Dominant Emphases of the Olivet Discourse

Introduction to the Olivet Discourse and its Significance

0:06 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, May 8th, 1988, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:19 Now let us turn together to the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to Mark. Mark, the 13th chapter, and I shall do something this morning that we've not done in all the previous 139 expositions in the Gospel of Mark thus far, and that is I will read the entire chapter in your hearing, for it is my purpose today in the exposition of the chapter to seek to capture and bring into focus the major emphases of the chapter, and I know of no better way to introduce those emphases than to read the chapter in your hearing. And may I urge you to exercise a strict discipline over your mind. We will probably be into about seven or eight verses when some of the things that are read will cause you to say, I wonder what that means, and then to get stuck with that question while I'm reading on. So will you force yourself to make your head and your eyes stick together as I read the entire chapter in your hearing?

1:32 Mark, chapter 13.

1:36 Mark, recording the activity of our Lord, writes, And as he went forth out of the city, out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold what manner of stones, and what manner of buildings. And Jesus said unto him, Do you see these great buildings? There shall not be left here one stone upon another which shall not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew, asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be?

2:19 And what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. Many shall come in my name, saying, I am he, and shall lead many astray. And when you shall hear of wars and rumors, of wars, do not be troubled. These things must needs come to pass, but the end is not yet.

2:52 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There shall be earthquakes in diverse places. There shall be famines. These things are the beginnings of travail. But take heed to yourselves, for they shall deliver you up to councils, and in synagogues you shall be beaten, and before governors and kings you shall stand for my sake for a testimony unto them. And the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations. And when they lead you to judgment and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you shall speak, but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that shall be given you. speak. For it is not you that speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother shall deliver up brother to

3:49 death, and the father his child. And children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But he that endures to the end, the same shall be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not, let him that reads understand. Then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains. And let him that is on the housetop not go down nor enter in to take anything out of his house. And let him that is in the field return not back to take his cloak. But woe unto

4:38 them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days. And pray that it be not in the winter, for those days shall be tribulation, such as there has not been the light from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be. And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved. But for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Lo, there, believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible. The elect. But take heed. Behold, I told you all things beforehand. But in those days, after that

5:46 tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send forth his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Now learn from the fig tree her parable. When her branches now become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near. Even so also, when you see these things coming, you know that the summer is near. And when you see these things coming, you know that the summer is near. And when you see these things coming, you know that the summer is near. And when you

6:36 see these things coming, you know that the summer is near. And when you see these things coming, you know that the summer is near. And when you see these things coming, you know that the summer is near. Know that he or it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away until all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in the In heaven neither the Son but the Father. Take heed, watch, and pray, for you know not when the time is.

7:19 It is as when a man sojourning in another country, having left his house and given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter to watch. Watch, therefore, for you do not know when the Lord of the house comes, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning, lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch.

Two Great Events of Redemptive History: Jerusalem's Destruction and Christ's Return

7:59 Now, in the course of our expositions of the Gospel of Mark, we came last Lord's Day morning to the chapter that I have read in its entirety in your hearing. And in our initial consideration of this chapter, which is generally described as the Olivet Discourse, because our Lord spoke these words while sitting on the Mount of Olives, I attempted last Lord's Day to do basically two things. First of all, to make some preliminary observations concerning the chapter, and they were three. We observed that it is the longest recorded discourse, of our Lord, in the entire Gospel of Mark. That should tell us immediately that it has profound significance in Mark's purpose, clearly established in the opening words of his Gospel, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And we must never look upon chapter 13 as a sidetrack, as something that is out, outside of the concern of Mark to declare good news that centers in Jesus Christ. And this longest recorded discourse of our Lord in the Gospel of Mark

9:26 has tremendous significance in terms of the concern of Mark, namely to set forth the good news that focuses in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. Then we noted, secondly, that it has the reputation of being the most difficult portion in all of the Gospel to interpret with certainty and with dogmatism. And I mention that so that you will understand my own tentativeness in the exposition and interpretation of certain portions to remind you of the peculiar danger of such portions. According to 2 Peter 3, 15 to 17, it is, "...prophetic portions which are difficult to be understood, which are most frequently twisted to the destruction of the souls of men."

