Journey Of Faith Blog

I remember the day clearly. Nancy and I had taken the short boat ride out to a memorial platform, listening to a brief introduction and peered over the sidebars to watch oil leaking from the remains of the USS Arizona beneath us. Of course, we were memorializing that fateful day in December, 1941, when the United States stood on the brink of defeat because of her unpreparedness. Admirals, generals and citizens alike were caught sleeping as a surprise attack shocked our country, vowing we would be ready next time. Several disasters and seventy years later, our preparedness is still lacking and this has motivated me to devote 2012 to the study of the Book of Revelation and the last days. The Word of God is packed with warnings of God’s pending judgment upon individuals and nations…unfortunately the world still remains lethargic and unprepared, despite the warding provided by the Lord Himself.

Two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ stated the certainty of His return, but gave no detail as to dates. Matthew 24:36 remains one of the most misunderstood and misused passages in the Bible, but is nonetheless true; “ ‘No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’ ” Even the angels do not posses this information. And because the timeline is uncertain, believers are told to remain in a constant state of alert in preparation for two forms of judgment.

The Judgment of Israel

Matthew 24-25, often called the Olivet Discourse, tells us that prior to the return of Christ, the world would resemble an era just prior to the flood in the days of Noah, (24:37). In those days, the populace would be enjoying their food, drink and opulent lifestyles while Noah and his family were building the Ark. For 120 years, Noah’s warning cries landed on deaf ears…until the rains came. Likewise, at the second coming of Christ, the wicked will be removed by destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the saved will remain to populate 1000 years of Christ’s Millennial Reign, (24:40-41). 

To skillfully demonstrate the need for staying alert, our Lord uses a series of parables, primarily calling the nation of Israel to wake up. The Parable of the Goodman describes the severance of saved Jewish survivors from unsaved Jewish survivors at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation. Some Jews will have their hearts and hopes set on Christ; unfortunately, the majority will remain looking for their messiah’s return and place their hope in a false Christ and perish with him.

The Judgment of the Gentiles

At the conclusion of the Tribulation Period, Christ will sit on the Throne of David and also separate the unsaved Gentiles from the saved as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Saved Gentiles will enter into millennial joy and eternal life (25:34, 46); unsaved gentiles will be cast into a place of eternal punishment originally designed for the Devil and his angels, (25:41). What is important about the concluding section of the Olivet Discourse is that only the Chief Shepherd can infallibly distinguish between the saved and the lost, (25:32-33). 

Threefold Call for All Christians

Allow me to conclude by returning to another Parable shared by our Lord, the Parable of the Fig Tree, (24:32-35). Read it carefully and the message is alarming. Our Lord is telling the disciples that when a tree blooms in the spring, we know summer is around the corner. And just as God programmed indicators into nature, He also programmed into prophetic history certain time indicators of future events. I believe it means that all the previously listed signs in the Olivet Discourse will continue and expand throughout the church age and ultimately reach a climax at the end of the age and that is the generation who will witness this fulfillment. But as the culmination of the ages draws near, Christians must head a threefold call: “Keep watching; stay ready; keep serving.”