What a joy to be with you today. Well, if you were with us last
week, you know that we took our time together to investigate and
confirm the major signs and events that will precede and
prepare for the triumphant return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we examine five of those signs, the fifth one being the
most descriptive and unique among them all, and Jesus Christ
himself. And identifying that significant
indicator called it the abomination of desolation in
verse 14 of Mark chapter 13. And I invite you to turn with me
to Mark 13 as we prepare to continue in this glorious
discourse of Christ concerning. The things to come.
We determined together by surveying the entirety of the
Scriptures, especially the book of Daniel, that the abomination
of desolation, it didn't originate with Christ, but the
prophet Daniel spoke of this. And in Speaking of this, we have
concluded that he was describing a powerful political figure who
is to come and one day he will invade the Temple in Jerusalem
and will perform a blasphemous and abhorrent act within that.
Place. And Paul tells us exactly what
that abomination that will cause the temple, the holy place, to
be desecrated or desolate. He says in Second Thessalonians
chapter 2, verse four, that the man of lawlessness will take his
seat in the temple of God and he will proclaim himself to be God.
And that is a significant thing to do.
And it is a sign that is directly connected to our
understanding of when a generation should lift up its
head and realize, at least for the believers, that their
redemption is near. Now there are some who believe.
That the abomination of desolation was already fulfilled
in one of two ways in history past.
One common claim and belief is that there was a Greek king by
the name of Antiochus Epiphanes. Epiphanes is a self ascribed
title which means God manifest and Antiochus was a Greek king
who ruled over Syria between 175 and 164 BC.
Now in his attempt to solidify his rule he sought to oppress
the Jewish people and not just Hellenize it, but to erase
Jewish culture and faith altogether.
And of course, the Jews of that time resisted such decrees.
And this only stirred the king to do something that is really
unthinkable, unthinkable for the Jewish people, and really
unthinkable from an objective viewpoint.
And Teakiss invades Jerusalem. He surrounds the Temple, he
enters into the holy place, he removes the artifacts and the
treasures of the Temple of God, and he sets up an altar
dedicated to false gods and sacrifices the flesh of pigs
upon it. Such an act triggered what is
known in history as the Maccabean Revolt, and you can
find that in the apocryphal books, specifically 1st and 2nd
Maccabees. Josephus the historian writes
about it as well. But the Maccabean revolt really
was a group of Jewish people who in great faith and zeal, wanting
to defend the honor of their God, overturned and take kiss
and even defeated the Syrian Greek oppression that they were
enduring to the degree that they were able to re enter into the
temple, cleanse it once again and separate it unto the glory
of God as it once was. Jews today celebrate what took
place then. It is the festival known as
Hanukkah. And so many people believe that
what Daniel predicted throughout his book, especially the latter
part, was ultimately fulfilled and realized in that period of
history. Now the other viewpoint is what
you and I looked at and considered briefly last week,
that although this group may acknowledge that what happened
then was an abomination, it could not have fulfilled what
Daniel predicted because of what Jesus said in his discourse.
In Mark 13, Matthew 24, Jesus said that there would be this
abomination of desolation, but it would occur in this
generation. And this camp would say that
this generation speaks of the generation that was living at
the time of Christ. And so it's really the timing
factor. It couldn't have happened in the
past because Christ says it is to happen apparently in his
time. And so they see what happened in
70 AD when the Romans surrounded the Temple and General Titus
invaded and destroyed it as the fulfillment of what Daniel said
concerning the abomination of desolation.
What do you and I do with these monumental moments in history
that are clearly connected to biblical prophecy?
Here's where we concluded last week, and I want to reaffirm
this today, that although those things do in fact reflect upon
biblical prophecy and prediction, they are but partial
fulfillments. They are foreshadowings and
previews of something greater to come.
And the reason why we believe that is because what the Bible
testifies specifically about the abomination of desolation and
what it will cause has not yet been realized.
And so you and I remember that when we landed our time last
week, we explored how this man of lawlessness who would be the
reason why there would be an abomination of desolation To
begin with, His profile, according to Second
Thessalonians, does not fit past descriptions of others who have
desecrated the temple. Once Upon a time, he would be
one who would what? He would perform false signs and
wonders. That has not happened yet.
Additionally, Jesus Christ himself, according to the
writings of Paul, would personally defeat and destroy
this man of lawlessness who would enter into the temple of
God and proclaim himself to. Be God, that hasn't happened
yet. Additionally.
The abomination of desolation that Jesus describes, yes, has
been partially fulfilled in 70 AD, but the one that He is
speaking about would set into motion what you and I read here
in Mark 13. Look with me please, in verse
19. This is within the context of
speaking about the abomination of desolation.
Notice what the Lord says, for in those days pause what days,
the days of the abomination of desolation.
