The Gospels/The Life of Christ

Transcription

1 The Gospels/The Life of Christ NT504 LESSON 19 of 24 Terry C. Hulbert, Th.D. Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Columbia Biblical Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina Let s pray together. Our Father, we are constantly amazing and awestruck by the wisdom of the Lord Jesus and how He responded to His critics in truth, in directness, but always in love and grace. As we think of how they attacked Him, how they reviled Him and rejected Him, we are so impressed and so thankful, concerning the fact that He died for them and even later said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. We thank You for this grace and we pray that You ll help us to observe it in Jesus interaction in these last days of His ministry with these people, and that You ll teach us from this example. Help us, Father, to see things we ve not seen before, to make applications that we have not made before, as we see Jesus in some new dimensions. For we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Following the confrontation with these four different groups, Jesus Himself turns back with a question to them in section 198, and this really concludes the whole series of this confrontation. In Matthew s account, it says, While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: What do you think about the Christ, whose Son is He? (Matthew 22:42). Now this is the origin issue at its ultimate climax. Because He is saying, Whose Son is He? In other words, Where does He come from? Who is He? And they said, He s the Son of David (Matthew 22:42). They had no problems with that at all. They had always taught that Messiah would be the Son of David. Jesus says, Then, if He s the Son of David, how does David in the Spirit (that is, controlled by the Holy Spirit) call Him Lord? (Matthew 22:43). You would not call your son, Lord, if he is your own son. And He quotes this from Psalm 110:1: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at My right hand until I put thy enemies beneath thy feet. If David then calls him Lord, how is He his son? And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question (Matthew 22:44-46). The answer to that really is: He is both the Son of David, physically, and He is the Son of God as well. The virgin birth is the answer to this question. So whose Son is He? He is the Son of Man [and] 1 of 16

2 He is the Son of God. And incidentally, the Son of Man term does not refer to Jesus primarily as a human being, because we re going to see that in the trial, that when they cannot get a witness against Him, they say, Who do You say You are? (Mark 14:61). And He says, I am the Son of Man (Mark 14:62). And they said, That s enough for us. He s made Himself to be God (Mark 14:63-64). But the point here is that He is both human and divine. And that s the real answer to this, and that is the answer that they will not face up to. In section 199, we have these seven woes against the scribes and Pharisees. They have been the major attackers of Jesus. It is interesting that Jesus does not come out with a statement like this against the Sadducees so much, because although they were politically threatened and although they rejected Him on more political grounds, it was the Pharisees that were the main concern of Jesus because their theology was wrong. They had their own standards of righteousness. Back in Matthew 5:20, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did not say, Except your position exceeds that of the Sadducees. He said, Except your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and the scribes. So it is this righteousness issue which is most important because that is the way to get into the kingdom Christ s righteousness, not man s righteousness. You ll notice that throughout the passage, you will find a number of references there to blind eyes, blindness. In fact, blind people are mentioned in Matthew 23 verses 16, 17, 19, 24, and 26. And this would obviously have a bearing, referring back to John 9 when the Pharisees said, Are we blind also? (John 9:40). Section 200: the lament over Jerusalem: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! I would have gathered you but you were not willing. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate (Matthew 23:37-38). This refers, I think, to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. And then He is going to return to them again in the future. And then they will say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Matthew 23:39). This cannot refer to the Triumphal Entry, because this is spoken after the Triumphal Entry. So He is speaking of the real Triumphal Entry that we refer to when Jesus comes from the Mount of Olives in Zechariah 14. In section 201, [there is] this touching little incident of the woman s gift. This widow who gives out of her poverty (Mark 12:41-44). 2 of 16

