The
Day of the Lord, the Return of the King
Plus
Appendix: Summary of Events of the Return of Christ
By Gerry Watts
In
this study, we shall consider the subject of the fundamental time period known
in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) as 'the
Day of Yahweh.' This is a common phrase throughout the writings of the
Hebrew prophets, and in the Greek Scriptures (the New Testament) it is called 'the
Day of the Lord.' In many translations though, the name Yahweh is
replaced by the word LORD in capital letters throughout the Old Testament so
that most Bibles read 'the Day of the
Lord' throughout. A correct understanding of this phrase is the key that opens up
the door to accurately grasping what Master Jesus,
and the apostles Peter and Paul, and
particularly the apostle John
in the book of Revelation, prophesied and taught as recorded in the NT.
As
there are so many differing interpretations out there in relation to the
Return of Christ and the events of the end of this age, we shall be
considering this subject in quite some detail, to give as much clarity to it
all as is needed. The
subject of Biblical Prophecy is extremely vast, but I will try my best to avoid unnecessary
sidetracking. We will be dealing with the
main prophetic texts that give us clear details of this Great Day,
particularly those from the NT. For those who know this subject very well,
there is an Appendix to this article which gives a
simple straightforward summary of the main events associated with the Return
of Christ Jesus, but I would greatly encourage the reader to consider this
whole article if you wish to become firmly established in the truth,
particularly those of you who are influenced by Dispensationalist or Preterist
doctrines.
Literally
or Figuratively?
The
big question for many Christians is this: Are the events of this Day
to be understood quite literally or are they to be interpreted in more of
an allegorical sense? This article will answer that question for you if you have
ears to hear.
Now
the majority of the world doesn't even believe in Christ,
let alone in the fact that Jesus said He will return one day to judge the
world and to save His true people. To the carnal, worldly mind, this is all
complete hogwash! Nevertheless, the world still needs to hear
this message and to be warned of what's to come, but it is
particularly relevant to those who call themselves Christians, to those who
claim to follow Jesus as their Master and Messiah, for they are the ones who
have faith in these things - or at least they should.
The Apostle Peter prophesied that
during these last days, many religious Christians, as well as religious Jews
looking for the Messiah, would scoffingly
question the return of Christ as an actual event, discarding it as a mere
myth, while at the same time choosing to ignore and disbelieve the Scriptures
concerning Creation and the Flood of Noah's time.
First of all, you must understand that
in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil
desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?
Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the
beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that
long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of
water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was
deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth
are reserved for (stored with - CV) fire, being kept for the day of
judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
(2 Peter 3:3-7 NIV)
Peter
also makes it very clear that the present heavens and earth are literally stored
with fire, and the Day of the Lord will bring about the destruction of
this Old Creation, as well as bringing judgment upon the ungodly and the
irreverent. This appears to be referring to some kind of atomic shift which
will bring this creation to a fiery end, while causing a New Creation to
emerge from the ashes. The scriptures are very clear on this. The ancient world was destroyed by a cataclysmic Deluge
of water, yet the present earth is reserved for destruction by fire.
This Old Creation is destined to be renewed by fire, just like the
mythical phoenix, which burns in a flame of fire, only to rise again from the
ashes - renewed.
Now
I know that there are many Christians who teach and believe that this is all
figurative, and they re-interpret it to mean something quite different, for
they find it difficult to believe that this kind of destruction is going to
take place during Christ's return, which will inevitably result in the death of
everyone on the earth at that time who doesn't belong to the kingdom of God in
Christ Jesus. Only that which cannot be shaken will remain.
For some reason,
those who believe that this is all allegorical have no problem believing in the divine
judgments of the past, such as Noah's Flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah, and even
New Testament judgments such as the horrifying destruction of Jerusalem and
the Temple in the first century AD, yet when it comes to the ultimate Day of the
Lord, it's a different matter!
We
must remember that, when it comes to this Old Creation, there are certain
things that will literally occur, in the realm of the flesh, but in New
Creation terms, most of Jesus' teaching is to be taken allegorically
and spiritually. Many Bible teachers get these things mixed up, though, so
that, consequently, they are not rightly dividing the Word of truth. (I myself
made this mistake for many years).
One of the reasons for this
largely figurative or naturalised view of the Day of the Lord is that many
believe that there is going to be a coming 1000 year reign of Christ on this
present earth, therefore, the events of the Second Coming have to be re-interpreted to
fit this scenario. I used to see things from this 'pre-millennial' position,
but I now see that this is incorrect (more on this a little later).
Now
I'm not saying that these things are easy to take on board or easy to believe
in, or that it's an easy subject to dwell on, because it's not, nevertheless,
I will attempt to show in this article that these things are prophesied to
occur - and whether we like it or not, it shall occur as God has said.
It is so clear in the NT that the Apostles and early Christians looked forward
to this glorious Day, and saw it as the pinnacle of all time in relation to
this Old Creation, when old things will pass away and the New will begin; a
Day that will lead to the resurrection and judgment of all, and the
Restoration of all things. Therefore, all who claim to be followers of Jesus
should also be looking forward to this Day.
For
those who wish to believe otherwise, then that Day will come on them like a trap, like a thief in the
night! We
shall see that the warnings throughout the NT in relation to this Day, about
being prepared and watching, are not there to fill in space nor are they there
just for fun! And there are a number of reasons to believe that we are very near
the end of this age, so this is a subject that should be taken very seriously
indeed. (A few of these reasons are given in the Appendix below).
Time
is Running Out
The
Day is coming when the heavens and the earth will pass away, but a New Heavens
and a New Earth shall replace it instead, with a New Order and a New World,
governed by the Kingdom of God and His Messiah (and that's not the religion of
Christendom or Judaism, by the way, or the mergence of man-made religion). It will be the glorious Day of
God, when the resurrection of all mankind shall occur and everyone will appear
before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged in accordance with their acts.
Those who belong to the Kingdom of God as Overcomers will be granted
age-abiding Life, while the rest will be sentenced to the age-abiding
chastening of the Second Death.
In
the meantime, the world and the Church are being seduced and deceived into a
false sense of peace and security amidst a great era of blessing and grace,
being surrounded by modern science and technology, and all manner of amazing
advances in the modern world - a Laodicean Church settling down in Babylon with great prosperity
and earthly riches. Yet even though grace greatly abounds where sin increases,
which is certainly the case today, this inevitably means that the judgment
will be so much
heavier in the end.
Have
you ever thought why there has been such a great acceleration in recent decades, in
many areas of science and technology (including manned rockets into space and satellite
technology, the internet, digital technology), as well as travel and leisure
(mass transportation by aeroplanes and cars, a huge leisure industry), and in music and
film and all manner of entertainment to a degree never experienced before (including digital technology of CD's, DVD's and MP3's, amazing nature documentaries
revealing things never seen before, etc, and even the movies are becoming more
prophetic, with amazing special effects that enhance the realism, particularly
in supernatural/sci-fi films).
Yet all of
this is happening amidst a huge population explosion, along with a world-wide interest in
the earth and its environment due to mass pollution and environmental
problems? How much further can humanity go with all this stuff - the
good and the bad?