For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been
from the beginning of the creation that God created until
now, and never will be. Matthew is more specific in
saying that what the abomination of desolation will do is trigger
the great tribulation. So some who object to this view
that you and I hold to at least what I am preaching is that
there can't be a future abomination of desolation
because there is no standing temple today.
And that is true. But we're again, you and I
hopefully agreed, is that in order for Jesus's prophecies and
the even the prophecies of the prophets and Paul himself, in
order for those things to be filled means that there has to
be a temple to come, that a temple must erect, it must
arrive at some point. And with the establishment of
the nation of Israel 1948, and a growing desire among some of the
Jews there who long to revive the rituals and the ceremonies
of the Mosaic covenant, the realization of a physical Jewish
temple is more possible now than ever than ever.
And we can't downplay what happened in recent history
concerning a people group that were virtually erased in some
sense. And restored itself and came to
the point where it's at today. It's miraculous.
Nothing short of it. And if you and I are troubled to
grasp this, then realize that the most apocalyptic book in the
library of the Bible tells us about a temple.
So turn with me briefly to Revelation 11.
Look at the 1st 2 verses with me.
Realize that Revelation speaks of things yet to happen,
especially after chapter 4 and in Revelation 11.
If you view the Book of Revelation as a chronological
record, then this this is something you have to deal with.
Look at what John describes in Revelation 11/1 and two, he sees
this vision that I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and
I was told rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and
those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside
the temple. Leave that out, for it is given
over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for
42 months. And then John goes on to
describe two witnesses who will prophecy and preach for a period
of time from Jerusalem. They will be slain.
The world is going to celebrate it.
Interestingly, we're also told in this chapter that every eye
in the world will behold their slain bodies in the streets.
How is John able to describe how every inhabitant of the earth
would see the same thing at the same time?
It's in your pocket, that's how. Then there will be this
miraculous resurrection. I'm saying all this to say that
hasn't happened yet. We haven't seen at any point
these two witnesses performing these signs and wonders, them
being slain, the world celebrating it and giving gifts
to one another because they were tortured by their preaching.
When does that happen? Unless, again, you do brutal
origami with the Bible to say that all of that is
spiritualized. And again, I present that to
you, say that within the context of those two witnesses and all
the things attached to them. You have a temple described in
the beginning. Some people mentioned to me last
week about the sermon man, that there was a lot of scripture in
that, and that was intentional. And there's going to be a lot of
scripture in this one too. You know why?
Because I don't want you to wrestle with any ideas that come
from here. If you're going to wrestle,
wrestle with the text that has been prayerfully and hopefully
you will recognize rightly divided and so the the this.
Is going to be not a common sermon because my intention
here, if you've been here week after week, you know that we
love to go to different places in the Bible and land there and
meditate on certain truths. But.
Last week and this week and perhaps in the next two weeks, I
want to just present to you Scripture after Scripture after
Scripture for what purpose? So that you can see that these
truths are harmonized in the Bible, that from beginning to
end they testified the same thing, and that there's evidence
for why we believe what we believe concerning the end
times. And so prepare yourself to turn
your Bible to different places because again, I want to bring
your attention to these passages and for you and I to have a
holistic grasp on these things. So with all of this being said,
is there anything else to add concerning our understanding of
the last days? And the obvious answer is
absolutely. We can go back in to Mark 13 and
look at these signs in greater detail.
We can pause between verses 14 and 19 of of Mark 13 and look at
Israel's role in the end times because Jesus himself directly
addresses the Jewish people and how they should respond to the
abomination of desolation and the tribulation period.
Or we can take our time to discuss that the tribulation,
Matthew calls it the great Tribulation.
What? What is that period of time the
world has known the world has known horrors before, but it's
Jesus described me something that the world is not yet known.
If the Lord wills, we will look at these different subjects in
greater detail on an individual basis.
But what I want to do today is honor the flow of thought that
Christ offers in his teaching. So Jesus is going to continue
where we left off and after giving us the signs that we must
see and anticipate before His return, after describing the
most descriptive sign being the abomination of desolation, where
does Jesus want us to go now? What does He want us to unpack?
And Christ now wants to turn our gaze upon the day, the actual
day when He returns. He told us about the occasions
and the signs leading up to that day, but in three verses now He
is going to. He is going to paint for us a
picture of what it's going to be when he physically returns to
the earth. That's our main text today.
So let's read together Mark 13 beginning in verse 24.
But in those days after that tribulation, the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars
will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will
be shaken. And then they will see the Son
of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from
the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
If you are somebody who takes notes, then you'll be happy
today because I want to gather the thoughts here in these
verses under 4 headings that will hopefully organize what we
want to clarify concerning Jesus's teaching about His
return. The first thing that we're going
to consider is the period of His return, the period of His
return. The second thing will be the
platform of His return, the platform of His return.
The third thing will be the power of His return, the power
of His return. And lastly, we will consider the
procuring of His return, the procuring of His return.
