52:07

Resource: Map of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount

Resource: End Times Timeline

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Jesus, Christ, tribulation, disciples, generation, fig tree, happen, temple, parable, mark, tribulation period, morning, referring, God, signs, Israel, verse, tells, world, pass

Table of Contents

Introduction.. - 1 -

1. The Illustration of the Last Days. - 5 -
2. The Anticipation of the Last Days. - 7 -
3. The Generation of the Last Days. - 8 -
4. The Affirmation of the Last Days. - 10 -

 

Introduction

As you know, what we do here at Faith Bible Church is what is called expository preaching. This means that we take the Bible, or we take a book of the Bible, and we go line by line and we explain the meaning of the passage, so that we might know what it is that God has to say to us. What I love about expository preaching is that we don't get bogged down with one or two subjects. We want to hear all that God has to say to us. We hear from God as we exposit His Word, and we discover all of the things that God has revealed to us through His Word.

 

In today's Christian world, there are many people who are fascinated, and really become preoccupied with one subject. The signs of the end times. They want to know the exact timing of Jesus' return. When is He going to come? They're reading up all that they can on the Middle East, and everything that's going on there in the Middle East. They study Israel's every move, what is Israel doing now? They're constantly looking for men who could possibly be the Antichrist. I remember when articles came out on Barack Obama, possibly the Antichrist, they want to know who is it going to be? He's not the Antichrist. They're watching for the mark of the beast. Is the mark of the beast here? All they want to do is study the book of Revelation over and over and over again. Sadly, these people who only study end-times events, they miss out on so many other aspects of God's word that He is revealed to us. These people end up knowing more about the signs of the end times than they do about the attributes of God. They know more about the current events of the day than they do about the person and work of Christ.

 

But what I love about expository preaching is that we aim to study the whole counsel of God and grow in our sanctification as we are challenged by God's Word.

 

Listen to what Warren Wiersbe says about this. He says, "The important thing is not watching the calendar, but building our character. We must be alert and be found doing Christ's work when He comes. But how do we know what this work is unless we study all of God's Word?" Which is why I love going through God's Word line by line.

 

But I also love going through God's word line by line because when Jesus does talk about the end times, then we study it. Which is what we have been studying these past few weeks in Mark chapter 13. So we continue our study here this morning. And why are we studying this? Why are we studying the end times? Well, it's because of a question that Jesus’ disciples asked Him back up in verse 4, look at what it says in Mark 13 in verse 4. The disciples asked there, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:4) When is all of this going to take place Jesus?

 

And so, Jesus answers their question by giving them what is called the Olivet Discourse. And this morning, we come toward the end of that discourse that Jesus gave His disciples on the Mount of Olives. And as we work our way, through our passage here this morning, it's going to be a little bit more of a Bible study. There's going to be a lot of facts to know this morning. So just hang on, just stay with me. You're going to hear a lot of facts. But stay with me.

 

Now, just as a quick overview for us so far, what's been going on in Mark 13? Well, Jesus is teaching His disciples on Wednesday. This is Wednesday of the Passion Week. Jesus is there on the Mount of Olives, as I just said, and He's teaching His disciples there. And He told His disciples that the temple will be destroyed. That temple that they can look out and see from the Mount of Olives, down that hill there on the other side of the valley, there is that temple and Jesus says it's coming down. They want to know when this is going to happen.

 

Now what's interesting in their question that they asked Jesus is that they view the destruction of the temple with the end times. When is all of this going to take place? The destruction of the temple and all of the end time stuff, events that happen. All of these, to them, are going to happen in one time.

 

Matthew gives us a different perspective of the same question that they asked here, Mark 13:4, Matthew says, "Tell us, when will these things happen," (That is the destruction of the temple) "and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matt 24:3) They wrap it up all together, the destruction of the temple and the coming of Christ is all wrapped up together. His disciples asked this question, what is the sign of Your coming?

 

His disciples are like many Christians today, when is the end? What are the signs? Now remember, for these guys, they know that He is the Messiah, they've already declared this, Jesus is the Messiah. And so they want to know, when is it that He is going to establish His Messianic kingdom?  They don't anticipate His death. Jesus is going to die two days later. But remember to them, they don't have a concept of a dead Messiah. Jesus has already told them time and time again, at least three times up to this point, I am going to Jerusalem, we are going to Jerusalem because I have to go and die. And to them, it just went right over their head. A dead Messiah ...that's not in our theology.