Along
with all of this, there has been a continuing increase in evil. Why has some of history's bloodiest conflicts taken place in
the past century or so, staining the earth with its wickedness? This
earth has never had such a weight of sin and uncleanness and evil upon it as
there is now, on such a massive scale. The earth is soaked in the blood of
lawlessness. Some of the most sad and sickening
perversions of humanity's wickedness against God and it's inhumanity to man are occurring
daily, worldwide - and it's increasing! I am constantly amazed that this world
is still here! So, why is it that all these things are happening now, all
together?
The
answer? Because we're nearing the end of this age and this Old Creation! So, those 'weirdo's'
who go around with notice boards saying "The End is Nigh" are not
far wrong after all! When this Day comes, it may be the end of things as we
know it now, but it will also herald a New Beginning for all. And to think
that powerful businessmen are now selling 'moon acres' to people! Believe me,
there isn't any moon or planet (if it were possible to live there) that will
escape what's coming very soon to this Old Creation!
So, if you're severely
lacking the fear of God right now, then I would suggest that you get some Holy
Fear upon you to humble you under His mighty hand, and believe the Gospel of
His Son, because only then will you be able to escape the hour of trial that
is going to come upon the whole inhabited earth in the near future! Do you
really think that you or I have a right to live on this earth if it wasn't for
the grace and mercy of our Creator? Even the very
breath you breathe is not really your own!
Now
if you're feeling a little uncomfortable with this subject of the Great Day of
the Lord, then you can be rest
assured that you are probably a little too comfortable in this world, or you are hanging
on to certain dreams and doctrines and ideas that are too worldly and fleshly,
and therefore you do not want God interfering with your life or this world,
in that way - because you don't want Him taking away that which you think belongs to
you, your very spirit and soul! You don't want Him taking it from you - like a
thief in the night! You don't want to see this world destroyed or cleansed!
It's natural to think like that, but the spiritual mind will see the necessity
for this world to undergo a renewal and a cleansing by fire.
So,
I've got news for you - the world and everything in
it belongs to the One Who purchased it all with His own blood, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and He will soon return to claim that which is rightly His! He who wishes
to keep his soul will lose it, while he who loses his soul for the sake of
Christ will keep it for the ages to come, in glory! It's almost as
though Time itself is speeding up - and running out! Perhaps that's why
everyone is busily running around like headless chickens! But there's a Day
coming which will stop everyone in their tracks!
Everything
in this Old Creation comes to an end eventually. Everything decays, everything
leads to corruption, all are dying and all will be destroyed. Nothing here
lasts forever! (Boy, I'm a really happy bunny aren't I!) And that's the hard sober truth of the
matter! No wonder Solomon
came to the conclusion, in the book of Ecclesiastes, that 'all is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.' Everything seems to go round and round in circles
and leads nowhere in the end - except to death and destruction! And the Day of
the Lord will bring it all to an end very quickly, rather than as a slow
process.
Yet there is Good News! If it wasn't for the Gospel of God's Son,
there wouldn't be any hope at all! There's a New Creation coming - and the
Return of Jesus Christ in the Day of the Lord is the awesome event that will
bring it about!
So,
let us now begin to look closely at what the Hebrew prophets and
apostles revealed concerning this Day, beginning with the Old Testament and
then continuing with the New Testament.
The
Second Coming
Firstly,
there
are a few key words that are used in the NT to describe the Return of Christ in the Day
of the Lord, so it would be good to clarify these at this point.
1.
The first is the Greek word epiphaneia. This is usually translated as Advent
or Appearance. In virtually every instance in the NT where this word is
used, it is in the context of Christ's Second Advent. There is at least one
instance where it is referring to His First Advent (2 Timothy 1:10). This word
essentially means 'a visible appearance due to the shining of light'
and apparently it was sometimes used in a special sense to describe the
appearances of the Greek Gods. This is where the English word Epiphany has its
roots.
2.
The Greek word erchomai is the common word for come or coming,
meaning 'to move nearer from another location.' It is used a number of
times in the context of Christ's Coming at the end of this age, but it is also
used of other 'comings of Christ' that were in spirit or in vision. There are
three examples of this that stand out in the NT:
a)
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was a 'coming of Christ' because
He promised the disciples that He and the Father would come to them and make
their home in them (John 14:23).
b)
Christ appeared to Paul a number of times, and the first appearance was in
great glory that blinded him. These were personal 'comings of Christ.'
c)
The Apostle John saw the Day of the Lord and the Coming of Christ in a
spiritual vision recorded in the book of Revelation. Jesus had previously
indicated that, in some form or another, John would remain alive to see His
coming, though He never said that John wouldn't die or that he would actually
witness it all at the end of the age (John 21:21-24). Be that as it may,
John is a type of the final generation of believers who will not actually
die, but will inherit immortality at Christ's Coming.
Therefore,
even though there are other 'comings of Christ,' the NT clearly teaches that
there is to be a Second Coming (or Advent or Appearance) of Christ at the end
of this age. There are some who teach that the NT doesn't actually say
anything about a Second Advent or Coming of Christ - but I would beg to differ
on that one. Here's one.
But now
he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with
sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and
after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take
away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time,
not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for
him.
(Hebrews
9:26-28 NIV)
The
writer of Hebrews is saying that Jesus the Messiah is the ultimate Chief
Priest who has made atonement for the people by sacrificing Himself, and
thereafter He has entered heaven itself, the Holy of Holies, to appear in the
very presence of God. He will yet publicly appear a second time, by coming out
of the Holy of Holies, to bring salvation to those who are faithfully waiting
for Him. This
text is clearly talking about Christ's First Advent and His Second Advent - as
public appearances to the whole world, not just to a few select individuals or
groups.
3.
The Greek word parousia is used almost exclusively in the NT to refer
to the Coming or Presence of Christ at the end of this age. The word
essentially means 'to be beside' or 'presence,' that is, it is
the opposite of absence. This word is used in this way in Philippians
1:26-27. The word parousia is used of Paul's bodily presence
with the believers, because he was planning on visiting them, and it is
contrasted with the word apousia which was describing his bodily
absence from them at that time. In his body, he was either absent from, or
present with, the Philippians.
The
Presence of Christ is referring to His visible, bodily return in the Day
of the Lord, His Second Coming. At present He is absent from this earth, and
invisible to the world, ruling the universe from the throne of Heaven. But the
Day is soon coming when He will descend from heaven to be present on this
earth, and He will become visible to the whole world.
4.
The Greek word apokalupsis is used a number of times to describe the Unveiling
or Revelation of Christ in the Day of the Lord. It is often rendered as
revelation or manifestation.
It essentially means 'that which is uncovered or made known, having been
previously hidden.' The English word Apocalypse comes from this word. It
is used of things and people, and particularly the uncovering (or revelation)
of spiritual things. It is ultimately used of Christ's unveiling or revealing
or manifestation to the whole world at the end of this age.
It
is also used in Romans 8:19 to describe 'the unveiling of the sons of God'
which shall also occur at the time of Christ's Unveiling. The book of Revelation
is just that - the revealing or uncovering or unveiling of Jesus Christ.
All
of these words mentioned above are used to describe the ultimate Coming of
Christ Jesus to this earth in the Day of the Lord (also known as the Day of
God) - Christ's Second Advent, His Revelation, His Coming in power and great
glory at the end of this age to judge the world and to establish a New Creation.
