I. The Purging Of Creation. II. Messiah’s Last Hours Before Crucifixion (Mt 26:31-46).

I. The Purging Of Creation.

A.  Because of Adam’s sin in the garden a curse was placed upon the earth by God, as He said: “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee” (Gen. 3:17-18). It thus becomes necessary to remove the last vestige of this curse from the earth before the manifestation of the eternal kingdom. This event is described by Peter: 

1. The New Heaven And Earth. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17).

2. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Pet 3:10-13)

B. This passing of the present earth is anticipated in a number of passages (Matt. 24:35; Heb. 1:10-12; Rev. 20:11). 

1. The Day of the Lord includes the whole program from the beginning of the tribulation period through, and to the new heaven and new earth after the millennium. 

2. Further, fire may be a means of divine visitation without making every use of it necessarily come within the same event. Fire is used throughout Scripture as a symbol of judgment and since this event is judgment upon a cursed earth it is fitting to see the purgation by fire at the time the earth is to have every blot of the curse removed from it. 

3. And again, since the millennial earth merges with the new heaven and new earth at the end of the age, Isaiah may well describe the millennial scene in view of its eternal dwelling place, the new heavens and new earth, without stating that the heaven and earth will merge, as he views both in their existing states.

 C. It is to be noted that Peter does not say that the Day of the Lord commences with the dissolution of the present earth, but that within the day of the Lord this dissolution will take place. His word is: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” (2 Pet. 3:10). Further, Peter states: “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:7). In this statement he seems to relate the dissolution of the present heaven and earth to the time of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men, which we know from Revelation 20:11-15, takes place at the great white throne judgment after the millennium. If it be held that this cannot refer to the same time since John says, “from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away” (Rev. 20:11) and Peter says, “reserved unto fire against the day of judgment” (2 Pet. 3:7), it is sufficient to say that John’s statement gives the fact that the old heaven and earth have passed away without giving the means by which this is accomplished, while Peter gives the means through which the dissolution takes place. There is no contradiction here. It is thus concluded that the purging is the act of God at the end of the millennial age after the final revolt against His authority, in which the earth, the scene of rebellion, is judged because of its curse  

II. Messiah’s Last Hours Before Crucifixion (Mt 26:31-46).

A. Messiah’s Teaching On The Way To The Garden. (31-35).

1. As the group walked from the upper room toward the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, Messiah delivered His final teachings to His disciples, recorded mostly in the gospel of John (13-17). Matthew records Christ’s prediction in 26:31 that all the disciples would forsake Him on that fateful night; “Then said Yeshua unto them, All of you shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” The word translated “shall be offended” is a Greek word from which we get the word scandal, with the meaning here of causing one to stumble.

2. The events of the evening were to be too much for all the disciples, and Matthew records in 26:56 that they all “forsook him, and fled.” Messiah called their being offended a fulfillment of prophecy, as recorded in Zechariah 13:7, “Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”

3. Christ, however, also had anticipated His resurrection (Mt 26:32) and that they would meet again in Galilee. Actually, of course, Yeshua met His scattered disciples first in Jerusalem before they all went to Galilee. Peter had been previously informed, according to John 13:38, that he would deny Messiah, but apparently Peter could not believe it, and here again, Matthew 26:33 records Peter’s renewed conversation with Christ on this point and with the same warning from Yeshua in verse 34 that Peter would deny Him before morning. The other disciples joined in their profession of faithfulness to Jesus even unto death (v. 35).

B. Messiah In Gethsemane (36-46).

1. Having left the city of Jerusalem, and having crossed the Kidron Valley, Messiah was now at the foot of the Mount of Olives. They had come to a place called Gethsemane, meaning “oil press,” probably located in a grove of olive trees for the purpose of pressing oil from the olives. Visitors today are shown a place called Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. There is no way to identify the place accurately. In a parallel account in Mark 14:32-42, Gethsemane is also named, but in the account in Luke 22:39-46, it is called simply the Mount of Olives. John 18:1 calls it a garden beyond the Brook Kidron.

2. Asking eight of the disciples to sit down, Yeshua took Peter, James, and John, and they went farther into the garden. These three, who seem to form the inner circle, had been with Him on the mount of transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9; Mk 9:2-13; Lk 9:28-36), had seen the girl raised at the house of Jairus (Mt 9:18-25; Mk 5:35-43; Lk 8:40-56), and were apparently the three from whom Messiah could most expect sympathy and understanding in this hour.

3. These three disciples perceived that Christ was greatly agitated. A comparison of Matthew’s description with that of Mark and Luke emphasizes the fact that Yeshua was experiencing great sorrow and inner struggle such as the disciples had never before witnessed. He said to them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: remain here, and watch with me” (Mt 26:38). This did not mean that Yeshua was in danger of dying on the spot, but it did mean that He was in extreme inner conflict. In this hour, He desired the sympathetic understanding of the three disciples. However, He went a little farther into the garden, away from even the three, and there began to pray (v. 39).

4. Many have commented on this experience of Messiah and have attempted to enter into the struggle which is revealed in the threefold prayer, and to discuss the contrast between Christ in His agony and the sleepy disciples. While many truths can be derived from a study of this passage, the overwhelming impression is one of the loneliness of Yeshua in His hour of crucifixion.

5. G. Campbell Morgan describes the progression of Yeshua away from the multitude and toward the loneliness of the cross. Christ first had left the multitude in order to be with His disciples in the upper room. There Judas had forsaken him. He went with the remaining eleven to the entrance to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, He had left eight of the disciples and took the faithful three with Him into the inner garden. Then He had left the three and retired to pray. The incidents relating to the whole scene emphasize the loneliness of Yeshua as He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world.

6. As Messiah retired from even His closest three disciples, Matthew records that He “fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (v. 39). Luke 22:41 states that He “kneeled down”; it is probable that He kneeled first, and then, in the process of His prayer, sank down until He was completely on His face on the ground. Hebrews 5:7 is the commentary on this prayer, speaking as it does of “strong crying and tears.” This was an hour of supreme agony on the part of Christ.

7. He addressed His prayer to “my Father,” claiming Their intimate eternal relationship. The clause, “if it be possible,” and the petition, “let this cup pass from me,” indicate the natural desire of Messiah’s human heart to avoid the supreme issue that was before Him. No man, in sinful and mortal flesh, can understand the conflict in the holy soul of Yeshua who had never experienced the slightest shadow of sin and had never known any barrier between Himself and the Father. Now upon this Holy One had come the hour when He would bear all the terrible sin of the world—past, present, and future—and would experience being the sin offering forsaken by the Father.

8. The human desire to avoid such an issue is not incompatible with the immutability of the divine nature. While this presents no theological problem to anyone accepting the full humanity as well as the full deity of Yeshua, at the same time, it offers no basis for men to understand the agony of Messiah. It is clear that whatever the desire of the human nature may have been, the will of Christ was always without wavering to do the will of the Father.

9. After His first prayer and petition, Messiah returned to the three disciples, who probably were very near, and found them asleep. Matthew records that He addressed His words to Peter, and Mark 14:37 adds “Simon.” The address, however, was in the plural, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” In the hour of Christ’s supreme need, Peter, who had affirmed that he would die with His Lord, could not even keep awake. Recognizing the limitations of the human flesh, Yeshua exhorted them, “Watch and pray, that you may not enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26:41). Christ did not question their desire to stay alert, but their will was not equal to the occasion.

10. Leaving the disciples a second time, He prayed, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (v. 42). This time, the condition is stated in the negative, which may indicate a progression in His prayer and a recognition that the cup could not pass away. Returning to the three disciples, He again found them sound asleep. Leaving them a third time, He prayed again, repeating the same words as in the second petition.

11. Luke 22:40-44 records only one of the three petitions, probably the last of the three, and indicates that Messiah withdrew “about a stone’s cast” from the three disciples. Luke records, however, the appearance of an angel from heaven to strengthen Him as He continued praying, and that His agony was so great that “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (vv. 43-44). Short of death itself, Christ could not have been in more agony of soul.

12. Coming back to His disciples for the third time, He found them again asleep, and to them He said the sad words, “Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” (Mt 26:45). Many have tried to analyze this statement of Messiah as being sarcastic or cutting. It probably was said in sad recognition of His own loneliness. Messiah said, in effect, that they should take their rest, for He knew that in a few moments, their rest would be interrupted, and a sleepless night was ahead of them all.

13. Matthew does not indicate that any time elapsed between verses 45 and 46, but probably there was a brief interval. Then Messiah, awakening them for the third time, said, “Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.” The agony of Gethsemane was behind Him. The brutality of His arrest, beating at the hands of the soldiers, and the crown of thorns were ahead, but even this was just the prelude to the cross itself.

I. The Release Of Satan. II. The Lord’s Supper (Mt 26:26-30).

I. The Release Of Satan  And The Satanically Led Revolt.

A. John depicts a scene on the earth at the termination of the millennial age that staggers the imagination. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them [Rev. 20:2-3, 7-9].

B. It has been the interpretation of amillennialists, from Augustine to the present day, that the “little season” (Rev. 20:3) refers to the present age. According to this view Satan was bound during the earthly ministry of Christ (Luke 10:18), but was to be released at the end of this age. To many, the “little season” has been an extended period, perhaps even the entire age. However, Revelation 20 reveals that the binding of Satan does not take place until after the second advent of Christ and that he continues bound until the termination of the thousand years. The “little season” in which Satan is loosed is after the thousand year reign is completed, prior to the union of the theocratic kingdom with the eternal kingdom. Revelation 20:7 (“When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison”) sets the time of this release clearly  

C. The purpose for which Satan is released is readily discerned from his activity at the time of his loosing. He goes forth to deceive the nations, in order to lead a final revolt against the theocracy of God. There is yet one more attempt on the part of Satan to reach the goal of his first sin. The release of Satan is viewed in Scripture as the final test that demonstrates the corruption of the human heart. God has subjected fallen humanity to numerous tests in the development of His program of the kingdom, and of redemption. Man has failed under every test. Man  has been tried and tested under every possible condition, in every possible way; under goodness, government, law, grace, and now under glory.” The purpose for which Satan was released, then, was to demonstrate that, even when tested under the reign of the King and the revelation of His holiness, man is a failure. While those going from the tribulation into the millennium were saved, they were not perfected. The progeny born to them during the millennial age were born with the same fallen sin nature with which their parents were born and consequently needed regeneration; from these two groups, all can sin, and some will revolt against Messiah. Those resurrected and raptured saints (e.g., John 14:1-3, 6; 1 Thes 4:16-18; 1 Cor 15:15-50-54) who return to earth from heaven with Messiah (Mt 24:29-30; Zech 14:1-5, 9; Rev 19:11-20:6) had received perfected bodies prior to their return to earth, can not sin, and will not revolt against Messiah during the Kingdom Age.  During the administration of the King, in which He rules with a “rod of iron,” outward conformity to His law is necessary. The binding of Satan, the removal of external sources of temptation, the fulness of knowledge, the bountiful provision from the King, causes many, whose hearts have not been regenerated, to give this required conformity to the law of the King. There must be a test to determine the true heart condition of the individuals in the age. 