3 This brings us now to the fourth of the five major discourses, and this is called The Olivet Discourse, because it was given on the Mount of Olives. The circumstances are these: (1) The time was probably Tuesday, two days following the formal entry into Jerusalem and three days before Jesus official rejection and death. (2) The place, well the questions were asked in the temple area on the east side of Jerusalem, but the discourse itself was given on the Mount of Olives overlooking the temple area. So while they were down there in the temple area, the disciples asked some questions (Matthew 24:2). But they don t get the answers until they get up onto the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24). And from the Mount of Olives, you look down over the city of Jerusalem across the Valley of Kidron it all just sits out there beautifully as you look down on it. (3) The people that He addressed this to were the Twelve. It was not given publicly, as, for instance, the Sermon on the Mount. (4) And the occasion of it was that Jesus had predicted the destruction of the temple, and the apostles had asked two questions. We will read about those in Matthew 24:1-2: Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him (Matthew 24:1). I don t know why they did this. They had been there before, but apparently it just struck them at that time. They said, Look at these temple buildings, look at the gold, look at the fine work there. And Jesus said, Do you not see all these things (and by the way, this is a good illustration of how Jesus picked up on so many incidents or statements or events or almost passing comments and made a tremendous theological point out of them. This is a marvelous illustration of that). No one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down (Matthew 24:2). This would be quite a shock to them. They had just pointed to the beauty of this temple. You remember in the previous temple, in Solomon s Temple, which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the people there in Jeremiah s day were saying that, Nebuchadnezzar will never take Jerusalem. The temple will never be destroyed because this is Solomon s temple. This is too holy. This is too good. This is too beautiful, nothing could ever touch this. But it was leveled. And then the second temple was built much smaller as they came back from Exile, and it was dedicated in 516 BC. We re not sure whether this temple that was built by Herod Antipas was a reconstruction of that second temple. We re not sure what happened to that second temple whether that second temple had been destroyed or at least fell into disuse and that Herod, for practical purposes, started all over again. But remember, at the beginning of Jesus ministry when He says, Tear down this temple, and I ll build it 3 of 16

4 again in three days (John 2:19). They said, It has been 46 years in building (John 2:20). And it not only was 46 years in building, but they didn t finish it until just a very few years before it got destroyed in AD 70. So it was in the process of construction. In any case, it was beautiful. And they could not conceive that it would be torn down. But He said it was going to be, referring, of course, to the destruction of Jerusalem that was to come 40 years later. And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, and they have two questions: (1) They say, Tell us when will these things be? (Matthew 24:3). And I would take it that this would refer particularly to the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem; (2) And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3). Now these last two pretty much go together, because we have noted that there were two ages in Jewish thought the Present Age and the Future Age, or the Present Age and the Kingdom Age. And the dividing line between the two of them was the coming of Jesus as Messiah to establish His kingdom, to set up this rule. So the end of this age would coincide with His coming. So they re asking, When will the destruction of Jerusalem be and of the temple, particularly? And secondly, What will be the sign of His coming? Now throughout these next two chapters of Matthew, we find the answer actually to the second question. I see Matthew 24 and 25 as particularly answering the second question the signs of His coming and the end of the age. In Luke 21, we are going to see that the emphasis there is upon answering the first question concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. And if you ll just turn over to page 198 in the Harmony, you ll see in Luke s account, from verses 21:20-24, the answer to the first question: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand (Luke 21:20). And down lower on the page, in the last verse or so: For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be laid captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:22-24). That apparently is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and, therefore, answering the disciples first question: When will this be that the temple is destroyed? Now you will notice that in that passage there are some statements made that are parallel to what Jesus is going to say 4 of 16

5 about the signs of His coming in the end [of] times. What is the connection between the two? Well obviously the things that Jesus is predicting concerning the future that the stars will fall from heaven. There will be great earthquakes and all kinds of things [things] that did not take place at AD 70 [with] the destruction of Jerusalem. But just before His coming, there is to be an attack on Jerusalem that we read about in Zechariah 12 where it says that Those who come against Jerusalem will be like having a millstone hung about their necks. That Jerusalem, so to speak, is going to be a millstone for them. It is going to be something they all smash themselves on. And at the end times, before Christ comes to establish His kingdom, there will be another attack on Jerusalem. The AD 70 one, we might almost say, is a preview of it. Now there have been several destructions of Jerusalem. And this is one more of them in the series. And there is a parallel between each of them. A good passage on this to read is in Joel 1 and 2. In Joel 2, you see the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC; and then through to AD 70; and then again to the attack that comes on Jerusalem just before Christ returns to establish His kingdom; then, of course, as I mentioned in Zechariah 12, but also in other passages. In each case, Jerusalem is seen as the focal point of God dealing with His people. The emphasis on Jerusalem is not so much on the nations that come against it as on the judgments coming on His own people. So I m trying to explain some of the parallel concepts that Jesus notes in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, which is recorded in Luke s account that we ve just read, and also in the future time. So that leaves us now with the second question: What is the sign of your coming and the end of the age? First of all, I think we should get some background on this and some perspective. There are many, many views of the reference here of this Olivet Discourse. I might as well tell you right now where I m coming from so that you can like it or not like it. I believe that this is referring to the last days before the establishment of Christ s kingdom in the future in other words, primarily to what we call, the Tribulation Period. We often quote passages from this for our time today, such passages as wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6) and so on. Well, of course, that has always been the case. But as I think we ll see, there are some specific and unique factors about what is predicted for that day that do not apply in a specific way to us today, even though there are foreshadowings of it. 5 of 16