The
Millennium Issue
Now for those of you
who are really familiar with the Scriptures, you may be asking
at this point, "What about the 1000 years of Revelation 20?" So
before we continue, let me say a few things about the Millennium.
One of the most
prevalent prophetic viewpoints is that of Premillennialism, which believes
that the 1000 years will commence quite literally when Christ returns at the
end of this age. Therefore, it is believed Christ comes before (pre) the 1000
years (millennium). There are many differing interpretations as to what form
the kingdom will take during the 1000 years. Some believe it will be a kingdom
ruled from Jerusalem in Judah with Israel as the head nation, while others
believe it will be the Church Overcomers who will reign over this earth,
changing the world system in the process.
For many years, I was
blinded by this belief of a literal 1000 years to come due to the teaching of
Dispensationalism. I say blinded because I strongly believe that all of the
Biblical and historical evidence leads me to the conclusion that
Premillennialism is incorrect. Think about this for awhile.
The apostles and the
early church knew nothing about a coming 1000 years from a biblical
perspective. It is not clearly found anywhere in the Bible - only in
Revelation 20. The best historical evidence that we have tells us that the
vision of Revelation was given to John in the early to mid 90's AD - and this
was long after Peter, Paul, James and some of the other apostles had died!
Peter and Paul didn't write anything about a coming 1000 year Reign that is
said to occur in the age to come. Even John was only recording what he saw and
heard in the vision. We are not given any biblical record of how he
interpreted it.
The truth of the
matter is this. If we piece together all of the prophetic details concerning
the Return of Christ at the end of this age in the ultimate Day of the Lord, we
will find that the resurrection and judgment of all mankind will take place at
this time, and that the present heavens and earth will be destroyed by fire.
This Old Creation will pass away and a New Creation will arise in its place.
Therefore to talk of a literal 1000 year Reign on this present earth after
Christ returns, before there's a New Creation, is totally incorrect,
and just doesn't make any clear biblical sense.
Also, one of the
hardest things to accept from Revelation 20 is the mention of Satan being set
free to deceive the nations again at the end of the 1000 year kingdom! Every
other passage that talks of the coming of the Kingdom of Christ in power and
glory views Christ as being victorious over Satan and the world system, and
beginning a full restoration of all things. So how could Satan be allowed to
cause a mass rebellion, yet again, after Jesus has been reigning for
1000 years - which then results in His enemies being destroyed by fire from
above, again? It just doesn't make sense.
In fact, it is only when we add
Revelation 20 into the picture that things seem to get contradictory, but if
we bear in mind that Revelation is a supernatural vision containing a
number of smaller visions wrapped into one, that are full of signs,
symbols and figures of speech, which are primarily revealing things that have
happened or are happening during this present Church Era, and a few
things that are still to come - then all becomes clear.
I strongly
believe that we are already in the era of Satan's release, after the
symbolical 1000 years, in which he is luring the world back to its roots of
Babylonian paganism and outright lawlessness, in what some would call a
post-Christian era. It is also not a coincidence that the false, worldly
Church of Rome ruled for a round period of 1000 years, seeking to counterfeit the
true rule of Christ from above.
The truth of the
matter is that the early church was Amillennial in their beliefs. So if you
are presently influenced by Premillennialism, then I strongly urge you to lay
that belief aside for now, as well as putting Revelation 20 to one side for
now, and then read the following with an open mind, diligently searching the
Scriptures to see if what I say is true. Seek the Lord for truth and you will
find it. If you wish to look into these things further, then check out the
section The Great Prophetic Plan Revealed,
particularly the Introduction to Prophetic Studies.
Now let us consider
the Day of the Lord.
A
Period of Judgment and Wrath
The
phrase 'the Day of Yahweh' is essentially describing the period of time when the Creator, revealed as
Yahweh, the God of Israel, severely disciplines and judges His people Israel, and also
the surrounding nations, with great wrath and power. Biblical prophecy is
full of succeeding patterns and cycles that are leading to an ultimate
fulfillment, and this applies particularly to the Day of Yahweh.
There have
actually been many Day's of Yahweh in the past history of the nation of Israel
and the nations of the world, notably during the Assyrian invasion and captivity in the 8th
Century BC; the Babylonian invasion and captivity in the 6th
Century BC; and in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans during the
Jewish War of 66-70 AD.
It
is the Day or Era when God judges certain kingdoms, nations and empires of the
world through war, plague and calamity, usually by using other nations to
accomplish this, as well as using forces of nature. It is essentially God's control of, and judgment upon, the
nations and empires of man, causing either their rise or their fall. It is
also a time when His people are judged, whether it be ancient Israel or the
Christian Church.
This Day usually involves destruction of people and cities,
and the history of the empire of Babylon is the foremost example in Scripture
of this Day of wrath, vengeance and destruction, and God's ultimate
sovereignty over all nations. The vision of Revelation in the NT speaks of a
Secret (or Mystery) Babylon which shall ultimately fall at the end of this
age. For further study, see Who is Secret
Babylon the Great?
There have also been many incidents of God's judgments
upon His own people through various plagues and divine signs. Whether the
instrument of divine judgment is human or otherwise, God is the ultimate
source of these displays of power, often using His angelic forces as tools of
judgment. A basic reading of portions of the OT will make this evident. It has
to be admitted that many of these 'historical' judgments
on the surface of things appear to be natural occurrences brought about by man
or nature. The
issue is whether one truly believes that these things are really divine or
not. The predictions of the Hebrew prophets make it evident that these things
were truly heaven-sent, but unbelief can still reign supreme in some people's
hearts even in the face of such divine evidence.
Nevertheless,
on closer examination of many of the prophecies concerning the Day of Yahweh,
it is evident that there is still to be a future ultimate
Day of the Lord - and that Day will be unmistakably full of supernatural
occurrences that no one will deny! In that Day, which shall be brief, God will
deal with humanity in His wrath and righteous anger, and during this time Israel and Christendom
will
receive their final judgment, and all of the nations will be directly judged
by God in His indignation for their lawlessness and injustice. This judgment
will ultimately occur through the Messiah returning to the atmosphere of this
earth to reclaim His creation, for Him to begin restoring it all once it has
been cleansed by fire.
This
will be the era when God will severely judge the whole world in His
indignation to show humanity His power and righteousness, and to crush the
ripened wickedness and rebellion of mankind. Yet even the wrath of God is
rooted in His love and mercy for us all, and ultimately He will fight for the oppressed,
the weak, the sick, the afflicted, and the victims of all injustice who will
look to Him as their King. He will
emerge as the world's true Hero and Champion - although for the majority of
the world, He will cause them much grief and anger, wailing and gnashing of
teeth, because the chastening of their age-abiding judgment will begin. Yet
even this will be for the ultimate benefit of mankind eventually.
The
New Testament reveals that this Day of the Lord is the 'Day of the Lord Jesus
Christ,' the Day when He returns in power and great glory, also known as His
Second Advent. This Day will usher in a New Creation through the fire of God's
wrath. It
will also be the time when the Body of Christ Ecclesia (or true Church), the
sons of God, will be
delivered and glorified, assembled with their Head to receive their spiritual
allotment as rulers of the heavens and the earth. These truths or secrets
concerning the Bride/Body of Christ, and the present administration of Grace, were
primarily revealed through Jesus and Paul.