D. But even such a sovereignty over the earth does not change the heart of man. A righteous reign, together with all the blessings associated with it, and the full enjoyment of a world redeemed from the curse, does not avail to make man other than he is naturally and the testing and proving of this is accomplished by the loosing of Satan after the thousand years are finished. A thousand years in prison has wrought no moral change in the nature of this evil spirit. He comes up out of his dungeon with his heart filled with the smouldering fire of hate, which immediately flames forth and kindles a revolution among the nations that are in the four corners of the earth. 

 E. Apart from some comprehension of the depth of depravity of the human heart there is no understanding how a multitude, “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” (Rev. 20:8), could revolt against the Lord Jesus Christ, when they have lived under His beneficence all their lives. But in this rebellion it is demonstrated once again that God is just when He judges sin. And the judgment comes in the form of physical death, through the pouring out of fire, on all the rebels assembled under Satan’s leadership (Rev. 20:9). In this manner God removes all unbelief from the theocratic kingdom in anticipation of its merger with the eternal kingdom of God (Rev 20:7-15).

II. The Lord’s Supper (Mt 26:26-30). 

A. Probably at this point in the sequence of events, after Judas left, the Lord’s Supper was instituted, something new and additional to the Passover feast. All the gospels record the event (Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:17-20; Jn 13:12-30). Further instruction is given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. It was while they were involved in eating the major portion of the Passover feast that this special ceremony was introduced.

B. Engaging the disciples’ attention, Messiah took the ceremonial bread, and after prayer broke it, giving pieces to the disciples with the instructions, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Following this, He also took the cup, and, again giving thanks, He gave the cup to them saying, “Drink  all of it.” He then explained the ceremony in Matthew 26:28, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” The new ceremony, instead of relating to the lamb slain in Egypt, now was referring to Christ as the new Passover Lamb, the one who would be slain on the cross. Although it was a new ceremony, it was also their last meal together, and He concluded the introduction of the Lord’s Supper with the words of verse 29, “But I say unto you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Here He was referring to the millennial kingdom, when Christ will return to the earth with His resurrected disciples and participate once again in the earthly scene. There is no indication anywhere that wine will be drunk in heaven. Concluding with the final hymn of the Passover feast, they left the upper room and went to the Mount of Olives.

C. The ceremony of the Lord’s Supper has been a point of controversy in the history of the church. Of the bread and the cup, the Roman church holds to transubstantiation, that the elements actually are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. The Lutheran church, historically, has held that while the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine, it is actually invested with the character of the body and blood of Christ, and that partaking of one is the same as partaking of the other.

D. Calvin held that the Lord’s spiritual presence was in the elements but not His physical presence. Zwingli suggested that they were merely symbols and represented the body of Christ. The controversy cannot be settled, but many have concluded that Zwingli was probably right and that the bread and the cup become the body and blood of Christ no more than Yeshua became a vine because of His words, “I am the true vine.” These are figures of speech, although wonderfully eloquent in their meaning. The important point is to partake of Christ in reality, not physically. The truth is that the believer is Spiritually in Christ, and Christ is Spiritually in the believer, in a wonderful, organic union of eternal life.

I. Preparation For The Eternal Kingdom. II. Messiah’s Last Hours For His Crucifixion (Mt 26:14-25).

I. Preparation For The Eternal Kingdom. 

A. While the Word of God does not give a great mass of detail concerning the eternal kingdom, sufficient is given to give the child of God a full assurance of the glorious expectation that awaits him in his eternal relation to the Father and the Son. Between the termination of the earthly theocratic kingdom and the union of that kingdom with the eternal kingdom of God certain momentous events transpire, so that every vestige of rebellion shall be obliterated and God shall reign supreme. In this study consideration will not be given to the broad areas of the doctrines of the eternal state, but discussion will be restricted to the questions related to the prophecies of that time.  

B. The Purging For The Eternal Kingdom. There are three events predicted in the Scripture that may be viewed as acts of purging the universe of the remnants of the curse so that the eternal kingdom may be fully manifested: 

1.  The release of Satan and the satanically led revolt.

2. The purging of the earth by fire.

3. The judgment on sinners at the great white throne. 

C. The events of the purging of the eternal kingdom will be discussed in detail in following articles. 

II. Messiah’s Last Hours Before His Crucifixion. (Matthew Chapter 26).

A. Judas Seeks To Betray Messiah (14-16).

When Judas went to the high priest (cf. Mk 14:10-11; Lk 22:3-6), Christ had already cleansed the temple, as He had done it on Monday morning, and the  Jewish leaders were eager to find some way by which they could lay their hands on Him privately. Nothing is said concerning how they bargained back and forth, but they agreed on thirty pieces of silver. The price was not high, as it was the same as the fine for killing a slave accidentally (cf. Ex 21:32), but Judas was all too willing to sell the King of kings for the price of a slave. No doubt, the money was immediately weighed out to him, fulfilling Zechariah 11:12 precisely, as Judas was not going to take the risk of betraying Yeshua and then going penniless. He knew all too well that if he did not carry out his bargain, the money would have to be returned, as the ruling Jews could have had him arrested at any time. Matthew records, “And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him” (26:16). The time was going to come earlier than even the chief priests had thought possible.

B. The Last Passover (17-25).

1. Matthew gives only a brief account of the preparations for the last Passover which Messiah celebrated with His disciples (cf. Mk 14:12-16; Lk 22:7-13; Jn 13:1-12). The parallel passages describing the preparation of the Passover in Mark and Luke give more details. The time was apparently Thursday, presuming that there were no events recorded for Wednesday and that Friday was the day of the crucifixion, as most expositors have held. The two disciples, who were designated to find the place under the special instructions which Christ gave them, were Peter and John, according to Luke 22:8. The rest of the disciples were not to know the place until that evening, when they would be led there by Yeshua, Himself.

a. Per Ryrie Study Bible note, Mt 12:40, “Three Days And Three Nights.” This phrase does not necessarily require that 72 hours elapse between Christ’s death and resurrection, for the Jews reckoned part of a day to be as a whole day. Thus, this prophecy can be properly fulfilled if the crucifixion occurred on Friday. However, the statement does require an historical Jonah, who was actually swallowed on a great fish. 

b. Per Ryrie Study Bible Note, Lk 23:53, “It Was The Preparation Day.” Friday, the day that Christ died, was the time of the preparation for the Sabbath, which began Friday at sunset.

c. Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, B. A., Th. M., Th. D., Ph. D., Litt. D. Seminary professor 1948-1983: Midwest Bible and Missionary Institute (which would eventually become a part of Calvary Bible College); Westmont College; Philadelphia College Of The Bible (now Cairn University); Dallas Theological Seminary. Ryrie wrote 32 books which have sold more than 1.5 million copies.  Additionally, his study bible has sold more than 2.6 million copies.

2.  No explanation is given for the somewhat secretive way in which preparations for the Passover were made. Messiah, of course, knew that the chief priests and scribes were plotting to arrest Him, and that Judas had agreed to betray Him. The other disciples also were somewhat aware of the dangers of His being in Jerusalem, especially at night away from the crowds. Accordingly, the plan to keep the place completely secret from Judas and the rest of the disciples, except Peter and John, was necessary to avoid premature arrest and interference with the events of the evening.

3. None of the accounts indicate the name of the owner of the house, though apparently he was someone who recognized Yeshua, and was a disciple. Speculation is useless as to the identity of this man, and even the location is unknown, although visitors to Jerusalem today are often shown a traditional site for the Last Supper. The Passover was to be a hallowed occasion for Christ and the disciples, their last night together after more than three years of association, a night never to be forgotten.

4. The account of the Passover itself is recorded not only in Matthew, but in Mark 14:17-21, and Luke 22:14-30. Luke includes in the middle of his account the institution of the Lord’s Supper. John 13:1-12 records the incident of Christ washing the disciples’ feet, to include the feet of Judas. 

5. Matthew records that when evening came (Thursday), which after sundown was actually the beginning of Friday, Yeshua sat down with His twelve disciples. The verb sat down actually means to recline or to lie down. They lay on couches arranged around a table which was low enough to permit them to feed themselves while reclining. There was probably a long table with the disciples arranged in a U shape around one end with the other end acting as a serving table. The traditional picture of Christ and His disciples seated about a table is inaccurate. The record of the situation in the various gospels indicates there had been some contest among them concerning who would sit close to Messiah.

6. Judging by the conversation between Messiah, John, Peter, and Judas, John, the youngest disciple and the one whom Christ loved, was on one side of Yeshua. It may be that Judas Iscariot was on the other, and that Peter, ambitious for one of these places, ended up on the opposite side of the table. In any case, Peter does not seem to be close to Messiah (Jn 13:24). The spirit of contest among them as to which should be the greatest (Mt 18:1-4; Mk 9:33-37; Lk 9:46-48), which had been going on for six months, and which Christ had previously rebuked, was again evident at the Last Supper and was the occasion of the demonstration by Yeshua of washing the disciples’ feet.

7. While none of the accounts in the four gospels give all the details, it is obvious that Matthew is providing only a concise summary. The extended discourse of Christ in John 15-17 is not mentioned by Matthew. The events in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are treated topically and not necessarily in order chronologically. From Matthew’s point of view, the important point was the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and this is what he introduced immediately into the narrative of the last Passover.

8. It is probable that most of the Passover feast was observed before Judas was identified. After washing the disciples’ feet and making introductory comments, the order of events was probably this: (1) Christ gave thanks and they drank from the cup; (2) the bitter herbs were introduced, symbolizing their rigorous life in Egypt; (3) Yeshua introduced the unleavened bread and the lamb which had been killed and roasted according to the instructions, as well as any other sacrificial meat; (4) Messiah ate the bitter herbs, and the others followed suit; (5) Christ mixed the wine and the water for the second cup, which, in an ordinary home situation, would occasion a son asking the meaning of the Passover feast and the father explaining; (6) they sang the Hallel, Psalms 113 and 114 and then they drank again from the cup; (7) Yeshua ceremonially washed His hands, then taking two cakes of bread, went through the ceremony of breaking one, laying it on the unbroken bread, blessing the bread, wrapping the broken bread with herbs, dipping in the juices of the roasted lamp, and eating of the meat; (8) the rest joined Him in eating the food that had been prepared.

9. While it is not possible to pinpoint the time when Judas was exposed, it is probably right that it occurs at this point. The Passover celebration was normally concluded by the drinking of a third cup, the singing of Psalms 115-118, and then one or more drinks from the cup. The conclusion would be singing from Psalms 120-137. Whether all these details were followed by Messiah, the Scriptures do not make clear. It was probably at the end or near the end of the Passover that Judas was identified and the Lord’s Supper was instituted.