6 Also we sometimes use the parable of the ten virgins, the five foolish ones and the five wise ones and so on in getting ready for the Lord s coming. Well certainly as a general statement I think that it s true, that we can use that as a warning that we should always be ready for the Lord to come. I believe He could come at any time. But nevertheless, in this context here, I think it has a special reference to the nation Israel. Is the church involved in this? Is this what some people would call the Rapture, as referred to in the coming of Christ? I have a problem with that because there are so many references that seem to relate to Israel and to the land and to the city that just do not fit with the church. For instance, there are several references to Jerusalem as such. There is a reference to Judea: fleeing throughout all the cities of Judea (Matthew 24:16). There is a reference to the abomination of the holy place in Matthew 24:15. The holy place? What would that be? Well unless we spiritualize it, we have to see it as in the temple in Jerusalem. Then they is a warning about fleeing on the Sabbath (Matthew 24:20). I would have a problem relating that to the church today and the very nature of the questions. Remember that the disciples at this time did not have any concept of the church whatsoever. We saw that the church was only mentioned definitively once in all of the Gospels and that is when Jesus pictured it in the future saying, I will build My church (Matthew 16:18). So an answer, in Matthew 24 and 25, to their question about Jerusalem and Judea and so on could hardly envisage teaching about the church when they don t even know about this when this has not been something they ve been taught about. Then there is a reference to the regathering of the tribes which again seems to relate more to Israel than to the church. There are several others, but I m just telling you that where I m coming from is: I believe that the events described here are in the Tribulation Period just before the coming of Christ to establish His kingdom. This is then really the answer to the question of: If Israel as a nation is going to reject its Messiah if they re going to say, Away with Him. We have no king but Caesar (John 19:15) then what of that nation Israel? What is the future of it? What is going to happen? And without referring directly to this Church Age, Jesus is telling His disciples that here is what is going to happen in that time in the future just before Messiah establishes His kingdom. Now Jesus in the later part of His ministry, in Perea and Judea, referred on a number of occasions to His return. Remember we saw that in our previous studies. That He had said virtually 6 of 16

7 nothing about coming back until later on as He comes closer to the rejection. Then He speaks about, As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37), and so on. All of this is before He is gone. So it is referring to some future time when He is going to come. We just read a few minutes ago about that when He comes, that He will come in the name of the Lord. And they will fulfill this statement about Hosanna, coming in the name of the Lord (Matthew 21:9), and so on. So He has referred to His coming. But now in Matthew 24 and 25, we get some expanded, detailed teaching concerning the events immediately preceding that. And that s what they asked. They did not say, What will this church age be like? What will the church be like? They said, What will be the signs of your coming and the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3). And this is exactly the question that He answers. What is He saying about it then? Well the first thing I think we need to do is to go through and get an idea of the structure of this discourse. I think that what we have in the beginning here for the first 14 verses of Matthew 24 is a survey of the activity during the Tribulation Period. We will come back to that in a minute. Then in section 204, when you get to Matthew verse 24:15, Jesus speaks specifically concerning the time in the middle of the tribulation which is called the abomination of desolation being set up in the temple, in the holy place. Incidentally, the temple was destroyed in AD 70, but we have references indicating that in that Tribulation Period the temple will be reconstructed. As a matter of fact, in Revelation 12 and 13, we are told of the evil one, the false Christ, who will set himself up in authority in the temple. So it will be rebuilt. Now we see what is referred to as the Holy of Holies within the temple in Matthew verse 24:15. Now in Daniel 9:27, he lists the things that happened during those 69 weeks. As we saw before, he stops at the end of the 69th week. He stops at the end of 483 years following the 444 BC and that was the triumphal entry. He says, after that, two things are going to happen. First, Messiah will be cut off; and second, Jerusalem will be destroyed. Well we have seen that Messiah was cut off, crucified, five days later and Jerusalem was destroyed some 40 years later. Then in the last verse of that passage, in Daniel verse 9:27, it says that in the middle of the week now we ve defined weeks as seven of years, so that will be halfway through it or three and a half years into it. Then we have this quotation right here, that they will offer the abomination of desolation on the altar in Jerusalem (Matthew 7 of 16

