(Continued-Chapter XXIV)

When all the Gentile nations will be gathered together against Jerusalem the Hebrew nation, having been reduced to the direst need, will realize that her only help is in God; hence she will turn to the Lord and be willing to accept Him Who comes in the Name of the Lord. In response to their cry for deliverance God will pour out His Holy Spirit upon them, Who is called the Spirit of Grace and of Supplication, and will turn their hearts in genuine conviction to their Messiah, Jesus, Whom their forefathers nineteen hundred years ago rejected. Then Jesus, their Messiah, will come in glory and they shall look upon "me whom they have pierced" and there shall be universal mourning on the part of the entire nation living at that time. With wholeheartedness they will accept Him as their Messiah. Then, in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). This Fountain for cleansing and for forgiveness was opened nineteen centuries ago on Golgotha's heights, but since spiritual blindness came upon the nation it has been unable to see it. Like Hagar who with her son was in the desert about to perish from thirst, when the angel of the Lord called out of heaven to her and opened her eyes to see a well of water close by from which she got water that quenched their thirst, Israel has been during these nineteen hundred years. She has wandered from nation to nation, being spiritually blind and unable to see that the fountain of living water which was opened on Calvary for quenching her spiritual thirst was nearby all of the time; but at the time of the national repentance when all turn to the Lord the veil of darkness will be lifted from their eyes and they will see the fountain of living water to which they will hasten by faith and drink and be satisfied.

The sudden and complete conversion of the nation may be illustrated by the conversion of the illustrious Apostle Paul. With blinded eyes he was persecuting the followers of Jesus of Nazareth when suddenly he saw that Jesus Whom he persecuted was the Messiah of Israel, and with full surrender he accepted Him and became the Apostle to the Gentiles to whom Jesus sent him. Thus the nation in her blindness has through the centuries rejected Jesus; but suddenly at that time in her dire distress and penitence she will call unto Him and He, her Messiah, will appear, coming in glory in her behalf and the entire nation without an exception will accept Him, saying "Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Such is the promise both of the prophets and of the apostles. That God will fulfill these promises is clearly seen from Jer. 33:25,26, which reads as follows: "Thus saith the Lord: If my covenant of day and night stand not, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them." Thus "the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of."

When the tempest-tossed Israel shall at last accept her Messiah He will become her King, He will lift the curse which fell when Adam and Eve sinned, and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Peace and happiness shall reign supremely and Israel shall enjoy peace and fellowship with God under Messiah's reign forever as the sun and moon (Psa. 89:34-37 ; cf. Hab. 2:14; Isa. 11:9).

III. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

God held the Hebrew nation responsible for not recognizing the signs of the times when Jesus came the first time. In the Holy Scriptures He had in detail outlined Messiah's life and work. Had Israel known the Word of God and been willing to do His will, she would have recognized Him. Though the Scriptures were read in the synagogues weekly, the nation did not recognize Him, even the authorities at Jerusalem (Acts 13:27). "For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him." "And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Lk. 19:41-44). Paul in speaking to the church at Thessalonica explained the sufferings which came upon the Jewish nation because of her failure to recognize Jesus as her Messiah and because she had Him crucified: "For ye also suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews; who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and please not God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost" (I Thess. 2:14-16). Jesus gave sufficient proof to all when He came first that He was the promised Messiah. The nation refused to investigate His claims and closed her eyes against the evidence of the signs of the times.

Just as all the indications then pointed definitely to "the fullness of the time" and the coming of the Messiah into the world, so prior to His return, the Scripture affirms, there will be signs or events which will serve to announce His return. These predictions can be relied upon absolutely for: "We have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (II Pet. 1:19).

A. A World War--A Sign of the Approaching End

On the last day of the public ministry of Jesus, as He left the temple, He prophesied its complete destruction. As He sat on the Mount of Olives that afternoon, Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to Him saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (consummation of the age)?" (Matt. 24:3). [The Olivet discourse is recorded in Matt. 24, 25; Mk. 13; Lk. 21.]

(CHART) A study of this passage shows two well-defined questions: first, one concerning the time of the destruction of Jerusalem of which He had just spoken; second, a sign or event which would indicate His return to earth and the consummation of the age. An examination of this chapter shows clearly that Matthew does not record Christ's answer to the first question; Luke, however, does in 21:20-24. That Matthew is simply giving the Lord's answer to the second question is seen from the fact that he mentions "the end" in verses 6, 13, 14. That verses 15-28 deal with things connected with the second coming of Christ, and not with the fall of Jerusalem in the year A.D. 70 is likewise seen from the fact that verse 15, which begins with the words "When therefore" is a conclusion which is drawn from the last statement of verse 14, namely, "and then shall the end come." They had asked Jesus concerning the end of the age; therefore in His reply when He spoke of "the end," it is but logical to suppose that He used the word with the same significance as they had. Verse 14, therefore, can refer to nothing else except the end of the age. This statement being true, the adverb "when" of verse 15 links it indissolubly with the adverb "then" of verse 14. Therefore, the "time of trouble" mentioned in verses 15-28 is the same as that mentioned in verses 9-14.

When Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, the Apostles immediately asked about His return, and the end of the Christian dispensation.¹ Evidently, in their minds those three events were very closely associated. The reason, doubtless, for such an association of ideas is that in different Old Testament passages they are mentioned together. Zech. 14 especially places them together in point of time. He first mentions the final siege of Jerusalem which is brought to a close by the personal coming of the Lord, the Messiah, to Mount Zion and of His miraculous intervention in behalf of the Hebrew race; and finally the introduction of the new age when the Lord shall be King over all the earth, which promise implies the end of the preceding age. When, therefore, Jesus mentioned the siege of Jerusalem the other two associated ideas sprang into consciousness; hence, their questions. It should be observed that their question was concerning some definite sign which would indicate the approach of the time for His return and the end of this age.

In answering the question Jesus warned against false christs (verses 4, 5); next He warned them against hasty conclusion which might be drawn from the outbreak of a local war or the report of such an uprising. Anticipating such a hasty deduction, should some war break out, that the same is the one of which Zechariah (14:1-8) spoke. He informed them that there would be local wars throughout the entire age. Therefore, reasoned Jesus, they were not to be alarmed at the outbreak of war and conclude that His return was at hand and the millennial age would be ushered in, for, said He, "the end is not yet," i.e., the end of the age is not to be expected at the conclusion of some war. His reason for making this statement was: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places": a world war accompanied by famines and earthquakes in divers places, and pestilences (Lk. 21:11), all of which constitute the sign of the end of the age, being the first birth pain, "the beginning of travail" (Matt. 24:8).

That Matt. 24:7 is a prediction of a world war is seen from the fact that the expression "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" is Hebraic and indicates a world cataclysm. The same idiom is found in II Chron. 15:6, "And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity." The context shows that He is talking not only of Israel but also of the surrounding nations. Therefore the expression "nation against nation, and city against city" refers to all of the lands mentioned and of their being involved in a general war in that part of the world. In Isa. 19:2 appears the same idiom. Since the outlook of this chapter is national, i.e., includes the entire nation, the use of this term shows that all the territory embraced by the outlook of the passage was involved. Since the outlook of Matt. 24 is world-wide, the use of this idiom, without doubt, indicates that the nations of the world are more or less involved in a general upheaval. Therefore a world war accompanied by famines, great earthquakes in different places, and pestilences is the SIGN of the approaching end of the age. It is the first birth pain which the world experiences and which lets those who understand the Word of God know that the time is at hand when "the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).

The only question to be determined in this connection is: "Was the World War, which has just passed, the war of Matt. 24:7?" The author does not wish to be dogmatic, but he frankly admits that it appeared to him very much like it.

From verses 9-28 the Lord spoke of what is known as "The Great Tribulation" which is "the time of Jacob's trouble" (cf. Dan. 12:1). Immediately after that tribulation Jesus shall return with power to sit upon the throne of His glory, at which time He will judge the living nations (Matt. 25:31-46).

"Now from the fig tree learn her parable: 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. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Heaven, and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:32-35). The appearance of buds upon the fig tree is indicative of the approach of summer. Thus, said Jesus, a world war with the accompanying disasters is the indication of the approaching end of the age. In order to show how close the end is, when the war comes, He added, "This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished." What is the meaning of the word "generation"? Three answers have been proposed. In Thayer's Greek Lexicon the Greek word γενεά has four different meanings, but what is its meaning in this context? It is possible that it could mean "this Jewish race," but such a meaning seems to the author very much strained. Since Jesus had focused the minds of the Apostles upon the end of the age and the sign of its approach, and since He used the illustration of the fig tree, it seems that He is talking about that generation which witnesses the outbreak of the world war of 24:7. If this interpretation is correct, the prediction simply means that all of the things enumerated in the passage, including His second coming, will occur within the lifetime of the generation which witnesses the outbreak of the world war.

Since the late world upheaval of 1914-18 seems to have filled out the picture of the prophecy, at least to a very marked degree, and since the Messiah will, according to the interpretation just given, return immediately after the Tribulation, of which a world war is a sign, it behooves each one to study the Bible most prayerfully and carefully and to check current events by his Biblical knowledge to see if Messiah's return is not close at hand.

B. Zionism--Another Sign of the Approaching End

"And they (Jewish nation) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Lk. 21:24). The expression "the times of the Gentiles" seems to be a reference to the period which is covered by the metallic image of Dan. 2. To Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, God delivered world dominion, including authority over the Jews. That authority has never been revoked. During this period Jerusalem is to be trodden down of the Gentiles. When it is fulfilled, the inference is, Jerusalem, together with Palestine, will revert to the rightful owners, the Hebrew nation. The Balfour Declaration, which was made public November 2, 1917, guarantees to the Jewish nation, Palestine as her homeland. Whenever, in the opinion of the League of Nations, conditions justify, the Palestinian Government will be recognized as one of the family of nations. When that time comes, the times of the Gentiles will have run their course. This fact means that God will again resume His dealings with the Hebrew people. It appears that there will be a period of seven years during which God will especially deal with them. This fact is set forth in the ninth chapter of Daniel. Sixty-nine of the seventy weeks of years of this passage (483 of the 490 years) had run their course when Messiah was cut off--crucified. It appears that this last week of years (7) will begin when the Hebrew people are in full possession of Palestine. Since all indications at present point very definitely toward their re-establishment in the homeland, it is most probable from this point of view that the time is approaching very rapidly for Messiah to return and to inaugurate that glorious reign of righteousness (Dan. 9:24).