 

And so, they think He's going to establish the kingdom soon. Here He is, the Messiah is here, which means the kingdom is right around the corner. He must be establishing His kingdom. And so they ask Jesus for the signs of when all of this is going to take place. And to them the destruction of the temple and the end of the age are the same thing. There is no time-gap in their theology. But Jesus gives them an answer and shows that they are not the same thing -- the destruction of the temple, and the end times -- they are not the same thing. Jesus gives them a time gap.

 

As we've already talked about the destruction of the temple happened in 70 A.D. It happened then, when the Romans came in and destroyed the temple, they completely tore it down. But that was not the end. That wasn't the end. Jesus didn't return in 70 A.D.

 

And He tells them and what we've studied so far in Mark chapter 13, in verses 5-13, about the present reality of persecution that was coming upon them. Guys, you want to know some of the signs? Here's some signs...you are going to be persecuted. Persecution is coming. And He talks about wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes. All of this that's going to happen in the present church age.

 

And then in verses 14 through 23, Jesus tells them about the abomination of desolation that will occur during the tribulation period, during that seven-year period when God will pour out His wrath and judgment upon the earth. And specifically, Jesus refers to the last three and a half years of that tribulation, the abomination of desolation when things are going to get really bad on Earth.

 

And then last time we saw in Mark 13, the last time we were in Mark 13, verses 24 through 27. We saw the final return of Christ when He comes in the clouds with great power and glory. But Jesus is not done teaching them about the end times. He's got a little bit more to say, which leads us to our passage here this morning. And so please follow along as I read our passage, beginning in verse 28. Mark chapter 13 in verse 28. Jesus says:

 

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
    33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. 35 Therefore, be on the alert--for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- 36 in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” (Mark 13:28-37)

 

Now, if you remember back up in verse 14 of Mark chapter 13, there's a key phrase that's there that helps us to understand who Jesus is referring to, as He continues to teach these guys about the end times. Look back up at verse 14, Mark chapter 13. And verse 14, look what it says there.

 

"But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be" (and then there's this little phrase that's there in parentheses, you see that there? He says) "(let the reader understand.)" Mark 13:14

 

That's key for us to understand, as we interpret this passage here, let the reader understand. That's a key phrase there. Why is that important? Well, because although Jesus is teaching the disciples at this time, on the Mount of Olives, the things that He is teaching, they are not going to be a part of. But the one who will be around at that time, when all of this takes place, (namely the reader) that reader needs to understand. They need to know what's going on. Who would be the reader? The reader would be the one who was alive during the tribulation period, during those seven years of the tribulation. Believers who are saved during that last seven-year period.

 

Now, let me just give you a quick overview of the end times here, just a quick overview. The next event for us as a church is what? The rapture. It's the rapture, we're going to be taken out of here, Christ is going to come back, and he's going to take us out of this world, we're going to go be with Him, we see that in 1 Thessalonians 4, John 14, and 1 Corinthians 15. That is the next event for us, as a church. He's going to take us – rapture us -- out of here and take us to be with Him.  (see image below)

 

But after the church is raptured, then there's a seven-year tribulation that is going to take place. And right in the middle of that tribulation period, there will be a time known as the abomination of desolation. The last three and a half years of the tribulation, when the Antichrist is going to set up his throne in the temple in Jerusalem, and he's going to demand worship of himself. Right there at that midpoint of the tribulation. But at the end of the tribulation period, Jesus is going to return in the clouds with great power and glory, as we saw last time.

 

But during that tribulation period, during that seven years of tribulation, there are going to be people who are saved, there will be people who will come to faith in Christ. How do we know? Well, we know from Revelation 7, that there's at least 144,000, right? (Rev 7:4) Jews who will be saved. Then we read in Revelation 11, that the two witnesses are going to come, and they're going to preach the gospel (Rev 11:3-6). They will be sent by God, and they're going to come and they're going to preach the gospel. And so, people will hear the gospel and be saved. And then in Revelation 14, an angel from heaven is going to preach the gospel, so that the world is going to hear the gospel. (Rev 14:6-8) And there's going to be people who are saved during the tribulation, and they are the ones who are going to be the readers who need to understand all that's going on here in our passage this morning.