And if you are again, if you are one who has difficulty
understanding this particular viewpoint of the end times or
just trying to understand it because it's fresh to you, then
be prepared to take notes of these references because they
will greatly help you. And having a familiarity of this
very important truth concerning our faith, Lord, we ask that you
help us now by Your grace, by Your Spirit, Give us the minds
and the hearts to be attentive. May the delivery of this word be
assisted by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and may the
Person of Jesus Christ be exalted even in this teaching.
We pray these things in His precious name, Amen.
The period of His return. You and I very shortly are going
to realize that Jesus says no man, no man nor Angel, not even
the Son of Man knows the day or the hour of His return.
If that text has troubled you, I suggest not missing the next two
weeks of church because we will explore that in greater detail.
How is it that Jesus, who is God, did not know the day or the
hour? But that doesn't mean that we do
not know the general period of. His return because he tells us
when it will happen again. Look here at verse 24.
But in those days after that tribulation.
So again, he says after that tribulation, we all agree that
in human history there have been many troubling times.
But what Christ defines here as a specific and unique period of
tribulation that will precede his return.
So Christ now offers us a block, a chronological block, that
after that tribulation, my return is closer than ever.
But what does he mean about that tribulation?
Well, again, if we look at the Bible holistically, if we look
at the entirety of Scripture, then there is a consensus that
this tribulation period in terms of its duration is 7 years,
seven years. And where you want to go on your
own time, because we don't have time to do it, is Daniel 924 to
27, where that's spelled out so clearly.
It's confirmed in the Book of Revelation, but its basis is
found in Daniel 924 to 27. And although we can't unpack in
detail about why we believe this period of tribulation is 7
years, what we can determine at this point is that it has a
purpose on the earth. There is a two fold purpose for
why this tribulation period will unleash in human history.
The first one is very obvious. It's for the Lord to exercise
judgment against the wicked with the aim of awakening them to
repentance before He returns. So there will be catastrophes
and devastations again, like Jesus said that the world has
never seen before. And yes, it is to bring judgment
against this world, but also to cause them to see their
wickedness and call upon God to be saved.
And what you find in Revelation that spells out that tribulation
period in greater detail is many, many people will refuse to
repent even after these catastrophes and all these
horrors. Some will even bite their
tongues in disgust against God and curse him and curse him,
still highlighting the depravity of humanity.
But there's a second purpose. It's not just for the world to
be shaken one more time, but it's for God to bring about and
finalize his discipline against the people of Israel.
It's for God to now focus specifically after the times of
the Gentiles are fulfilled upon this covenant people and to
bring them to a place in which they must acknowledge that Jesus
Christ is the Messiah and they will after that severe
chastisement during the tribulation period.
The basis for these understandings of what that
tribulation period is about, specifically about Israel is is
found throughout the Word of God.
And I want to show you a few places why this tribulation
period must take place. Turn with me to Daniel.
Look at Daniel chapter 12, beginning in verse one.
I want to show you just a few verses from the Hebrew
Scriptures that speak about this period of great difficulty for
the people of Israel. Daniel chapter 12, verse one and
two. At that time shall arise
Michael, the great Prince, who has charge over your people, and
there shall be a time of trouble.
Highlight that there shall be a time of trouble such as never
has been since there was a nation till that time.
Does that sound familiar? A time of trouble that the world
has not seen specifically for this people group.
When Jesus spoke about the abomination of desolation and
therein how it will trigger this great tribulation.
The context of speaking about the Judean people, the people of
Israel. And here you have hundreds of
years before Jesus is teaching where Daniel's being told that
there will be a time of great trouble like the nation has
never seen before. But it continues.
But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone
whose name shall be found written in the book.
Pause when Daniel is being instructed and informed about
this time. Notice that the context is for
your people. Who are his people.
Daniel was a Jew. This is about his people, the
Jewish people. So let's collect our evidence so
far. There's going to be a time for
the Jewish people of great trouble like the world has never
seen before. But that kind of trouble will
not 'cause their extinction. They will not be completely
annihilated because we're also promised that they shall be
delivered from it. There is going to be salvation
out of it. And to add to this, to add to
this being something about the days to come in the latter days,
look at verse two. Because there's a connection in
the context that is important. And many of those who sleep in
the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
You want an Old Testament verse that proves the resurrection?
That's one of them. But notice here that in this
teaching about the people of Israel undergoing a time of
trouble like they've never known, we have this discussion
about the resurrection. And we know that the
resurrection deals with when things are about to wrap up.
So this is this is strategic. This is beautiful.
And Jeremiah the prophet echoes Daniels.
Ingredients of what is to come for this people turn with me to
Jeremiah chapter 30. We're going to have a workout in
the Bible today. OK Jeremiah 30 beginning in
verse 4. Jeremiah the prophet says by the
Spirit, these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel
and Judah. Thus says the Lord.
