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 - January 28, 2003
Hebrews 08
Heb 2:1-4 Warning sections are correctly applied to believers, not to those who are not believers. Danger of losing something they already have Heb 6:18-19 Danger of the unguarded moment: something drifts away pararreo-something that happens in an unguarded moment Heb 4:1-12 fear of falling short of a promise, due to an unguarded moment. Those promises of God are sure and steadfast, but we can give them up by failing to claim them in an unguarded moment. Heb 6:1-6 when you believe in Jesus, you begin toward the crown, the spiritual life. If you fall away, you can’t start over, you can’t take away the shame and disgrace. We can be forgiven, but we can’t reclaim that opportunity. We are under accountability and we will stand before Christ for what we’ve done with what He’s given us. It is not about sin, it is about lost opportunity, lost reward. Heb 6:4-5 only applies to believers Time must be redeemed, but time lost is lost forever. Heb 10:37-39, Rom 1:17 Gal 3:11 Hab 2:4 The Christian who turns from the plan of God will find increasing discipline and could possibly result in an early death. 1co 5:1-5 he is still saved A soldier who runs from battle may overcome his fear, but he will always have the shame of that retreat. Seven unguarded moments in the bible: 1. Frustration and anger: num 20:10-11 brought Moses to defeat 2. Fear: Israel at Cannan num 13:30-33 3. Greed: Achan Jos 7:19-21 Others always suffer from our unguarded moments. 4. Lust: Sampson and Delilah jud 16:16-20 5. Self Confidence: Mat 26:69-75 Peter denied Jesus 6. Bull-headedness: Act 21:1-40 Paul went when he was told not to go. Act 22:18 7. Loss of focus: Church of Ephesus Rev 2:4 Three dangers of this congregation: 1. Danger of pursuing doctrine at the expense of devotion, balance is important 2. Danger of Christian service at the cost of Christian sanctification Eph 6:17, Heb 4:12 We must make sure the Word is having its affect in our lives before we tell others to let it have its affect in theirs. 3. Danger of developing in our study and service a critical spirit instead of a compassionate spirit Watch out for seeking glory instead of grace 1Co 16:13-14 a man of virtue, a gentleman, courage in battle, put character above compromise, God’s power is perfected in our weakness, turn our weakness over to Him. Do everything you do, make sure the guiding motive is love. We have an opportunity to grow as we serve one another.
Scripture References: Revelation 2:4, Hebrews 6:1-6, Numbers 20:10-11, Acts 22:18, Hebrews 4:1-12, Habakkuk 2:4, Acts 21:1-40, Hebrews 6:18-19, Galatians 3:11, Matthew 26:69-75, Hebrews 2:1-4, Romans 1:17, Jude 16:16-20, Hebrews 4:12, Hebrews 10:37-39, Joshua 7:19-21, Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 6:4-5, Numbers 13:30-33
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