C. Israel's Gathering in Unbelief

According to Zeph. 2:1,2, the nation will gather back to the homeland--at least a part of it--in unbelief. "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you." Undoubtedly, this prediction, though in a form of a command, is a clear statement that a portion of the nation at least will gather back in the land in unbelief prior to the outbreak of the day of the Lord. Since, under Zionism, large numbers of the nation are gathering back there, and since the movement of Zionism is characterized by indifference to the religion of the Bible, it is the conviction of many godly, consecrated Bible scholars that this present movement is the fulfillment of this wonderful prediction. If this interpretation is correct, from this angle it is clear that the day of the Lord, the time of Jacob's trouble, is approaching rapidly.

D. The Great Apostasy

According to the Apostle Paul, the great day of the Lord's vengeance cannot be until after the great falling away from the faith. The word translated "apostasy" in II Thess. 2 means not simply backsliding but a giving up and forsaking--a renunciation of Christianity, i.e., true Christianity. At the present date it is a well-known fact to all that throughout Christendom and likewise in the circles of reformed Judaism there is a clear and unmistakable departure from the clear, plain teachings of the Word of God. The movement away from the Bible is gaining in momentum and power each day. One by one are the Christian ranks being deserted, but this apostasy is to be expected for the Lord Jesus Himself said "when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:8).

E. Lawlessness and Commercialism

"And 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. Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left: two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh" (Matt. 24:37-42). From this and many other passages it is quite evident that lawlessness characterizes the latter days, likewise commercialism. It is also very clear that religion will be at a very low ebb (cf. II Tim. 3:1-5).

F. The World Empire of the End Time

According to the sure word of prophecy, the Roman Empire is to be dominant in the end time. In the vision of the metallic image, which God granted to Nebuchadnezzar, appears the symbolic representation of the course of Gentile world history from the days of Nebuchadnezzar to the time when the God of heaven shall "set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." The fourth, or last kingdom, which is represented by the legs of iron, is a divided kingdom--Rome divided into its eastern and western halves which, as already seen, began in the days of Diocletian and continued through the centuries.

In Daniel, chapter 7, we have a prediction of the grand march of empire through the centuries of Gentile world dominion. The four world empires of this period are set forth in the form of four symbolic beasts that come in succession out of the agitated waters of the nations when they are in a state of unrest. That a beast, when used symbolically, indicates a king and his kingdom is evident from the following statements:

"These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth ... Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces" (Dan. 7:17, 23).

A careful study of Daniel, chapter 7, and a comparison of it with the metallic image vision of Daniel, chapter 2--when studied in the light of history--show that the four world empires of the times of the Gentiles are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. When each ceased to be usable in forwarding the Lord's cause, world dominion was passed on to its successor.

"After this I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Dan. 7:7,8).

Rome is here seen devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping the residue (the rest of the nations) under her feet. She has continued through the centuries in type, as indicated by the legs of iron and feet and toes of iron and miry clay of the image vision (Dan., chap. 2).

"Thus he [the angel] said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, ... and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; ... and he shall put down three kings ... and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time" (Dan. 7:23-25).

Rome will yet devour all the nations and become a world kingdom, according to verse 23. Then this empire will crash under its own weight, falling into ten different divisions (vs. 24). Over each of these a dictator will arise. Hence, there are to be ten dictators controlling the world, until there arises a man out of obscurity and insignificance who becomes associated with them. The bulk of the power will quickly gravitate into his hands. When this occurs, he will seize the imperial purple of world dominion and become a tyrant. Finally, in the middle of the seven years of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27) he will put down three of the ten dictators and with the seven remaining ones will reign with an iron hand for three and a half years (vs. 25). At the end of this period Christ will return in glory.

At the present time [This section rewritten February, 1953] the world is divided into two great groups of nations: Those behind the iron curtain in the East, and the nations of the free world in the West. According to Ezekiel 38:1-39:16 the nations behind the iron curtain will swoop down upon Palestine and will meet God Almighty there, who will completely demolish all their forces. Then the Western Democracies will take over and develop into a world kingdom. Such a universal empire with its throne of wickedness is referred to in Psalm 94:20, Haggai 2:22, and Revelation 11:15.

The trends of the time indicate that we are rapidly approaching the great crisis of the ages.

CONCLUSION

From the facts just presented and many others which could be, the author is of the profound conviction that the signs of the times are pointing very definitely to the rapid approach of the return of the Lord. He will not set a date, for no man knows the day nor the hour. But his exhortation is that each one watch and pray, believing the words of the Saviour, "When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh" (Lk. 21:28).


Footnote:

¹ The marginal reading in the Revised Version of "the end of the world" is "the consummation of the age." The Greek word translated "world" here is properly translated "age" in the marginal note.

<<<< previous     next >>>>