Good morning,
This week we will study Matthew 24:1-35, the Olivet Discourse, the Great Tribulation, the Son of Man to Return in Glory, and From the Tribulation to the Millennial Reign.
Matthew 24:1-35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (35)
Son of Man to Return in Glory (27-31)
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Nobody will miss the return of Jesus. The event won’t be exclusive, or hidden, or known only to a few. When He comes the next time (Revelation 19:11–15). At His second coming, He won’t appear only to a small group of the faithful. He won’t be hidden away in the “inner rooms” of some monastery-style retreat. He won’t be off in the wilderness with news arriving to them as a rumor (Matthew 24:25–26).
Here, Jesus adds more dramatic emphasis to this point. His arrival will be as public, and as obvious, as a blast of lightning. He ties this to His role as the “Son of Man,” a title also taken from prophecy (Daniel 7:13, Matthew 26:64). While Jesus’ first coming was in humility (Luke 2:7), and for sacrifice (Philippians 2:8), His second coming will be in His absolute power, and for judgment (Hebrews 9:27–28; Romans 14:11).
Jesus doesn’t want His followers to be led astray by false saviors: those trying to deceive Christians by distorting the truth He has taught them. He doesn’t want them led into doubt, unbelief, lawlessness, or lovelessness (Matthew 24:10–14). (https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/24/Matthew-24-27.html)
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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