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It was still Tuesday in the last week of the life of Christ. He has taken His Disciples off to the side and began teaching them. In this lesson we find a great deal of prophecy. He prophesies the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. He prophecies His Second Coming and the conditions that will exist before His Second Coming. Matthew, Mark and Luke record this event but Matthew's account is the most complete so that is the one we will use.
Verses 1 thru 14 record the conditions that will exist as signs of the coming destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Many scholars believe that it is also applicable to the signs of the Second Coming of Christ. There are 9 signs given in these verses, we will see how they apply to both cases.
The place that Jesus had chosen to get away from the crowds and to teach the Disciples was a point far enough away and high enough so as to give them a good view of the Temple and the associated buildings. It was late in the evening and the setting sun striking the Temple caused the Disciples to see, perhaps for the first, time, the beauty of it. Looking at it, they make note of this to Jesus. Jesus had that very day, foretold of its destruction, perhaps this caused the Disciples to see it in a different light.
Notice Jesus does not see the beauty that the Disciples see. It was no longer the House of God. "See these buildings, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." This prophecy was fulfilled some 40 years later. The Romans under the leadership of Titus, destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, despite the efforts of Titus, was completely destroyed also, never to be rebuilt. The Temple treasurers were carried off to Rome.
Turning away from the Temple, they start east toward Bethany to the Mount of Olives. There the Disciples ask Him for signs of His Second Coming and the end of the age. Nine signs are given which must come to pass. Lets look at each of these signs.
After these 9 signs occur, "Then the end will come." How many of these predictions have already come true? Have they not come true, in one degree or another, in every generation? After our study of Revelation, we must conclude it is as Jesus said to John, "Be ready, you know not when the Bridegroom comes."
Verses 15 thru 28 foretells of destruction. To the Jews, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. To us, it foretells of the Tribulation. The Prophet Daniel spoke more plainly about the Messiah than any other prophet. In Chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, he foretells of the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus says here, that the "desolating sacrilege" spoken of in Daniel is to take place in the "Holy Place". Some understand this to be the Temple, others, Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Either way, the Roman Army was the instrument of God's destruction. Christ, in His reference to the Old Testament, confirms the inspiration of God in its content. Jesus speaking of the Book of Daniel says, "Let the reader understand..." as though He realizes that it was a hard book to understand, but not impossible, as some may think. Then Jesus says to His Disciples, "When you see the desolation coming, let those who are in Judea, flee to the mountains." He was telling them that desolation was inevitable. Just as Lot left Sodom and Noah prepared for the flood, they were to prepare for the destruction of Jerusalem. In times of the "working out" of God's will, it is not only lawful but our duty to make use of what ever door of escape God opens up to us.
How much notice will we have of the destruction? Not much. "Do not even stop to take anything that may be in your house." "If you are out in the field, do not go back to the house, for any burden that you might try to take would only slow you down." The Syrians, in II Kings Chapter 7, cast off their clothes when they went into flight. The Jews brought up their garments and tucked them in around their waste allowing their legs free to run. Matthew Henry says, "Carry only Grace for the long run." Did the Disciples follow these directions? Only one had to, John. The others are believed to have been martyred before the destruction in 70 AD. But tradition has it that the Disciples passed this information on to converts and when the Romans came to Jerusalem, the Christians had fled to Pella, on the other side of the Jordan River where they were safe, so that in the thousands that were killed in the destruction of Jerusalem, not one was a Christian.
Even though there was not anything they could do about the destruction, there was something that they could pray for. If you were a woman, pray that you would not have a small child. Small children need care not found in the mountains and along the roads leading there. Pray that it might come at a good time to travel. Winter and the Sabbath, represent bad times for travel. When you cannot in good faith, pray that the cup pass from you, at least you can pray that the circumstances of your flight be conducive to travel.
Notice how bad this destruction will be. In verses 1 thru 14, Jesus tells of the famine, pestilence and death that will be a part of this tribulation. He said that this will be the worst the world has ever seen. He hastens to say, "But for the sake of the 'elect', those days will be shortened." Notice that He does not say that they will be shorter than God had for ordained, but shorter than it might have been had He dealt with them according to their sins.
Then He again warns them about false prophets. People will rise up within the church claiming "new revelation", but do not believe it, for the true Gospel you all ready have. It will travel like light, and when we get to the Book of Acts we will see something of the speed with which it spread throughout Asia and southern Europe. Then He made a difficult statement, "Wherever the body or carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together." This simply means that wherever Christ is preached, souls will be gathered in to Him.