 

Scripture says that they need to discern what is going on during that time. To read and understand so that they can discern the times that they are in. And as we understand that, that is who Jesus is talking about here in these verses. That's going to help us then to interpret correctly what Jesus is saying in our passage here this morning. And so, we're going to break our passage down into seven points. To seven points as we look at Jesus and what He has to say to this future generation. Now, let me just give you a heads up. We're not going to get through all seven this morning. So come back next week and finish it off. We'll get through four of them this morning.

 

1.     The Illustration of the Last Days

 

So let's look at our first point here, what we'll call The Illustration of the Last Days. The Illustration of the Last Days. Look at verse 28. Jesus says, "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near." (Mark 13:28)

 

Now, fig tree. Fig tree might come to your mind because we studied a fig tree not too long ago. Back in Mark, chapter 11, we saw where Jesus cursed the fig tree. Remember that? He was coming into Jerusalem, and He looked at the fig tree, and He says cursed are you, you will no longer bear any fruit. (Mark 11:14) Then they come back, they go back to Bethany. And then the next morning they walk by it. And Peter says, Look, Jesus, the tree that you cursed, it's not bearing any fruit. (Mark 11:21) Well, that all happened on Tuesday morning.

 

That happened Tuesday morning, as Jesus is coming into the temple, as He's going there to the temple to go drive out the money changers. He goes in and cleanses the entire temple then, because of all the corruption that was going on. But when Jesus cursed that fig tree, that was a literal fig tree that Jesus cursed, it was right there in front of them. They saw that fig tree cursed, they saw it wither and no longer produce fruit. And that fruit fig tree there represented Judaism, and how the whole system had become fruitless. The whole system of Judaism, that whole temple, everything that was going on there, it was fruitless. They were no longer worshiping God there. And that there was a living parable, or a living illustration for these disciples. And in all reality, it was a miracle, right? It's a miracle for Jesus to curse the fig tree. Next day, they walk by it, and it's completely dead. It's a miracle.

 

But as students of Scripture, we must not be tempted to take anything from that miracle and apply it here. Yes, there was a fig tree there. And there's a fig tree here. But that was a miracle that Jesus did to illustrate a point. Now what Jesus is doing here is He's giving us a parable to illustrate another point. In a whole new setting, talking about a whole new topic there. What's the topic here? The end times, right? That's what He's talking about, in the Olivet Discourse, the signs of the end times -- the ends of the age.

 

And so, we must look at this parable in light of the end times. What does Jesus teach in this parable? Look at what He says there. He says, learn from the fig tree. Learn from the fig tree. (Mark 13:28) What does He want to teach from this parable, or this illustration of the fig tree? Well, He says, "when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near." (Mark 13:28) Pretty simple illustration, right? Pretty simple parable.

 

Now when does a fig tree put forth its leaves? In the springtime, in the springtime. And so, if you were to walk by a fig tree in the springtime, which by the way, it was springtime for these guys. Passover was in April, springtime. So, there's the illustration, as they're looking around this parable of the fig tree, they could be looking around at the fig trees that are around them on the Mount of Olives, and they go, I get it. It's putting forth new leaves. These guys would have seen that the leaves had begun to bud, and you would know then that summer is right around the corner.

 

What's interesting is that Luke tells us in his account that Jesus did not only speak of fig trees in this parable, but He also added "and all trees" (Luke 21:29) not just fig trees, but you look at all trees. In the springtime, they'll begin to bud. The leaves will begin to appear. And so again, this has nothing to do with the fig tree of Mark 11, nothing. The fig tree back in Mark 11 refers to Judaism and what Israel had become, but here it's not referring to Israel. It's a new illustration that Jesus is giving. And the whole topic here is about the end times.

