-Christ. Luke 21 parallels the account of Matthew regarding the destruction of Jerusalem. I believe that verse 25 looks forward to our time. There would be signs in the sun, moon and stars and on the earth, distress of nations with perplexity. I believe that with the worldwide terror and a feared pandemic of the Asian Flu we are certainly seeing distress of nations with perplexity. All of this precedes His coming. Luke 21:20 ¶ And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.See Matthew 24:23-27 In verses 23-27 Jesus tells us that some will offer themselves as saviors, we are to pay no heed to them. See Matthew 24:29-32 In verses 29-32, Jesus places His coming immediately after "the tribulation of those days." What days is He talking about? He did not have a physical bodily appearance after the tribulation of A.D. 70, so obviously He is talking of a future tribulation to come. Nor were His elect gathered from one end of heaven to the other, so this also must be at a future time. His coming will be swift and instantaneous. He compared it to the lightening flashing from the east to the west. It will be immediately after the tribulation of those days. 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. See Par. 101: The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree 32 ¶ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. And just as one could determine that summer is near by looking at a fig tree, we also can discern the signs of the times and know that the coming of the Lord is upon us. Much is made of the statement that this generation shall not pass until “all of these things be fulfilled.” However, there are several definitions for the word “generation", such as a 40 year span, a nation or a race. Israel, in spite of all the devil could do to annihilate it is still standing. "All of these things" has to include tribulation, His coming and the gathering of the elect, since all of these have been mentioned in the preceding verses. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. No man knows the day or the hour of His coming. Jesus, speaking as a man, did not know either. Jesus compared the day of His coming to the days of Noah. They were eating and drinking and having a good time. They didn’t know there was a problem, until it began to rain. Next week's devotional will conclude with the part of Matthew 24 that deals with the coming of the Lord. In About-Him
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