8 24:15). So I see the reference there in Daniel 9:27 to this very passage here. As a matter of fact, this is a quotation of it, as you see in Matthew 24:15. So what I m trying to say is that in verse 24:15 we go back now to the middle of the Tribulation Period. And from there on, we have, what we might call, a zoom lens view of the last half of the tribulation. So from verses 24:1-14, we have kind of got a survey of it all. And then in verse 24:15, we have a zoom lens in on the last part of the tribulation period when, for the Jewish people, the persecution becomes greatest. And this is where He warns them about the fleeing on the Sabbath and so on. Notice verse 24:21: For then there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever shall be. This, in my estimation, is enough to take all of the warnings about wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and so on out of this age, because that is going to be a unique period of history. And that culminates in the coming of Messiah, the coming of Christ. And that is referred to in verse 24:29. But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be dark and the moon will not give its light and so on. Matthew 24:30: Then the sign of the Son of Man (that is what they ask about) will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky in power and great glory. So what I m suggesting then is that Matthew 24:1-29 describes the tribulation period just before Messiah comes. It is surveyed in 24:1-14. But from 24:15-29, you ve got a zoom lens giving more detail on the last half of the Tribulation Period. That brings us up to the end of verse 24:29. And in Matthew 24:30, we find the coming of Christ to earth the sign of the Son of Man coming in clouds with power and great glory. And He sends out his angels to gather in His elect from the four winds. Now I want you to turn please to Matthew 25:31: But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. Does that sound familiar? Just compare that verse with Matthew 24:30: The Son of Man will come with power and great glory. Matthew 25:31: The Son of Man comes in His glory, and sits on His throne. Now listen carefully to this: those two verses refer to the same event. Now let s ask ourselves the question: What falls between those two verses? What we are going to see falling between those two verses is not a record of more events as though it were a 8 of 16

9 continuous narrative. But we are going to see that He breaks off after 24:31 and gives us, first of all, some signs. And then He is going to give some warnings concerning being ready for that day. In other words, these are I wouldn t call them footnotes but let s call them a parenthesis. He is dropping out of the sequence. Let me just review that again. From 24:4-30 we get a direct line of events that are happening during the Tribulation Period. In verse 24:30, He returns. Jump over to 25:31, He returns. So 24:30 and 25:31 are describing the same event. Now we go back and say: What is in between those two verses, 24:30 and 25:31? You will notice that the first thing is a parable about a fig tree. Then we have six parables about warning to be ready when He comes. What I m suggesting is that none of these move the action on any farther none of these are recording historical events. But rather, they are parables to warn about what s going to happen. So we don t get any more action until 25:31. Then the action starts again and we move on through the rest of chapter 25. Now let s just see if that works out. In 24:32-35, they have said to Him, What are the signs of Your coming? Well in section 206, He says, Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and [it] puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. Well that is what was happening right there in Palestine. Then He says, In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door (Matthew 24:33). I think it would be very dangerous for us to try to put those things into our age today, to start to set dates. Because we see there are wars or we ve got earthquakes. We ve got this! We ve got that! So, Not at all! But when these things happen, in the unique and intensive way that He is describing, then you know that you re very, very close to His coming. Verse 24:34: Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. The word generation can be translated in two ways. He can be referring to the nation Israel. It can mean race. So He could be saying, This race (that is, the people of Israel) will not be destroyed (although people have tried to do this in history) until these things take place. This, of course, is very true because they are part of the Abrahamic Covenant. And as we ve seen much earlier in our study, in the Abrahamic covenant I see as God s standards of performance. And it was essential that this people be preserved for this to happen. However, I think it s more likely that the generation 9 of 16