 

Now, what is Jesus referring to when He speaks of the branch that puts forth its leaves? This would refer to the signs that He has already spoken about -- the signs that He's already been given up to this point. So, when these people who are living in this time -- in the time of the tribulation -- those people who are living in this time, they see the signs that are happening, they must know that what? Summer is near. And what would summer be referring to? The return of Christ... that Jesus is coming. Remember, Jesus has just told them about His return back in verses 24 through 27. Now He gives them a parable to help them understand all of this. You will see signs, like the trees that begin to produce leaves. And all of those signs will tell you that Christ's return is near the summer will come. That's what this parable is all about.

 

What is Jesus doing here as He gives this parable? He says, Learn this parable (Mark 13:28), what is Jesus doing? Jesus is giving hope. He's giving hope to those who are living during that time period. Think about what we've studied so far. And all of the things that are going to happen, is it going to be a happy time in the tribulation? Is it going to be a prosperous time in the tribulation? No, of course not. Things are going to get really bad, really bad. The Antichrist is going to come and set up his throne in the temple. Believers during that time who are living in Judea, they need to flee to the mountains, they can't even go home to get a jacket, don't go home to get your coat, you just flee, get out of there, because things are going to be really, really bad. Run, guys run, get out of there.

 

The sun and the moon will be darken, the stars are going to fall to the earth. And Jesus says, summer is near. Summer is near. So, for those who are alive during this time, Jesus is giving them hope. Because it's going to look bad all around them. Persecution is going to come upon them. The world is going to be in total chaos during that time. But Jesus says, look, summer is coming. Have hope I'm coming.

 

Now because a fig tree is sometimes used symbolically of Israel in Scripture, it is, as we saw in Mark 11 -- There have been some weird interpretations of this parable here:

• Some say that the budding fig tree refers to Israel becoming a nation in 1948. They say that that was symbolic of Israel putting forth new leaves.
• Some say that it's Israel, spreading out into other non-Jewish territories, they're going to spring out new leaves.
• Some say that it has to do with some event in the future regarding Israel that we don't know about. But it'll be clear that something new will be happening in Israel. But those interpretations are all wrong.

 

Although Mark does speak about the fig tree here, Luke tells us in Luke 21:29, that Jesus said, “Behold the fig tree and all the trees.” So, He's not specifically just referring to Israel here. There's a point to His parable. He's just using this as a picture -- the picture of the trees producing new leaves to show that summer is near. The signs are going to come you're going to see the signs, but know I am near. So that's the illustration of the fig tree and the illustration of the last days.

 

2.     The Anticipation of the Last Days

 

Let's look secondly, at our second point, the Anticipation of the Last Days. The Anticipation of the Last Days. Look at verse 29. “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Mark 13:29)

 

Now, people get tripped up here, because Jesus uses the second person plural pronoun, "you" here. Notice that. Even so "you" too, when you see these things happening. And so it sounds like Jesus is talking here to who? To the disciples. They're the ones who are right there with Him on the Mount of Olives. There's the disciples. But remember the words back up in verse 14, let the who? Reader understand. Let the reader understand. Jesus is talking to those readers. That is the "you" here. It's those people who are living in that time of the tribulation.

 

Prophets often spoke of future events, and they would speak of "you". 

• Listen to Zechariah 9:9. Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly Oh daughter of Zion, shout and triumph, oh, daughter of Jerusalem, Behold, your King is coming to you." (Zac 9:9) Zechariah wrote that in around 480 B.C. And that's talking about Christ coming into Jerusalem, on that Monday, Palm Monday. Zechariah wrote that in 480 BC, but Jesus didn't come into Jerusalem until 33 A.D. -- And so, the "you" wasn't for those in 480 BC, but the "you" was referring to those in 33 AD. Do you see that…how prophets write? How they speak?

 

And so, the same thing is true here in verse 29. Even so, "you" too. That is "you who are alive during the tribulation period, who witness all of these things take place. I'm talking to you, you people in the future." When you see these things happening, what things? All of the things that Jesus has talked about, from verses 14 to 27, the abomination of desolation set up in the temple, all of the false Christs that will come, the false prophets that are going to come, all of the catastrophic events that are going to happen in the world at that time. All of those things will tell you -- will tell those who are living during that time -- that Jesus is near.