10. It must have been a great shock to the disciples, in the context of this hallowed feast, for Christ to have said, as He did in Matthew 26:21, “Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” Matthew records that they all were extremely sorry and asked the question, “Lord, is it I?” Judas himself apparently was strangely silent for a time. In answer to the question of the other disciples, Yeshua affirmed simply, “He that dips his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me” (v. 23). The whole incident must be interpreted as a gracious attempt on the part of Messiah to make Judas realize his terrible sin and turn from it before it was too late. That he would reject His pleas, and harden his heart, is all too evident in the words of Christ in verse 24, “The Son of man goes, as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”

11. Up to this time, Judas had not been identified clearly. According to John 13:21-26, Peter motioned to John, who was leaning on Yeshua’s bosom, to ask who it was. John was informed, according to John 13:26, “He it is, to whom I shall dip the morsel, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.” Peter and John accordingly knew that Judas was the betrayer.

12. Whether this prompted Judas to ask the question is not revealed, but according to Matthew 26:25, “Then Judas, who betrayed Him (Christ), answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, you have said it yourself.” If Judas was immediately to one side of Christ it is possible that the other disciples did not hear. The Scriptures do not indicate whether any heard the conversation between Messiah and Judas. Matthew does not record Judas’ response, but John 13:27-30 indicates that immediately after the conversation and his identification by receiving the morsel, Judas went out into the night. Messiah had said to him, “What you do, do quickly” (Jn 13:27).

13. The question had apparently arisen in Judas’ mind whether Christ actually knew that he had plotted against Him. Judas was torn between faith and unbelief, but with the cunning of a heart that is desperately wicked, he reasoned that if Yeshua was indeed the Messiah, his betrayal of Him would not be effective. On the other hand, if He were not the Messiah and He were crucified as He had predicted, Judas at least would be ahead thirty pieces of silver. With the crooked reasoning of the natural mind, Judas concluded that he could not lose. His problem was that while he wanted to follow a King who would reign gloriously, he did not want to follow a crucified Savior.

I. A Consideration Of Related Passages. II. Messiah’s Last Hours Before Crucifixion (Mt 26:6-13).

I. A Consideration Of Related Passages.

A. There are certain passages which seem to indicate that there will not be a great gulf between the saved of Israel and the saved of the church age, but that they will bear a direct relation the one to the other in their final state.  

[Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd [John 10:16].] 

B. This passage would seem to indicate that there will be a relation of all saved to one another because they are related to the same shepherd. All the redeemed seem to be viewed as united into one flock under one shepherd. 

[Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [Matt. 19:27-28].

[Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world [1 Cor. 6:2]?]   

C. This portion indicates that the saints who are included in the church are not to be entirely dissociated from the millennial age. If the saints were separated entirely from it, the only way the Twelve could exercise the privilege promised to them would be to lose their position in the body of Christ. This indicates that there will be a relation sustained between the living saints on the earth and the resurrected saints in the heavenly Jerusalem. The saints will exercise the ministry now committed to angels (Heb. 2:5-6). 

[And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb [Rev. 21:12, 14].]

D. It would seem to be clear that the occupants of this city are from the Old Testament age, the New Testament age, as well as unfallen angels. 

[Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years [Rev. 20:6].]

E.  The first resurrection is composed, not of church age saints alone, but of all individuals, of whatever age, who are raised to eternal life. While this resurrection takes place at different times in reference to different groups, the result is the same in each case—the resurrection to eternal life. These resurrected ones are said to be priests and to reign with Him. This first resurrection in Revelation 20:6 can not be made to apply only to the church saints, for those here resurrected are those that have gone through the great tribulation and thus would not be included in the body of Christ, since the resurrection of the church has preceded this. And yet they are in the first resurrection and will reign with Christ. This must mean that all those who partake in the first resurrection have a common destiny, the New Jerusalem, from which they will be associated with Christ in His reign, whether they be Old or New Testament saint. 

[His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord [Matt. 25:21].]

F. In this passage, which teaches the fact of Israel’s judgment and reward, it is significant to notice that, while the rewards are said to be positions of privilege and responsibility in the millennium, the individual is not said to be placed in the millennium itself, but rather that he exercises his authority during the millennium.

[And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God [Rev. 21:3].   

 G. A comparison of the statement here with that in Ezekiel 37:27, where it was promised to Israel that God would tabernacle with men, and with such passages of Scripture as Isaiah 65:19 or Isaiah 25:8, where God promised release from sorrow, crying, and death, will show that what is promised here is the fulfillment of that which is the expectation of the Old Testament saint. While it may be argued that the church has similar promises, and Revelation 21:3 may refer to the fulfillment of these rather than those of Israel, yet the parallelism seems too significant to affirm that Israel is not included in this blessing. One would not say that there will not be the realization of these promises to Israel on the earth in the millennial age, yet it is suggested that resurrected Israel may experience those promises in the heavenly Jerusalem together with the church saints. It is to be noted that the word translated “people” is plural, “they shall be his peoples,” indicating a plurality.   

 [And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever [Dan. 12:3].  

 H. A comparison of this verse with Revelation 21:11 and 18, in which context Israel is mentioned (v. 12), would show that the reflected glory of Christ, who is the source of all light, was the expectation of the Old Testament saint. This hope will be realized in the heavenly city in which the Old Testament saint will have a part and will experience the fulfillment of this promise.

[And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect [Heb. 11:39-40].

I. It seems to be indicated here that Israel can not be made perfect until the body of Christ has been perfected. This would have added meaning if the place of Israel’s saints’ perfection and the place of the perfecting of the believers of this age should be one and the same. If it be argued that such a view would rob the church of her heavenly heritage by uniting her with resurrected Israel and bringing her into a relation to the earth during the millennial age and the new earth to follow, let us consider the following observation.

[The Church must be located somewhere in eternity, and if God has decreed to make the scene of her conflict the place of her eternal glory, who shall make His purpose void? Such a concrete conception as that of the Church being eternally connected with a literal city descending from heaven may be stigmatized as materialistic and sensuous, but it is better than the vague and misty fog that constitutes the idea of eternity entertained by so many. This city cannot be heaven, for it is said to descend from it. Heaven loses nothing by the loss of the city, nor does the Church lose her heavenly inheritance in her association with Him who has now come to fill the earth with His glory.]    

J. If it be argued that such a view would empty heaven and take God from His dwelling place, one would conclude that several considerations lead us toward the conclusion that the New Jerusalem is God’s one eternal resting place.   

 1. Immediately we see the new heaven and new earth and the New Jerusalem descending to the new earth (21:1, 2), we are told “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men”…The object of the new heaven and earth is to bring about this—that God shall eternally have His home in this capital city of the new creation! 2. No other eternal habitation of God is seen than this of the New Creation’s capital. 3. This heavenly city has the glory of God (21:11, 23; 22:5). 4. It also has the throne of God, and the “service” of 22:3, properly called priestly service, or spiritual worship. 5. They shall see his face; this, therefore, must be the place of God’s rest forever. 6. We need only to remember that the dwellers in the New Jerusalem “shall reign unto the ages of the ages” (22:5). This could not be written of others than the inhabitants of the capital of the new creation.

K. The conclusion to this question would be that the Old Testament held forth a national hope, which will be realized fully in the millennial age. The individual Old Testament saint’s hope of an eternal city will be realized through resurrection in the heavenly Jerusalem, where, without losing distinction or identity, Israel will join with the resurrected and translated of the church age to share in the glory of His reign forever. The nature of the millennium, as the period of the test of fallen humanity under the righteous reign of the King, precludes the participation by resurrected individuals in that testing. Thus the millennial age will be concerned only with men who have been saved but are living in their natural bodies. This heavenly city will be brought into a relation to the earth at the beginning of the millennium, and perhaps will be made visible above the earth. It is from this heavenly city that David’s greater Son exerts His Messianic rule, in which the Bride reigns, and from which the rewarded Old Testament saints exercise their authority in government. 

L.  If such an interpretation be correct, there would be a solution to the perplexing problem that arises from placing resurrected saints on the earth to mingle freely with the unresurrected during the millennium. The fulfillment of Israel’s national promises would be realized, not in resurrected individuals, but rather in natural saved Israel who are living at the second advent. The unity of God’s redemptive purposes in Christ would be preserved by bringing the first resurrection group together into one place, where the Bride will share in His reign and His servants serve Him forever (Rev. 22:3). Such a view is in harmony with the Scriptures and solves some of the problems inherent in the premillennial system. 

II. Messiah Anointed For Burial. Matthew 26:6-13.

A. During these last days before His crucifixion, Jesus stayed in Bethany on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, probably residing with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. The incident, recorded here in Matthew and in Mark 14:3-9 and more in detail in John 12:1-8, occurred in the house of Simon the leper. While some have taken this as another name for Lazarus or possibly for Lazarus’ father, there is no reason it should not be another home, for Messiah had many friends in Bethany. In any event, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were there. Matthew and Mark omit any reference to them, but John states plainly that Lazarus was there, that Martha served, and that it was Mary who anointed the feet of Christ (Jn 12:1-3). Matthew and Mark, likewise, do not give the exact date and apparently are not reciting events in their strict chronological order. John, however, specifies that the event took place six days before the Passover. If the Passover was on Friday, then Lenski may be right that this supper took place on Saturday evening after the Sabbath had ended. The whole chronology of the week leading up to the crucifixion is debatable, and some place the crucifixion on Wednesday or Thursday instead of the traditional date of Friday, which is assumed here.

B. As they were reclining about the table in the cool of the evening, Mary took an expensive alabaster box containing a precious ointment, which John describes as “a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly” (Jn 12:3), and anointed Messiah. Matthew 26:7 and Mark 14:3 refer to the anointing of only His head. John adds that she also anointed His feet and wiped His feet with her hair (Jn 12:3). The fragrant perfume permeated the entire house.

C. This amazing act of devotion coming from Mary, who had sat at Messiah’s feet and perhaps more nearly than any other really understood that He would die, aroused criticism from the disciples. John mentions that it was Judas Iscariot who spoke up and asked why the ointment had not been sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to the poor (Jn 12:4-5). John observes that Judas Iscariot said this not because of his concern for the poor but because he was a thief and was the treasurer of the twelve (v. 6). It is possible that the other disciples were also indignant, for Matthew and Mark both picture more than one of the disciples participating in the criticism (Mt 26:8; Mk 14:4). Christ, perceiving the genuineness of Mary’s devotion, rebuked His disciples saying, “Why do you trouble the woman? for she has has a good work upon me” (Mt 26:10). He went on to say that they would have the poor with them always, and Mary had done this by way of preparing His body for burial. He predicted, “Where ever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman had done, be told for a memorial of her” (v. 13).

