Revelation - Part 3

Rev Pt 3: Lecture 6:
MATTHEW 24 and
THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN

by Kay Arthur

Click following for literal chapter by chapter chart summary of:
Revelation 4-10
Revelation 11-16
Revelation 17-19
Revelation 20-22

Amos 3.7 Surely the Lord God does nothing
unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.'

So how important that you and I understand the answer to the question Jesus' disciples ask in Mt 24‑25. What we will do is take these 2 chapters and integrate them with Rev 6‑22, building truth upon truth.

Remember that Matthew's overriding purpose was to present the truth that Jesus is the King, fulfilling the prophecy given to Abraham in Genesis: "And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Gen 22:18)

And also fulfilling the promise to David that he would have an heir Who would rule forever: "And your [God speaking through the prophet Nathan to David] house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever, your throne shall be established forever." (2Sa 7:16).

So as you look at Matthew remember that the purpose of this gospel is to prove that Jesus is the King of the Jews, the One Who is coming, the long awaited Messiah Who would reign on the face of the earth. Luke's purpose is to lay out a chronological account of the life of ft Messiah, so that we can take Matthew and fit it into Luke. Mark's purpose is to show us Jesus Christ is the Servant of God. "straightway, immediately" being frequent words ("immediately" is used 40x In Mark, 18x in Matthew, 15x in Luke). In John the purpose is show us that Jesus is God in the flesh.

So Jesus is addressing the religious leaders in the Temple area shortly before His trial and crucifixion and He says:

Mt 23:29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

From the Temple Mount area one can see the tombs of the prophets that the Scribes and Pharisees built to "honor" the prophets. But they had stoned these very prophets because they did not like their MESSAGE of warning of the judgment to come because they (the religious leaders) were not living righteously. So Jesus is saying in essence that they would have stoned these prophets just as their fathers did because they were in fact even then plotting to kill the Prophet of prophets sent from God.

Mt 23:31 "Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 "Fill up then the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape Me sentence of hell?

So here we see the Lamb of God, the One that came to take away the sins of the world and yet He is turning around and looking at His own people (John 1:11‑12 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." ) Yet among all these Jewish religious leaders, there are only a few who have left the "crowd", bowed their knee and confessed that Jesus was indeed the expected Messiah, the One that they would follow. So Jesus is speaking primarily to non‑believing Jews.

Mt 23:34 'Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will (future tense) kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,

And as we read in the rest of the NT, we see the Jews persecuting Paul in Thessalonica, even following him to Berea to persecute him. Who are those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ at this stage? They are Jews but no Gentiles at this stage of history (His story) before the Cross.

Mt 23:35 that upon you may fall the GUILT of ALL the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, Me son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple

THE MURDER of RIGHTEOUS ABEL: Jesus tells the Scribes and Pharisees that they are even guilty of the first murder of Abel by Cain.

Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

Ge 4:5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen 7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if YOU do not do well, SIN IS CROUCHING AT THE DOOR and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

Why was Abel killed by Cain? Because of JEALOUSY. God had accepted Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's sacrifice because Abel's sacrifice was a blood sacrifice but Cain's was HIS WORKS, the fruit of his labors. So in anger Cain killed Abel despite the fact that God had clearly warned him. But Cain did not listen to God and was cursed.

Mt 23:36 that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom YOU (the JEWS) murdered between the temple and the altar.

Consider marking Matthew 24 with a blue star of David over every YOU that refers to the Jews. Note the specific reason Jesus refers to them.

Mt 23:36 Truly I say to You, all these things shall come upon this generation.

What 'GENERATION'?

The generation that was existing at that time. The very people who were standing around Him as He spoke. The blood of all these murders would come upon these religious rulers who had refused to believe in Jesus and submit to Him, although they adorned the prophets tombs and gave the false impression that they loved the prophets (proving they were hypocrites). But they did not truly love the prophets because they refused to listen to the prophets who spoke of the very One Who was standing in their midst. They put their fingers in their ears and they refused to hear. Thus Jesus proclaims 'WOE" to them‑‑they would experience the sentence of hell (the lake of fire Rev 20:14‑15).

What 'THINGS' is Jesus predicting will come upon this GENERATION of Scribes & Pharisees?

Jesus is referring to the persecution that will come upon the wise men and prophets who are sent to the Scribes & Pharisees by the Lord. But since they refuse the truth these prophets proclaim, God will judge them and the blood of all the innocent people from Abel to Zechariah will fall on them.

Mt 23:37 "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, (put a star of David over Jerusalem) who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were UNWILLING. 38 "Behold, your (Jew's) HOUSE is being left to you DESOLATE!