 

Now, what's interesting here is that the NASB, the NASB says this, He is near, He is near. The Greek word used there is the word "estin", which means "it is" and it could be translated as "he is". Some of your translations might say "it is" near. If you have a NIV with you here this morning, your NIV says "it is" near. It is near. But in Luke's account. Luke doesn't tell us that Jesus said, "He is" near or "it is" near. But Luke tells us that Jesus said "the kingdom of God is" near. (Luke 21:31) The kingdom of God is near. So which is it? Is it He? Is it it? Or is it the kingdom of God? Answer? Yes. Yes, it is.

 

When Christ is near, "His kingdom "is near, and therefore "it is" near, because "He is" near. Catch that? He is near, it is near, the kingdom of God is near. Know that. It is near? How near is He? Notice what it says there..."right at the door." (Mark 13:29) He is right at the door. This is simply to say that He is so near that He's literally right there standing at the doorstep.

 

Some of you may have had some people come over for Thanksgiving this last week. And you heard when they came up to your doorstep. You could hear their footsteps outside of your door. They were near. They were about to enter in. They were right there. And that's what Jesus is saying. He is near, He is right at the door. And so those of you who are seeing all of these things happening, all of these signs that are happening, all of these people need to recognize that Jesus is so close to coming that He's right there on the doorsteps. His time is very near. They won't know the exact time but they should anticipate that He is really close. That He's coming very soon. And this would give them what? Hope. Because that's what they will need at this time.

 

3.     The Generation of the Last Days

 

This future generation, they need to recognize this, which is exactly what Jesus says in verse 30. And leads to our third point, point number three, the Generation of the Last Days.  We saw the Illustration, the Anticipation, and now the Generation. Look at what it says in verse 30. "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (Mark 13:30)

 

Now, there's been a lot of debate about who this generation is. Dr. Richard Mayhue tells us that there are seven possibilities that people have come up with.  I told you it's going to be a Bible study this morning.

 

1. First, he says that some people say that this generation refers to the disciples, but that Jesus was wrong. Because those things haven't taken place yet? Well, that's just a stupid possibility, because we know Jesus is never wrong, right?

 

2. The second, some say that this generation is the human race in general. But that doesn't work because Jesus was talking about a specific group here, right? A specific group of people.

 

3. Third, some say that this generation is referring to those who were alive in 70 AD at the destruction of the temple. But that can't be it, because the destruction of the temple didn't have any signs of Christ's return with it. Christ did not return in 70 AD, as many Preterists would say, they are wrong, Christ did not return then. The destruction of the temple was simply a fulfillment of Jesus telling the disciples that the temple was going to be destroyed. Just as He told them. That's all that happened in 70 AD, the destruction of the temple. And that's it.

 

4. Fourth, some say that this generation is referring to faithful Christians in general. But that doesn't work because it's just too general in its scope. Jesus obviously means a certain people, right? Where He says, this generation, He's talking specifically.

 

5. Fifth, some say that this generation refers to the general Jewish race. But again, this is too general. And Jesus is talking about a specific generation of people.

 

6. Sixth, some say that is referring to a future evil generation. This could be true in the sense that it's a future generation that Jesus is referring to here. But again, it's not specific enough, because it's not just the evil people, but the righteous people who are living during this time, this generation.

 

7. Which leads to the seventh possibility, and I believe is the correct interpretation. That is, it is the future generation who will be alive during the Second Coming of Christ, this generation, notice, Jesus says, "this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (Mark 13:30) What things take place? Again, the future things that take place, in the tribulation period, all of those things that are going to happen in the tribulation. It's the same "these things" that we just talked about in verse 29, the abomination of desolation, the sun and the moon being darkened, the stars falling to earth, all of those signs that are happening during that time. And so "this generation" is referring to the generation of people who are alive during the tribulation. That's what it's talking about here.

 

And it's not hard to believe that a generation will see all of this take place, right? It's only a seven-year period. Not very long. It's a seven-year period from the beginning of the tribulation, to the time of Christ's return. Daniel 9 speaks of this. This generation who is alive during this time, will see all of these things take place. They're going to see the peace treaty with Israel at the beginning of the tribulation, they will see the Antichrist setup his throne in the temple in Jerusalem at the midpoint of the tribulation, they will see the sun and the moon darkened, the stars falling to Earth, and they will see Christ coming in the clouds with great power and glory. That is this generation that Jesus is talking about here.