D. The loving and sacrificial act of Mary has many connotations. While the disciples were slow to accept the repeated prophecies of His death, Mary seems to have comprehended it, at least in part. Although she was not as active as the disciples, or in a place of leadership, and though she did not serve as Martha had done, sitting at the feet of Messiah had given her insight into spiritual things which many in their busy lives never achieve. Undoubtedly, the precious ointment had been a treasure held in the family for some time, and the reckless abandon with which she dedicated it to the anointing of Christ was not a senseless extravagance but an act of supreme devotion. That Yeshua permitted it without rebuke was to Judas Iscariot the final evidence that led him to question that Yeshua was indeed the Messiah, and the verses which follow record his covenant to betray Christ.

I. The Occupants Of The Heavenly Jerusalem. II. Messiah’s Last Hours Before Crucifixion (Mt 26:1-5).

I. The Occupants Of The Heavenly Jerusalem.

 A. Of Abraham it was said that his hope centered in the realization of life in a city, “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”  (Heb. 11:10). That this was the expectation, not only of Abraham, but also of other Old Testament saints is seen in Hebrews 11:16, where it is stated: “But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he has prepared for them a city.” It is observed that the hope of these heroes of faith, according to this verse, was a heavenly city. This same heavenly city is further described in Hebrews 12:22-24, where it is called the heavenly Jerusalem. In Galatians 4:26, where it is called “Jerusalem which is above,” Revelation 3:12, where it is called “The city of my [Messiah’s] God,” and “new Jerusalem,” Revelation 21:2, where it is called “the holy city, new Jerusalem,” and Revelation 21:10, where it is called “that great city, the holy Jerusalem,” it is clearly seen to be the place of the realization of all the hopes of the church saints. Without doubt this is the “place” our Lord promised He would go to prepare and to which He would come and take us in John 14:2. It is no real problem, then, to identify the “church of the first born” who occupy this heavenly Jerusalem according to Hebrews 12:23. Relate Gal 4:26 to Rev 21:2. Consider the following paras 1 and 2: 

1.  The Christian Hebrews are said to have come “to the assembly of firstborns enrolled in heaven.” There need be no hesitation in identifying this heavenly company. It is the church of Yahweh, of which we hear so much and of the deepest interest in the Acts of the Apostles and the other Epistles, as the Lord when here below spoke of it as about to be founded (Matt. 16:18), so that Hades’ gates should not prevail against it. The day of Pentecost (that followed His death, resurrection, and ascension) first saw the new sight. It is described here according to the divine design of the Epistle. This accounts for putting forward the aggregate of those who compose it, firstborn ones, rather than the elsewhere familiar figures of the body of Christ, and of the temple of God—His habitation by the Spirit. 

2. There can be no doubt that this heavenly city will be composed, in part, of the church, the body of Christ, from this present age.   

a.  Consider a word that leads us to expect other redeemed men to be in that heavenly city in addition to the saints of this age. “The term general assembly [panēguris] implies not merely a great, but the full number. And this circumstance, that all the members are collected, gives the assembly a character of solemn and joyous festivity.” The question is: “Who joins with the unfallen angels and the church saints to make up the full complement of the inhabitants of that heavenly city?” The answer is in the phrase “the spirits of just men made perfect.” 

b. These are the O. T. saints. They had had to do with God before grace reigned through righteousness unto eternal life by Messiah Christ as we know it in the gospel. When faith rested on promise, they looked for the coming One; and they will have a blessed part in His kingdom (Rev. 20), when they too shall judge the world (I Cor. 6:2). The like distinction from “we” may be seen at the end in the closing verses 39, 40 of Heb. 11.; and it is remarkable, as this instance proves, that they are shown, not as they will be but as they are, “to the spirits of just men made perfect.” They will not be in the separate state when “that day” is come; they will be raised from among the dead at the presence of Christ.

c. Shall Abraham, and these others of like faith, fail to find the city they looked for? No, they shall not fail. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country, from where they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore Yahweh is not ashamed to be called their Lord: for he has prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:13-16). Again, at the close of this remarkable chapter, it says: “These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: Yahweh having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Heb. 11:39-40). Without us they cannot be made perfect. 

B.  It would seem, then, that the writer to the Hebrews is giving us a picture of the heavenly city, in which place there will be gathered together with Christ the unfallen angels, the resurrected and translated saints of the church age, and all resurrected Old Testament and tribulation saints.   This interpretation finds support in Revelation 21:12-14, where the walls of the “holy Jerusalem” are described. Here the same threefold occupancy is indicated, for in verse there is reference to the angels and the twelve tribes of the children of Israel and in verse 14 reference to the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Thus the angels, saints of Israel and the Old Testament, and the saints of the church are included within the wall.

1. In referring to the dwelling place of the redeemed as a “city,” consider the following a. and b.

a. The city is the expression of human need, and the provision for it. In the midst of strife and insecurity, men gather together for protection; but that is only a small part of what is implied in it. There are other needs more universal than this, as that of cooperation, the division of labor, the result of that inequality of aptitudes by which Yahweh has made us mutually dependent. Our social nature is thus met, and there are formed and strengthened the ties by which the world is bound together; while the intercourse of mind with mind, of heart with heart, stimulates and develops every latent faculty.

b. The eternal city implies for us association, fellowship, intercourse, the fulness of what was intimated in the primal saying, “It is not good for man to be alone,” but which in respect of the bride city, which this is, has still a deeper meaning. Here, the relationship of the saints to Christ, who as the Lamp of divine glory enlightens it, alone adequately explains all. “Alone” can we nevermore be. “With Him” our whole manhood shall find its complete answer, satisfaction, and rest. 

2,  The city, therefore, would have as much relevancy for the Old Testament saints as for the New Testament believers

C.  So, it would be concluded that it is the consistent teaching of Scripture that the Lord will gather unto Himself in the eternal city the unfallen angels, the Old Testament saints, and the New Testament believers, where they, in resurrected glorified bodies, will share in the literal city and its glory, into which place they can only enter by resurrection. It should be noted that this heavenly Jerusalem is not the sphere of the living saved who go into the millennium, for they will look to the rebuilt earthly Jerusalem as their capital city, but is rather the dwelling place of the resurrected saints during the millennium. The living will realize the fulfillment of the national promises of the Old Testament in the kingdom age, while the resurrected will realize the fulfillment of the expectation of a “city which has foundations” during the kingdom age.

II. The Final Announcement Of Messiah’s Death (Matthew 26:1-5).

A. Having concluded His comprehensive answer to the disciples’ questions concerning the end of the age, Christ returned to the consideration of the impending events (cf. Mk 14:1-2; Lk 22:1-2). He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified” (Mt 26:2). This notation concerning the time indicates that Yeshua was speaking on Tuesday of the last week, and that Matthew’s account of that Tuesday begins in 21:23 and extends through 26:5.

B. Liberal scholars try to make the most of what they believe is an inaccuracy here. Part of the problem is that Mark 14:1-2, in the parallel account, adds also “and of unleavened bread,” referring to the seven-day feast which followed the Passover. All this, however, is much ado about nothing, because, although the expression “after two days” may have more than one interpretation, it clearly connotes that two days or more would elapse before the Passover would occur. The Passover also used unleavened bread, and if more than two days elapsed before the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which follows the Passover, there would be no real error in fact. The practical point is that they were faced with the final betrayal and crucifixion of Messiah. Consider the passages that relate to the Jews’ observance of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

1. Passover. Lev 23:5. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. Also, Ex 12:1-14; Mt 26:17-20.

2. Unleavened Bread. Lev 23:6-8. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. Also, Ex 12:15-20. 

C. There is no record of the disciples’ comment on this, but Matthew records that even as Christ was speaking, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people had assembled in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas, plotting to take Him when the people would not be around to prevent it. It is possible that they had in mind waiting until after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which would be ten days later, when the pilgrims would have begun returning to their homes, but Yeshua said, “after two days.” And so it was. The early arrest of Messiah was to be made possible by the betrayal of Judas Iscariot. Only hours separated Christ from the cross on Calvary.

I. The Nature Of The Kingdom Age. II. Judgments At the End Of The Age (3).

I. The Nature Of The Kingdom Age. II. Judgments At The End Of The Age (3).

I. The Nature Of The Kingdom Age.

A. In order to understand the relation of the resurrected saints of both the Old and New Testaments to the millennial Kingdom age it is necessary to have a clear concept of the  teaching of Scripture as to the nature and purpose of this age.

B. What the Kingdom Age Reign Will Be Like?  The thousand year’s reign will be the direct administration of divine government on earth for one thousand years by our Lord and His saints. Its earthly center will be Jerusalem. and the nation Israel, though Messiah and His saints will rule in heavenly resurrection bodies in the New Jerusalem, and will take the place now occupied by angels (Heb 2:5-8).

II. The Object Of The Kingdom Age.

A. Looked at from God the Father’s side: 

1. It will be the public earthly honoring of His Son just where men dishonored Him on this earth.

2. It will be the carrying out of God’s promises to His Son, and the prophecies concerning Him, to “give unto him the throne of his father David.”

3. It will be the final divine trial of sinful man on this earth before the earth is destroyed.

4. It will be God’s answer (so far as is possible before the new earth) of the prayer of His saints: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  (This is the prayer that Messiah told first century Jews to pray (Mt 6:9-14), as He offered the Kingdom Of God to them (Mt 4:17). John The Baptist also announced the offer of the Kingdom of God to first central Israel (Mt 3:1-2), and was proclaimed by the Disciples, but only to Jews, and not Samaritans or Gentiles (Mt 10:5-7). The Kingdom of God was offered only to Israel, but will be an inhabitation to saved Gentiles through Israel’s acceptance of Yeshua as Messiah (Zech 12:10; 14:1-5, 9; Mt 24:29-30; Rev 19:11-20:6). 

B. Looked at from Christ’s side: 

1. He receives, after long patience, the kingdom of this world which He has been constantly “expecting,” there at God’s right hand; “And He will reign in that righteousness.”

2. At last He will be able to confer upon the meek of the earth the place and inheritance He ever loved to promise them! 

3. He will share all of His kingly honors with His saints! 

C. Looked at from the saints’ side: 

1. The Millennium brings these classes of saints into a state of indescribable blessedness.

a. Returning raptured saints (Zech 14:1-5/Mt 24:29-30; 25:31-33/Rev 20:4); 

b. Earthly Israel  (Matt 24:40-41).  

c. In Matthew 24 and 25 righteous Gentiles and Jews are said to be left behind to enter the Kingdom; 

d. Unrighteous Gentiles and Jews will be taken in death to judgment and eternal punishment (Rev 20:11-15).

2. The very physical changes made in the earth reveal some of the loving care that God will have taken for the comforts and joys of His earthly saints. 

D. Looked at from the side of the nations, the peoples of the earth: 

1. It will be a thousand years under the iron-rod scepter.

2. Yet there will be peace at last among the nations—enforced certainly, but real. 

3. All nations will be compelled to go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles…  

E. Looked at from the side of “creation”: 

1. “the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-22).  . 

