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Introduction
It needs to be stated at the outset
that when it comes to prophecy there
is no room for assumption. I say
this because it has been taught that
when tribulation ends, immediately
the Lord comes to earth. A careful
reading will show this is not
correct for Mark wrote, “In those
days, after that tribulation,
the sun shall be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light”, And
the stars of heaven shall fall, and
the powers that are in heaven shall
be shaken” (Mk. 13:24-25). The
apostle
continues writing, “And THEN
shall they see the Son of man coming
. . . . and THEN shall he
send his angels” (Mk. 13:26-27).
Therefore, from the inspired apostle
there are a number of days between
the end of the tribulation and the
coming of the Lord.
Furthermore, if one makes a careful
consideration of Matthew 24:29 it is
evident the events spoken of happen
under the 6th seal (Rev. 6:12-17),
and taking the words of the Lord as
true, it means that the 6th seal
takes place after the tribulation.
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The coming of the Lord to
reign is prophesied in a
number of passages both in
the Old and New
Testaments.
Some of the passages inform
humanity of the pre-events
such as the opening of the
seals etc., his coming and
its results for the ungodly
and the restoration of
Israel and creation. |
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a) |
Some of them are: |
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i) |
Every reference to Day of
the LORD in its ultimate
fulfilment (Isa. 2:12; 13:6;
Joel 2:1; Obadiah 1:15). |
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b) |
In the Old
Testament |
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i) |
Psa. 2:1-5; 46:6; Isa.
34:1-6; 51:11-17; 63:4, 6;
Joel 3:2; 9-16; Zech.
14:3-8; Dan. 11:40-45. |
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1. |
While
each of these references is
troubling, I find Psalm 2:4
very terrifying, for it
reads, “God shall laugh”.
God is a serious God and
when He laughs it is not
because something is funny,
it is the laugh of amazement
of man’s utter foolishness
of seeking to overthrow the
rule of the Almighty.
Imagine six foot of puny
dust defying humans standing
against the authoritative
government of Heaven!
Reading again in Psa. 37:13,
59:8 it is repeated that
“God laughs”. There are
four words in
Psalm
2
that
give a warning not to have
God against the individual.
“Laugh, derision” (v. 4),
“wrath, displeasure” (v.
5). The ungodly with their
present glory of
position,
power, prestige are in clown
costumes for they have
nothing before the almighty
God. What power do they
have in contrast with the
government of Heaven? What
prestige
do they have in comparison
with the honour of being a
child of God? What position
do they have against the
Moral governor of the
universe? Read carefully
Psalm 2:4
and
read the emphasis on the
various words. |
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(a) |
He that sitteth, a
permanent position |
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(b) |
He that sitteth in the
Heavens, this is not a
man or earthly governmental
authority which has the
authority, which can be
taken away. The Lord’s
throne is in the Heavens and
that throne will never be
toppled or shaken. |
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c) |
In the New
Testament |
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i) |
Matt. 24:4-31; Mk. 13:5-27;
2 Thess. 1:6-9; 2:3-12; Heb.
1:6; Rev. 14:18-20; 16:16;
19:11-21; Jude 1:14-15. |
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1. |
Rev. 19:11-21 expands the
judgmental truths of Psa.
2:5, 9 as do other New
Testament
passages.
It begins with the opening
of the Heavens. What a
contrast between the opening
of the Heavens when the Lord
was baptized. That was an
opening of public
recognition and assurance.
Revelation is the opening of
fierce judgment and fury. |
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If we only consider the
priestly side of our Lord’s
Melchizedek priesthood we
are only considering part of
that great truth. While
Hebrews takes up the
priestly aspect of it, the
book of Revelation deals
with the second aspect,
Christ as King. Of this
aspect of the man
Melchizedek we are told very
little. Genesis simply
informs us that he was the
king of Salem, brought bread
and wine, and blessed Abram
(Gen. 14:18-20). Hebrews
expands it a little in
explaining he was King of
righteousness and King of
peace (Heb. 7:2). |
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a) |
The Kingship of the Lord is
mentioned in at least ten
different avenues of
thought, them being: King of
the Jews (Matt. 2:2); King
of Israel (Jn. 1:49); King
of saints (Rev. 15:3); King
of glory (Psa. 24:7-10);
King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15);
King of beauty (Isa.
33:17);
King of righteousness (Heb.
7:2); King of peace (Heb.
7:2); King eternal (1 Tim.
1:17). |
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b) |
In Ezra Artaxerxes is called
“king of kings” (Ezra (7:12)
and Nebuchadnezzar is also
called “king of kings”
(Ezek. 26:7; Dan. 2:37).
Concerning Artaxerxes, he is
called by the title once,
Nebuchadnezzar
is so called twice, and each
time it is “a king of
kings”. However, when it
comes to Lord, He is
designated as such three
times (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev.
17:14; 19:16). Furthermore,
in 1 Timothy 6:15 He is
called, “The
King of kings.” |
Just as Melchizedek was a literal
priest and king and Christ at this
time was a literal priest, so there
can be no doubt that the Lord will
be a literal king. It is not an
imaginary kingdom but a literal
kingdom here on earth where He shall
reign supreme. Without going into
the various difficulties which speak
of David as the future King (Jer.
30:9; Ezek. 34:23-24), suffice to
say, the Lord is prophesied to be
God’s king (Psa. 2:6). He will be
on the Throne of David (2 Sam.7:16;
Psa. 89:20-37); He was born a King (Lk.