10:22 And then, thirdly, to underscore the principle that ought always to be in front of us when dealing with prophetic portions of the Word of God, that God's method in prophecy is to prophesy an event, then in His providence to bring it to pass, and then to give accurate perception and understanding after the fact of the prophesied event. And then we noted, thirdly, by way of introduction, the intensely practical and pastoral emphasis of this chapter. Nineteen imperatives in the second person plural, in which our Lord is telling His disciples what they are to do. They are not to take what He says, and go off under a tree somewhere, and speculate, and have an ad hoc prophetic congress. There is something to be done in the light of the things that are to come to pass. And then we concluded our study last week by looking at the introduction to the Olivet Discourse in verses 1 through 4.

11:34 We saw the initial factors that precipitated the discourse. Our Lord with His disciples has left the temple, one of the disciples cries out to the Lord that He would behold these massive and impressive buildings, and in response to that our Lord gives a shocking prophecy saying that not one stone of that massive structure shall be left standing upon another. And then the immediate circumstances that precipitated the discourse are given to us in verses 3 and 4. Four of the disciples ask Him, when shall these things be?

12:14 And according to the lengthier account in Matthew, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the age? Now as we come to the discourse itself, which begins in verse 5, and goes through to the end of the chapter, time permitting, what I want to do this morning is to consider with you three things that are abundantly clear in the substance of the Olivet Discourse. We could bring a message on perhaps at least a dozen things that are not abundantly clear, probably five or six that are far from being clear, but there are at least three things which to an unprejudiced mind, allowing Scripture to be its own interpreter, should be abundantly clear in the substance of the discourse. And the first is this. The Olivet Discourse of our Lord focuses upon two great events of crucial significance in the history of redemption. This discourse focuses upon two great events which are of crucial significance in the history of redemption.

13:40 That which is most significant, in the events of the world's history, is that which pertains to God's activity in fulfilling the ancient promise of Genesis 3.15. In that first redemptive promise, God said that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, while in the process the heel of the seed of the woman would be bruised by the serpent. And what is significant in Biblical history is what we call the history of redemption.

14:18 Men and places and events may be of little account in the world's history books, but as they relate to God's activity in bringing a Redeemer into the world according to His promise, such events and people and circumstances have profound significance. And in this discourse of our Lord, there are two events of great and profound significance in the history of redemption to which our Lord makes reference. The first is the destruction of Jerusalem resulting in the total devastation of the temple. That is the first event which our Lord describes and concerning which He makes prophetic, utterances in the Olivet Discourse. And how do we know that is so? Well, we just go back to the initial concern.

15:21 The disciples in verse 2 have exclaimed, See these great buildings, or in verse 1, and our Lord has prophesied in verse 2 that not one stone shall be left upon another. There is going to be a devastation of the temple. And when they ask, When shall these things be? What shall be the sign that they are all about to be accomplished?

15:49 Our Lord begins to speak then of this first event, the destruction of Jerusalem, which will result in the fulfillment of His prophecy that not one stone shall be left upon another. Now that He is speaking of something that will happen in literal Jerusalem, in that generation, is very clear from verses 14 and verse 30. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where He ought not, whatever that is, then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains. He is speaking of an event that will occur in Palestine at a certain point in human history that will involve some of those to whom He is speaking at that time. For He says in verse 30, Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away until all these things be accomplished. And so our Lord is speaking in this chapter of a complex of events that would precede and would attend the destruction of Jerusalem

17:16 and the total devastation of the temple. Now this was not the first time that He intimated that something like this might happen. He had said as early as the record of John 4 in verse 20 in His discourse with the woman of Samaria that the hour was coming in the Father's purpose, and true worship would no longer be conducted at Jerusalem. He said the hour is coming in which true worshipers will neither worship in this mountain nor at Jerusalem.