Verse five. We have heard a cry of panic, of
terror and no peace. Ask now and see, can a man bear
a child? Why then do I see every man with
his hands on his stomach like a woman and labor?
Alas, that day is so great there is none like it.
It is a time of distress for Jacob, yet he shall be saved out
of it. Do you see the concert of the
Bible? Do you see the Symphony of the
Scriptures? Does not sound so familiar to
Daniel's prediction that there will be a time so great this
day. There is none like it.
Verse seven. It is a time of distress for
Jacob. That's why many people
identified the tribulation period, that seven-year period,
as the tribulation or the time of Jacob's trouble, the time of
Jacob's trouble. And notice again the promise,
yet he shall be saved out of it. So again, you have Jeremiah and
Daniel agreeing that there is going to be this unparalleled
period of discipline and restoration in this future
moment. And what's so amazing about
Jeremiah's prophecies that he continues to speak about it?
And it only confirms what you and I believe that will happen
after the tribulation period. So if the seven-year period
deals with God judging the world but also disciplining Israel, we
know that's not where it ends. And it doesn't end here with
Jeremiah's prediction. So look here at verse 8 now.
And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of
hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I
will burst your bonds. And foreigners shall no more
make a servant of him, but they shall serve the Lord their God,
and David their king, whom I will.
Raise up for them. You want answers in the Bible?
Ask the Bible questions. Here's my question.
It seems to be speaking in sequence.
That after this time of great trouble there will be
liberation, and part of that liberation is that foreigners
shall no more make a servant of him, Him being who?
Israel, Jacob. But following that, we also read
that the nation of Israel will. Serve the Lord their God and
check this out, David their king.
Why is it interesting that David is being mentioned here?
Because David was in the grave hundreds of years before this
prophecy. So why are we talking about
David being served in this future time after Jacob's
trouble, time of distress, and after that this treasures would
be liberation. They're going to serve their God
and David their king. This is not speaking about David
specifically, but about a son of David, one who will occupy the
throne of David, one who has been promised by the same Old
Testament prophets that will establish an everlasting
Kingdom. And so we read here that there
will be this revival of worship and honor towards a.
Promised king as well. And if there's any confusion
about this prophecy being about Christ returning after the
tribulation and establishing his rule on the earth, specifically
his throne in a literal, real, physical Jerusalem, keep reading
on. Look at verse 10.
Then fear not, O Jacob, my servant, declares the Lord, nor
be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far
away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall
make him afraid. Can I ask you a question?
Has there been any time in Israel's history where they were
quiet and at ease, and none shall make them afraid?
No, no. There have been periods of
grace, yes, especially in the Old Testament when they had
their own monarchy. But following that, especially
in recent history, this can't be true.
But notice verse 11. For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord. I will make a full end of all
the nations among whom I scattered you.
But if you, I will not make a full end, I will discipline you
in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
There's a time coming where the Lord is going to deal with all
the nations that harassed Israel, all the nations that
oppressed Israel, but the Lord assures them.
That doesn't mean that you're not going to be disciplined.
You will be punished, you will undergo chastisement and that
chastisement will climax during the seven-year tribulation where
they will know. Pain and distress unlike any
time, no matter what history has told us about this particular
people group. And so again, over and over, we
see here that the Scripture speaks about this time that has
not yet been realized. And once more, if we have
difficulty believing that this speaks about the end times, or
maybe it was fulfilled in times past, look at the final verse of
Jeremiah chapter 3024. The fierce anger of the Lord
will not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the
intentions of his mind. In the latter days, you will
understand this. The latter days is a consistent
phrase that speaks about the last days.
And here Jeremiah gives this prophecy and he signs off by
saying, if you're not going to get it now, you're going to get
it in the latter days. Is anybody going to be able to
thwart God's purposes for Israel?
No, he says. The fierce anger of the Lord
will not turn back until He's executed and accomplished it.
So all this to say that you and I want to establish here that
there is going to be as Jesus taught, as Daniel taught, as
revelation teaches, how the return of Christ will occur
after the seven-year tribulation period when the Lord will judge
the world and discipline Israel. And if you want to know more
about the the revelation concerning the Tribulation
period, God has given us an extensive record, specifically
Revelation chapter 6 to Revelation 19.
Those chapters give us with a wonderful insight series of
insights about what will take place.
During those seven years, but. We speak about here the period
of his return. This tribulation period must
take place. There's a lot of debate about
when that tribulation will happen, what will trigger that
tribulation period. But let's not overstuff
ourselves. Let's speak about the platform
of his return. Coming back to Mark 13, verse
24. But in those days after that
tribulation, something's going to happen.
The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in
the heavens will be shaken. What is Christ describing here?
He's describing a literal and final stage that will set up the
universe to introduce the commencement of the culmination
of human history. The point of this terrifying
chaotic cosmic scene is to illustrate different points.
One of the main points is this, that regardless of the moral and
literal darkness that will overcome the world, nothing will
stop the glorious return of Christ.