What does Jesus description picture?
When the chicks are in danger, they run to safety under the mother's wings for protection. Story of the prairie fire which destroyed all the farmer's possessions: as he came to the charred remains of a mother hen, he reached over to tap it with his foot and as he did all of the little chicks came running out, having survived the fire because they had run the mother hen's outstretched wings. When the fire came they were protected!

That's what Jesus wants to do ‑‑ He wants the Jews (as well as you and I) to come to Him, abiding under the wings of the Almighty (Ps 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.) He wants to protect them, having invited them to come. But they say 'No' and that they Will come to God in their way. Yet Jesus is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE and no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6).

TO THE JEW FIRST & THEN TO THE GENTILE

John 1:11 teaches that Jesus came to His own, to the Jews but the Jews for the most part as a nation did not welcome Him. So when the Jews didn't receive Him, the Gospel went to the Gentiles. But when? Has this happened to any extent prior to His Crucifixion? Not really. Certainly He did speak to a 'woman, a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race' (Mk 7:26) who said 'even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs.' (Mk 7:27) 'Then Jesus answered and said to her, '0 woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed at once." (Mk 7:28) Yet Jesus says 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Mk 7:24)

But when He died He died for the sins of the whole world (cp John 3:16). So when Jesus hangs on the cross, He is made sin (2 Cor 5:21) for the whole world. He is buried, resurrected and ascends to heaven and yet has the GOSPEL truly been delivered to the Gentiles at this time? No. It's still to the Jew.

Just before He ascends He instructs His disciples saying "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both IN JERUSALEM, and IN ALL JUDEA and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

So the gospel is to he JEW FIRST ('For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, TO THE JEW FIRST and also to the Greek. Ro 1:16) So the disciples take the gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem until the STONING OF STEPHEN and when he falls down (and a man named Saul sees him die) persecution comes and the Jews begin to leave Jerusalem and scatter to the 'remotest part of the earth.

Meanwhile, Cornelius, a Gentle living in Caesarea receives the Gospel from Peter who responds to a vision from God to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. And the Holy Spirit comes to live within those who believed (the "baptism of the Holy Spirit") so that 'While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.' (Acts 10:44). So God shows Peter that this Gospel is not just for the Jews but for all men everywhere who will Repent and Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Then Saul who becomes born again Paul and he takes the Gospel to the Gentiles. Remember then in Mat 23 we are BEFORE THE CROSS when Jesus says He wants to gather 'you' (this generation) but 'You are unwilling.'

THE GLORY DEPARTS FROM GOD'S HOUSE
(Click here for overview of God's Glory)

Mt 23:38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate (Gk=barren, wilderness, uninhabited)

In the OT, the SHEKINAH GLORY rested over the Tabernacle indicating the presence of God (Ex 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glary of the LORD filled the tabernacle.) When the cloud (the Shekinah glory) moved, the Jews would follow the cloud because that was God's presence. Then David desired to build a permanent dwelling but God said "You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood. " (1Chr 28:3) but God did say " Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him." (1Chr 28:). When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, "the (Shekinah) glory of the LORD filled the house of God." (2Chr 5:14)

In the days of Ezekiel (a contemporary of Jeremiah & Daniel, just before the Babylonian captivity) THE SHEKINAH GLORY LEFT THE HOUSE OF GOD and moved away and never returned. (Study the progressive departure of the glory in Ezek 10:4, 18, 19; 11:23; and then the return in Ezek 43:2,4,5; 44.4)

The Jews returned to Jerusalem after their 70 years (Jer 25:11‑12) in Babylonian captivity and began to rebuild the Temple (called the "2nd Temple" began 535 BC ‑ completed 515 BC) which was eventually the Temple that Herod greatly adorned taking 46 years to complete the reconstruction (still referred to as the 2nd Temple). But the SHEKINAH GLORY was NOT in the Temple! The Ark of the covenant was NOT in the Second Temple, there being no mention of the Ark after the Babylonian destruction of the 1st Temple (Solomon's Temple).

THE GLORY RETURNS TO GOD'S HOUSE

Almost 5 centuries after the GLORY had departed the Temple, a man and woman came into the temple (Luke 2:27) to have the sign of the covenant (circumcision) performed on their baby boy, according to the custom of the Jewish Law. And all of a sudden Simeon, a righteous and devout man who was looking for the consolation of Israel, took the infant in his hands, blessed God and said "For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and THE GLORY of Thy people Israel. (Luke 2:30‑32).

The "Glory" had returned to the Temple in the form of that baby boy and for the next 33 years,

The Shekinah glory was in its presence. He was the glory of God. John 1:14 records 'We beheld His GLORY, GLORY as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Here in Matthew, chapters 23-24, it is almost time for the Crucifixion and Jesus the Messiah is in the Temple area speaking to the religious leaders. He then speaks the lament " "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."