 

Just to affirm that all of this is going to take place. Jesus makes a statement in verse 31. Where He says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Mark 13:31)

 

4.     The Affirmation of the Last Days

 

Which leads to our fourth and final point here this morning. The Affirmation of the Last Days. The Affirmation of the Last Days. We saw the illustration, the anticipation, the generation and now the affirmation. Notice what Jesus says there, He says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Mark 13:31)

 

What does Jesus mean by this? There's two simple promises that Jesus gives here. The first promise is the world is temporary. This world is temporary. This world as we know it now is temporary. Which means all of the things that that generation goes through will be temporary. Think about all of the hardships, the trials, the tribulation, all of the stuff that that generation -- during that tribulation period -- are going to go through. This is good news for them. Heaven and earth will pass away. It's temporary. Great, because we can't take this much longer Lord. This is a glorious promise for them.

 

Now this doesn't mean that the world is going to pass away in the sense that it's going to be annihilated. I don't believe in annihilation, the annihilation of the of the world. But I believe in the restoration of all things, why do I believe that? Listen to Acts 3:19. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.” (Acts 3:19) And listen to this in verse 21, "whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things" (all things) "about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, from the ancient time." (Acts 3:21) There's a restoration of all things that is going to take place. There's a period of time in the future when all things are going to be restored.

 

Remember, God is a redeeming God, right? And God is a restoring God, right? He's a God of restoration. Just as we've been studying in Romans 8, in our last study of Romans 8, a couple Wednesdays ago, "creation groans waiting to be..." (listen to this) "set free from its slavery to corruption”, waiting to be set free. (see Rom 8:21-22) That's what creation is groaning for. Why is it waiting to be set free? Because what did God do to creation? He cursed it at the fall. He cursed this world. He put a curse on it. And so this world right now -- this earth as we know it -- is groaning, waiting to be set free, waiting to be restored, back to the way that it was when God created all things. And what did He say after He created it all? It is good? No. Very good. Very good.

 

So what Jesus is saying here is that the heavens and the earth as we know them now (in their corrupt state) will pass away. It will be made new. COVID won't be around forever. Evil rulers won't be around forever. Sickness and disease and death won't be around forever. No more riots, no more theft. News agencies will all be out of business, because this world is going to be restored... because Heaven and earth will pass away. It's a promise that Jesus gives. And He gives it to us now and He's also giving it to that future generation who needs it at that time, because they're going through a lot of tribulation and a lot of trials. And they're looking around at all of the things that are going on. And they're going, "I can't take this anymore." And Jesus says hey, don't worry, heaven and earth will pass away. He gives them hope. Because He knows that that's what they need.

 

There's a second promise that He gives. Notice what He says there..."My words will not pass away" (Mark 13:31) My words will not pass away. That is, although the heavens and the earth will pass away and be restored, Christ's words will always stand. And His words don't need any changing. They don't need any kind of restoration. Because every one of His words are pure and true. They will always stand. There doesn't need to be any refining of His words. Because what He has said is both true now and forever. He speaks eternal words that don't need any kind of refining. Everything that Jesus said will happen is going to happen.

 

It's promised, because it's true. Which means that all that He has just told these disciples on the Mount of Olives, all of it's going to come true. It's all going to happen. Now, think about it. Think about what Jesus has just said to these guys. He's told these guys the temple is going to be destroyed. Which means that the whole Jewish religious system is coming down -- everything that they were brought up in -- the whole Jewish system, it's going down. He's going to destroy it all. He tells them that they're going to go through great tribulation on earth. He essentially tells them, look, this world is going to get really, really bad. And was it bad for the disciples? You bet it was... martyred for their faith in Christ. He tells them, there's going to be a future tribulation, when the abomination of desolation will come. He tells them there's going to be a cosmic chaos coming where the sun and the moon will be darkened and the stars are going to fall to Earth. It's going to be out of control. What do you think this information would do to these guys?

 

Will this make them a little unsettled? It probably makes some of us a little unsettled. Wow, that's the future? Oh, that's the time that we're living in? tribulation, persecution? You mean we could be killed for our faith? Yep. That's the time that we're living in. A little unsettling. And it's unsettling for them because what do they think the next event is? They think the next event is the establishment of the kingdom. Remember, they don't have a time gap in their theology. They think Jesus is going to just be there and He's just going to establish the kingdom.

