THE STUDY OF REVELATION BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY THE OLIVET DISCOURSE Matthew 24 LESSON 3 (Great Tribulation Matthew 24) THE GREAT TRIBULATION THE INTERLUDE Two verses provide the interlude between the first half of the seven-year Tribulation and the last half known as the Great Tribulation. Matt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Immediately after the sixth Seal, 144,000 Jews are sealed by God, 12,000 from each tribe. Since they are God s servants, Messianic Jews converted during the first half of the Tribulation it is believed that they will be His evangelists during the Great Tribulation. It is they that shall preach the gospel of the kingdom, the same as what John the Baptist and Jesus preached. They are responsible for the great multitude of martyrs that accepted Christ that are found in heaven in the remaining verses of Revelation 7 just before the opening of the seventh Seal. They will preach the Jewish message of the kingdom as did Jesus. This is the final hope. The Gospel of the kingdom of Matthew 24:14 is what John the Baptist preached and what Jesus brought to the Jews. Jesus came to the Jews to present the promised kingdom. This is not a different Gospel from the Gospel of Grace. It is the same Gospel with a different emphasis. 1 The reward for the Jews at the end of the Tribulation is their kingdom with Messiah sitting upon David s throne. Matt 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The ones that endure to the end shall be saved (Matt 24:13). If the message of Jesus is to the Jews in these passages, it is the Jews primarily, and Gentiles (those saved during the Tribulation), who are to endure to the end. This is the time of testing for the Jews, not for the church. The church is already saved as Paul states in his letter to the Ephesians: Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 1 McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, p. 127.
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. We are saved by Grace before the Tribulation. It is not the church that must endure to the end of the Tribulation to see and recognize their Messiah. Zech 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. The Dispensation of Grace ended with the Rapture of the church. The seven-year Tribulation is not part of the Church Age, the Dispensation of Grace. The church is saved by trusting in Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are not told to endure to the end to receive our salvation. The Jews are to endure to the end. They will hear the Everlasting Gospel preached during the Tribulation. Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. The Everlasting Gospel is the same Gospel as the Gospel of Grace, but with a different emphasis. The Everlasting Gospel brings the revelation of fear of judgment. It is the Gospel preached during the Tribulation, the Time of Jacob s Trouble. It is this Gospel that is primarily for the Jewish people to bring them to repentance, encouraging them to endure to the end. It is a Gospel of faith. They will be saved by God s grace. This Gospel message is not for the church. 2 THE SEVENTH SEAL THE GREAT TRIBULATION 3 The first half of the Tribulation is found in Matthew 24:4-14. The second half, the last 3-1/2 years is described in Matthew 24:15-28 and is known as the Great Tribulation. 4 It is also known as the Time of Jacob s [Israel s]trouble (Jer 30:7). Matt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 2 McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, p. 127. 3 Lieth, HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE, p. 20. 4 Lieth, HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE, p. 20.
Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. After the interlude there comes an abomination that desolates the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Matt 24:15). It is now the mid-point of the seven years. This is the sign that the Jews are to flee to the mountains with great haste. It is also the sign that begins the Great Tribulation, the last 3-1/2 years before Jesus returns in His Second Coming. Pay attention that Matthew 24:15-16 refers to Israel, not the church. It is not the church that is concerned about an abomination that desecrates the Jewish Temple (vs 15). It is not the church that resides in Judea (vs 16). It is not the church that is told to flee to the mountains (vs 16). Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. 8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Dan 9:27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he [Antichrist] shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate [desolator]. Daniel was not referring to the church when he prophesied of the seventy weeks. This prophecy was for Israel. The seventieth week is for the salvation of the Jewish people. Daniel 9:24 says that seventy weeks are determined upon thy people. It is Daniel s people that these seventy weeks are for, including the entire seven-year Tribulation. It does not say that only sixtynine weeks are for Israel and one week is for the church (Dan 9:24-27). 5 Daniel 9, verse 27 is the key verse in the Old Testament to establish the length of the Tribulation to be seven years and it is found in a prophecy concerning the nation of Israel. FLEE JUDEA Now notice that the Great Tribulation will come very suddenly. Matt 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: 5 Lieth, HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE, p. 18.
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: Again, notice that the reference is to Jews fleeing Jerusalem, and they are to pray that it will not be on the Sabbath day. Again, this is not a warning to the church to flee. The Sabbath has no meaning for the church (vs 20). 6 These are Jews that are to flee to safety from Judea (vs 16). Housetop living (vs 17) is common in ancient Israel also pointing to Israel as the region to flee from. Notice this in Acts: Acts 10:9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey [to seek Peter], and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: Peter was staying in the house of Simon the tanner that had sleeping space on the roof. The evidence of Matthew 24 is that the Jews were the target and the subject of the discourse. GREAT TRIBULATION AND THE ELECT Matt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's [Israel s] sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ [Messiah], or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs [Messiahs], and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. Great Tribulation referred to here is the last half of the Time of Jacob s Trouble spoken of by Jeremiah: Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. It is a day that is great. It is a time like none other. The tribulation we experience today can be compared to other times in history, but, this day is to be like no other (vs 21). 7 Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 6 McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, p. 129. 7 McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, p. 129.
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. It is to be a tribulation like no other. It is the Time of Jacob s Trouble. Who is Jacob? Notice this after Jacob wrestled with God. Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Jacob is Israel. Now, who are the elect referred to here (Isa 45:4)? Notice these verses in Isaiah in which God speaks of a certain Cyrus about 200 years in advance of God using him to free Israel to return from Babylon: Isa 45:1 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. God will preserve a remnant of His elect, the Jews. Isa 65:8 Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. Isa 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. God s Jewish elect will live in their millennial kingdom. Isa 65:20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. God refers to Israel as His elect. Since the evidence so far in Matthew is that Jesus audience is Jewish, then it is logical that the elect referred to in Matthew 24, verse 22 is Israel
and the Jewish people, not the church. The elect, a remnant of Israel, will be saved. 8 Again, the church did not exist before Acts 2. It is the Time of Jacob s (Israel s) Trouble. Those days will be shortened. The time will be brief. In the book of Revelation we find that the earth s population will be reduced by a third, and again by a fourth. It could have been longer, but God in His wisdom made it brief. 9 The various judgments in Revelation increase in crescendo as the return of Christ nears. It can be supposed that the four horsemen continue to ride during the entire Tribulation. Their judgments will increase in intensity throughout, together with the additional judgments of the Trumpets and Bowls. All of these judgments are the wrath of God. God s wrath will indeed be so great, that unless the Tribulation be brief, none can survive. As we have already seen in the last lesson, there have been many false Messiahs in Jewish history, the last of which was Jacob Joseph Frank (1726-1791) who claimed to be a reincarnation of King David and preached a synthesis of Christianity and Judaism. The next one could well be the Antichrist. 10 During the Time of Jacob s Trouble there will be false Christs (Messiahs) that will do marvelous signs and wonders. 11 Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth [false prophet]; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast [Antichrist or false Messiah] before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast [false Messiah], which had the wound by a sword, and did live. By now you should be well aware that the message of Matthew 24 and the Tribulation is primarily for Israel and the Jewish people. 8 McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, pp. 129, 130. Lieth, HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE, pp. 16, 21. 9 McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, p. 129. 10 Lieth, HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE, p. 17.LIST OF MESSIAH CLAIMANTS, Wikipedia. McGee, THRU THE BIBLE with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. IV, Matthew-Romans, p. 125. 11 Lieth, HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE, p. 21.