And He walks out of the Temple and never walks back in. The House (Temple) is still standing but it is desolate because the Shekinah Glory is gone. Jesus is the Shekinah Glory of God. As Jesus walks out it is as if He turns one last time and says:

Mt 23. 39 "For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me UNTIL you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD."

Who is not going to see Him again?

The unbelieving Jews but the Jewish believing Jews will see Him again when He comes out of the Tomb! So thats why He says their house is left desolate.

SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE

Mt 24:1 "And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He answered and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down." 3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

We will study this also in Luke 21 where we will get the chronology of events.

The door of the Temple always faced to the EAST, toward the eastern gate, across the Kidron Valley and directly facing the Mount of Olives. So when you sit on the Mount of Olives you are able to clearly see the Temple. Who are the disciples (see Mk 13:3 for the 4 disciples who were there)? They are Jews.

They want to know:

(1) When will "these things" be?

What are "these things'? The destruction of the Temple when not one stone will be left upon another

(2) What is the sign of His coming and of the end of the age?

Did Jesus just mention His coming? Yes, when He said that they would not see Him again until they said "Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord." The END OF THE AGE refers to this current age that is going to usher in the corning of Jesus Christ. So basically they asked Him two questions, with one having 2 parts.

Mt 24:4'And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ (Messiah, the Promised One, the One that the prophets said would come & rule over Jerusalem), 'and will mislead many." 6 And you (Jesus is speaking to Jewish disciples) will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars, see that you (Jewish disciples) are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet THE END."

In His answer in Matthew 24, Jesus makes no reference to when the Temple will be destroyed, but He will answer that question in Luke 21:20-24. (20 "But when you see Jerusalem (being or in the process of being) surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. 21 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; 22 because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 "Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people, 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.) The Temple being torn down does not achieve Matthew's purpose because he is emphasizing the King and His coming and so Matthew jumps to the question which answers when Jesus will become King over this earth. So Jesus begins His answer by warning that there will be False "Messiahs" who will in fact mislead many. Other signs of THE END include wars & rumors of wars but these wars are themselves NOT THE END.

Mt 24:7' "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes."

One of the KEY WORDS you should mark all the way thru your Bible s "Nation" (or its synonym "Gentile"). Are any of these signs unusual for our time? No ... we have had false Messiahs, wars, rumors of wars, etc.

Mt 24:8 'But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs, Birth pangs signal one is going into labor, the end of which is birth. So these signs are just the beginning. 9 "THEN they will deliver you (Jews) to tribulation, and will kill you (Jews), and you (Jews) will be hated by all nations on account of My name."

Be sure and mark all the "TIME PHRASES" especially the "then's", "when's" & the "end". These time phrases help show how Jesus is giving them a progression. Wars & famines, etc are THE BEGINNING, not the end. Then the JEWS will be delivered to tribulation.

Was there any threat against the disciples? We've just seen what Jesus predicted the religious leaders would do to the "prophets and wise men and scribes" in Mt 23:34 ‑ they would be put to death. And further Jesus said that "all these things shall come upon this generation. " So "all these things" includes the religious leaders persecuting the disciples. These things happened in the early church with all 11 of the apostles (except John who was exiled to Patmos) being martyred.

PERSECUTION OF JEWS

Mt 24:9 "THEN (When? after the beginning of "birth pangs") they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you (Jews) and you (Jews) will be hated by all nations on account of My name."

The question is then who does "YOU" refer to? Is this just Jews generically or does this refer to Jews who have believed? "On account of My name" could signify that (1) they have actually believed in Messiah or (2) they are simply looking forward to the Messiah's coming. We'll leave that open now.

Mt 24:10 "And at that time man will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. 11 "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many."

So here is a PERSECUTION of Jews in Mt 24:9 maybe because they are identified with Jesus Christ or maybe because they are identified with God. When this persecution comes many will FALL AWAY. They won't hold up under the persecution but will defect. So at this time there is going to be A FALLING AWAY and FALSE PROPHETS will arise and lead many people astray.

Mt 24:12 'And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who

endures to THE END, he shall be saved.

When they deliver them to tribulation, some will fall away, false prophets will mislead many, but there is a

group that holds on until THE END and this group will be saved.

Mt 24:14 "And this gospel of Me kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the

nations, and then THE END shall come."

So what we can know is that the gospel is going to be proclaimed to ALL NATIONS and then the END will come. This is the last time He mentions "End" in Mt 24. Next to this verse you might consider writing Rev 14:6‑7. The gospel currently has not yet been preached to ALL nations.

Rev 14.6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an ETERNAL GOSPEL to preach to those who live on Me earth, and to EVERY NATION and tribe and tongue and people; (so is there any one who doesn't hear the gospel? no) 7 and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."

And what comes after Rev 14?