It
must be noted, though, that the Day of the Lord, the Return of Christ, will
include a number of events that are associated with it, such as the
Resurrection and the great Judgment Day. These things, and those of the New
Creation that will follow, are considered in greater detail in other articles,
so in this article I'll try and stick with those details that are concerned
with the actual end of this age and of this Old Creation, rather than that
which follows - even though it all belongs to the ultimate Day of the
Lord.
The
Latter Days
There
is also another common term that keeps popping up throughout the prophets and
that is 'the latter days' (or 'the
last days'). This is essentially describing the era of the promised
Messiah, particularly in relation to Christ's First Coming, and the ending
of the Old Covenant system of the Law, along with the end of ancient Israel's
position as God's chosen nation according to the flesh. This period was also
called 'the era of the end' or 'the time of the end' (and this
is very much used in Daniel).
This term
'the last days' can also be applied to the whole
of this present age, between the First and Second Comings of Christ, of which
the exact duration is unknown. It is true to say that the believers of Christ
in the First Century were in the beginning of the last days, and there wasn't any indication as to
how long it would be before the conclusion
of the age, when Christ shall return. So, in effect, there are two 'time of
the ends,' one relating to Christ's First Advent, and the other relating to
His Second Advent.
Many
of the first century Christians believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime,
even though the prophetic details made it obvious that that wouldn't happen,
as there were certain things that needed to occur first - and little did they
know that the last days would be extended about twenty centuries! This was due
to a new shift in the plan of God, which He later revealed in fullness through the apostle
Paul. Yet over the centuries, many students of prophecy have observed that
certain things needed to be in place before the conclusion of the age can occur.
Most of these things are now past, yet over the past century in particular, the 'props' have been moving quite
rapidly into place for the final showdown on the stage of the universe. We are
most certainly in the final years of the last days!
Jesus
said to the unbelieving generation of His day,
'You
know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky (concerning
the weather), yet you cannot interpret the signs of the present time.'
(Luke
12:56 & Matthew 16:3b NIV)
It
is the same today. There are many within Christendom who cannot see the spiritual 'signs' of the present time. But the hour is very
near!
So
let us now take a closer look at some of these prophecies and see what has
been revealed concerning this time period. But
be warned! This is not the most pleasant of subjects. There is a lot of
destruction described in these prophecies that is directly attributed to God
Himself. Now this appears to be contrary to the acts of a Father of Love, and
it is very hard for us to understand why God has to use such severe methods,
both in the past, and often in the present, and also in the future. Yet
these methods are only related to this Old Creation.
God knows the heart of humanity and the seeds of corruption within it, and He
deals with us accordingly. Ultimately, He has a grand plan for ALL of His creatures, which
will eventuate in their blessing, yet His wrath and His judgments are a
strange part of that plan. But contrary to what is commonly taught and believed by many, these judgments are not the end result.
This must be borne in mind when
studying this subject if we are to arrive at an accurate understanding of the
heart of God.
There
is a battle raging between righteousness and wickedness, truth and error, love
and hate, light and darkness, that goes beyond this planet alone - and the
Father of all will eventually have the victory. So the Day of the Lord is an
essential part of Scripture that shouldn't be ignored. It definitely has its
place in the plan, and it will occur
in the very near future. It's where everything is heading!
So
let us begin by stepping back in time, to around the 8th century
BC, to the writings of some of the Hebrew prophets.
The
Prophet Joel
The
prophet Isaiah was given the most
details on the Day of Yahweh, but Joel and Amos were most
probably the first to mention this era. They ministered around 780-750 BC, and
Isaiah ministered sometime during the period of 767-687 BC.
Firstly, let us look through Joel 2:1- 3:21, which contains some of the key
characteristics and facts concerning this unique time period.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm
on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such
as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come (And after it, it
shall not be again, unto years of generation after generation - CV).
(2:1-2 NIV)
Before them the earth shakes, the
sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no
longer shine...The day of the LORD is great; it is
dreadful. Who can endure it?
(2:10-11
NIV)
'Then Yahweh will be jealous for His land, and He will spare His people…I will not make you a reproach among the
nations any more.
The northerner (the invaders from the north) I will put far off from you, and I will
expel him to an arid land and a desolation…
And it comes afterward,
I shall
pour out My Spirit on all flesh…In those days I shall pour out My
Spirit.
And I will give miracles in the heavens above, and signs on the earth, blood
and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the
moon to blood, before the coming of the
Day of Yahweh, the great and fearful day. And it comes that
everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall escape. For
in mount Zion and in Jerusalem, deliverance shall come to be, just as
Yahweh says; and among the survivors are those whom Yahweh is calling.'
(2:18-20, 28-32 CV)
These texts,
which contain a lot of hyperbole (that is, exaggerated figures of speech),
were essentially prophesying the then future invasions of the Assyrians and
the Babylonians, and even the Seleucids under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. All of
these armies successively invaded Israel from the North, causing immense destruction in
the process. Not only were these Days of Judgment for Israel and Jerusalem,
but they were also days of judgment for the nations in general. The rise of
the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar in the late 7th century BC was
unlike anything that had occurred before in the history of the world. It
became the greatest and most powerful Empire of the ancient world. It's no
wonder that God refers to this empire as a 'head of gold' in Daniel 2.
It wasn't until
the days of the Roman Empire that such a mighty force ruled the whole world
again. (Even though Babylon was succeeded by the Medo-Persian and Greek
Empires respectively, Rome exceeded them all in power and extent). A number of
these empires, and their subsequent rise to power to dominate the Middle East,
are being referred to in these prophecies of the Day of the Lord.
Nevertheless,
a close examination of these passages will reveal that some of these details,
if taken more literally, have not as yet been fulfilled, as they have to do with the end of this age
and the return of the Messiah to fully manifest the kingdom of God. The ultimate
Day of Yahweh has to occur at the end of this present age with the return of
the Messiah. This becomes very evident when all of the relevant Hebrew texts
pertaining to the Day of the Lord are read. Then we find that it is further
confirmed in the New Testament. Jesus Himself alluded to some of these Hebrew
texts in His teaching about His glorious Advent and Presence and Unveiling
(that is, His Coming or Second Advent), which shall occur at the end of this
age.
Although we shall be looking at the Day of the
Lord in the NT a little later, it would be appropriate for us now to briefly examine some
passages in the book of Acts where a quote from the Prophet Joel is given.
Due
to the fact that the apostle Peter
quoted Joel 2:28-32 on that renowned Day of Pentecost in 33 AD (Acts 2:16-21),
let us see what Peter had to say about it.
The
Promised Holy Spirit
Some
of the Hebrew prophets had prophesied the pouring out of the Spirit of God
upon the people, and this was also a promised blessing contained in the New
Covenant (see Joel 2:28-29; Ezekiel 39:29; Isaiah 32:15; 44:3-4; 59:21). The apostles had also been given the promise by Jesus
that after His departure the Holy Spirit would come on them for power, so that,
as His deputies, they could proclaim the message of the New Covenant with
signs and miracles. This evangelistic work was to be done during the time of Israel's
probation, and it would eventually go out to all nations (John 7:37-39; 14:25-26; 15:5-15; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:4-5).
This
coming of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in a powerful way at the feast of
Pentecost while the small group of about 120 disciples were sitting in the
temple courts. It caused quite a stir amongst the many Jews and proselytes
from around the world who were in Jerusalem for the feast (Acts 2:1-41). Here
is what Peter quoted on that day.