10 referred to is the generation that s on earth at that time. And I would contrast this with the phrase that we ve seen so often, as Jesus has said, this generation, referring to the generation that was on earth when Christ was here the first time that rejected Him this rebellious generation, this evil generation. Now this is therefore, I think, the generation that is on earth when these things start to take place. So that generation won t pass away. In other words, it s going to happen within their lifetime. Either of those interpretations, I think, would be acceptable. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of the day and the hour no one knows. (Matthew 24:35-36). You wanted to know the sign? Well I m telling you that when you see these events take place you know it s near. But I m still not going to tell you the exact day or the hour; only the Father knows that. Then He gives the warning about the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-38). This leads us into the first of these six warnings. And I will just mention them as sort of a list that we can see that in this passage after the coming of Christ in verse 24:30. And after the parable of the fig tree, in verses 24:32-35, we now have a series of six warnings. First of all about Noah s day (Matthew 24:37-39). That destruction comes very quickly, just like in the flood, and you ve got to be ready. Then the second one is the fact that when Christ comes, there is going to be separation. Two will be grinding together, two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left (Matthew 24:40). It is not essential to the interpretation here, but I believe that one who is taken is taken out for judgment. The one who is left is left to go into the kingdom. Then the third one is about the thief (Matthew 24:43). That if you knew when the thief was coming, you d stay awake and you wouldn t be robbed. So be ready when Christ comes. Fourth, the evaluation by the steward (Matthew 24:45-51). So how the steward treats the people who work for him. How the manager beats them, or doesn t beat them, would be conditioned by the fact that if he knew that his master was coming at a given moment. He would be careful how he treated them. 10 of 16

11 Also, fifth, the virgins and the lamps (Matthew 25:1-13). Again, it is a matter of preparation, readiness, for Him to come. And sixth, the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), responsibility. All of these are six parables which seem to me to indicate a warning of readiness, to be ready when Messiah comes to establish His kingdom. Now we go on to Section 208. And we pick up where the action left off, back at 24: Matthew 25:31: But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Now this is picking up the action again. What is going to happen when He returns? All the nations will be gathered before Him this is a time of judgment. He will separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32). He will put the sheep on his right, and the goats on the left (Matthew 25:33). Then the king will say to those on his right (that is, to the sheep nations), Come, you re blessed. You ll inherit the kingdom. Here is why: Because of your response. Now notice, they are not in the kingdom because they feed the hungry. But they feed the hungry, because they re citizens of the kingdom. And He is talking here of evidence. Somewhat parallel to the scene that we saw in Luke 7 where He said, Behold the one who has forgiven much is loved much (Luke 7:47) You have loved much. You are forgiven. But then, He went on and said, That your faith has made you whole (saved you) (Luke 7:50). You are trusting in Me! Your repentance that is what has got you salvation. But because you are saved, because you repented, therefore, you love Me. So we are talking about the difference between a heart change and the evidence of it. And He says, I ve seen the evidence, therefore, I know there was a heart change. And this heart change was seen during the period of the Tribulation Period especially. Now of course, this passage may be applied to our age as well. Whenever we help somebody heal the sick, and do good for people that we are, in effect, representing what Jesus Christ would do under those circumstances. We are demonstrating His love. There is no problem with that. But on the other hand, I think that there is a special reference here. Because, as we read in Revelation 12 and 13, that during that Tribulation Period, those who do not take the mark of the beast will not be able to buy or sell. There will be great famine. There will be great hunger. As a matter of fact, in Revelation 6 we read about the great famine. Even 11 of 16

