This series of short lessons attempts to detail Jesus’ Roadmap for the Future. It starts with the last lessons Jesus gave the disciples on the Mount of Olives, and ends with teachings from the Apostle Paul about the Rapture.
As an introduction, the Olivet Discourse was aimed at the consequences of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah, and anticipated the destruction of the nation (70 A.D.) and the final Tribulation period. Remember that the Church Age is an intercalation—meaning an insertion, like a parenthesis, into the Age of Israel. This means that with the Rapture of the Church, the Tribulation picks up where 70 A.D. leaves off. This is why the Church Age is called a “mystery” (Rom. 11:25; 16:25; Eph. 3:1–13; Col. 1:26–27), which is a graduate course to “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10).
The Olivet Discourse reveals the consequences of Israel’s rejection of her Messiah (compare Matt. 23:37–39 and Rom. 9:1–5; 10:1–4; 11:25). These consequences are defined by Paul as “wrath … to the uttermost” (1 Thess. 2:15–16).
The outline is actually given by Jesus Himself, by using certain key words as markers of the divisions. Perhaps the most obvious of these words is “Then,” a time-word indicating a sequence of events. We find this in Matt. 24:1, 9, 11, 16, 21, 23, 29, 40; 25:1, 7, 16, 24, 34, 37, 41, 44, 45. With the exception of its use in Matt. 24:1, where it connects Jesus’ departure from the Temple with the following discourse, in all the subsequent times, it is used specifically to refer to the Tribulation period followed by His Second Coming. It is worth quoting Mark, here, for the statement he includes:
“For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.” Mark 13:19
In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us an outline, speaking of “tribulation” (Matt. 24:9), followed by “the abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15, see Dan. 11:31; 12:11), which is then followed by “great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21) and, finally, “after the tribulation of those days” (Matt. 24:29) by the return of Christ to Earth (Matt. 24:30–31). Although both Mark 13 and Luke 21 include portions of this message, only Matthew gives us such a clear picture of the chain of events.
Gene Cunningham - April 19, 2023
He will wipe away every tear
Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes." We all carry wounds. We all carry the scars of life. And you may be dealing with a broken heart, or with great sorrow. I want you to understand that Earth has no wound that heaven can't heal. People lose hope. People lose a sense of purpose. They lose a sense of their identity. Who am I? Why am I here? They may take their own life. If only they knew. If only there was someone to tell them. There is healing for your hurt. There is healing for your wounds. And it's going to be taken away forever. Revelation 21:4 continues, "There will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first thing is have passed away." Do you realize that when Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5:17, "if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away and all things become new." It links to this passage(Revelation 21) because what it's telling you is as far as your concern that new creation has already started, it's already begun in you. Why? Because you are now a new creature in Christ. You are a part of the new creation that isn't even here yet. There is a creation that is coming that is perfectly designed for the new you that God has created. And tragically, too many Christians haven't even discovered who the new "them" really is.