Then in verses 29 thru 31, He again foretells of the signs of His Second Coming. Notice when this will happen. Verse 29 says, "Immediately after the tribulation." There are differences of opinion about the timetable of the "rapture" and the "tribulation". This seems to say that the "rapture" (the Second Coming of Christ) will occur immediately after the tribulation which means that the Church will live thru the tribulation. Others believe that the Church will be "raptured" before the tribulation. Either way, here are four signs which Jesus gave as indicators of His second coming.
Notice what is being said here. There will be a great change in the order of nature. It will be a visible change. Things, which before, seemed unchangeable. Light will become darkness and the whole world will take notice of it. It will be a universal change. Nothing like it has happened sense the flood. A similar sign occurred at His death. Christ will come in the sky and the His brilliance will make dull the sun. Those heavenly bodies that have sustained life sense creation will no longer shine when Christ comes to gather the "elect".
"Then Christ, the Son of Man, will appear in the heavens." His First Coming was as a little child, little noted, but His second will be as a King, coming in glory, and all will know it. "And there will be a loud trumpet call and His Angels shall gather His elect from the four winds. John saw this in a vision recorded in the Book of Revelation, when the 6th. seal on the Lambs Book of Life was removed. (Rev. 7:1-14).
Verses 32 thru 51, Jesus continues to speak about two events in the future, the destruction of Jerusalem and His Second Coming. These words are applicable to both, never-the-less, we need to use the whole Bible to interpret its meaning. I will give you what I believe these words refer to on the basis of my study and the study of others more qualified than I.
Jesus begins by using the wisdom of nature as an example for us. The fig tree knows instantly the signs of the seasons and responds to them. The warmth of spring causes the sap to come up into the tree and go out into the limbs. The sap will produce buds and leaves and summer will produce fruit and in the fall the fruit will ripen, then winter will cause the sap to go down into the roots and the leaves to fall. These are the signs of the seasons. Jesus had just given them "signs" of two events, so He says, when you see these things, you will know that the time is near.
Then Jesus turns to the destruction of Jerusalem. "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things will take place." Approx. 37 years later, Jerusalem was destroyed. Some believe that Jesus was speaking of His Kingdom, for it was very true that that generation did not pass until the Kingdom of God, His Church, came into being. When the tree of righteousness began to bud, God began to work. First came the leaves of faith and then the fruit of witness. This did indeed come to pass in that generation. But I believe in light of what He has been speaking of, that this prophecy refers to the destruction of Jerusalem.
How certain can we be that these prophecies will come to pass? Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away but My words, these truths, will not pass away." I am sure that in the next 37 years there were scoffers like there was during the time Noah was building his boat, saying, "Where is the destruction He spoke about?" But we know that there were no Christians in Jerusalem when the city was destroyed. The Disciples had taught them well and they were watchful and ready. Time had not dimmed their faith in these words of warning.
What about us. Has 2000 years dimmed our faith in His Second Coming? Are we alert to the signs? Are we ready? "For no one knows the day or the hour of His coming, not the Angels nor the Son, only the Father." Many, in the early church, believed like Paul that His coming was eminent and his delay caused a great deal of trouble. It gave the agnostics and the false prophets much to shout about. Many of the early Christians set down and did nothing, just waiting on His return. This placed an economic burden on the early church. Finally, Paul declared, "If you don't work, you don't eat." Notice in II Thessalonians, Chapter 2, how Paul dealt with this problem at Thessalonica. "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet Him, we beg of you, brothern, do not be quickly shaken in mind nor excited either by spirit or by word or by a letter purporting or supposing to be from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has come." "Let no one deceive you, for that day will not come until..... and he lists the signs that Jesus spoke of here.
Now nearly 2000 years later, people are still looking for the Day of the Lord. It will be as it was during the time of Noah, life will go on as usual until the very second He returns. Even the "signs", as drastic as they will be, will be explained away until large numbers of people will disappear, taken up into the heavens to meet Christ, therefore, you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you least expect.
We must not be like the wicked servant and say, "My Master is delayed, therefore, I will do as I wish." He beat his fellow servants and drank until he was drunk, and when the Master came, He punished him and put him with the hypocrites, not the murders nor the adulterers not the thieves, but with the hypocrites. I'm convinced that Jesus hated hypocrisy more than any other sin.
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