"No,
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
" 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all
people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your
old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will
pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
I will show
wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and
billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' "
(Acts
2:16-21 NIV)
By
quoting from Joel, Peter was declaring to the people in Jerusalem that the
coming of the Holy Spirit on the small group of apostles and disciples of
Jesus, to empower them as Christ's kingdom administrators, was the fulfillment
of
the pouring out of the Spirit on all flesh, prophesied by Joel. Up to that
point in time, only chosen individuals, particularly prophets, priests and
kings, were blessed with an anointing of the Holy Spirit. But through the
promise of the New Covenant, the blessing was for all
Israel and also for the believers of the nations, both male and female.
Peter
was also reminding them that the coming of the Day of Yahweh would involve judgment
for them as a nation (in blood, fire and billows of smoke), before the blessing of the Spirit could remain with them in the
fullness of the kingdom (at the coming of the Day of the Lord), because judgment begins from the house of God and moves outward (1
Peter 4:17; Acts 2:40).
Yet incredibly, all these things were fulfilled in the First Century AD, before
the great Day of the Lord comes, as Joel had prophesied.
A
number of miracles or wonders had occurred in the sky and on the earth in
connection with Christ's birth, death and resurrection, and most of these are
recorded in the Gospel accounts. Even the sun was
darkened, and the moon was turned blood red, on the day of Jesus'
crucifixion, on 3rd April 33 AD. This was due to a supernatural darkness in the afternoon, and a
lunar eclipse later. (This lunar eclipse is recorded in the book Solar and
Lunar Eclipses of the Ancient Near East from 3000 BC to 0 by Manfred
Kudlek and Erich H. Mickler. I'm indebted to Stephen Jones for this
information). These things were accompanied by earthquakes as well.
Then during the era of the Roman/Jewish War in 66-70 AD, there were many great
signs from heaven and fearful events, just as Jesus had predicted in Luke
21:11, along with the 'blood, fire and pillars of smoke' of Jerusalem's
destruction. The fulfillment of all of these things are recorded in the
writings of Josephus and others.
On
another day, Peter said to those in Jerusalem
'Repent,
then, and turn about for the erasure of your sins, so that seasons
of refreshing should be coming from the face of the Lord, and He should
dispatch the One fixed upon before for you, Christ Jesus, Whom
heaven must indeed receive until the restoration of all which God speaks
through the mouth of His holy prophets who are from the eon.'
(Acts
3:19-21 CV).
So
we can see here that Peter and the other apostles believed that seasons of
spiritual refreshment would come to the spiritual Israel of God before Christ's
return, manifesting as former and latter rains, as the gospel goes out to all
nations. The full manifestation of the
Messianic kingdom and the spiritual blessings that will flow throughout the
whole earth is called 'the restoration
of all
things,' because the whole of
creation shall be restored to its former beauty, and much more beyond that, in a New
Creation.
In
fact, in his second letter to the Jewish believers, Peter confirms the truth
revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, that the Day of the Lord begins with the
wrath of God coming suddenly upon the world like a thief during the return of
the Messiah. (We shall look at this in more detail later).
'Yet
the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word (of
God), are stored with fire,
being kept for the day of the judging and destruction of irreverent men...the
Lord is not tardy as to the promise…Now
the Day of the Lord will be arriving as a thief, in which the heavens shall be
passing by with a booming noise, yet the elements shall be dissolved by
combustion, and the earth and the works in it shall be found.'
(2
Peter 3:7, 9-10 CV)
At
present, this is 'Man's day' where humanity gets the opportunity to show its
complete inadequacy in governing itself! During this era, God is calling out a
people to become His sons to rule in the age to come as a heavenly, spiritual
Israel. But
the 'Lord's Day' is coming soon
(and in some respects, it is already here, in spirit), when God will show
forth His
power and justice through His Son, Christ Jesus.
The
Secret Interval
It
is also worth mentioning at this point that in the Hebrew prophets, details of
the two portraits or 'comings' of the Messiah were sometimes revealed within
the same passage, without any indication in the text itself that there would
be a gap of numerous centuries intervening between the two appearances.
One
such example is Isaiah 61:1-2, which says,
'The
Spirit of My Lord Yahweh is on Me, because Yahweh anoints Me to bear tidings
to the humble. He sends Me to bind up the broken hearted, to herald to
captives, liberty, and, to the blind, the unclosing of the eyes, and, to the
bound, to take the jubilee, to herald
an acceptable year for Yahweh, and a day of vengeance for our Elohim (God).'
(CV)
Now
Jesus quoted this prophecy in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21), but
He left out the last part of the sentence concerning the 'day of vengeance'! He
then said to the people, 'Today this
scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' He could not have said this if He
had read out the part on 'the day of
vengeance,' which is the Day of the Lord! This prophecy,
particularly the 'day of vengeance,'
will be completely fulfilled at His return, often referred to as the Second
Coming, although it did have a fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem in
70 AD.
But take note: there is a gap
of indefinite duration between these two appearances of the Messiah. The
NT makes this abundantly clear. This
must be borne in mind when piecing
together the various details of prophecy. Although there are many Bible
teachers today who deny these plain facts, it is clear that there are
invisible gaps in the prophecies, and there is
a 'parenthesis' between the two comings of the Messiah Jesus.
It
is true that there can be spiritual comings of Christ, as we learned
earlier, and Pentecost in
33 AD was one of them, when the Spirit of Christ and of God came to dwell in
the figurative Temple that is His people, but this was not the prophesied
return of Christ in power and great glory in the ultimate Day of the Lord.
Right now, Christ Himself is absent from the earth after having ascended
into heaven, and He is now dwelling in the heavens, in the spirit realm, but
one day soon He will descend from heaven and be present
for all to see.
It
had been intimated in the Hebrew prophets that the Messiah would return to the
celestial world for a time (i.e. go to heaven), and then He would later return
to the earth to appear a second time (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:33-36; Matthew 22:41-45; Hebrews
9:28). This is what Peter was confirming above when he said,
'…Whom
heaven must indeed receive until the
restoration of all which God speaks through the mouth of His holy
prophets…'
The
time is quickly approaching when this restoration shall finally occur.
The
Valley of Judgment
Now
let us briefly return to the prophet Joel, continuing in Joel Chapter 3.
"In those days and at that time, when
I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I
will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There
I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people
Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my
land. They cast lots for my people and traded boys
for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink.
(3:1-3
NIV)
"Let the nations be roused; let them
advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all
the nations on every side. Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe. Come,
trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow—so
great is their wickedness!" Multitudes,
multitudes
in the valley of decision! For the
day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will
roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will
tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold
for the people of Israel.
(3:12-16
NIV)
So
here we are given details of the judgment of the nations, which was to occur in
a war over Israel and its land, accompanied by huge disruptions in the earth
and in the heavens. Notice that the reason for this judgment was due to the
evil of the nations, and its arrogant treatment of God's people and His land -
taking them captive and mistreating them.
Jehoshaphat
was a famous king of Judah and in 2 Chronicles 20 we have the record of a
famous battle that Yahweh won for him. There was a valley near to Jerusalem
called the Valley of Beracah where Jehoshaphat assembled the people to praise
Yahweh for His victory. It is probable that the 'valley
of Jehoshaphat' spoken of in the above prophecy is referring to this
valley somewhere outside Jerusalem.
