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Scripture Reading: Matt. 24:1-31
I. In order for us to receive the revelation of the prophecy of the kingdom, our heart has to be fully on God and His desire, and we need to climb the high mountain to enter into His presence — cf. Dan. 9:1-23; Rev. 1:9-10; Matt. 24:3a.
II. We need to give heed to the prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place — 2 Pet. 1:19:
А. The prophetic word of the Scripture, as the shining lamp to us, conveys spiritual light to shine in our darkness (not merely knowledge in letters for mental apprehension), guiding us to enter into a bright day, even to pass through the dark night until the day of the Lord’s appearing dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts — Rev. 22:16; 2:28; 2 Tim. 4:8.
B. This will cause and encourage us to earnestly seek the Lord’s presence and be watchful so that we will not miss the Lord in the secret part of His coming (parousia) when He will come as a thief — Matt. 24:27, 43; 2 Thes. 2:8.
C. We must receive the warning of the prophetic word:
1. The Lord warns us to watch — Matt. 24:42; cf. Col. 4:2.
2. We need to take heed to ourselves that our hearts may not be weighed down with debauchery and drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day come upon us suddenly as a snare — Luke 21:34.
3. We need to be watchful at every time, beseeching that we would prevail to escape all the things which are about to happen and stand before Christ — v. 36.
4. We need to keep the word of Christ’s endurance — Rev. 3:10; cf. Rom. 15:4; Rev. 1:9.
5. We need to overcome and keep the Lord’s works — Rev. 2:26, 28.
III. The prophecy of the kingdom given on the Mount of Olives is a continuation of the Lord’s declaration regarding His forsaking of Israel — Matt. 23:37-39:
А. Matthew 24:1-14 reveals the history of Israel from Christ’s ascension to the consummation of the age:
1. The Lord revealed that the temple was about to be destroyed — vv. 1-2; cf. Ezek. 10:18; Matt. 22:7.
2. Many deceivers will come in the name of Christ and claim to be Christ, leading many astray — 24:4-5.
3. There will be wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes — vv. 6-7; cf. Rev. 6:1-8.
4. All these things are the beginning of birth pangs — Matt. 24:8:
a. The birth pangs, which refer to all the tribulations in the New Testament age, are suffered by the New Testament believers for the Lord’s sake.
b. These tribulations, along with the preaching of the gospel (v. 14), are used by God to produce His many sons so that He can constitute the church in this age, accomplish the kingdom in the coming age, and produce the New Jerusalem in eternity as the ultimate consummation of the church and the kingdom that He may have an eternal expression in eternity future — cf. Gal. 4:19; Rev. 12:2, 5.
5. The Jewish disciples, who were the prophets and wise men sent to the Jews (Matt. 23:34), will be persecuted and hated by all the nations — 24:9.
6. Many will be stumbled, delivering up one another and hating one another — v. 10.
7. Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray — v. 11.
8. Lawlessness will be multiplied, and the love of the many will grow cold — v. 12.
9. The ones enduring to the end will be saved — v. 13.
10. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come — v. 14.
B. Matthew 24:15-31 reveals the things that will happen at the consummation of the age:
1. The great tribulation will transpire in the last three and a half years of this age — cf. Dan. 9:27; 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14:
a. Antichrist’s image, the abomination of desolation, will be set up as an idol in the temple of God at the beginning of the great tribulation — Matt. 24:15, 21; Rev. 13:14-15; 2 Thes. 2:4.
b. When the abomination of desolation is set up in the holy place, the Jews will need to flee — Matt. 24:16-20.
c. No other tribulation will be able to compare with the great tribulation which will take place under the hand of Antichrist — vv. 21-22.
d. False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray the chosen — vv. 23-26.
2. The great tribulation will end with the open aspect of Christ’s coming:
a. Twelve hundred sixty days after Antichrist sets up his image in the temple of God, Christ will come openly to the earth as a flash of lightning — v. 27; cf. Rev. 12:6; 13:5.
b. Christ and His overcomers will come as a swift-flying army, like vultures devouring a corpse, to war against Antichrist and his armies and destroy them, thus executing God’s judgment on them at Armageddon — Matt. 24:28; Rev. 19:17-21.
c. Immediately after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken — Matt. 24:29.
d. The sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and the tribes of Israel will repent and mourn at the Lord’s appearing — v. 30; Zech. 12:10-14; Rev. 1:7.
e. After the great tribulation, at His coming back to the earth, the Lord will gather together to the Holy Land the scattered Jews from all parts of the earth — Matt. 24:31; cf. Deut. 30:3-6.