17:54 Our Lord was there indicating that Jerusalem would not forever be the center of pure worship, the center of God's special presence with His people. Earlier in the Gospel of Mark chapter 12, when our Lord spoke the parable of the husbandman, notice verse 9, what therefore will the Lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandman and give the vineyard to others. And even His enemies understood according to verse 12 what He was saying, that peculiar privileges would be taken as an act of judgment from the Jews and given unto others. In Matthew 22 and verse 7, in this same context, just prior to the exit from the temple, our Lord speaking in another parable said, but the king was wroth and sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. And in that parable, our Lord was making a clear reference to the final destruction of Jerusalem that would come in the midst of her ultimate rejection of God's overtures of mercy. Having sent His servants,

19:22 He finally sends His only and beloved Son, and those people kill Him, and Jesus says, the king will come and destroy their city. And I do not know of any responsible commentator who believes the Bible to be the word of God who denies that the first and significant event which our Lord is addressing in the Olivet Discourse is the destruction of Jerusalem resulting in the total devastation of the temple. But now the second focus of the Olivet Discourse is the personal appearance of the Son of Man in power and glory at the end of the age. And there is one portion in Mark 13 which can only refer to this event. Verses 24 to 27. But in those days after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken.

20:35 And it's not my purpose to interpret those verses right now. Suffice it to say, that Jesus is speaking of great cosmic upheavals, either figuratively to speak of some greater reality, or literally. But now verse 26. Then shall they, and it's interesting, right along he's been saying you, you, you.

20:59 He now says, then shall they see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send forth his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of the heavens. Now there are some evangelical Bible believing commentators who see in this passage not a prophecy of our Lord's coming in power and glory at the end of the age. Rather, they understand it to be a prophecy, concerning the tremendous upheavals in God's redemptive activity, which will result in the establishment of Jesus Christ as the head of his spiritual messianic kingdom. And these angels who gather his elect are messengers, preachers of the gospel. And what we have here prophesied is the exaltation of Christ, his installation as king at the right hand of the Father, and conquest through the gospel throughout the earth in the gathering together of God's people. And they say this is not a reference to the second advent because Jesus goes on to say all of these things must come to pass

22:27 while this generation still exists. Verily I say unto you, verse 30, this generation shall not pass away until all these things be accomplished. And they say, if this refers to the second advent, Jesus did not come before that generation passed away, he cannot lie, therefore the meaning is to be found in some other event. And at least one must credit them with the determination to say whatever it says, we cannot have an error in the words of Jesus.

23:02 And from that standpoint I commend their efforts. However, as we shall see, there is another approach to verse 30, that allows our Lord's words to be true without putting such a forced interpretation upon the event described in verses 24 to 27. For earlier in this very gospel, chapter 8, Jesus described his second coming in glory and power at the end of the age in very similar language. Notice Mark 8 and verse 38.

23:38 Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also shall be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And I know of no commentator who refers those words to anything other than our Lord's second coming, invisible power, and glory at the end of the age. And so in the light of those parting words that were spoken to the disciples when they gazed upon their Lord who was taken up from them, Acts chapter 1, two men stood by them in quite apparel, saying, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven. And he went into heaven amidst clouds of brightness. And now we are told of a time when he shall come in great power and in great glory and the elect shall be gathered together unto him.

25:01 Now this second great event as with the first has tremendous significance in the history of redemption. If the destruction of Jerusalem and the devastation of the temple marked the final act of God in utterly dismantling the old economy and fixing the new spiritual Israel in a new spiritual worship throughout the nations, then the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ marks the climactic consummation of the new order. The destruction of Jerusalem and the devastation of the temple is the final seal of the dismantling of the old order and the fixed establishment of the new. The second coming of our Lord in power and glory at the end of the age marks the consummation of the blessings of the new order established by the Lord Jesus. And so these events cluster around his coming the final gathering of the elect living and dead 1 Thessalonians 4, 14 and following general resurrection and judgment the renovation of the existing order

26:27 the ushering in of the new heavens and the new earth 2 Peter 3 So in answer to the question when shall these things be what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age our Lord responds by focusing upon these two great events of tremendous significance in the history of redemption the destruction of Jerusalem and the devastation of the temple and his own second coming in glory and in power. Now one commentator who has been very helpful to me is of the persuasion that one can very simply outline Mark 13 and I'd love to be persuaded and let me tell you why. Look at your Bibles and his outline asserts that from verses 5 through 13 our Lord is giving general warnings and indications of the things that will take place prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. Then in verses 14 to 23 he is giving detailed instructions