The BOWL judgments which are "THE LAST, because in them the wrath of God is FINISHED." (Rev 15:1).

In Rev 16 all 7 BOWLS are poured out.

In Rev 17‑18 we see Babylon described as an expansion of the 7th BOWL.

In Rev 19 we see Jesus Christ coming on His white horse.

what leads up to THE END OF THE AGE?

In the first section of Mt 24 Jesus answers the question about what is going to lead up to THE END OF THE AGE.

To summarize: False Messiahs, wars, rumors of wars, kingdoms vs. kingdoms, famine, earthquakes in various places, the beginning of birth pangs ...

THEN (and this "then" seems like it is a pivotal point) they deliver Jews to tribulation (we don't know for certain whether they are saved or not now). During that time there will be a falling away, a departure, an apostasy from the faith.

THEN there will be false prophets, the gospel will be preached and THE END comes.

The disciples wanted to know about THE END and Jesus has just told them what precedes THE END. And what definitely precedes THE END, is Jewish persecution, many failing away, many false prophets arising, the gospel being preached world‑wide and then THE END. THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

Mt 24:15 'Therefore (what is it 'there for?") you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel Me prophet, standing in the HOLY PLACE (let the reader understand)"

When was Matthew's gospel written? After Jesus had died, was buried, resurrected & ascended. So Matthew's writing is to help readers understand that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the King.

Who then is the primary audience of Matthews writing? The Jew.

Who would know or care about the Abomination of desolation? Jews would (and so would Christians who know the word of God).

Mt 24:16 THEN let those who (Jews) are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; 18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak.19 'But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!

It seems that so far in Mt 24, Jesus is speaking strictly to the Jews, specifically to Jewish believers. But we know that most of His disciples were martyred. So when you get to 95‑96 A.D. , John is the only one who is alive on the isle of Patmos and THE END has not come yet. So it looks therefore that He is speaking about a time BEYOND these immediate disciples to tell them what is coming in the future.

Has the Abomination of Desolation stood In the Holy Place since Jesus made this prophecy? No.

In Daniel 11 we do see an account of an 'Abomination of Desolation' which took place before Jesus Christ was ever born. Antiochus Epiphanes lived during the INTER-TESTAMENT PERIOD (400 years between the book of Malachi, the last prophet, and the beginning of the gospels, birth of John the Baptist, the witness to Zachariah). Daniel 11 prophesied about Antiochus; Epiphanes who came into the Temple in Jerusalem, into the Holy of holies and put up a statue of Zeus and offered a pig (unclean to the Jews) on the altar and this was called the abomination of desolation.

Da 11:31 "And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION." (Click here for Kay's Lecture on Daniel 11: "The King of Daniel's 70th Week")

So this event was B.C. But now Jesus is speaking to Jews and saying to them that the day that you see an Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place, then you are to FLEE. Judea makes you think of Jews. Is section directed to Gentiles? No, because why would a Gentile care about who is standing in the Holy of holies? This one who has just stood in the Holy Place has put himself IN THE PLACE OF GOD. The world says "so what" and it doesn't matter to them. But it does matter to the Jew. And all of a sudden there is a confrontation with the Jews so they need to FLEE.

Mt 24:20 "But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath, 21 for THEN there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. 22 `And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the ELECT those days shall be cut short. 23 THEN if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ', or 'There He is', do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the ELECT. 25 'Behold, I have told you in advance.

When does the GREAT TRIBULATION begin?

When the Abomination of Desolation stands in the Holy Place. Who are the ELECT (the chosen)?

Are there some Jews that are CHOSEN? Of course there are.

When He describes THE END Jesus says THEN they are going to deliver you up to persecution. The Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place parallels the END TIME event when Jews will be delivered up to tribulation. So when the Abomination of Desolation stands in the Holy Place, the Jews are to FLEE to the mountains bc they are going to be DELIVERED UP. THEN we have FALSE PROPHETS & FALSE MESSIAHS again and they will try to mislead people. So Jesus is saying to the Jews to run away. So to reiterate the following two verses seem to describe be parallel events:

Mt 24:9: "Then they will deliver you to tribulation..."

Mt 24:15 "When you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION .. standing in the holy place"

So Jesus is showing the Jews what is leading up to HIS COMING and what is leading up to THE END.

Mt 24:26 "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness, ' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. 27 "For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29 'But immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, 30 and THEN the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and THEN all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory,

THE KING IS COMING AND
THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN JUST BEFORE THE KING COMES:

The Jews are going to be delivered up.

Many will fall away.

False prophets will come.

But the Gospel will be preached.

Those who endure to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation will stand in the Holy Place
and initiate Great Tribulation from which the Jews are to flee.

The false Messiahs will come and then
the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.