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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 42. A Terrible Forerunner
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A Terrible Forerunner
One day, four of our Lord's disciples came to Him and asked a question. He had spoken to them frequently of coming back again to set up the Kingdom. Now they ask Him when He is coming back. In His reply He tells them the things that will happen before He comes, and just at the time, and tells them they may know when He is coming by watching for these events. So that the answer to the question "When will Jesus come again?" includes a little group of happenings.
There are three points around which we can gather what has been found. The first of these is called the "great tribulation." When those disciples asked about the Coming, Jesus began talking about this. The city of Jerusalem was to be destroyed. The Jews were to be scattered among all nations. Instead of the world-leadership which the Jew of that day fondly hoped for, the nations called Gentiles were to have the world-leadership. We know, of course, that this has all taken place so completely that we are apt to forget the past of the Jew, think of him chiefly either to pity, or despise, or both, and to imagine that we Gentiles will always rule the world. Now we begin to listen to something different. The leading part played by the non-Jewish nations is to come to an end. This present time of Gentile leadership is to end in a time of great disturbance and distress, called the great tribulation.
The general characteristics marking the interval of time preceding this tribulation, and up until it begins, will be wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences. Before it begins, the Jews will have re-constituted their nation in Palestine, built again the temple in Jerusalem, and begun offering sacrifices again as they used to do. This will be done by an arrangement, or treaty, with the nations concerned. Then this agreement will be broken, the sacrifices will be stopped, and a time of terrible persecution of the Jew will begin. The opening event of this great tribulation, by which our Lord tells us it may be recognized, is some act blasphemously profaning the temple. During this time the Jews will be persecuted in a more terrible manner than ever before. This is saying much, for no people has suffered such persecutions through so many centuries as has the Jew. The Old Testament is very full of allusions to this coming worst of all persecutions.
But the Jew will not be alone in his sufferings this time. The followers of Christ will be subjected to persecution also to a terrible extent. It will be a time of sore sifting and testing of one's faith. Then there will be many false religious teachers, whose teachings will add to the confusion and perplexity of those wanting to be true but not clear as to what to do. As a result many professing believers will prove untrue, and many will grow cold in their devotion.
There will be a great leader, a world-leader, during this reign of evil. He is called the "lawless one," the "man of sin," and the "Antichrist." Not only will he persecute Jew and Christian, but as he comes to the climax of his power, he will blasphemously require that men worship himself as God. He will sit in the temple in Jerusalem claiming to be the only one who should be worshipped.
He will have a religious leader who will seek to influence the multitudes to this blasphemous worship. This religious leader will be enabled to do many strange, supernatural things which will deceive the crowds. But the power back of all this is Satan's power. There will be a strict system of coercion, or boycotting, to compel the people to worship this blasphemous leader. Whoever refuses will be unable to buy or sell, and will be liable to be killed. Many will be martyred. During this period there will be terrible activity by countless demon spirits, who, unseen of course by ordinary eyesight, will be actively at work tormenting and killing men. The vast multitude will fit in with the new order of things, engaging in a riot of pleasure-seeking, and be utterly unprepared for the coming of the Lord, which will put an end to all of this.
At the very end, there will be a terrible earthquake affecting all parts of the earth, clear beyond what has ever been experienced. It will cause the greatest consternation among the careless, thoughtless, surprised multitudes, and among the leaders of all sorts. Men in highest position, politically, socially, and financially, will be down on their knees in the dust, in pitiable distress. Social prestige, vast wealth, political power, will crumble in a moment into worthlessness. With the earthquake will also be a heaven-quake, all the powers that hold our solar system in place being as rudely shaken as the earth itself. This new reign of tribulation-terror will continue for the same length of time as our Lord's ministry of love, three and a half years.
During all of this time there will be two men in Jerusalem openly and publicly preaching to the multitudes the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, in the midst of ridicule and opposition. They will be empowered to withhold the rain at will, and to call down fire from heaven, as did Elijah, and to bring plagues, as did Moses, in evidence of the truth of their message. There will be repeated but unsuccessful attempts to kill them. Then they will be killed but not buried, their bodies will be left lying in the street for three days, to be gazed at by the jeering crowds. Then suddenly the startled crowds will see them rise up, and then caught up into the heavens. This tribulation is the first thing to get clearly fixed in mind in connection with our Lord's return.
The second thing is the coming of our Lord Himself. In the midst of this reign of unrestrained evil and cruelty, as things are at their hellish worst, something will happen. Suddenly there will be a shining of a wondrous light in the sky. It will be so bright as to make the sun's light throw a shadow. And on a cloud will be seen openly the glorified Jesus Himself coming down, just as He went up.