Critique of a Simplified Outline and the Purpose of Prophecy

27:54 as to how his people should conduct themselves when the destruction of Jerusalem is about to take place. And so he gives these specific detailed instructions when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not then let them flee. Then in verses 24 to 27 this particular author says our Lord speaks of the second great event namely his second coming in power and in great glory. And having spoken of both events the destruction of Jerusalem in verses 5 through 23 the second coming in verses 24 to 27 then he says our Lord goes back according to the organizing principle of Mark under the guidance of the Spirit and addresses the necessity of preparedness for the destruction of Jerusalem in verses 28 to 30. Learn from the fig tree her parable when you see these things coming to pass know that he or it is near even at the door this generation shall not pass away the destruction of Jerusalem will occur in your generation be alert, be alive be cognizant of these things then he affirms the certainty

29:23 of his own word in verse 31 then in verse 32 he makes the transition to a practical warning about the second advent don't be setting times of that day and hour that day and hour knoweth no one and there follows then a warning of preparation for preparation in verses 33 to 37 so there would be a nice neat structure destruction of Jerusalem in generic terms specific terms then the second coming back to a warning about preparedness for that first event then the affirmation that no one knows the time of the second event and concluding with an urgent exhortation to constant readiness in the light of the Lord's return however there are parallel passages and in Matthew's Gospel there is a much more expanded account of the Olivet Discourse there are sections in the Gospel of Luke that are not found in Matthew or in Mark and that nice neat little packaging embarrasses I believe the interpreter who commits himself to it so what do I say I say I wish I could follow his track but I cannot with good conscience and therefore I can't try to lead you into a track that I myself can't follow when you say what do we do

30:52 well this is what we do we come to the passage convinced that whatever our Lord is saying he's talking about two events that's clear precisely what is said about what event and what slips over into the description of the other that is difficult for us to untangle with certainty but our Lord has made known enough to us that the goal he had in making it known can be realized he has not made known enough and in such a manner to satisfy our curiosity but he has made known enough and in a manner to promote our sanctification and if that is good enough for our Lord it must be good enough for us and only when the final event comes to pass namely the second coming will we have an infallible interpretation of these passages and then we will understand what is now not as clear so then that's the first thing that we need to understand in coming to the passage that the Olivet Discourse of our Lord focuses upon those two great events that are of crucial importance in the history of redemption now secondly

The Lord's Central Pastoral Concern: Practical Directives for His People

32:20 with respect to both of these great events our Lord expresses one central concern for his people with respect to both of these events our Lord expresses one central concern for his people this chapter has all the marks of a farewell address our Lord is giving his last words to his own in a semi-public setting and as he does four times in this 13th chapter of Mark he gives a gracious command look at it in verse 5 it's his first and introductory word Jesus began to say unto them take heed whatever is to follow must never be wrenched loose from that initial imperative take heed you're asking when and what sign I am saying take heed we're not entering the realm of the speculative but the practical the imperative of the Lord Jesus impinging on the conscience of his followers verse 9

33:47 but take heed to yourselves another blepate another second person plural imperative a blepo to look to pay attention take heed and then we see again in verse 23 but take heed behold I have told you all things beforehand and then verse 33 take heed so in a real sense the entire discourse is held together by the umbilical cord of this imperative take heed take heed take heed take heed take heed I wonder why the Lord kept repeating it I've got a sneaking suspicion as to why he knows what we're made of and how upon the announcement of these two great cosmic events their minds like ours would be tempted to speculate and to move away from the practical concern of how we are to conduct ourselves in the will of God in the face of coming cosmic disruptive events and the Lord Jesus greatly and gently like any wise teacher or preacher repeats repeats repeats he calls us back take heed whatever I say

35:14 is not to take your attention off the practical then he says it and then he comes back and says take heed he's starting to move astray take heed and he says some more and he says take heed and he says some more and he says take heed do you get the message with respect to both of these great events our Lord expresses one central concern for his people and it clusters around and is held together by the fourfold command take heed and in attempting to express that concern in one sentence this is what I've come up with the fundamental concern of our Lord is this to impart practical directives which are calculated to be the means of the stability usefulness perseverance preservation and readiness of his people in the face of the great events which he predicts will come to pass that's his concern his concern is to impart practical directives which are calculated to be the means of the stability the usefulness the persistence the perseverance the preservation and the readiness of his people