So during that tribulation period, it's you you thought I.
Don't know if I can say this world without it being flagged.
You thought the you know that pandemic thing that happened?
You thought that was bad. You you, you thought the world
being held hostage for 2-3 years was suffocating.
You have no idea what the tribulation period will be like.
People are going to wish to die and they won't be able to at one
particular point at least. It's going to be severe.
It's going to be detrimental in so many ways, and not only
because of the judgments, but because of the people's
immorality and their unbelief and their hatred towards God and
righteousness. Paul told us that it's only
going to get worse in terms of people's pride and their lust
and their love for money and their priority on pleasure
rather than prioritizing God. There are there are those out
there within Christendom who believe that the world is only
going to get better and better and better before Jesus returns.
I don't know how you can come to that conclusion with all the
prophecies. It's going to get worse.
And some are hesitant to believe
that because they think that it will only cause Christians to
bunker and hide and just hope for the return of Christ.
But no, I believe if anything, it stirs us.
It should stir us at least to save as many people from the
sinking ship. So Jesus here in saying that the
sun will be darkened. All these heavenly bodies,
they're they're going to be affected, they're going to be
shaken, is meant to present to us the universe preparing,
rolling out the red carpet, so to speak.
The spotlight now is going to come upon the center of this
whole story, Jesus Christ himself, and he doesn't need a
spotlight. His glory will be enough light.
But these celestial shakings also indicate to us that there's
a realignment coming in the very universe itself.
That that things are ready now to shift.
Things are ready now to change, so to speak.
And what's amazing here is that this end time imagery is found
throughout the Old Testament. Jesus is not introducing a new
picture here. He's only confirming what the
prophet saw and wrote about. And when you see this thing
again, it should only encourage your heart to realize the Bible
is consistent. Hey, listen, the book that's
you're holding your hand wasn't written by one or two people in
the span of 30 years, over 1400 years and 40 different authors
and different languages and yet the same theme, the same point,
the same script. And you and I last week we
peeked into the book of Zechariah to realize the
foundation of the Olivet Discourse was built upon that.
So let's peek again and realize that even the details of Jesus
teaching here are found in the prophets.
Look at Zechariah 14. Last time we read from verse one
to verse four and we touched on verse 9.
But look again at another verse that we didn't touch on that
confirms and agrees with the Lord Jesus.
Zechariah 14, verse 4. On that day his feet shall stand
on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to West
by very wide valley, so that 1/2 of the mount shall move
northward and the other half southward, and you shall flee to
the valley of my mountains. I love that.
Whose mountains are they? They're my mountains.
There's a lot of debate about who deserves that land.
It belongs to God. For the valley of the mountain
shall reach to Azal, and you shall flee, as you fled from the
earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
Now look at this verse 6. On that day.
On what day? Pause, Zechariah.
If you read Zechariah 14, he loves to say that on that day,
on that day on, he says it over and over again, speaking about
the day when the Lord returns and also the dispensation of
when Christ does set up His earthly Kingdom.
But look at this phrase here, verse six.
On that day what's going to happen?
There shall be no light, cold or frost, and there shall be a
unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but
at evening time there shall be light.
Doesn't that sound familiar to what Jesus says in Mark 1324 and
25? The sun will be darker and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling
from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Yes, yes, Jesus saying, you know, the prophets are
confirming what I'm saying, and I'm telling you that you could
trust in what they say because yes, me, I'm telling you the
same thing is going to occur. And it's not just Zechariah.
If your arm hasn't gotten tired yet, there's another passage in
Isaiah. Plenty of passages.
Isaiah 24. Verse 21, mark it down, mark it
down, mark it down and be good brains.
Go home with your family, with your spouse, with your siblings
and see if these things are true.
Isaiah 24 verse 21 on that day. I guess Isaiah likes that phrase
too on that day. The Lord will.
Punish the host of heaven in heaven.
You know the host in heaven in heaven.
You know what he's speaking about there, what Paul spoke
about in Ephesians 6. Principalities, cosmic powers,
invisible beings who occupied the heavenlies.
On that day, the Lord will punish the host of heaven in
heaven and the kings of the earth on the earth.
They'll be gathered together as prisoners in a pit.
They'll be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be
punished. Look at verse 23.
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the
Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his
glory will be before his elders. Verse 9.
Verse nine of Isaiah. Not 24.
But look at verse nine of Isaiah 13.
You're already there, so it shouldn't be too much work.
Isaiah 13. Verse 9.
Behold, the day of the Lord comes cruel with wrath and
fierce anger, to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its
sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and
their constellations will not give their light.
The sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not
shed its light. I will punish the world for its
evil and the wicked for their iniquity.
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the
pompous pride of the ruthless. Pause.
Do you know why Isaiah 13 is very important?