2. At the “revealing of the sons of God,” at Christ’s coming back to earth, this deliverance will be effected.

3. It should be evident that the millennium is the time of the fulfillment of Israel’s national covenanted blessings, during which time God will make a divine display of the absolute authority of divine government through the rule of the Messiah, during which time living men are being subjected to, and tested by, the authority of the King. The millennial age is designed by God to be the final test of fallen humanity, under the most ideal circumstances, surrounded by every enablement to obey the rule of the king, from whom the outward sources of temptation have been removed, so that man may be found and proven to be a failure in even this last testing of fallen humanity. In such a period, when such a program is being executed, it is obvious that resurrected individuals, who need no testing because they are righteous already, and who need not be brought into subjection to the authority of the King, because they are completely subjected to Him, can have no rightful place on the earth at that time. Those who would place resurrected individuals on the earth to undergo the rigors of the King’s reign miss the purpose of God in the millennial age. 

4. The essential character of and purpose in the millennium leads to the conclusion that resurrected individuals, have a part in the millennium, to rule and reign with Messiah (1 Cor 6:2; Rev 20:4-5).

F. The prophecy of Ezekiel 20:37 tells of the judgment of God that will come upon Jews preceding the millennium (Mt 24:40-41),  “And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” The Ryrie Study Bible has this comment: “The ones taken will be taken to judgment and death. The ones left will be left to ender the blessing of the millennial kingdom.” The sheep and goat judgment (Mt 25:31-46) also discusses the same judgment upon Gentiles who survive the tribulation. Nothing is said of Gentiles being included in the Mt 24:40-41 judgment, although it may be by inference; I will not be dogmatic. But, the context shows this passage to be relating to Jews, in view of vs 31, stating that the elect (Jews, Deu 14:2), would be scattered throughout the four corners of the of the earth (Deu 28:64). 

II. Judgment Of The Nations (Matthew 25:31-46.)

A. The third section of the Olivet discourse begins with 25:31. The first section, 24:4-31, had answered the questions of the disciples concerning the signs of the end of the age and the coming of the Lord. The second section, 24:32-25:30, presented interpretations and applications of the truth of the second coming of Christ. Beginning in 25:31, Messiah went beyond the questions of the disciples to describe the period following the second coming.

B. Although conservative expositors agree that this is a judgment related to the second coming of Christ, there is extensive disagreement as to the nature of the judgment and its relation to the total prophetic plan. Amillenarians, who deny a future millennial reign of Christ, believe that this is a general judgment of all men that ushers in the eternal state. e.g., “The whole human race will be assembled for the final judgment.” Other amillenarians, likewise picture it as a judgment “of all nations.” Post millenarians likewise agree that it is a judgment of all men, e.g., “We now come to the great and universal judgment at the end of this period, also prophesied distinctly in order in Rev 20:11-15, in which all the dead, small and great shall stand before God.” These commentarians, however, correctly hold that this is not a parable, as the preceding illustrations of the virgins and the talents, but a literal prophecy.

C. A strict exegesis of this passage, however, does not support the conclusion that this is a general judgment. There is no mention of resurrection of either the righteous or the wicked, and “all nations” seems to exclude Israel. The conclusion that this is a final judgment is necessary to the amillenarians’ point of view, but it is not taught in this passage. Accordingly, if the view that there is a kingdom of Christ on earth for a thousand years after His second advent is supported by other Scriptures, this passage fits naturally in such a prophetic framework, and, as such, constitutes the judgment of the living who are on earth at the time of the second coming of Christ in respect to their entrance into the millennial kingdom. This judgment therefore should be contrasted to the judgment of Israel (Ezek. 20:34-38), and the judgment of the wicked (Rev 20:11-15) which comes after the millennium has concluded. This passage, more precisely than any other, describes the judgment of the world at the beginning of Christ’s millennial kingdom.

D. The time of the judgment is stated to be the period following the second coming of Christ, Mt 25:31, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.” This judgment, therefore, should be distinguished from the judgment of the church in heaven, the judgment of the wicked at the end of the millennium, and the judgment of Israel.

E. At this judgment, “all nations,” better translated “all Gentiles,” are gathered before Him and are described as sheep and goats intermingled. In the judgment, the sheep are put on His right hand and the goats on His left. The sheep are invited to inherit His kingdom, and Christ will address them: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungry, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me” (vv. 34-36). When the sheep reply, in verses 37-39, asking when they did these deeds of kindness, the King will reply, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me” (v. 40). In mentioning “my brethren,” He is referring to a third class, neither sheep nor goats, which can only be identified as Israel, the only remaining people who are in contrast to all the Gentiles.

F. The King will then address the goats and dismiss them into everlasting fire, declaring that they have not done these deeds of kindness. When they protest, asking when they omitted these deeds, the King will reply, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me” (v. 45). The passage concludes with the goats dismissed into everlasting punishment and the righteous entering into the blessings of eternal life.

G. This judgment fits naturally and easily into the prophetic program as usually outlined by pre millenarians. The throne is an earthly throne, fulfilling the prediction of Jeremiah 23:5. Those who are judged are Gentiles (Gr. ethne), which, although sometimes used for Jews (Lk 7:5; 23:2; John 11:48, 51, 52; 18:35; Ac 10:22), is more characteristically used of Gentiles as distinguished from Jews, as for instance in Rom 11:13; 15:27; 16:4; Gal 2:12; and is used in contrast to Jews in Rom 3:29 and 9:24.

H. If the evidence sustains the conclusion that this applies to Gentiles living on earth at the time of the second coming of Christ, a further problem is introduced by the nature of the judgment. How can deeds, such as giving the thirsty to drink, clothing the naked, and doing other deeds of kindness, form a basis for salvation? Eph 2:8-9 makes plain, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, that any man should boast.” The Bible clearly teaches in many passages that salvation is by grace and by faith alone and is not based on works (Rom 3:10-12, 21, 28). The answer to this problem is that works are presented here, not as the ground of salvation, but as the evidence of it, in the sense of James 2:26, where it is declared, “Faith without works is dead”; that is, it is not real faith unless it produces works. While this solves the problem in part, the question still remains whether such deeds of kindness are sufficient to demonstrate salvation.

I. The answer to this problem is found in the context of this passage. Those described here are people who have lived through the great tribulation, a time of unparalleled anti-Semitism, when the majority of Jews in the land will be killed. Under these circumstances, if a Gentile befriends a Jew to the extent of feeding and clothing and visiting him, it could only mean that he is a believer in Messiah, and recognizes the Jews as the chosen people (Deu 14:2). Accordingly, in this context, such works become a distinctive evidence that the Gentiles described as the sheep are those who are children of God by faith in Yeshua, Christ.

J. This judgment, which results in the goats being cast into everlasting fire, is in keeping with the previous prediction of Christ in the parable of the wheat and tares and the parable of the dragnet (Mt 13:24-30, 31-43, 47-50), and is also clearly taught in Rev 14:11 and 19:15. No adults who are not converted will be allowed to enter the millennial kingdom. The judgment here is not a final judgment, but is preparatory to establishing the kingdom of righteousness and peace, of which many Scriptures speak.

K. The passage, while not dealing specifically with amillennialism or postmillennialism, clearly gives these views no support whatever. The postmillennial dream of a gradually improving world is not revealed here. Instead, Messiah comes to a world that is basically anti-Christ and worshiping a man satanically empowered. A judgment like this does not fit into the amillennial interpretation either, because there is no basis here for concluding this to be a judgment of all men living and dead. It is quite different than the judgment of the great white throne (Rev 20:11-15), which takes place in space, whereas this judgment takes place on earth.

L. Although the question of whether Christ will come for His church before the tribulation (the pre-tribulational view) or at the time of His second coming to earth (the post-tribulational view) is not dealt with in this passage, the implications are clearly in favor of the pre-tribulational view. If the rapture and translation of the church occur while Christ is coming from heaven to earth in His second coming to set up His kingdom, and the church meets the Lord in the air, it is obvious that this very act would separate all the saved from the unsaved. Under these circumstances, no judgment of the nations would be necessary subsequent to the second coming of Christ, because the sheep and the goats would already be separated.

M. The implication of this passage in Matthew is that no rapture of living saints occurs at the time Christ comes to set up His kingdom. This implies that there is a time period between the rapture and the time that Christ comes to set up His kingdom, during which a new body of saints, both Jews and Gentiles, is created by faith in Christ.

N. Furthermore, when these saints are judged, they are not given new bodies, but enter the millennium in their natural bodies, in keeping with the millennial predictions of Scripture which describe the saints as bearing children, building houses, and otherwise having a natural life (Isa 65:18-25).

O. A proper exegesis of this passage, accordingly, tends to support both the premillennial and the pre-tribulational point of view, even though this is not the main purpose of this prophecy. It is an interesting fact that post-tribulationists generally ignore this passage in their treatment of the rapture question, and that amillenarians, who attempt to harmonize it with their point of view ignore the fact that the passage does not state what they read into it.

P. Taken as a whole, the Olivet discourse is one of the great prophetic utterances of Scripture and provides facts nowhere else given in quite the same way. In it, Christ, the greatest of the prophets and the master Teacher, described the end of the age as the climax of the troubles of earth in a great tribulation. The time of unprecedented trouble will be terminated by the second coming of Christ. The saved and the unsaved will be separated, and only the saved will enter the millennial kingdom. This is the final word, which Matthew brings in answer to the leading question of this first gospel, concerning the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament of a glorious kingdom on earth. Matthew states clearly that while Christ, in His first coming, suffered and died and was rejected as both King and Savior by His own people, He will come again and, in triumph, will bring in the prophesied kingdom literally, just as the Old Testament prophecies had anticipated. There is postponement but not annulment of the great prophecies of the kingdom on earth.

Q. It is clear that the disciples did not understand these prophecies at the time. In the few days that followed, they were to witness the death and then the resurrection of Messiah. They were to ask again the question of when the kingdom would be brought in on the day of the ascension of Christ (Ac 1:6). As further revelation was given in the writing of the New Testament, and the disciples pondered the words that they had not understood before, they gradually comprehended the truth that Christ was first coming for His own in the rapture of the church, but then that there would be a fulfillment of the predicted time of trouble (Jer 30:7). This, in turn, would be climaxed by the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom. Not one prophecy will be left unfulfilled when history has completed its course and the saints are gathered in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth.

I. Israel’s Individual Promises. II. Judgments At The End Of The Age (2).

I. Israel’s Individual Promises.

A.  Individual promises. It is true that certain individual hopes were indicated in the old economy. Israelites were given the hope of a resurrection. Isaiah 26:19-20; Daniel 12:2-3, 13; Hosea 13:14 and Job 19:25-27 indicate this. Israelites were given the expectation of individual judgment and reward, as witnessed by such passages as Isaiah 40:10; Ezekiel 11:21; 20:33-44; 22:17-22; Daniel 12:3; Zechariah 3:7; 13:9, and Malachi 3:16-18; 4:1. Israelites were promised blessings in the new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65:17-18; 66:22. 