 

They think that Christ -- who is the Messiah -- Jesus, who is sitting right there in their midst, right in front of them, is going to take down Rome and establish His kingdom. That's their mindset. That's why they ask in Acts 1:6 "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6) They still can't get it out into their minds, guys, there's a time gap. At this time? Remember the question we asked you earlier, Jesus? Are you going to do it now? They still don't get it. But Jesus assures them that although heaven and earth will pass away, His words will not. Which means all that Jesus has taught these guys and promised to these guys up to this point, all of them are going to be fulfilled. Every one of His promises is going to come true. Which means that His promise in John 14 is going to come true and will be fulfilled. What is that promise? Turn over to John chapter 14 with me.

 

This is a glorious truth for us. Jesus is comforting His disciples here because He knows that they need comfort. And look at what He says in John 14, beginning in verse 1.  “Do not let your heart be” what? “troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3)

 

Wow. You should circle those, underline those, highlight those words in your Bible, because that is a promise from Christ. Not just to the disciples, but to us as well. This is good news. You know what this is talking about here? This is the rapture of the church! It's what He says in verse 3: "If I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3)

 

It's the glorious promise of the rapture that you and I have to look forward to. Isn't that comforting? Doesn't that give us hope? They need to know this promise of Jesus, that "My words will not pass away"...But they will all come true. This is good news! And this ought to bring joy and comfort not only to the disciples' hearts, but they should bring joy and comfort to our hearts as well! Because what does the future look like for us as believers?

 

Well, we look forward to the Rapture. And then the Millennial kingdom, where we will rule and reign with Christ just as we talked about in equipping hour this morning. And then the new heavens and the new earth that He has promised for all of those who are His, we will be there with Christ forever!

 

Since this is a promise, we know that this is going to happen. How do we know? Because Jesus says that His words will not pass away. His words will not fail. That everything that He has just told these disciples about the future is going to happen. It is a fact. For those of us who are believers, these are comforting words.

 

But for those of you who are here this morning, and are not believers, these words should be terrifying. These words should terrify you. Because Jesus said that the next time that He comes, He will come as a judge who is going to bring judgment upon all of those who do not believe in Him. He came the first time as a suffering servant, to die on a cross for our sins, and to be buried and raised again. But the next time that He comes, He's not coming to die on a cross. He's coming to bring judgment. He's coming as a conquering King, and He will conquer all of those who are His enemies. All of those who do not believe in Him. The next time that He comes, He will come to separate the sheep and the goats. The sheep being believers, those who believe in Him, goats being the unbelievers. And here is what He will tell the goats -- He will tell the goats, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41)

 

And all of those who don't believe in Him will end up there and in eternal hell.  How do we know? Because He says, "My words will not pass away."  But listen, if you are here this morning, and you are not a believer in Christ, it is not too late for you. The glorious truth is that Christ came, and He died on a cross for the sins of all of those who would believe in Him. And He made the sacrifice because He knows because the truth is you cannot save yourself. You are a sinner who has been separated from God. And Romans 6:23 says "the wages of sin is death," (Rom 6:23) But it doesn't stop there. There's a glorious truth after that, that says, "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23) And if you repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus Christ, you can receive that eternal gift --the gift of salvation -- and be with Christ forever. Who will never pass away. He offers you eternal life today. Will you come to Him?

 

Well, this message to this future generation about His second coming is not done. Jesus has more to say to them, which is what we'll look at next time. Will you pray with me?

 

Father, thank You for Your Word. We thank You for these glorious promises of Christ, that heaven and earth will pass away; that this cursed world that we are living in, as we look all around us, and we see the sin, the corruption, and all of the evil and the wickedness that is going on -- Lord, the glorious truth is that it will all pass away. And You will come and establish Your throne, and we will live with You forever. Thank You that Your words will not pass away. But that everything that You have declared to us in Your Word will come true. I pray that You would help us to trust You more --each and every day -- to trust Your Word. To know Your word, to grow in our knowledge of the Word and plant it in our hearts so that we might live it out for Your glory. We pray all of this in Christ's name. Amen.