Matthew 24:27-51

²⁷  “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸  Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ³⁷ As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There are eight specific prophetic events that have not yet come to pass. Since it is not possible for God to either lie or err, these eight things will come to pass exactly as God says in His Word!

1. The Rapture of the Church (John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
2. The Tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:9-26; Rev. 5 – 18)
3. The Second Advent including the battle of Armageddon (Zechariah 14:1-5; Matthew 24:27-51; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Revelation 19:11-21)
4. The Millennial Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45; John 18:36; Rev. 20:1-6)
5. The Battle of Gog and Magog (Revelation 20:7-10)
6. The Sheep and Goat Judgment (Matthew 24:45-51; 25:31-46)
7. The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)
8. The onset of the Eternal State (Revelation 21 – 22)

In our focal passage for Sunday, we will see four Biblical principles about the Second Advent (physical return) of Jesus Christ…

(24:27-29) The Physical Return of Jesus Christ to earth will be unexpected, rapid, and traumatic!

Following the end of the Great Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to earth to defeat the devil and his armies, judge HIS enemies, and set up HIS Kingdom.

(24:30-31) For everyone living on earth, the Physical Return of Jesus Christ to earth will be a time of, “Revelation” for the unsaved it will be a time of, “Retribution” but for those who come to faith in Christ, it will be a time of “Salvation!”

Everyone then living will see HIM when HE comes! For those who hate God, it will be an awful time of judgment and destruction; but, for HIS people HIS return will be a time of final salvation from the persecution and terrors of the antichrist, the Beast, and the False Prophet!

(24:32-44) The Physical Return of Jesus Christ will be accompanied by some discernible signs, but, no one knows the day and time when HE will return to Earth!

We know this comes at the end of seven years of Tribulation, but no one knows specifically (day and hour) when HE will return! This is also true of those of us living now and who will be taken out in the rapture. We do not know when HE will come in the clouds to call us to HIMSELF.

(24:45-51) Since we do not know when either the Rapture or the Second Advent will take place, we must always be ready for HIS return!

Jesus concludes this portion of the Olivet Discourse with parables designed to remind us of the importance of being faithful and ready for HIS return. Again, this is also true of those of us who will be taken in the Rapture. We will appear at the Judgment Seat following the rapture and our faithfulness will be judged.

Since neither we, nor they, know when HE will return; the wisest thing we can do is to live in such a way as to be ready to meet HIM!

I promise to work hard to remember to take my notes with me next Sunday! If I do, we will work through these verses and you will be able to complete your outline!

As my dear friend Tom Rains often says… I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!