Because those who believe that what happened in 70 AD completed
all of Jesus's prophecies concerning his return will use
Isaiah 13 as a proof text to say that Jesus talking about the sun
being darkened and the moon and the the stars, all of that is
just symbolic apocalyptic language.
It's not literal. And why would they go to Isaiah
13? Because Isaiah 13 in its context
is speaking about the fall of Babylon, the fall of Babylon.
So they say this didn't happen when Babylon fell.
We we didn't see the sun being darkened and and the moon being
affected. This is just symbolic language
of God's coming judgment. But again, like many other
prophecies, there is a already not yet component to many of
those predictions. And so yes, this is speaking
about Babylon in many ways. But then there are details woven
in that cannot be known for a specific context.
So again, if this is strictly speaking about Babylon, look
again at verse 11. I will punish the world for its
evil and the wicked for their iniquity.
Not just one nation, all nations, all nations.
You want to talk about how catastrophic this will be?
Look at verse 12. I will make people more rare
than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of offer.
Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth
shall be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the Lord of
hosts in the day of his fierce anger.
So what have you and I learned so far together?
That there's going to be this tribulation period for seven
years, and at the end of that Jesus Christ will come.
Does anybody know the exact day or hour of his coming?
No, but when he does come, the heavenly bodies will be
affected. They will tremble.
They will introduce the commencement of the culmination
of the age. But you know, I had a question.
What's going to happen to the sun and the moon and the stars?
Because what we believe is when Christ comes, that's not the end
of the story. He's going to come.
And we're just getting started with the Kingdom.
So what's going to happen if he's going to come to physically
rule and reign? That's an innocent question, is
it not? The sun will be darkened, the
moon will be affected, the stars are going to fall.
Sounds like we're starting a new heaven and a new earth.
Not necessarily. I'm persuaded that there's
another text in Isaiah that gives us a glimpse of what's
going to happen to the very things that were affected at the
coming of the Lord on that day, and how they will be changed
during that 1000 year period when Christ will rule from
Jerusalem. You want to see it with me?
OK, Isaiah 30. Turn with me to verse 26 of
Isaiah 30. Isaiah 30, verse 26.
Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun will be sevenfold as the light of seven
days in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of His
people and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow, saying,
when is that going to happen? Well, if the day of the Lord,
when he comes, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not
give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven.
And when the eternal age, remember there's eternity still,
right? There's going to be eternity.
And you know what we're told about eternity?
There's going to be no sun. There's going to be no need for
the light of the sun. Tell me why?
Because the glory of the light of the Son of God will
illuminate our universe. So if the day of the Lord,
there's going to be no sunlight and in the eternal age there's
going to be no sun at all, then what is Isaiah speaking about?
I, I think he's speaking about what the sun and the moon will
be like during that interval period when Christ for 1000
years is going to thin the veil between our world as we know it
and the eternal age. And he's going to be reviving
and restoring that Edenic scene that we we were introduced in
Genesis one and two. And part of the brilliance of
the millennial Kingdom is that you're going to see the moon
shining as the sun. And what about the sun?
It's going to shine seven times stronger than what you and I
have been used to. Just a little.
Glimpse, I love how the Lord gives us just little peeks into
what's to what's to come for the redeemed.
So we talked about the period of his return.
We talked about the platform of his return.
We still have two, two more truths to explore.
The third one is the power of his return.
So come back to Mark 13, please, if you're not already there.
And this is a very common passage in verse 26.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming into clouds with
great power and glory. That's what the disciples want
to hear. Not this dying and being
betrayed and being tortured. No, no, no, that's what we want
to know. Yes, the Son of Man coming,
great power, awesome glory. And I think this is so
significant for many reasons. One, because in the same way
Jesus and warning about the abomination of desolation tells
us in Matthew go to the prophet. Daniel, Let the reader
understand. Christ continues to rely on
Daniel even in this part. Because Jesus in verse 26
borrows Daniel's language concerning the Son of Man,
Pastor Mark opened up the service with it in Daniel 713 to
14 specifically where one like a Son of man will come on the
clouds and to come on the clouds as a prerogative that belongs to
God alone. Clouds in many instances of the
Old Testament speak of a chariot like kind of manifestation.
And so for the Son of Man to ride on the clouds, that's a
claim to deity. And so we see here that Christ
also now goes to Daniel indirectly by really quoting him
and copying his language. And these disciples will surely
know what he is speaking about. But Jesus speaking about this
would be so important also because in this discourse, he's
been warning in so many places, hey, be careful false prophets
and be careful false messiahs because some of them will have
the audacity to say I am he, I'm the Savior, I'm the one to
rescue the world from this mess. And Christ says, be careful.
And I'm telling you one of the ways you're going to know
whether or not somebody's true. And realizing the description of
my coming, I will come in clouds with great power and glory.
I'm not going to show up on TikTok and say I'm the Messiah.