This
text is essentially describing the judgment of all the nations in the Middle
East, particularly Babylon, for their mistreatment of God's people, Israel, and
His land. The judgment is pictured graphically as divine wrath trampling the
grapes in a winepress. Even the sun, moon and stars are said to be darkened by
this judgment of God. This could be taken figuratively as a period of
darkness, or more literally as describing the darkness caused by clouds of smoke
from the destruction
of war. This Day will cause the earth and the heavens (or sky) to shake due to
God's wrath. This can be understood as literal earthquakes or the ground
shaking due to the immense armies marching (and riding) to battle.
Now
these things were to occur, or at least they were to begin to occur, after the
restoration of Israel from the Babylonian Captivity (3:1). These things were
also prophesied in Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 38-39, and virtually all of the
prophets spoke of judgment coming upon the various nations and kingdoms of the
world, particularly in relation to Israel and Jerusalem.
History
has proven the accuracy of their words, as all the nations of the East, beginning with Babylon,
as
well as those of the West, received the wrath of God. They received it as one
kingdom conquered another; beginning with Babylon, then the subsequent Medo-Persian Empire, then the Greek Empire, and then the
Seleucid Empire (particularly under Antiochus IV Epiphanes), and then the
Roman Empire, when many battles took place around Jerusalem and the valley of
Jehoshaphat.
All of these Empires, and the nations that composed their armies,
were ultimately judged and destroyed by the divine hand of the King of all
kings. And this has continued to be the case since the time of the breakup of
the ancient Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. The fall and rise of all
nations and kingdoms are in the hands of the true Sovereign of the world -
Jesus Christ, though this is hidden from the majority. Yet the time is coming
when He will truly reveal Himself as such.
Be
that as it may, these texts are ultimately describing the wrath and judgment
of the ultimate Day of the Lord. The name Jehoshaphat means 'Jehovah
judges,' and 'the valley of decision' is the valley of judgment. It is
ultimately speaking of the time when God will judge all nations (the whole
world), who are symbolised as Secret Babylon the Great, in the great Day of
the Lord. These figures of grapes being trampled in the winepress of the wrath
of God, which are also used by the prophet Isaiah, are also mentioned in the
vision of Revelation (Revelation 14:17-20; 19:15).
They
are ultimately metaphors for the process of judgment that will be experienced
by those in the Second Death in the New Creation - being crushed by the rod
(or feet) of divine chastening outside the New Jerusalem (the inheritance of
the kingdom of God). Yet in relation to this Old
Creation, they can also be describing the very real bloody destruction of
armies that have dared to make a stand against the true King of kings -
including the massacres that were brought upon the blasphemous armies of
Christendom over the centuries. When one reads about the Crusades of the
Middle Ages, particularly the battles around Jerusalem, the words of these
prophecies take on another level of fulfillment in relation to the spiritual
Israel of God.
The
Prophet Isaiah and the Day of Fire
Now
let us briefly turn to a few key passages on the Day of Yahweh from the
writings of the prophet Isaiah. He is the one who wrote the most about
this awesome Day, and his writings contain some of the greatest details about
the Messiah. Take careful note of these texts, because it was primarily from
these words of Isaiah that Jesus gave details about His return at the end of
the age.
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because
of this, all hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt. Terror
will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe
like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces
aflame.
See, the day of the LORD is coming—a
cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land (or
earth) desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
The stars of heaven and their
constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light. I will
punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end
to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
I will make man scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I
will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at
the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.
(Isaiah
13:6-13 NIV)
Come near, you nations, and listen; pay
attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the
world, and all that comes out of it! The LORD
is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will
totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their
slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will send up a stench;
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.
All the stars of the heavens will be
dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall
like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree...
...For the LORD has a sacrifice in
Bozrah
and a great slaughter in Edom...
...For the LORD has a day of vengeance,
a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause...
...there also the falcons (vultures)
will gather...
(Isaiah
34:1-4, 6, 8, 15 NIV)
"I have trodden the winepress alone;
from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and
trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I
stained all my clothing. For the day of
vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come."
(Isaiah
63:3-4 NIV)
See, the LORD is coming with fire,
and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with
fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For
with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men,
and many will be those slain by the LORD...
"As the new heavens and the new
earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD,
"so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another
and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before
me," says the LORD. "And they will go out and look upon the dead
bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will
their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind."
(Isaiah 66:15-16, 22-24 NIV)
These
details of the Day of the Lord are further confirmed and expounded in the New Testament,
which is actually a continuation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Greek
Scriptures, and particularly our present subject, cannot therefore be
understood correctly without this in mind. The NT writers refer to this Day as
the Day of the Lord, the Lord's Day, the Day of Christ, the Day of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Presence or Coming of Christ, His glorious Advent and
Appearing and Unveiling or Revelation, the Day of Judging, the Day of
Vengeance, the Day of Indignation or Wrath, and the Day of Deliverance (for
believers). This is the one and only visible Second Coming of Christ Jesus to
this earth in power and glory. Any other 'Comings' are spiritual.
At the beginning of the NT we are
introduced to a prophet called John the Baptist. The main thrust of his message, which he addressed
to the religious leaders and people of Israel, was concerning 'the
coming indignation' and the call to 'Repent,
for the kingdom of the heavens is near' (Matthew 3:1-12). This
message, in relation to the coming kingdom, was in full accord with the
messages of the Hebrew prophets that came before John.
John himself fulfilled
the role of the great prophet who was to be sent in front of the Messiah to
prepare the people of Israel for His arrival, spoken of by Isaiah
(Isaiah 40:3-5) and Malachi.
'Behold Me
sending My messenger, and he surfaces the way before Me. And suddenly, the
Lord Whom you are seeking is coming to His temple,
and the Messenger of the covenant, in Whom you are delighting. Behold! He
comes! Says Yahweh of hosts. Yet who
will endure the day of His coming? And who will stand when He appears? For He
is coming as a refiner's fire, and as launderers' soap.'
(Malachi
3:1-2 CV)
It
is clear from the above prophecy in Malachi that this 'messenger' would also
appear before the Day of the Lord so
as to prepare the way for Him. This
messenger was also equated with the prophecy of Malachi concerning the coming
of the prophet Elijah before the
Day of Yahweh.
'Behold!
I will send to you Elijah, the prophet, before
the coming of the great and fearful Day of Yahweh. And he shall restore
the heart of the fathers to the sons and the heart of the sons to their
fathers, lest I shall come and smite the earth to its doom.'
(Malachi
4:5 CV)
Jesus
Himself stated that John the Baptist fulfilled the role of this prophesied
'messenger and prophet,' yet He also said that John was the Elijah that was to
come! (Matthew 11:7-15 and 17:10-13). So what are we to make of this? Here is
what He said,
'"Elijah
is indeed coming, and will be restoring all. Yet I am saying to you that Elijah
came already, and they did not recognise him, but they do to him whatever
they will"…He spoke to them concerning John the Baptist'
(Matthew
17:11-13 CV)
In
this instance, we have confirmation from Christ Himself that Biblical prophecy
is full of succeeding patterns leading to an ultimate fulfillment. Jesus is
here confirming the fact that many historical individuals can be types and
shadows of others in the future. When the kingdom is fully manifested at
the return of Christ, Elijah himself will be resurrected to receive his
portion in the kingdom, at the restoration of all. But
the actual fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi doesn't require that it be
Elijah himself, but someone who prophesies in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Now
John the Baptist clearly fulfilled this role even though his name
was not Elijah and he was not literally
resurrected Elijah of old - He was obviously a symbolic
Elijah, if you will, yet nevertheless, he was a real prophet and messenger who fulfilled the prophecy (Luke
1:16-17).
