Imagine a painting on a large canvas with a lake in the foreground, a little mountain in the center and far out in the distance a high peak covered with snow. If you came close enough to the canvas to touch it, you would find that the mountain which appears to be so far away is actually just as close as the lake, because it is all on one flat surface.
When the prophets saw a picture of the end time, they often spoke of both the first and the second coming of the Lord in the same verse because they were painting a picture without the perspective to indicate that one was more distant and the other closer.
Matthew 24 illustrates this, when Christ said, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only. Verse 35, 36.
Christ did not know when He was going to return; the Father had hidden that in His heart. Although Jesus was God, He was self-limited in His knowledge because He had to operate with the same limitation of understanding that is made available to us. However, He did know many things and He spoke of them to His disciples. Speaking of the temple, He said, … See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Matthew 24:2.
The disciples were interested in hearing more and they went out to the Mount of Olives to talk about this. They asked Jesus, Tell us, when shall these things be? Jesus warned them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. Verse 3 and 4. Then He spoke about the various signs of the end time.
The writings of Josephus, “Jewish Antiquites,” record the siege of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D. Josephus was a Jewish historian who took part in the campaign at Jerusalem. He testified that he had never seen such a slaughter.
The Jews were butchered. There was not enough room to hang the crosses on which they were crucified. The famine was so great and there was so much death that when Titus rode into the city and saw the decaying bodies of all the people who had been killed or had starved to death, he called heaven to witness that this had not been his plan or of his doing.
Jesus had wept over Jerusalem because He saw this coming. He said, “You haven’t known the day of visitation” (Luke 19:44); “now your house will be left to you desolate” (Luke 13:35).
Before the temple was destroyed, preparations had been made for its fall. Into the stones they had built troughs filled with highly inflammable pitch, so the temple could be burned and not desecrated by the enemy.
A great deal of gold had been used in the temple, though not on the scale of Solomon’s temple. At the fall of Jerusalem one zealot threw a flaming torch into a trough filled with pitch. The temple became an inferno and soon it collapsed. Because of the intense heat the gold melted and started to run. When Titus viewed it later he gave the order, “Pry every stone off the other. Don’t leave one stone standing on another. Get all the gold.”
This was one of the few great disasters of history where not enough stones were left standing together to even form an arch.
In Rome part of the Colosseum remains; in other parts of the world are sections of ruins—with much more than one stone standing upon another—that have stood for centuries.
Not so with that temple—not one stone was left standing on another just as Christ had prophesied (Matthew 24:2). The Romans pried them apart in order to get the gold for Rome.
Other prophecies in this chapter came forth, such as the prophecies concerning the time the Lord would return. You see it all presented as one painting, yet viewing it in perspective, you find the fall of Jerusalem very much in the foreground and then the picture reaches out to the days of the Kingdom that are to come, covering in total a period of about two thousand years.
Christ unveiled many events but when speaking of some of them He was careful to pinpoint them. Notice too, that when He talked about a certain scope of events there was a dual meaning. He said concerning the fall of the temple, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Verse 34.
In looking back at verse 29 we see what was to transpire before this. But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.…
In his prophecies about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Joel speaks of the same kind of events in the heavens … and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming …
Then Christ began to describe these things, beginning with the parable of the fig tree. When her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these things know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors.… This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Verse 32–34.
Something is revealed here that is very significant. These events will take place within the span of one generation.
The generation in which all of these signs occur—predicting the Lord’s return—will be the generation that is still alive when the Son of man comes. The prophecies were to be fulfilled within one generation.
Going back almost two thousand years we see that the prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem were fulfilled within a generation. Christ was crucified about 29 A.D., and by 70 A.D.—within one generation—it happened: the temple was destroyed, and everything in Jerusalem was changed.
The book of Hebrews proved to be a very timely book. As nearly as we can ascertain, one year after it had been circulated among the churches saying, “We have a better tabernacle, a better sanctuary, a better covenant,” the old was wiped out. Hebrews described the old which was passing away and the new which was coming forth—all within one generation.
What do you think is going to happen in our generation? Don’t expect the restoration to drag on for another five or six hundred years. Events have happened too fast.
The restoration came slowly and very little was restored until past the turn of the century, about 1905 or 1910. There were little sprinklings before, but then it started to gain momentum, spreading all over the world.
Although there have been many setbacks and many satanic hindrances—two world wars and numerous other conflicts—still the restoration is continuing.
Wars, rumors of wars, distress of nations—all of these predictions have been coming to pass within the span of one generation.
Cheer up, we’re not going to pass away until it’s finished. As God spoke to Zerubbabel in the book of Zechariah, “You have laid the foundation and you’re going to finish it,” so it will be accomplished with the efforts of one generation. Get with it, young people because you are it. You are the ones coming up to speak this word to accomplish it.
As were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
This passage is often used for sermons on the “rapture.” However, they did not have a rapture in the days of the flood. The wicked were drowned and taken away—not the believers. Then shall two men be in the field:
For ye know not on what day your Lord cometh. but know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. Verses 37–44.
The Parousia is not a time when Jesus comes to rescue us. He is coming to finish—with us—one age and to usher in a new one. He comes as the rider upon a white horse, with the armies of heaven following Him. He’s coming to lead us into the greatest victory that God’s people have ever known at any time.
As we are led by the Spirit of God, more and more as we come into full sonship, we recognize that He is coming to directly guide all the activities and judgments of the end time.
We know there will be the first resurrection; we know we will be caught up with the Lord. Don’t get the idea that I don’t believe in a rapture. I do. I’m concerned that you understand the correct place and time of the rapture.
According to the Scripture we will know the Parousia of the Lord for at least three and one half years. His people will know His presence in their midst as they move on into the end time events.
Notice how verses 45 and 46 verify this. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. What is the one key for eminence and authority in the days of the Kingdom? That you give God’s people meat in due season.
Remember the story of the Gibeonites? They were the men who came over a hill into the camp of Israel, wearing old tattered clothes and carrying moldy loaves of bread. They had made a league of peace with the children of Israel as they were coming in to take Canaan.
But as the Israelites journeyed on with them, they discovered that the Gibeonites had deceived them by putting on old torn clothes and taking up moldy bread.
That is a picture of some people who are giving “Gibeonite bread” to the churches. It should have been given them a long time ago; by now it’s moldy. In listening to some of the radio sermons, have you realized that the world is not going to listen to that kind of a message? It belongs to another time. You can’t serve yesterdays bread to today’s people.
In 1741 when Jonathan Edwards read his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in a monotone voice, people hung on to the pillars of the church, screaming in fear of falling into perdition. He warned them that the arrow of God’s divine wrath was drawn and pointed at the heart of the sinner. He gave no Scriptural hope that God might have mercy. When this same sermon was memorized and preached by a dynamic evangelist of our times it had little impact on his audience. That sermon belonged to another day.
Charles G. Finney was a man who really knew the Lord. His revival lectures were messages of legalism that brought people of his day under great conviction. However, today they seem dull and unconvincing. They are “Gibeonite bread,” belonging to another time.
God has a word for us now and He is speaking that word. He will bless the people who give that meat in due season and set them over all that He has.
The coming rank of authority will depend upon people’s courage, their openness, and their dedication to speak what God is speaking now. Speak the word that God speaks. Don’t preach a historical Christ; preach the living word of the living Christ and His present-day demands upon people.
But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth; and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Verses 48–51.