And who's going to see Him when he says, and they will see the
Son of Man John tells us who's going to see Him in Revelation
17. You don't have to turn there.
Just listen to this awesome declaration.
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see
Him. Every eye, not just the people
of Israel, every eye will see Him, even those who pierced
them. And all the tribes of the earth
will wail on account of Him. Even so.
Amen. Amen.
And so Christ, you're mentioning this was important in terms of
the warnings of false messiahs. Because no Messiah, no matter
what kind of miracle he would be able to perform, would not be
able to come close to this triumphant entrance into this
universe. And again, this would only help
the disciples more as they are preparing just in a few days,
whether greatly they would not be expecting it, Their Messiah
who just told him he would come in great power and glory will be
humiliated, nailed on a cross. Christ wants to instill that
future hope that that's not the end of the story.
So when Christ does come, it will be accompanied by creations
dramatic response and it will be globally visible and it will be
unmistakably Him. And again, these disciples would
need to be comforted by that truth.
Now we come to the last thing, the procuring of His return, the
careful gathering and collecting of His return.
You would think that this would end at verse 26, this crescendo,
but it doesn't. Verse 27 and Mark 13 And then He
will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four
winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
What is the centerpiece of the culmination of the age?
Christ? It's Jesus, one that we are
waiting for even today. But essential as He is, do you
realize that those who belong to Him also play a part in this
grand story? That in God's final program for
the earth, you and I are in His mind.
He is mindful of us. In fact, that's part of His
great mission. When He comes back, He's not
just coming back to bring judgment.
He's not even during that Tribulation period and preparing
for His return, focusing solely on Israel in his mind at least.
We read in verse 27 that when he comes, he's going to dispatch
angels and he's going to gather all of those who believed on his
name. And the language here denotes
like a great searching. There's not going to be one of
us that's going to go missing. There's not going to be one of
us that's going to be left behind.
It's not going to be one of us. It's going to be overlooked.
Christ is going to gather us unto himself.
And if you want another text to prove the deity of Christ, I
won't turn there, but I'll just throw it out there for you if
you're interested in this. The language here of have of
Christ gathering His elect is exclusive also to Yahweh when in
many instances He speaks about the regathering of His people
when they go out into exile. And one reference for that is
actually found in Deuteronomy chapter 30, verse 4, where this
act of regathering from the four corners of the earth is
something only God can perform. And yet Christ here says He will
do it because He is God. But more than that, here's what
we have to ask ourselves so far. Here's what you and I have
learned. There's going to be birth pains
and they're going to only intensify as we come to the
birthing of the Kingdom. And there's going to be one
specific period in human history that's really going to 'cause
these contractions to go wild, and that's the seven-year
tribulation. And even in that seven-year
tribulation, at the 3 1/2 year mark, it's going to set off the
great tribulation. And Jesus says after that
tribulation, you're going to see the sun darken, the moon not
give its life, the stars falling.
And I'm going to crash through the skies.
And when I crash through the skies, not only am I going to
cause the nations to wail, but I'm going to send my angels and
they're going to gather all those who belong to me.
And we think, OK, great, and then we're going to be in heaven
forever. No, not yet.
You heard me tell tell you earlier that there is this
important period of time where Jesus will set up the millennial
Kingdom. And when he gathers the elect,
it's not to just place us in some neutral space or to put on
a garb on us and us just sing for all eternity.
No, he's going to gather us. And that's where we're going to
get busy. You thought you were just going
to serve the Lord here until you.
Yeah, there is a unique way of serving the Lord with this life
He's given us. But let me show you what's going
to happen when Christ returns and gathers his elect.
It's found in Revelation 20, specifically in verse 4.
May I remind you that Revelation 20 is preceded by Revelation 19.
What a thought, right? But in Revelation 19, you have
the description of Jesus Christ returning with even greater
detail than all of it discourse. And again, I think one of the
most important keys in unlocking the truth of Revelation is to
honor the fact that it's a chronology.
Revelation 19 Jesus comes back. He destroys the enemies.
He destroys those who hate. Him who hate his cause, his
message, his gospel. And then Revelation 20 follows,
and here's what we read in verse four.
Then I saw Thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the
authority to judge was committed.
Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the
testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God, and those who had
not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its
mark on their foreheads or their hands, They came to life and
reigned with Christ for 1000 years.
Isn't it plain? Isn't it clear?
I hope that this time frame is becoming more obvious to us.
So he returns. Matthew tells us he's going to
gather his elect. But for what purpose?
Well, the Lord, in establishing His Kingdom, is going to set up
Thrones, and depending upon the faithfulness of His people with
the one life that they have lived, will determine the degree
of the responsibility and reward in that millennial Kingdom.
So some will rule. Some will be designated for
these awesome tasks, some less. Yes, we're saved by grace.
Your faith will bring you into the eternal age, but your.
Faithfulness or lack thereof, will determine your experience
in that Kingdom to come. And he speaks about the souls
who have been beheaded during that tribulation period.