B. There is no question in the mind of the literal interpreter of the Scriptures but that Israel’s national promises will be fulfilled by the nation itself in the millennial age, which follows the advent of Messiah. All the covenanted national promises are earthly in content, and will be fulfilled in the time of the earthly reign of Messiah. Concerning the individual promises, there is no such clear statement as to the sphere in which they will be fulfilled. In the passages teaching individual resurrection and individual judgment and reward, these provisions are said to be fulfilled at the advent of the Messiah, but the Old Testament does not make clear the sphere of the individual’s expectation. 

C. Concerning  Revelation 21:1-8: The new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness, succeed the dissolution of the old, and they are, without question, the subject of the present apocalyptic vision.

D. Referring to the above vision: “This is manifestly a reference to Isaiah’s word: ‘Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered nor come to mind.’ (Isa  65:17);It is but a glance, for the prophets of the Old Testament, apart from this, never seem to go beyond that kingdom which we, indeed, have learned to call ‘millennial,’ as having its limits defined for us in this way. For Israel, there was no such necessary limitation; there was a bright scene before them upon which their eyes should rest, assured that whatever might be beyond could only be additional blessing.”  

E. It is not until the New Testament that a more specific delineation of the individual Israelite’s hope is given to us. The writer to the Hebrews says: 

1. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God [Heb. 11:10]. 

2. But you are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect [Heb. 12:22-23]. 

F. It would seem that while the national promises were to be fulfilled, both at the time of and in the millennium, the individual promises were to be fulfilled at the time of the millennium, but not necessarily in the millennial earth. The passages teaching resurrection indicate that Israel’s resurrection will be completed at the time of the second advent of Messiah, but do not say that the individuals will be resurrected to the millennial earth. The passages that teach individual judgment and reward indicate, likewise, that the judgment and reward will coincide with the second advent, but do not state that the rewards will be enjoyed in the millennium, but rather at the time of the millennium.

G. It is concluded, then, from the consideration of the promises given in the Old Testament, that the national promises will be fulfilled on the earth in the millennial age, but that the individual promises of resurrection will be fulfilled at the time of the millennial kingdom age, but not necessarily by placing the individual in the millennium itself.

II. Judgments At The End Of The Age (Matthew Chapter 25).

The Parable Of The Talents (25:14-30).

A. The familiar parable of the talents in Matthew 25 is the sixth and final illustration Messiah used in regard to preparedness for His second coming. Here, the emphasis is on serving rather than watching, as in the parable of the virgins.

B. As was customary in the ancient world, the master of the servants was pictured as turning over his property to his servants because he was going on a journey. He divided his property to his three servants according to their ability, giving five talents to one, two to another, and one talent to the third.

C. A talent was a large sum of money, varying greatly in value according to whether it was silver or gold, and could weigh from fifty-eight to eighty pounds. A silver talent could be worth as much as $2,000, and a gold talent could be worth as much as $30,000. With the rise in price of these metals, today the value would even be higher. When taking into consideration that a man’s wage in Christ’s time was sixteen cents a day, the purchasing power of this amount of money was very large. At maximum, the five-talent man could have received as much as $150,000, a fortune, which would be worth millions today in purchasing power.

D. In the absence of his lord, the five-talent man doubled his money. In like manner, the two-talent man also doubled his money. The one who had received the single talent, however, buried his money in the earth and did nothing with it.

E. In the illustration, the lord of the servants, upon his return, called in his servants for their report. The five-talent man was able to report proudly that he had doubled his money. The two-talent man did likewise. It is significant that both the five-talent and the two-talent man were given precisely the same commendation, “Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter into the joy of your lord” (25:21). The principle that rewards are given according to faithfulness is illustrated well in this parable.

F. The one-talent man, however, had to report that he had done nothing but bury his money. He offered the lame excuse, “Lord, I knew  that thou are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you have not scattered: And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: see, there you have that which is yours” (vv. 24-25). Whether or not the servant’s accusation was true, it was only an excuse at best. If the servant had actually believed what he had said, it should have made him all the more diligent. His lord, accordingly, answered him abruptly and denounced him as a “wicked and lazy servant.” He pointed out that the least he could have done was to put his money in the bank where it would have received interest.

G. An interesting question that is not directly answered in the text is why the one-talent man did not put it in the bank. Most expositors are rather vague in their explanation of this detail. The explanation seems to be that this wicked man had the same kind of cunning that Judas Iscariot used when he accepted the money for the betrayal of Messiah. Judas had reasoned that if Yeshua was indeed the Messiah, his betrayal would not matter, and he would be ahead thirty pieces of silver. If Yeshua was not the Messiah, he at least would have the silver. So, the wicked one-talent man likewise reasoned: If my lord returns, I will be able to give him back his talent and cannot be accused of being a thief, but if he does not return, there will be no record that the money belongs to him, such as would be true if I deposited it in the bank, and then I will be able to use the money myself. His basic problem, like the problem of Judas, was a lack of faith.

H. The one-talent man did not believe that it was sure that his lord was coming back. It is therefore clear that his basic problem was that of being an unbeliever, not simply being unfaithful in service. Accordingly, the conclusion of the illustration, “For unto every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has” (v. 29), refers to everyone who has faith or who is lacking faith.

I. Here, as elsewhere in Scripture, while works may be an evidence of salvation, they are never the ground of salvation. The one-talent man, while deficient in works, was condemned because of his lack of faith. Accordingly, the one-talent man is not an illustration of a backsliding Christian, as no Christian justified by faith and declared righteous by God could ever be cast into the outer darkness. A person who really believes in the first coming of Messiah will also believe in His second coming and for the same reasons.

J. Taken as a whole, the illustrations, which interpret the doctrine of the second coming and make practical application of the truth, emphasize the two themes of watching and serving. What is true for those anticipating the second coming is also true for those who anticipate Christ’s coming for His church.

I. Israel’s National Promises. II. Messianic Prophecies In The Psalms. III. Judgments At The End Of The Age.

I. Israel’s National Promises.

 A. The Old Testament made certain promises to the nation Israel. The vast majority of the promises of future blessing and glory were given, not to individuals to buoy their hope, but were given to the nation as the basis of their confidence and expectation. These promises rest on the eternal and unconditional covenants which God made with the nation and which find their fulfillment by the nation itself. The Abrahamic covenant, as originally stated in Genesis 12:1-3, and reiterated in Genesis 13:14-17; 15:1-21 and 17:1-18, while it included certain individual promises to Abraham, concerned itself with a posterity in the line of Abraham and their possession of the land given to Abraham by promise. All subsequent covenant promises are reiterations, enlargements, and clarifications of parts of this original covenant made through Abraham with the nation and establish certain national promises and hopes. The Davidic covenant, stated in 2 Samuel 7:4-17, and reiterated in Psalm 89, takes the promises concerning the seed in the original Abrahamic covenant and makes that seed the subject of an enlarged promise, as a kingdom, a house, and a throne is promised to the seed. While this promise is made to David and includes certain individual blessings to him, yet the fulfillment of this promise is found in the nation itself, not in individuals from that nation.  

B. The Land covenant, first stated in Deuteronomy 30:1-10, takes the promises in the Abrahamic covenant which are concerned with the land and enlarges on that portion of the covenant. This is a promise of possession of and blessing in the land that was given to the nation as a whole. Deuteronomy 30:6, which says “The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed,” shows clearly that the promises stated therein were national. The new covenant, stated in Jeremiah 31:31-34, takes the promises of blessing found in the original Abrahamic covenant and makes those promises the subject of enlargement. The New Testament makes it clear that this promise is to be fulfilled only by the conversion of the nation at the second advent of Christ. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins [Rom. 11:26-27]. Thus it will be observed that all Israel’s hopes were based on the four determinative covenants which God made with them, that these covenants confirmed certain national hopes and blessings and necessitate the preservation, continuity, and restoration of the nation if they are to be fulfilled literally.   

C.  The kingdom Scriptures of the Old Testament are occupied largely with the character and glory of Messiah’s reign, the promises to Israel of restoration and earthly glory, the universal blessings to Gentiles, and the deliverance of creation itself. There is little revealed in the Old Testament Scripture concerning the responsibility of the individual in the kingdom; it is rather a message to the nation as a whole. Evidently the details concerning individual responsibility were, in the mind of the Spirit, reserved for the personal teaching of the King, at the time when the kingdom would be “at hand.” 2 Thus we see that the Old Testament was occupied with national promises and programs and not primarily individual expectation.

II. Messianic Prophies In The Psalms (got questions.org)

A. The book of Psalms is a collection of inspired songs used in worship of God, and many of them foretell the coming of the Messiah and predict events that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. In total, twenty-five different psalms (one out of every six psalms) include at least one messianic prophecy. Messianic psalms are quoted in eleven New Testament books, especially the gospels and the book of Acts. Below are nearly seventy specific references to Christ in the Psalms fulfilled in the New Testament. Some scholars see additional allusions, but we’ve only included those with the clearest connections to Jesus. The following list provides the reference(s) in Psalms where each prophecy is found and the New Testament fulfillment. Concerning the Messiah’s birth:

1. The Messiah will come from the lineage of David (Psalm 89:3–4, 29–36; 132:11–17; Matthew 1:1).
2. The Messiah will come for all people (Psalm 18:49; Ephesians 3:4–6).
3. The Messiah will know His Father from childhood (Psalm 22:9; Luke 2:40).
4. The Messiah will be called by God while still in the womb (Psalm 22:10; Luke 1:30–33).

B. Psalm 147:15-20 (New Life Version).

15 He sends His Word to the earth. And His Word runs fast. 16 He gives snow like wool. He spreads ice like ashes. 17 He throws down His ice as hail stones. Who can stand before His cold? 18 He sends out His Word and melts them. He makes His wind blow and the waters flow. 19 He speaks His Word to Jacob, and His Law to Israel. 20 He has not done this with any other nation. They do not know His Law. Praise the Lord!

1. The psalmist acknowledges God’s unique election of Israel from among all the nations (Gen 12:1-3; Ex 19:5-6; Dt 7:6-8; 14:2; 26:18, 19; 2 Sam 7:23-24; Ezek 16:1-7) MacArthur Study Bible.

2. His Word commands the forces of nature (vv 15-18), but particularly communicated His laws to Israel, thus distinguishing her from all other nations (vv 19-20). The book of Psalms was the hymnal for the Jewish people (Ryrie Study Bible).

3. The greatest display of grace from this great and powerful God to Israel, was that He gave His word, His revelation, to her and to no other nation (The Bible Knowledge Commentary). 