In
relation to this, in Revelation chapter 11, we are given details of Two
Witnesses or Prophets who shall prophesy in the spirit and power of Elijah before
the Day of the Lord begins. They are symbolic of the Body of Christ Ecclesia, the
overcoming remnant of grace who are the true servants and sons of God. (For
further study of this, see The True Revival versus
the Apostasy).
These
will also fulfill the role of preparing the way for the Messiah, warning of
His sudden return to His earth and His spiritual temple. Note that it says 'temple'
in the prophecy of Malachi! The temple known as 'King Herod's Temple' was the
sanctuary that was standing in Jerusalem when Jesus came the first time - but
when He comes the second time, He will return to His spiritual temple to fill
it with His glory - which is the Ecclesia of God.
Much
of the teaching of John the Baptist, as well as Jesus Himself, spoke of the
spiritual, figurative aspect of the Kingdom of God, and this included the
teaching of the fiery judgment of Gehenna (mistranslated as 'hell' in many
versions). This was ultimately referring to the Great Judgment Day and what
the book of Revelation calls 'the Second Death, the Lake of Fire.' In New
Creation terms, this is referring to the figurative fire of God's
righteous judgments being worked out for the age to come. It is describing the
fire of Divine Justice for those who have not accepted and obeyed the Gospel of His Son.
(For further study of this Lake of Fire, see Is There
Really a Hell?).
In
relation to this Old Creation and the Return of Jesus Christ, it is describing
the heavenly raging fire that will bathe this whole world in the fire of God's
wrath. As the world of Noah's time was destroyed by water, so the final
generation of this age will be destroyed by fire.
The
Prophecies of Jesus
Some
of the clearest prophecies of the events of the Day of the Lord were,
understandably, spoken by Jesus
Himself. These details were later repeated, and expounded further, by the
apostles, especially in the writings of Paul and Peter and John.
So
let us
now take a look at some of the key passages that record these
prophecies, beginning with Jesus' own teaching in what has been called 'the
Olivet Discourse,' because He spoke these things to His disciples on the Mount
of Olives, overlooking the Temple in Jerusalem, only days before He was to
die.
There
are three accounts of this actual Discourse, in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13 and
Luke 21, though Luke also records some similar teaching on the subject at
other times in Luke 17 & 19. We need to consider
all of these accounts together to understand exactly what Jesus was saying.
There are many 'dispensational' interpretations out there that teach that
virtually all of the details of this Discourse are still to be fulfilled in
the future as part of 'a great seven-year (or 3.5 year) Tribulation' involving
a coming Antichrist. I was blinded by this false interpretation for many
years, but the actual truth of the matter is a lot plainer than most people
think. If you are presently influenced by this kind of 'dispensational
thinking' then you will need to try and lay that aside for now and be open to
what I'm
going to say, if you wish to learn the truth in this matter.
I
will say quite boldly here that I do not believe any longer in the common
theory that there is going to be a Pre-Tribulation
Rapture followed by a seven (or three and a half) year Tribulation period
involving a specific Antichrist in Jerusalem. In fact, I would not be surprised at
all if the temple in Jerusalem is never allowed to be rebuilt - because every
attempt so far has failed by divine decree! The re-institution of the animal
sacrifices by the Jews would be an abomination and a blasphemy to God and His precious
Messiah, the true Lamb of God, so I very much doubt that He will allow this to
occur. Be that as it may, contrary to popular interpretation, a rebuilding of the literal temple
is not necessary to fulfill all prophecy before Christ returns.
I
plan to be doing a study on this Olivet Discourse, among other things, in the near future, God
willing, that will appear in the section The Great Prophetic Plan Revealed, but
for now we shall just focus on the parts that have to do with Christ's Return.
I shall quote the appropriate verses from each Gospel account as we progress,
using Matthew 24 as the main text.
The
Jewish War and the Temple's Destruction
The
majority of Matthew 24 (and Mark 13 and Luke 21) concerns things that were
fulfilled in the 1st century AD, in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem
and the Temple, and the end of the Old Covenant system, and of Israel's
place as God's nation in the flesh. (This is not saying that a Gentile Church
has replaced Israel, but it means that the true Israel of God is made up of
spiritual Jews and Gentiles in Jesus the Messiah, which is the true Church or
Ecclesia of God).
During His final week of teaching in
Jerusalem, Jesus had already prophesied that the temple in Jerusalem would be
totally destroyed, along with the city itself, and that this destruction would
be witnessed by the generation living at that time (i.e. within about 40
years). This was to be a pivotal event in the history of the Jewish people.
As
he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If
you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now
it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies
will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every
side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your
walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize
the time of God's coming to you."
(Luke
19:41-44 NIV)
"The
king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned
their city."
(Matthew
22:7 NIV)
"And
so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth,
from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,
whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the
truth, all this will come upon this generation.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have
longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you
desolate."
(Matthew 23:35-38 NIV)
Jesus
left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call
his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?"
he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on
another; every one will be thrown down."
Some
of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with
beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, "As
for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on
another; every one of them will be thrown down."
(Matthew
24:1-2; Luke 21:5-6 NIV)
Now listen
carefully, because this is the key to correctly understanding this Discourse
of Jesus. It was in this context of Jesus' words about the destruction of the
temple and the city that the disciples Peter, James, John and Andrew came to
Jesus privately, while He was sitting on the Mount of Olives overlooking the
city, to ask Him some questions.
They actually
asked Him three questions:
1. When will
these things happen?
2. What will be
the sign that they are about to happen? and
3. What will be
the sign of your coming (or Presence) and the end of the age?
All three
Gospel accounts mention the first two questions, but only Matthew records the 3rd
question.
"Teacher,"
they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the
sign that they are about to take place?"
As
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James,
John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these
things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be
fulfilled?"
As
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen,
and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
(Luke
21:7; Mark 13:3-4 and Matthew 24:3 NIV)
The disciples'
questions were essentially about the destruction of the temple and the city, but
they also assumed that all of this was part of Christ's Return at the end of
the age - that is, the Day of the Lord. They were right in thinking
that this was a Day of the Lord for Israel and Jerusalem, but they were
mistaken for thinking that this judgment on Jerusalem was to be connected to
the ultimate Day of Christ's Return in power and glory. They did not
understand at that time that there was to be an indefinite period of time
during Christ's absence in which God would be calling out His people from all
nations in an Administration of Grace. This was more fully revealed to
Paul some years later.
Now Jesus
answered them by giving them details of both events, beginning
with the then-future events of the 1st century, giving them details of what
was to come during the next 40 years, particularly as it applied to Jews and
Christians in the land of Palestine, by the end of which time Jerusalem and
the Temple would be destroyed in the Jewish/Roman War of 66-70 AD. These
things are recorded in Matthew 24:4-25, Mark 13:5-23 and Luke 21:8-24.