12 back in Matthew 24, we read about the great famine. So in those days, it would really cost something to feed people. Especially those people who have not taken the mark of the beast. So how you would risk your life how you would go out of your way to do this would be an illustration of what your attitude itself was about Messiah. Then the opposite is also true for those who did not do this. And in verse 25:41: Then will he say to those on the left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which was not prepared for sinners, but prepared for the devil and his angels. So those who are in Satan s kingdom go where their sovereign is. I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and so on (Matthew 25:42). Again, [this is] outward activity speaking of the attitude of the heart. And verse 25:46: These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. You will notice that eternal life in Jesus ministry is often related to, equated to, the kingdom. Now, let s go back to chapter 24 for a few minutes. That was kind of a survey of what I see as the content of this Olivet Discourse. Let s go back to verse 24:4 in Section 203: And Jesus answered and said to them, See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ, and will mislead many. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened. For those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (Matthew 24:4-6). Now we will find the word end here several times in this passage. And the final time will be in verses 24:13 and 14. It says, But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. The Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness, and then shall the end come. Now the end here will obviously refer to the end of this age. And the end of this age will also coincide with the end of the tribulation period, if the tribulation period is that seven year period climaxing the end of this age. What He saying is that: You are going to see all of these things happen, but we re not quite yet at the end. The reason He says, It s not the end, is because that in the nature of the events, they would think it was the end, but that s a presupposition. And then He goes on to say, For nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of the birth pangs (Matthew 24:7-8). This is another concept now another parable, we might say 12 of 16

13 that Jesus introduces to describe this sequence. Obviously, the picture is one of a woman about to give birth to a child. There are labor pains. The point is that once those pains begin, a sequence has begun that will eventuate in the birth of that child. And what He is saying is that: That may be two hours or twenty hours or whatever, but there is a sequence that s begun! It is a good illustration because He is saying, When these things start, you ll know you re in the last stages of this age! And that s another reason why, I believe, that this passage does not refer to our present day, even though these phenomena do take place. But, of course, they ve always taken place. There were earthquakes long before Jesus was there. There s been wars throughout the history of the human race. So to say that this has to be this age because we have these and we have world wars and so on I think, is inadequate. However, in this case, He is specifically saying that these are the beginning of a definable period which will mark the end of this age. And I take that as being the Tribulation Period. [There is] something very interesting to notice here. He refers to one coming in His name (which would be the false Christ), wars and famine and earthquakes. If you read in Revelation 6 and 7, about the seal judgments, you ll notice that these are mentioned there and in the same sequence. Just quickly, in the Book of Revelation, there are three series of judgments: (1) the seal judgments, (2) the trumpet judgments, and (3) the bowl judgments. The seal judgments are called seal judgments because these judgments are recorded in a scroll. And that scroll is sealed at seven different places, presumably by a wax seal. So that as one seal would be broken, it would be unrolled a little bit and you d see the first one. Another seal would be broken and it would be unrolled a little bit farther. So you have seven of these stages, seven of these judgments to come. In fact, in Revelation 5, when they are asking who is worthy to do this, the only person they found worthy to do this judging and to open this was Jesus Christ. And that is where we get, worthy is the lamb (Revelation 5:12). So that in those sealed judgments, we apparently have an overview of the specific traumas and disasters that will take place during the Tribulation Period. Most of them start in the first part of the period. And one of the first ones is this rider on the horse who is apparently the false Christ. And that would correspond to the verse in Matthew 24:5. Then these other incidents, these other traumas, are listed there. Why am I saying all this? Because I think this reinforces, from another passage of Scripture, the fact that we are here talking about what is going on during the Tribulation Period. 13 of 16

14 Then in verse 24:13: The one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. And again, he does not get saved by enduring persecution. There is nothing in Scripture that says that if you are persecuted and hungry and thirsty and beaten that that will save you. We are only saved by the death of Christ on the cross as He took our place. But in order to endure to the end of that period, you would have to be a believer certainly to endure with a testimony. Matthew 24:14: This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come. [This is] usually given as one of the great missionary verses of Scripture. And I m going to be in great trouble with some of my brethren when I suggest that although I believe we should certainly seek to preach the Gospel to the ends of the world and [there] were 700 plans for reaching the world by the year AD 2000, and I m all in favor of doing that I don t believe that s what this passage teaches. The gospel of the kingdom was, in Jesus day, The good news that the kingdom was at hand. I cannot say, The kingdom is at hand, in the same way that John the Baptist could say it. I can say, The king is coming. But you ll notice that the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. If we tie this word end into the end that s mentioned in verse 24:13, and the end that is mentioned back up in verse 24:6, we realize that we re talking about the end of the Tribulation Period. So I see this as a witness during the Tribulation Period concerning the gospel of the kingdom which would parallel John the Baptist preaching, The kingdom is at hand. And it would be quite legitimate at that time because the kingdom really is at hand the King is about to come. And you might want to tie into this the witness of the 144,000 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel in this connection. So in the Olivet Discourse, then, we have, in my estimation, a survey of the events that will take place in the final days before Jesus does return and establishes His kingdom. I d mention just one other consideration there and that is: of the last two discourses of Jesus ministry, one on Tuesday afternoon, probably from the Mount of Olives the one we ve just looked at and the Upper Room Discourse, which is given on Thursday evening, I think we have an emphasis on two different groups. In the Olivet Discourse, we have an emphasis on the future of the nation Israel just before the establishment of Christ s kingdom on earth. And in the Upper Room Discourse, as we ll see, we have an emphasis on what is happening in the Church Age in between. 14 of 16