4. Scofield Study Bible, the 147th Psalm: God praised for regathering Israel. 

III. Judgments At The End Of The Age, Matthew 25:1-13. 

A. The familiar illustration of the ten virgins, as presented in Matthew 25, is a further effort by Messiah to drive home the necessity of watchfulness and preparation for His second coming. An oriental wedding had three stages: first, the legal marriage arranged by the parents of the bridegroom and the bride; second, the traditional ceremony, when the bridegroom, accompanied by his friends, would proceed from his home to the home of the bride and claim her as his own; third, the marriage feast held at the home of the bridegroom.

2. The illustration presumes that the legal marriage has already taken place and can reasonably be identified with the marriage of Christ and the church, already consummated following the rapture. When Christ returns at His second coming, He will bring His bride with Him. The five virgins who bring oil in their vessels illustrate those that are ready for His return. The five foolish maidens, although outwardly prepared, are not really ready. When the time comes for the marriage feast, they are not prepared to enter into the procession and join the feast.

3. Although interpretation is not given in this passage, oil may be taken here as representative of the Holy Spirit and His work of salvation. When Christ comes to earth with His bride, only those prepared by new birth, on the earth, will enter into the wedding feast, which is fulfilled in the millennial kingdom age. Some commentators desire to apply the ten virgins to the church in the present age. The fact that the word then is used in 25:1 seems to refer to the second coming of Christ to the earth.

a. It is preferable to interpret the above, strictly in the context of the second coming of Christ. Actually, the bride, the church, is not in view waiting for anything to happen. Although the Syriac and Vulgate versions of verse 1 read that they “went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bride;” Christ will bring His bride with Him. The important point here, as in the preceding illustration, is that preparation should precede the second coming of Christ and that it will be too late when He comes.

b. What is true of the second coming is, of course, also true of the rapture, and believers today can derive a secondary application of this passage for their own need. In our modern world, where superficial religion is all too evident, this passage reminds us once again that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the oil, no one is ready for the coming of the Lord.

c. The imagery of the “wedding feast” is used to represent the Kingdom of God (which is also known as the millennium), indicating that it is a celebration to which all are invited, but especially those who might not be considered worthy by societal standards or personal history. Messiah teaches that the Kingdom of God subverts worldly expectations and values, emphasizing humility, grace, and the joyous celebration that awaits those who respond to God’s gracious call. It’s a powerful reminder of the transformative nature of God’s love and the inclusive community that He is building. In the following order, the second coming of Christ takes place at the end of the Tribulation; the judgments of Messiah follow for those whom have survived the Tribulation.  Following the judgments, those whom are judged to be righteous (believe in Messiah) enter the earthly millennial Kingdom Age (Kingdom Of God) (Mt 25:34). Those whom are judged to be unrighteous (not believe in Messiah) are taken “in death” (Mt 25:41) to eternal punishment (Rev 20:11-15) which takes place at the end of the kingdom age. Mt 25:45-46 describes the unrighteous and righteous Gentile judgments. Mt 24:40-41 describes the judgment upon Jews, being taken in judgment to punishment, and those being left behind to enter the kingdom age. Mt 24:40-41 is the fulfillment of Ezek 20:36-38 (from vs 33-44), where Yahweh tells Israel of 593 B.C. that they will pass under the rod of judgment at the end of the Tribulation. 

B. Events leading to the Wedding Feast.

1. John 14:1-3 (The rapture of the church). Yeshua also states in John 14:6 that He is the only way that we can travel to heaven, which makes this verse 1-6 context more than one of belief. Two other rapture examples are found in 1 Thes 4:13-18 and 1 Cor 15:50-58. As has been mentioned before in these articles, “catching up” is the teaching for rapture (English); rapio (Latin); harpazo (Greek). Harpazo also relates to a harpoon effect of being snatched up. 

2. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (The bema judgment; judgment seat of Christ; for rewards, not a place to determine salvation, and is only for believers in Christ.) One’s eternal destiny is by faith in Christ (Jn 3:16; Eph 2:8-9) but deeds issuing from that faith (1 Thes 1:3) will be evaluated). This event takes place in heaven, after the rapture takes place. In this verse (10) “bad” means “worthless.” 

3. Revelation 19:7-8 (The Marriage Of The Lamb). Continuing the praise of the Lord their God, the great multitude in heaven now announce a major feature of the Lord’s reign upon earth, namely, His marriage to His bride. In verse 7, the great multitude express their joy that the marriage of the Lamb has come and that His wife has made herself ready. The marriage of the Lamb occurs in heaven. 

4. Revelation 19: 11-21. The second coming of Messiah. The return of Christ to earth with His saints at the end of the Tribulation (Zech 14:1-4, 9; Matt 24:29-30), precedes the Wedding Feast, which takes place on earth. 

I. The Nature Of The OT Hope. II. Kingdom Prophecies. III. The Great Tribulation.

I. The Nature Of The OT Hope.

The Old Testament Scriptures abound with descriptions of the glory and blessing that await the “heirs of promise.” A glorious expectation was clearly presented as the hope of the saints. In order to present the relation between the Old Testament and New Testament saint, between the resurrected and unresurrected individual in the millennial age, it is necessary to distinguish certain aspects of the promises given in the Old Testament as the hope of the saint.   

II. Kingdom Prophecies (35-38).

A. 35. Jerusalem’s streets to be filled with happy boys and girls playing (Zech 8:5).

B. 36. The city to occupy an elevated site (Zech 14:10).

C. 37. The earthly city to be six miles in circumference (Ezek 48:35).

D. 38. The heavenly, suspended city (new Jerusalem) to be 1400 by 1400 by 1400 miles (Rev 21:10, 16).

III. The Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-51).

A. The Sign Of Great Tribulation (21:-25).

1. This portion of the Olivet discourse is crucial to understanding what Messiah reveals about the end of the age (Matt 28:20). The tendency to explain away this section or ignore it constitutes the major difficulty in the interpretation of the Olivet discourse. In the background is the tendency of liberals to discount prophecy and the practice of some conservatives of not interpreting prophecy literally. If this prediction means what it says, it is referring to a specific time of great trouble which immediately precedes the second coming of Christ. As such, the prediction of the great tribulation is “the sign” of the second coming of Christ, and those who see the sign will be living in the generation which will see the second coming itself. The events of the Tribulation, Great Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Messiah, are in relation to the announcement of God that He made in Genesis 3:15, where He would redeem His creation of Mankind and nature. 

2. The fact that the book of Revelation, which practically all expositors date after the destruction of Jerusalem, coincides so exactly with this presentation makes it clear that Messiah was not talking here about fulfillment in the first century, but prophecy to be related to His actual second coming to the earth in the future. The conclusion is clear and certain: in verse 15 of Matthew 24, our Lord alludes to that part of Daniel which is yet future, not to what was history when He spoke this on the mount of Olives.”

3. The sign of the future tribulation is identified with what Messiah calls the sign of “the abomination of desolation” (v. 15). Christ said, “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:) Then let them which are in Judaea flee into the mountains” (vv. 15-16). The event is so specific that it will be a signal to the Jews living in Judea at the time to flee to the mountains. What did Yeshua mean by the expression “the abomination of desolation”?

a. This term is found three times in the book of Daniel (Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Its definition is found in Daniel 11:31 in the prophecy written by Daniel concerning a Syrian ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, who reigned over Syria 175-164 B.C., about four hundred years after Daniel.

b. In his prophecy, Daniel predicted, “Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.(11:31). As this was fulfilled in history, it is comparatively easy to understand what Daniel meant. Antiochus Epiphanes was a great persecutor of the people of Israel, as recorded in the apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees. In attempting to stamp out the Jewish religion, he murdered thousands of Jews, including women and children, and desecrated the temple of Israel, which precipitated the Maccabean revolt.

c. Antiochus, in attempting to stop the temple sacrifices, offered a sow, an unclean animal, on the altar, to render the Jewish temple abominable to the Jews (cf. 1 Mac 1:48). According to 1 Maccabees 1:57, the abomination of desolation was actually set up, and a statue of a Greek god was installed in the temple. For a time, the sacrifices of the Jews were stopped, and the temple was left desolate. The action of Antiochus in stopping the sacrifices, desecrating the temple, and setting up an idol in the temple is going to be repeated in the future as the signal of the beginning of the great tribulation.

d. This future abomination is described in Daniel 9:27: “He [the prince that shall come] shall confirm the covenant with many [Israel] for one week” (literally, “one seven,” meaning seven years, as practically all commentators, even those who are liberal, agree). The prophecy continues, “And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.” The prediction is that a future prince will do just what Antiochus did in the second century B.C.

e. Further light is cast on this in Daniel 12:11, where it states, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days,” or approximately three-and-a-half-years preceding the second coming of Christ. Our Lord tells us definitely here that His second advent is to follow at once upon the close of that time of trouble; so it is evident that this day of trial is yet in the future.”

f. The New Testament, in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, describes the same period, with the ruler setting himself up as God in the temple. Revelation 13:14-15 also records that an image of the ruler will be set up in the temple. These events did not take place in the first century in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, and are closely related to the future fulfillment on the second coming of Christ.

g. These predictions have raised questions concerning the meaning of Israel’s present occupation of the city of Jerusalem. If sacrifices are going to be stopped in a Jewish temple in the future, it requires, first, that a Jewish temple be built, and second, that the sacrifices be reinstituted. This has led to the conclusion that the present possession of Israel of the temple site since 1967 may be a divinely ordered preparation, that in God’s time, the temple will be rebuilt and the sacrifices begun again. Although this is difficult to understand in view of the fact that the shrine, the Dome of the Rock, is apparently on the site of the ancient temple, and hinders any present erection of such a temple, many believe that, nevertheless, such a temple will be rebuilt and these prophecies literally fulfilled. If upon this revival of their sacrificial system such a future temple is suddenly desecrated, it would constitute a sign to the nation of Israel of the coming time of great trouble just preceding the second coming of Christ.

h. The sign is so specific that on the basis of it, that Messiah advised the children of Israel to flee to the mountain without hesitation when it occurs. His instructions were dramatic, as recorded in Matthew 24:16-20. The Jews were to flee immediately to the mountains of Judea, not return to take clothes or other provisions, and pray that their flight will not be in the winter, when it would be most uncomfortable, or on the Sabbath, when their flight would be noticeable. Especially difficult would be the lot of those with small children. Please notice that vs 16-20 identify conditions that will relate to Jews, and not to Gentiles. Christ summarizes these predictions in 24:21, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

4. The great tribulation, accordingly, is a specific period of time beginning with the abomination of desolation and closing with the second coming of Messiah, in the light of Daniel’s prophecies and confirmed by reference to forty-two months. In Revelation 11:2 and 13:5, the great tribulation is a specific three-and-a-half-year period leading up to the second coming and should not be confused with a general time of trouble. Please notice that in vs 14, that “the gospel of the kingdom,” is that which John the Baptist, Messiah, and the disciples, proclaimed to First Century Israel, as the literal, earthly, unconditional, and covenant Davidic Kingdom (2 Sam 7:8-16), that was being offered to First Century Israel, but not to Gentiles. The Gospel that is being offered during our current age is that which is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, of the death, burial, resurrection, and sighting of Messiah, which is preached to unbelievers of Christ. The Gospel of the Davidic Kingdom will be offered again to Israel during the Great Tribulation vs 14. 

