The Olivet Discourse - Part 3 May 25, 2016
The Briefing Continues
Week 10 Page 1
The Messiah has been rejected by those who He came for
The Kingdom has been postponed
The Temple has been cursed
The Pharisees now understand where they stand with the King
The destruction of the Temple has been prophesied by Messiah
The Disciples have questions
Questions:
When will these things happen? (Matthew 24:3)
What will be the sign when these things are about to take place? (Luke 21:7)
What will be the sign of Your coming? (Matthew 24:3)
What will be the sign of the End of the Age? (Matthew 24:3)
Don’t be misled
There will be false Messiahs
There will be wars and rumors of wars
We are in the Last Days
How do we know?
1. WWI (Matthew 24:7)
2. The regathering of Israel (Ezekiel 36 – 37)
3. The rise of Russia and her allies (Ezekiel 38)
4. Increase in travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4)
5. Capital and labor conflicts (James 5:1-6)
6. Scoffers (2 Peter 3:1 – 2)
7. Moral breakdown in society (2 Timothy 3:1 – 5)
8. Rise in lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:7 – 10)
9. Rise in occultism and cults ( 1 Timothy 4:1 – 5)
10. Apostasy (1 Timothy 4:1)
11. Rise of the Ecumenical Church (Revelation 17)
12. One-World Government (Daniel 2)
Also to look forward to:
Persecution and martyrdom
Apostasy
2 Thessalonians 2:3–4
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (NASB95)
What is the lie, the falling away, the rebellion that will overtake the world?
There will be total apostasy because of two things: (1) the organization of the church has departed from the faith—it has apostatized and (2) there has been another departure, the departure of the true church from the earth. The departure of the true church leads into the total apostatizing of the organized church. The Day of the Lord cannot begin—nor the Great Tribulation Period—until the departure of the true church has taken place.
J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., vol. 5 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 413.
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False Teachers / False Prophets
An increase in wickedness and the love of many growing cold
The Gospel to the World
We also had answered for us the conditions in Jerusalem in 67 AD resulting all of the believing Jews leaving town prior to the arrival of Vespasian and Titus and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD
Questions:
When will these things happen? (Matthew 24:3)
What will be the sign when these things are about to take place? (Luke 21:7)
What will be the sign of Your coming? (Matthew 24:3)
What will be the sign of the End of the Age? (Matthew 24:3)
As we looked at last week, the question about the impending destruction of the Temple was answered for us in Luke 21. Luke 21:24 has already been literally fulfilled.
Matthew and Mark though provide some additional information that makes us understand that there is something more going on here
Matthew 24:15–22
“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (NASB95)
Mark 13:14–23
“But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that it may not happen in the winter. For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” (NASB95)
Jesus is now revealing the unmistakable sign that the Second Coming of Messiah is just around the corner
In fact, three and ½ years away
Jesus first of all called attention to the specific sign of the appearance of “ ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ spoken of through the Prophet Daniel” (Matt. 24:15).
John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1990), 387.
This also means there must be a Temple in existence
A Temple means Levites
Hasn’t the tribal identities of Israel been lost since 70 AD?
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The Tribe of Levi was the only tribe permitted by Mosaic Law to take care of the Temple and conduct the sacrificial system. It is interesting to note that while all the other eleven tribes have lost their tribal identity since the records were destroyed in A.D. 70, the Tribe of Levi has not. Unless a Jew is a member of the Tribe of Levi, he is unable to know from which tribe he is a descendant. The Tribe of Levi has kept their identity. Jews having names such as Levi, Levy, Levin, Levine, Leventhal, Levinson, Cohen, and other comparable names are members of the Tribe of Levi.
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah : A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 137.
Daniel 9:24–27
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. (NASB95)
Six things are to take place according to Daniel 9:24
1. Finish transgression
2. Put an end to sin
3. Atone for wickedness
4. Bring in everlasting righteousness
5. Seal up vision and prophecy
6. Anoint the Most Holy
Israel will be restored at the end of the age and in righteousness
Jeremiah 31:31–34
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (NASB95)
In addition, bring sin to its final judgement, achieved on the Cross
Atone for wickedness, also achieved on the Cross
Bring in everlasting righteousness – this is at the time of the Second Coming of Messiah
Jeremiah 23:5–6
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’” (NASB95)
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Also at the Second Coming, David will be raised up to rule as well
Jeremiah 30:9
“But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” (NASB95)
To seal up vision and prophecy means the completion of God’s Word
Anointing of the Most Holy – the Millennial Temple described by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 40 – 42
Could be
Could also be a reference to the New Jerusalem
If 444 B.C. is accepted as the beginning date of the 490 years, the 483 years would culminate in the year A.D. 33 where recent scholarship has placed the probable time of the death of Christ.
John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1990), 254.
483 years of the 490 have been completed
When Jesus presented Himself on Palm Sunday, that ended year 483
At that point the clock went on hold where it has been for almost 2000 years
In verse 27, we see conditions for the clock to restart
There will be a 7-year peace treaty between Israel and the Prince who is in a position of power
That means Israel must exist as a nation
Since 1948, the super sign of the end of the age has been a fact
It does not mean the Temple has to be completed, it is possible that part of the agreement might be the building of the Temple
The Prince is the little horn of Daniel 7 and the Beast of Revelation 13.
The Temple must be standing though by the end of 3 ½ years of the peace treaty
In addition, normal daily sacrifices must be in operation
Also, apparently, everyone will see this happen
This means that technology must be advanced enough for “all” to see in real time
The warnings being given will also be real time warnings
This person will break the agreement he has signed with Israel by showing up at the midpoint of the agreement in Jerusalem and an image of him will be setup in the Holy of Holies
Revelation 13:5–9
There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” (NASB95)
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Revelation 13:11–18
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. (NASB95)
When Jesus talks about the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24:15, this is what He is talking about