You're going to have people coming to Christ, those who have
not worshiped the beast or its image.
You understand how difficult that will be to resist the
beast. Do you understand how difficult
that will be when this Antichrist will say you can't
eat, you can't drink, you can't do business?
We got a little sample of it for a couple of years and it was
light. Want you to understand how
difficult it would be for a mother or father to look at
their starving children and all they have to do is go to the
nearest whatever under A1 world government.
Take that Mark and their kids can eat and survive, but some
will choose to rather suffer and die instead of pledge their
allegiance to this false Messiah and they will be honored in the
millennial Kingdom. They came to life and reigned
with Christ for 1000 years. Come Lord Jesus, come Lord
Jesus, this world's a mess. Every government has failed.
Every empire that has risen, no matter how long they've risen
for came tumbling down. But there is one whom Isaiah
tells us where his government will never come to an end, never
come to an end. And listen, I I'm excited.
I'm excited for Christ's name to be vindicated.
I I'm excited for righteousness to dominate our world.
I'm excited for the Prince of Peace to prove to the
generations that he is the true king and he is the one who only
can solve sin's problem. I'm excited for all of that.
I'm I'm excited for that conversation with the King of
Kings about what that millennial king them will look like for you
and I on an individual basis. I'm I'm excited for holiness to
be the atmosphere of this universe.
I'm excited for the geographical and even the the animal Kingdom
being altered by the rule and reign.
I'm excited for all of that. But I'm primarily more excited
about one thing in this whole teaching about the last days.
Being free from sin, yes. Being free from temptation, yes.
Getting that resurrection body, please.
Yes, All of that is glorious to me.
But Paul indicates one thing that believers will be
preoccupied by, and I present to you what I am the most excited
about, and I trust you share that same conviction.
Here's our last verse. It's in Second Thessalonians
chapter one, 2nd Thessalonians chapter one.
And just look at one verse with me in verse 10, Paul says when
he comes on that day to be glorified in his Saints, this is
the part. And to be marveled at among all
who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
There's a time coming where we will no longer look through a
glass dimly, where we won't have to rely on our imagination,
Where as much as there might have been gifted preachers in
our lives who are able to paint pictures for us about what is to
come, there is a time coming without filter.
Christ will stand before us, and we can't help but marvel at Him.
Have you ever marveled at somebody?
Marveled Like astonishment, spellbound, gripped.
When Christ comes, He will be the object of your adoration for
1000 years and for an eternity following it.
I know your mind can't wrap around it, but Paul assures us
that believers will look at him and they won't be able to take
their eyes off of him. And you will know a satisfaction
and a joy when you experience the presence of Christ and the
way it will come. So that's why the Spirit of the
bride say come, Lord Jesus, that's our prayer.
Let's pray it together. We thank you, Lord, for giving
us the grace and the energy to be able to put these truths
together. Your word says my people perish
for a lack of knowledge. But Lord, you have fed us with
your word today. And we're thankful, Lord, that
there is more clarity and assurance and confidence of what
we believe. And Lord, for the person who
might be wrestling with this particular viewpoint of the last
days, or maybe for those who still can't seem to understand
the ABC's of it, may Your grace only continue to flow in our
hearts. Bring us to where we need to be
in our understanding of this truth.
And Lord, we pray that it would not just satiate our curiosity
or cause us to be better at debate.
God forbid we ask. Lord, more than anything, it
would stir our hearts to worship you and to love you and to serve
You with everything in us. Before you come back, Lord, we
ask that you would receive glory, and we say what John
writes about at the end of that glorious book, Revelation.
Come, Lord Jesus. Lord, our purpose is not in our
business. It's not in our money, it's not
in our bank account, it's not even in our relationships, it's
not in our health, it's not in the experiences of this world.
Lord, we long for you more than anything else.
Oh God, you were the giver of every good gift.
But Lord, we want the Giver himself.
And so, Lord, if any of us in this place have gone stale in
our relationship with you and our relishing of you from a
personal basis, revive it through this teaching.
Help us realize that it all roads will lead to you.
Lord, all roads will lead to you, You coming and being the
center of it all. But Lord, we won't wait until
that time we choose to make You the centerpiece of our existence
here on earth. Lord, Your word has gone forth,
but we pray that Your Holy Spirit would drive it, etch it,
chain it around us so that we would not forget or lose out on
the benefits, the life changing aspects of this teaching.
We look to you Lord, moving forward.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen.
I'm so happy that I know the future.
Aren't you? We know the future.
We know what's coming. Nothing will catch us by
surprise. But it's still possible for the
believer to so fall asleep that he misses out on what God wants
him to be prepared for. So I pray that your heart would
be realigned in your walk with the Lord, that you would gird up
your loins, that your legs would be strong, and that your heart
would would beat again for this purpose of living for Jesus
Christ. Let's stand and worship this
King together, shall we?