Two
Signs and the Great Affliction
Jesus
essentially gave them two signs that would herald the coming desolation of the
city and the temple. They were,
1. 'An
abomination of desolation' would be seen standing in the Holy Place of the
temple. From my own research, I believe without a doubt that this was
referring to the murderous Jewish Zealot groups who took over the temple and used it
as their unholy base.
(Many believe
that this was referring to the Roman armies, but the armies didn't reach the
temple until the war was virtually over. That wouldn't have been much of a
warning sign, would it! Others believe it was (and is) referring to an
idolatrous image, but there isn't any record of such an image being placed in
the temple before the war. The phrase 'abomination of desolation,' which Jesus
took from the book of Daniel, does not have to refer solely to an idolatrous
image being set up in the temple in exactly the same way as that which
occurred in the events of Antiochus Epiphanies in the 2nd Century BC. It's
meaning has much more scope.)
2. Jerusalem
would become surrounded by army encampments. This was, of course, referring
to the Roman armies under General Titus who set up camp around Jerusalem
before they laid siege to it.
The Great
Tribulation or Great Affliction (or Distress) mentioned in these texts is
referring to the horrific days of the siege of Jerusalem ,which was unlike
anything that had previously happened in that city. It was an horrific
bloodbath - and most of the suffering and carnage was caused by the Jewish
warring factions within the city, not by the Romans! If these days had not been
shortened, no flesh would've survived at all. The writings of Josephus in his
Jewish War make it very plain how bad things actually were in those days. All
of Jesus' words were fulfilled exactly has He had said.
Eventually,
all
the stones of the temple were taken apart and demolished by the Romans, who
were trying to get the melted gold out of the cracks. This fulfilled the words
of Jesus to the letter concerning the stones of the temple. Many of the Jews
and Christians escaped into the mountains but the remainder were slaughtered
or taken into captivity and scattered throughout the Roman Empire.
The
divine timing of these events was remarkable in their accuracy. On the day of
Passover, in the Spring of 70 AD, the Roman armies began to encamp around
Jerusalem in preparation for the coming siege. This was 40 years from when
Jesus began His ministry. After 5 months, the Temple was burned and the city
destroyed. The temple was destroyed on the 10th of the Jewish month Ab. This
was the very same day that the temple of Solomon had been burned in 587/586 BC.
Certainly not a coincidence! Both the First and Second Temples were divinely
judged and destroyed on the same day! (Herod's Temple was essentially the
Second Temple that was built after the Babylonian captivity, only enlarged and
beautified.)
Then
on the Passover of 73 AD, the last group of Jewish Zealots were defeated by the
Romans as they made their final stand in the fortress of Masada. They committed
mass suicide rather than allow the Romans to kill them. This officially ended the
Jewish/Roman War of that period. It occurred exactly 40 years from the
crucifixion of Jesus (33-73 AD) - to the very day! Again,
certainly not a coincidence! These prophetic fulfillments heralded something
of great magnitude - the end of an official divine transition from the Old
Covenant to the New Covenant; from Israel after the flesh to the spiritual Israel
of God.
Be that as it
may,
Luke's account makes it even clearer that this Great Affliction for the Jews would
then go on to last the whole of this present age, which Jesus calls 'the
Times of the Nations' (or Times of the Gentiles), as opposed to the previous
Times of the Hebrews. Take careful note of the words in this text.
"Now
whenever you may be perceiving Jerusalem surrounded by encampments, then
know that her desolation is near. Then let those in Judea flee into the
mountains, and let those in her midst be coming out into the country, and
let not those in the country be entering into her, for days of
vengeance are these, to fulfill all that is written. Yet woe to
those who are pregnant, and to those suckling in those days; for there will
be great necessity in the land and indignation on this people.
And they shall be falling by the edge of the sword and shall be led into
captivity into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden by the nations,
until the eras of the nations (or times of the nations) may be
fulfilled."
(Luke
21:20-24 CV)
This
was truly a pivotal, and a hugely significant, event in Jewish and Biblical
history. Jesus made it clear that it would be unparalleled, because these
'days of vengeance' would fulfill all that is written concerning
Israel and Jerusalem.
The
Coming of the Son of Man - Like Lightening
It is at this
point in the accounts that Jesus starts to talk about His Coming or Presence
at the end of the age, to answer the disciples' 3rd question. Yet He doesn't give
any clue whatsoever here of the duration of this present age. He just tells us
about the things that will occur on the Day of His glorious return.
"So
if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or,
'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that
comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the
Son of Man.
(Matthew
24:26-27; see also Luke 17:24 NIV)
Firstly, He
begins by declaring loud and clear that His Presence (Greek parousia)
or Coming will not be secret and invisible, but it will be just like the
lightening flashing across the whole sky. That is, it will be visible in
the sky to ALL on the earth as a glorious light in the darkness! There will be no mistaking it! Many false
prophets and false messiahs will come (including those teaching about false
comings of Christ), but they are not the true Messiah unless they fulfill this
criteria for the Day of the Lord. Even Jesus Himself has to fulfill this
prophecy eventually, otherwise He will prove to be a false prophet and a false
Messiah!
Then Jesus
begins quoting portions of Isaiah about the Day of the Lord, particularly from
chapters 13 & 34, which we considered earlier.
"Wherever there is a carcass, there
the vultures will gather.
Immediately after the distress of
those days
'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its
light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.' "
(Matthew
24:28-29 NIV)
"But
in those days, following that distress,
'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its
light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.' "
(Mark
13:24-25 NIV)
And
there shall be signs in the sun and the moon and the constellations,
and on the earth pressure of nations in perplexity, at the resounding
of the sea and the shaking, at the chilling of men from fear and
apprehensiveness of that which is coming on the inhabited earth, for
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
(Luke
21:25-26 CV)
There isn't any
hint whatsoever here of these things being taken figuratively as the primary
interpretation, as many believe and teach, though, of course, these are
spiritual and heavenly events, because God is the Source of these judgments. These
are not just mere natural occurrences, they are supernatural occurrences that
will affect the whole of this creation!
Even on a
figurative level, where the sun, moon and stars are symbols of heavenly
powers, and the mountains, hills, islands and seas are symbols of earthly
powers and nations, this is still describing something so cataclysmic that
nothing like it has occurred since the beginning of creation, or at least
since the time of the Great Flood of Noah's time.
The
Shaking of the Universe and the Glory Cloud
These are the
signs in the sky and on the earth that will herald the beginning of the Day of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And men will be frozen with fear and apprehensiveness
and great terror, wondering what the heck is coming upon the whole earth, for
the earth will be shaking and the sea will be roaring, and the whole heavens
will be combusting and dissolving with fire! But first, the sun and moon and
stars will go dark!
Not only are
these things spoken of in the OT prophecies that we've already considered, but
they are also referred to elsewhere in the NT. We've already seen what Peter
had to say about this shaking and dissolving of the universe when he wrote
about the Day of the Lord in his second letter (and we'll take a look at it
again later). The writer to the Hebrews was also referring to this awesome Day
when he wrote the following.
See to it that you do not refuse him who
speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on
earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from
heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised,
"Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."
The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be
shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may
remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God
acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming
fire."
(Hebrews 12:25-29 NIV)
Returning to