1:32-33); He was rejected as King
(Mk. 15:12-13); He died as a King
(Matt. 27:37); He will come to reign
as King (Rev. 19:19). Mary spoke of
Him as such (Lk. 1:32-33).
What will be the chronological
events when He comes?
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I do not think one can be
dogmatic on the matter of
the chronology of the events
at the coming of the Lord.
Therefore, the following is
as I understand them now: |
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a) |
There are the signs that He
is about to come, as the
world will possibly say, “It
just feels that something is
about to happen” (see next
section) |
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b) |
Then the sign of His coming
which I suggest is when
heavens open. |
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i) |
The Lord
descends
with untold myriads of the
holy ones and His feet touch
the mount of Olives (Zech.
14:4) |
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ii) |
When His feet touch the
Mount it splits and an
opening goes from the great
sea, the Mediterranean, to
the Red sea, a distance of
approximately 50 miles or 80
kilometres. (This is a
measurement at the shortest
point however, since we do
not know at which point it
opens at, the
Mediterranean
or the Red Sea, the distance
cannot be known absolutely).
(Zech. 14:4). |
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c) |
From a reading of Revelation
it is at this point there is
the calling of the birds
(vultures, etc.) to come to
the great feast of human
flesh (Rev. 19:17, 21). |
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d) |
He will destroy the two men,
Beast and False Prophet, by
casting them alive into the
Lake of Fire (Rev.
19:19-20). |
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e) |
It is my understanding that
the conflict of the
militaries of the world
which were under the Beast
and
False
prophet are then destroyed
(Rev. 19:21) |
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f) |
Then turning to the
collective armies, He will
slaughter them until their
blood flows deep and for
1,600 furlongs, or 200 miles
(Rev. 14:20). This I
suggest is the battle of
Armageddon (Rev. 16:16) and
will begin the
Judgement
of the living nations (Matt.
25:31-46). |
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g) |
He will cleanse the earth
from the curse (Gen.
3:17-19) but not humanity,
for there will be death
(Isa.65:20-21) and sin in
human beings (Zech.
14:17). |
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h) |
He will begin to reign (Rev.
20:4). |
His signs proceeding His coming
One of the reasons for believing
that Matthew was writing
particularly to the Jews is the fact
that the Jews always are seeking for
a sign. In writing to the
Corinthians Paul stated, “The Jews
require a sign” (1 Cor. 1:22). In
reading Matthew the word “sign” is
mention
more often than in any other New
Testament
book. Seven times he uses the word
and it is only Matthew who records
the disciples asking specifically,
“What shall be the sign of thy
coming, and of the end of the world
(age)?” (Matt. 24:3), and the Lord
informing them, “And then shall
appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven” (Matt. 24:30).
Before the Lord comes the world of
creation will be groaning as it is
now (Rom. 8:22) and the cosmos will
be in a state of convulsion which
the Lord calls “signs” (Lk. 21:25).
Man today can get terrified by the
power of the wind of a
hurricane
or tornado, the fierceness of the
water in the open sea, but nothing
can compare to the turbulence of the
universe. Events will cause “men’s
hearts failing them for fear” (Lk.
21:26) and man, who foolishly thinks
he has all under control, will
realize he cannot control God’s
universe. The sun shall be darkened
and the moon shall not give its
light. Man may be able to give a
superficial
reason for that, but when the stars
begin to fall, the powers of heaven
(I suggest asteroids, etc.) will be
shaken and with the sea roaring (Lk.
21:25-26), these will be the shadows
of things to come and even with
them, men’s hearts will be failing
them for fear, in other words, they
will be so terrified there will be
heart attacks as never before. The
nations will be in distress, and for
all their conferences and councils
of discussion on one world
government will shatter, and despite
the adulation given to the beast and
false prophet, there is no peace in
hearts of humanity.
Humanity
will not know what way to turn or
where to go to for direction. With
the present pandemic of the
coronavirus having man living in
concern and fear, what will it be
when the cosmos is upheaving.
Still, at this point, the Lord has
not yet come.
The sign of His coming
There are many thoughts on the
“sign” of His coming. It is
distinctly separate from signs (Lk.
21:25-26). It is
terrestrial
events so terrorizing, man is shaken
to the core of His being. It would
seem to me that the sign is the
opening of the skies for the Lord’s
coming to earth. Just as the
characteristic of the days of Noah
and Lot,
humanity
shrugged
off the seeming foolishness of
judgement. We today, and man in
those days
live
in the sin blinded stupor of normal
life. Man will say there is no need
to worry for all things continue as
they were, the roaring of the seas
is due to the upheavals of the sun,
moon and stars, and global warning
or
freezing?
Perhaps it is aliens from another
distant planet seeking to have
communication with us humans.
Whatever the stupidity of man’s
reasoning, it will all come to a
screeching stop. The emptiness of
the reasons of the
climatologist
will ring empty.
Possibly the skies roll back in four
directions forming a sight that is
so dreadful in mixture of
astonishment and fear, men call on
the rocks to hide them (Lk. 23:30;
Rev. 6:16). This is the frightening
unveiling of the long silent God now
manifesting Himself in Divine
involvement in the
affairs
of earth.
Illustration:
One can be happy driving along
knowing they are way over the speed
limit but so what. Then there is
that sound of the siren, it is the
sign that the police are on his
tract. It’s too late to hit the
brakes, they know they are guilty.
So with man who has blasphemed God,
seeing themselves as a very
important individual in the world of
politics, religions, government,
business will in a moment be aware
God is coming for them!
Continued next month . . . . .
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