Practical Directives for Stability, Usefulness, Perseverance, Preservation, and Readiness

36:43 for the two great events which he predicts will come to pass he is not concerned to give detailed pre-written history in order to satisfy idle curiosity for those who treat prophecy as though it were pre-written history they are doomed either to self-deception or confusion when coming to such a passage as this they want to know when and what signs and he answers beware of false signs that's his practical concern now let me go back and demonstrate why I chose those five words he's concerned for their first of all, stability how do we know that? look at verse five take heed that no one lead you astray I don't want you astray! I don't want you unstable to the crosswinds of influences that will impinge upon you after my departure and before this event which will leave not one stone upon another there in the temple precincts in Jerusalem he says take heed that no one lead you astray he's concerned about their stability verse seven when you hear of wars and rumors of wars do not be troubled these things must needs come to pass

38:12 but the end is not yet don't get unstable and antsy when world conditions intensify in terms of disruption and wars and rumors of no, I want you to be stable and settled and steadfast and then he gives a beautiful stroke to underscore his desire for their stability in verse twenty he says except the Lord had shortened the days no flesh would have been saved but for the elect's sake whom he chose he shortened the days if some of you hear my voice he says live through days when you say surely all flesh will be consumed under the horrible conditions they would remember the Lord's words he has not forgotten his chosen ones for their sakes he will order all of the events surrounding the horrible conditions of the ravages that were made upon Jerusalem and its population a horrible event in which at least a million people secular historians estimate were slaughtered but he says for their stability the Father has not forgotten his elect but what about their usefulness well notice how that emphasis comes through in verses nine, ten and eleven take heed to yourselves for they shall deliver you up to councils and synagogues you shall be beaten and before governors and kings

39:41 you shall stand for my sake for a testimony when it appears that I have withdrawn my restraining hand from evil powers and they seem to take the ascendancy and they are able to take you my people and drag you from this court to another he says remember this is all coming to pass for my name's sake for a testimony for a witness the great ones of the earth will hear of me who never would have heard of me except they opposed me in the person of my people and I'll overrule their rage to bear witness to them he tells them what he tells them not only for their stability but that they might anticipate their usefulness in the midst of the traumatic events see verse ten and the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations though the nations rage and the great ones of the earth gather together in their councils and scheme and plot as to how they shall obliterate the witness of the church the Lord says no no I shall see to it that the message of my salvation is preached unto the nations and then in verse eleven when they lead you up to judgment and to deliver you up don't be anxious beforehand what you shall speak you say I've never stood before the great ones of the earth how will I speak before a potentate before a man who has my destiny

41:11 in his hands what shall I say how shall I say he said don't be anxious when in loving attachment to me you are brought to a place where your captors deliver you up the Holy Spirit himself will give you utterance you will be useful in your captivity you will be useful in your interrogation and he speaks words to ensure their confidence in their usefulness in the face of this great opposition so I say our Lord has one great concern to speak practical directives calculated to be the means of their stability their usefulness thirdly their perseverance verses twelve and thirteen brother shall deliver up brother to death the father his child children shall rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death and you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake but he that endures to the end the same shall be saved he gives them this realistic assessment of how from the deepest circle of natural ties father and children family filial ties hatred will break out upon them even to the point where family members will give up others to death and then he says it will extend outward to all men you will be a hated minority but he's encouraging them to persevere

42:40 he says he that endures to the end shall be saved the end is coming and at the end all men will be found saved or lost those who despair their skin will deny my name I will deny before my father here is incentive to persevere even in the face of bitter opposition from intimate loved ones notice that emphasis in verses 22 and 23 there shall arise false christs and false prophets and shall show signs and wonders that they may lead astray if possible the elect you see that little stroke if possible but it's not possible he says the father is committed to the perseverance of his own he will give them grace to persevere even when their enemies can do signs and wonders and multitudes follow antichrists who can validate their identity as supposed true Christ by signs and wonders he said they will not deceive you my people as John says we have an unction from the holy one and know all things greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world then he speaks words calculated not only for their stability usefulness perseverance but their preservation