15 And these are two separate subjects given to the same people, but the thrust of them seems to be quite separate, quite distinct. Now going on to Section 209, we come to a passage of Scripture which I think is often overlooked. And because we overlook it, we fail to understand Judas role. And I don t want anything I m going to say in the next few minutes here or later to be interpreted as defending Judas because Judas acted on his own initiative. He did a terrible thing and certainly he is to be condemned for what he did. But there are circumstances here that will enlighten this concerning the nature of it. In section 209, Matthew 26:1: And it came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, You know that after two days the Passover is coming (by the way, Passover started on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. So this is probably, as I mentioned, Tuesday afternoon. And He s saying that after two days Passover is coming), and the Son of Man is to be delivered up for crucifixion. When? On Passover day on the Friday. Now the scene shifts. Matthew 26:3: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas. They are having an official meeting here to make a determination as to what action they re going to take. And they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and to kill Him. So they ve said, We ve made a decision now. We voted on it! Incidentally, later on we read that Joseph and Nicodemus did not vote for this. But they [the leaders] had decided that they were going to seize Jesus and kill Him. Now Matthew 26:5 is the important verse: But they were saying, Not during the festival, lest a riot occur among the people. We re going to do it! But we re not going to do it on Friday. As a matter of fact, the festival was the Feast of Passover. And that began the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was for another five days. Therefore, they re really talking about a week. And you ll notice in Mark s account: Not during the festival, lest there be a riot among the people (Mark 14:2). And in Luke s account, For they were afraid of the people (Luke 22:2). So they are going to wait until all these people go back to Galilee, Bethany, wherever they come from before they do that. Now that is their decision: We re going to crucify Him, but we re not going to crucify Him until another week has passed. Section 210 enter Judas. Judas comes up and he goes to the chief priest and he said, What are you willing to give me to deliver him 15 of 16

16 up to you? (Luke 22:4). He was not asking, What are you going to give me to identify Him? There wasn t a person in Jerusalem, not a member of the Sanhedrin, that didn t know what Jesus looked like. Jesus was not a secret operative and Judas was offering to blow His cover, as we might say. What was Judas offering to do? To deliver Him over, to lay the charge. So what Judas was saying is: I will lay the charge. I ll take the initiative! Now the Sanhedrin had an option. And now they look at each other and say, This is too good to be true. One of His own is going to lay the charge. And if one of His own lays the charge, then we will not have the problem of the crowd coming after us. We are simply the court that is hearing the case. And He is going to be the plaintiff. He is going to bring the charge. And they agree with Judas that He is going to do this. So Judas function, for whatever reason, is not to tell the Sanhedrin who Jesus is as though they didn t know but rather to take the initiative to bring the case to trial. And that now means that they can move the date of seizing Him and trying Him from eight days later back to Passover Day. So what Judas has actually done is to make a move that will keep the schedule timed according to what Jesus said. Because Jesus had just said, Passover is in two days, and I m going to be delivered up and crucified on Passover. The Sanhedrin had said, We re not going to do it then. Judas said, Let me help you! He didn t quite say, Let me help you, but that is how it turned out. This leads us, then, into the nature of the preparation for the Passover meal, because it reflects the fact that now Judas has made a commitment and has a mission to perform. Christ-Centered Learning Anytime, Anywhere 16 of 16