5. Messiah also predicted that the period would be “shortened” (v. 22), literally, terminated or cut off (Gr. ekolobothesan). This does not mean that the period will be less than three-and-a-half years, but that it will be definitely terminated suddenly by the second coming of Christ.

a. That the period would be a time of unprecedented trouble is brought out clearly in Revelation 6-19. One of the various judgments, the fourth seal (6:7-8), predicts a fourth part of the earth perishing. In Revelation 9:13-21, the sixth trumpet refers to a third part of the world’s population being killed. These are only part of the great catastrophies which fall one after another upon the world and which will climax in a great world war (16:12-16). The final judgment just before the second coming, described as the seventh bowl of the wrath of God (vv. 17-21), consists in a great earthquake, which apparently destroys cities of the world, and a hailstorm, with hailstones weighing a talent, or as much as eighty pounds. Putting all these Scriptures together, it indicates that the great tribulation will mark the death of hundreds of millions of people in a comparatively short period of time.

b. Because the great tribulation is unprecedented in history, and consists largely in judgments of God on an unbelieving world, many interpreters have come to the conclusion that the church will not have to go through this period. The church is the bride of Christ; no groom would subject His bride to the horrors that He will cause to come upon the earth during the Tribulation, or Great Tribulation.

6. My hope is not the horrors of the tribulation, but the blessed expectation of Christ’s coming for His own (cf. 1 Th 4:13-18).

7. Having introduced the specific sign of the second coming, which is the great tribulation, Messiah then described other details of the period. Just as there have been false Christs throughout “the current age,” so there will be an intensification of this at the end of the age. Messiah stated, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; in that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Israel, Deu 14:2)(Mt 24:24). He went on, in verse 25, to state, “Behold, I have told you before.” Here, He was referring to His frequent mention of false prophets (cf. Mt 7:15; 15:3-14; 16:6-12; 23:1-36; 24:11). While false Christs and false prophets have always been in evidence, they will be especially prominent at the end of the age in Satan’s final attempt to turn people from faith in Christ.

B. The Second Coming Of Messiah (26-31).

1.The second coming of Messiah, will be a public event. Accordingly, Christ, in 24:26, stated, “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.” Unlike the rapture of the church, which apparently the world will not see or hear, the second coming of Christ will be witnessed both by believers and unbelievers who are on the earth at that time. Christ described it in verse 27, “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Apparently, the heavens will be ablaze with the glory of God. According to Revelation 1:7, “Every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” The rapture of the church, also known as the catching up, of the church, is identified in John 14:1-3, 6; 1 Thes 4:13-18; and 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.  “Catching up,”  is translated in Greek as, “harpazo;” in Latin as “rapio;” and in English as “rapture.”

2. This declaration is supported by a cryptic statement in Matthew 24:28, “For where ever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” The meaning is that the glorious coming of Christ is the natural sequence to blasphemy and unbelief, which characterizes the preceding period. Just as when an animal dies, the vultures gather, so when there is moral corruption, there must be divine judgment.

3. This is further described in verses 29-30, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” The frightening display of divine disruption of the heavens, which precedes the second coming described graphically in Revelation 6:12-14 and in many other of the judgments of God described in the book of Revelation, will be climaxed by the glorious appearing of Messiah in heaven (cf. Rev 19:11-16). This will be a coming of the Lord to judge and subdue the earth and to bring in His earthly kingdom, and is in contrast to the rapture of the church, which is an entirely different event and with a different purpose.

4. Messiah’s second coming to the earth is nevertheless a gathering of all “his elect” (Jews) as stated in Matthew 24:31; this also has a particular reference to the nation Israel as an elect nation (Deu 14:2). 

5. Taken as a whole, the second coming of Messiah is a majestic event, not instantaneous like the rapture, but extending over many hours. This perhaps explains why everyone can see it, because in the course of a day, the earth will rotate and the entire world will be able to see the approach of Christ accompanied by the hosts of heaven, which will descend to the earth in the area of the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:4).

6. The entire passage from Matthew 24:15-31 is the specific answer to the disciples of the sign of His coming and of the end of the age, with the climactic sign being the second coming and the glory that attends it, and will fulfill the prophecy of Acts 1:11 that Christ will return as He went up into heaven, that is, His return will be physical, gradual, visible, and with clouds. Matthew 24:31 brings to a close the first doctrinal section of the Olivet discourse, and what follows is a series of applications and illustrations.

C. The Parable Of The Fig Tree (32-51).

1. In interpreting the illustrations which follow, while there may be secondary applications of the truth to the church awaiting the rapture, the laws of exegesis would dictate that the illustrations should relate to the doctrine of the second coming of Christ. Accordingly, while this passage may have a general application to saints in the present age, it will have a particular application to those who will await the second coming of Christ to the earth. Accordingly, in interpreting illustrations, the question should be raised, What does the context indicate?

2. This is especially appropriate in consideration of the fig tree. In 24:32-33, Christ stated, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near: So likewise, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” A very popular interpretation of this passage considers the fig tree as a type, or illustration, of Israel. According to this view, the fact that Israel in the twenty-first century is back in the land constitutes a budding of the fig tree, and may be taken as conclusive proof that the Lord’s return is near.

3. Commentaries which try to refer this entire passage to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, of course, pass it over with no comment, as do G. Campbell Morgan and Willoughby C. Allen, or apply it to the destruction of Jerusalem.

4. Actually, while the fig tree could be an apt illustration of Israel, it is not so used in the Bible. In Jeremiah 24:1-8, good and bad figs illustrate Israel in the captivity, and there is also mention of figs in 29:17. The reference to the fig tree in Judges 9:10-11 is obviously not Israel. Neither the reference in Matthew 21:18-20, nor that in Mark 11:12-14 with its interpretation in 11:20-26, gives any indication that it is referring to Israel, any more than the mountain referred to in the passage. Accordingly, while this interpretation is held by many, there is no clear scriptural warrant.

5. A better interpretation is that Christ was using a natural illustration. Because the fig tree brings forth new leaves late in the spring, the budding of the leaves is evidence that summer is near. In a similar way, when those living in the great tribulation see the signs predicted, they will know that the second coming of Christ is near. The signs in this passage, accordingly, are not the revival of Israel, but the great tribulation itself. “All these things” mentioned in Matthew 24:33 refer to the preceding context. That Israel’s presence in the holy land is a dramatic evidence that the age is approaching its end may be supported by other passages, but this is not the point here.

6. Christ further commented in verses 34-36, “This generation shall not pass, until all these things are fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” [It is important to know that Yeshua had both a human and divine nature. In His humanity, He grew tired, hungered, and could be tempted, and apparently could choose to be ignorant of things not necessary or profitable for Him or others to know. Theologically, we must say that Yeshua did not exercise his omnipotence except to further His kingdom, so, He did not exercise his omniscience except to further the kingdom. To have known, and made known, the exact time of His coming [better, the beginning of the day of the Lord and the rapture of the church] would have damaged the work of the kingdom by encouraging carelessness during the “interadvent age.” On this occasion, Yeshua chose not to “access” knowledge about the timing of the “Parousia,” something that He could have done through His divinity, per Moody Bible Commentary.] The Greek word parousia (pronounced pair-oo-see-ah) is a noun that means “a coming,” or “a presence,” either of the rapture or the second coming of Christ.

7. What is the meaning of the expression this generation? Some have cited this as an illustration of an error on the part of Christ, for a generation is normally from thirty to one hundred years, and obviously, the prophecy of the second coming was not fulfilled in that period. Commentators offer a variety of opinions. Some refer “generation” to the nation Israel. The meaning, then, would be that Israel would continue as a nation until the second coming of Christ. Some take generation to refer to an indefinite period of time. Others, while offering the possibility that generation means nation or race, prefer age or period of time, and, accordingly, take it as instructing the disciples that the age leading up to the second coming will not end until the event of the second coming itself. A third explanation is that the word generation means what it normally means, that is, a period of thirty to one hundred years, and refers to the particular generation that will see the specific signs, that is, the signs of the great tribulation. In other words, the same generation that will experience the great tribulation will also witness the second coming of Christ.

8. In any case, Christ points out that while prophecy is absolutely certain of fulfillment, the day of the second coming is not revealed, although the approximate time will be known by those living in the great tribulation.

9. To illustrate this approximate time of the second coming, Messiah used the historic flood in the time of Noah. While those observing Noah building the ark could anticipate that a flood was impending, it was obvious that the flood could not come until the ark was completed, so also with the second coming. Unlike the rapture, which has no preceding signs and therefore could occur any time, the second coming of Christ to the earth to set up His kingdom can not occur until the preceding signs have been fulfilled. When the ark was completed, and Noah and his family and the animals were in it, those observing could anticipate that the predicted flood could occur on any day. But even then, they could not predict the day or the hour. 

10. Like the days of Noah, the time of the second coming will be a period of judgment on the earth. Just as the flood came “and took them all away,” referring to the judgment of unbelievers, so at the second coming, some will be taken away. According to Matthew 24:40-41, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Because at the rapture, believers will be taken out of the world, some have confused this with the rapture of the church.

11. Here, however, the situation is the reverse. The one who is left, is left to enter the kingdom; the one who is taken, is taken in judgment. This is in keeping with the illustration of the time of Noah when the ones taken away are the unbelievers. The word for “shall be taken” in verses 40-41 uses the same word found in John 19:16, where Christ was taken away to the judgment of the cross. Accordingly, no one can know the day or the hour, but they can know that when the second coming occurs, it will be a time of separation of the saved from the unsaved.

12. Emphasizing the necessity of watchfulness for the Lord’s return, He used the illustration of the good man of the house who, anticipating the possibility that a thief would come, kept careful watch. Just as one can not know when a thief may come, so the servants of God who live in the great tribulation should expect Christ to come (cf. 1 Th 5:2).

13. In addition to watchfulness, however, there should be careful service and preparation. This is illustrated in the parable of the servant, (Jews in Tribulation) beginning in Matthew 24:45. Having been left in charge of his master’s household in the absence of the master, the servant was challenged to do his duty well and not to live carelessly, thinking that the lord would not be coming soon. The careless servant will be severely judged as an unbeliever, in contrast to the good servant who will be rewarded by his Lord. An unfaithful slave could be put to death and punished severely. So will Christ judge a wicked world that does not look for His return. It should be noted that these Tribulation believers are those who were left behind from the Rapture, and came to belief in Messiah during the Tribulation.