44:07 verses 14 and 15 when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not let him who reads understands then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains let them not who is on the housetop go down or enter in to take anything out of his house let not him that is in the field return to take his cloak we'll come to the specific interpretation of those verses in a subsequent study but this much is clear the Lord is speaking words of directive that will result in the preservation of his people there will be a certain event described as the abomination of desolation or a certain collation of events that will be to them the indication that destruction is near it's time for us as believers to flee and as best we can discern from the sources that have written on the matter it appears that all of the believers did flee Jerusalem and that they did not suffer in that horrible siege and that horrible bloodshed and carnage that occurred in conjunction with the destruction of Jerusalem he's speaking words for their preservation not that people should sit around and write books on the abomination of desolation and all kinds of esoteric supposed insights to prophetic matters he's speaking for the preservation of his people

45:35 and then he's speaking for their readiness verses 28 and 29 now from the fig tree learn her parable when her branches become tender and puts its leaves you know that the sap is beginning to flow summer's near you can't say summer's coming in three days seven days but you know one thing when you can walk by a fig tree instead of snapping off a twig when you try to snap it it just bends and snaps back you know there's sap flowing summer's around the corner he says even so when you see these things coming to pass know that he is near even at the doors verily I say to you this generation shall not pass till all these things be accomplished he would have them ready he's not speaking things to satisfy curiosity but to prepare them for events that would severely test them and likewise with that second great event verse 33a take heed watch and pray for you know not when the time is verse 35 watch therefore verse 37 what I say unto you I say unto all watch now dear people isn't this the same basic climate as the farewell discourse of the upper room in John 13 to 16

The Pastoral Nature of Prophecy in Scripture

47:01 Jesus has told them he's going to leave them and what does he say in those well known words of John 14 1 don't let your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me I go and if I go I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also because I told you these things sorrow has filled your heart and he said I understand that but when the comforter is come you will understand it was expedient for me to go away you see there is that passionate pastoral commitment of the Lord Jesus in the face of these coming events to speak words calculated to produce in his people stability usefulness perseverance preservation and readiness and that's the same emphasis in all the great passages that deal with future things how does Paul introduce his great discourse on the second coming of Christ and open up the mystery something yet previously not clearly revealed that at the precise moment of the coming of the Lord living saints will have no point of advantage over dead saints that was a matter that the believers did not know

48:28 the Bible had clearly established a general resurrection a general judgment a general judgment from the previous words of our Lord we know that at his coming all of his elect will be gathered from the four winds but a teaching had apparently begun to be propagated that if you're alive at the parousia alive at the second coming you're a first class citizen as you enter the eternal kingdom if you're dead you come along in the caboose so what does Paul say 1 Thessalonians 4.13 he starts out in a very practical pastoral vein not a speculative vein we would not have you ignorant brethren concerning them that fall asleep that you sorrow not even as the rest who have no hope I don't want you Christians going around grieving for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord then he says the Lord's first attention will be paid to dead saints the dead in Christ shall rise first we who are alive will then be taken care of and then we shall be caught up together and how does he end the passage wherefore exhort one another with these words you see how the passage is bounded by the pastoral and the practical not the speculative the speculative

49:57 all with the pastoral and the practical same thing in 2 Thessalonians even with the whole subject of the man of sin what's his concern he says in verse 1 we beseech you brethren touching the coming of the Lord Jesus and our gathering together unto him to the end that you be not quickly shaken from your mind nor be troubled he said I don't want you in a kind of mental and spiritual tizzy I want you settled and established some people had been teaching that the day of the Lord was just at hand drop everything you're doing put on your white garment run to the nearest mountain look up to heaven and wait I want you troubled and disturbed from present duty as though the day of the Lord is just at hand he says no certain events must come to pass first but his whole treatment of eschatological detail grows out to the point that I want you to see in the passage and what we should learn from that is this any prophetic teaching which does not make this principle clear and keep it constantly there as a guiding and hedging pressure is either imbalanced

51:26 erroneous or downright heretical because we learn with regard to the Olivet Discourse that with reference to both of those great events our Lord expresses one central concern for his people their spiritual well-being now we come thirdly and finally and more briefly to note the manner in which our Lord speaks of these two events and this is what I want to say as we have seen that the Olivet Discourse focuses on two great events as we've seen that our Lord expresses one central concern so now note the manner in which he speaks of these two events establishes a fixed order within an indefinite timeframe a fixed order within an indefinite timeframe you students in the academy who have sat under Dr. Bob you have heard of the prophets establishing sequence definite sequence of events but indefinite chronology alright definite sequence indefinite chronology that's academy language here we talk about fixed order but indefinite timeframe now notice the fixed order of events

Fixed Order, Indefinite Timeframe in Prophecy

52:53 verse 7 a fixed order of events when shall these things come to pass and the Lord's answer is basically well there will be an order verse 7 when you hear of wars and rumors of wars don't be troubled these things must come to pass but the end is not yet now whatever the end is whether the end is the destruction of Jerusalem or the end is the second coming what has to come before it the Lord says wars rumors of wars right these things must come to pass but the end is not yet there is a sequence of events 8b nation shall rise against nation kingdom against kingdom earthquakes in diverse places there shall be famines these are the what not the end but the beginning of travail so these things are not an indication of the end they are the beginning of travail they must come to pass before the end of all things is upon us verse 10 and the gospel must first first be preached unto all the nations there is sequence something comes first something second something comes first something last there is sequence it's fixed gospel must be preached first unto all the nations verse 24 and this is very emphatic in the original but in those days after that tribulation

54:22 the sun shall be darkened in a period of days after that great and terrible tribulation described then the second coming there is sequence fixed order something happens and after that something else will happen and then verses 29 and 30 even so when you see these things know that he is nigh even at the doors these things come to pass then you know that this will come to pass so our lord clearly establishes that from the point of history in which he sat on the mount of olives speaking of those two coming events the destruction of jerusalem and his second coming there was indeed a fixed order jerusalem will be destroyed with the utter devastation of the temple the son of man shall come in power and glory at the consummation of the age the destruction of jerusalem must come first the second coming will follow there is a fixed sequence of events a fixed order but there is also an indefinite timeframe fixed order but indefinite timeframe

55:46 look at the indefinite timeframe regarding the destruction of jerusalem jesus does not say in 70 a.d. the armies of rome will come and devastate jerusalem he says no this will happen this will happen this will happen this will happen this will be the clear indication that this event is at the very doors but he gives no precise mathematically accurate time reference yes there will be signs as a divine signal to flee for your life verse 14 there will be the flowing sap of a collation of events that you will know that this is coming near but no fixed time frame and likewise with his coming in power described in verses 24 to 27 all we know is that he will not come until after those days but in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened verse 26 then shall they see the son of man and there is a veiled illusion that they would not be present for that event he didn't say ye shall see he said they shall see the only time when he does that in this chapter they shall see they shall see indicating

57:13 in the very choice of those words they shall see that this was an event that would be out somewhere in the future but indefinite as to its time and to forever settle the time setters verse 32 but of that day or that hour knoweth no one not even the angels of the earth or the angels of heaven neither the sun now again it's not my purpose to expound the significance of this for our doctrine of Christ but this much is clear that in his human mind the son of God had not had revealed to him by the father the precise date of his own coming in power and glory while he sat on the mount of olives that day several days before his crucifixion so when people say they know the date they blasphemously assert they know more than the son of God he says no man knows therefore watchfulness is always incumbent upon us watch, watch, watch so you see in the passage there is indeed a fixed order but there is an indefinite time frame and that is precisely how prophecy predicted prophecy comes to us in major sections of the old testament as well so that the people of God may see

58:40 as it were the great mountain peaks of what God will do but they cannot get around the side and measure the exact distance between peak one peak two and peak three they see them this way one against the other and they know this must come before that but how much time between this and that they do not know even the prophets didn't know Peter says they searched what manner of time the spirit of Christ was in them did signify they saw a sequence it spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the glory to follow but they said how do we get the time we can't figure that out and if the prophets who spoke it couldn't figure it out who in the world do men think they are with their charts and their diagrams and their time bars oh dear people in coming to the passage if you've got an itch and you've been sitting there with your spiritual fangs dripping saying oh boy I wonder what Pastor Martin is going to tell us about the rapture and the great tribulation you're going to go home disappointed I have no such concern to pander to that kind of carnal interest but I do have a concern that we see the thrust of the passage in setting before us the certainty of these events in a specific order but within no time reference that is precise now in closing this has been very heavy I know but dear people I don't know how else to teach you

Concluding Observations: God's Sovereignty, Certainty of His Word, and Christ's Shepherd Heart

60:06 and I hope it will be unto edification let me say as I close as we look at this passage and today we've tried to examine the three things that are abundantly clear you see how they point to the reality of God as the sovereign Lord of all events in all ages why is predictive prophecy possible why could Jesus sit on the Mount of Olives and predict the destruction of Jerusalem the devastation of the temple and his own second coming it is because God is the Lord of history he is in control and therefore he can tell us what is to be history is not junk history is his story it is the story of his sovereign decrees unfolding in time and space and then these observations point secondly to the absolute certainty of any predicted event yet unfulfilled there were two things predicted in the passage the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming and that first one came to pass and it came to pass exactly as our Lord prophesied we can now look back and with the aid of other scripture and with the additional tentative light of secular history which is not inspired but which at certain points we have reason to believe is accurate

61:35 we can see by its secondary light oh how precise was our Lord's prophecy in its fulfillment bold strokes as it was given and this side of the event there could not be the certain conviction as to how all the details should fit together but when we are told even from secular writers that godless men saw the Christian community knew something they didn't know and fled Jerusalem at a certain time and were spared we come back to this passage and we say aha there it is and this passage points to the absolute certainty of any predicted event yet unfulfilled Jesus said heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall never pass away so as surely as not one stone was left upon another a moment is coming when the clouds will part and in glory and in power the exalted Lord Jesus Christ is coming again and finally these observations point to our Lord as the gracious wise loving shepherd of his sheep he's on his way to die in three days two days he will lay down his life as the good shepherd

63:02 and in the midst of the tremendous trauma of knowing that he will be pressed in the winepress of the wrath of God the almighty as he bears the sins of his people do you see the largeness of his shepherd's heart he sees as God has granted him prophetic insight the coming of this destruction of Jerusalem and many of his own will live through that period and he wants to prepare them he wants to prepare them for that event and so he pours out these pastoral concerns calculated to secure their stability their usefulness their perseverance their preservation and their readiness he sees that distant event knowing the son of man shall come with power and glory and he says watch watch watch be ready I shall come and I will not tarry my friend it's a wonderful thing to know whatever the days ahead may hold for us individually or corporately whatever recurring cycles of these upheavals may impinge upon us even the persecution that will result in our martyrdom what a wonderful thing to know that we have a tender shepherd who knows how to minister to our hearts

64:28 and prepare us for whatever his will demands on us and that should be the greatest thing the great lesson of the Olivet Discourse not debates or apology but enamored with a glorious savior who is the shepherd of his people who as he was with them so he is with us all the days of our life and then he shall take us to dwell with him forever if you do not know that shepherd my friend run to him who offers himself to every needy sinner go to him whatever the future may hold for you God have mercy on you if you seek to face it without the shepherd as your shepherd die and go to judgment without him pleading your cause what a frightening future is yours but as the people of God whatever the future may hold with such a shepherd to succor and nurture and guide and support us we need not fear even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil for he is with us his rod and his staff comfort let us pray

65:56 our father as we have sought to wrestle with what we acknowledge is a passage difficult for us to understand in many of its parts we thank you for what is abundantly clear we thank you that it is a sure and a certain word we thank you that from this point in history we can look back and see that our Lord's words concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the devastation of the temple precincts were indeed fulfilled every one of them and we know that everything he has said about his own return in glory and power shall likewise be fulfilled we pray for those who should he return today are not prepared to meet him God have mercy upon them and draw them to your son and help us as your people to have our hearts filled not with fear and instability wondering if we shall be called upon to live through a period of intense persecution and affliction but oh fix our eyes upon our God the great heavenly shepherd who will succor us sustain and preserve us and bring us home at last into his own presence seal then your word to our hearts for your glory

67:24 and for our good be with us as we leave this place may we further know your blessing upon this your day hear us we plead in Jesus name Amen