When Shall These Things Be? Part 1
The Glorious Appearing
When Shall These Things Be
Matthew 24:3
 
I pointed out to you last week, as we began our study of the 2nd Coming of Christ, that the disciples ask Jesus three questions at the beginning of Matthew 24. 
 
Specifically, they ask, “When will these things happen?”; “What will be the sign of your coming?”;  and “What will be the end of the age?”
 
Tonight I want to zero in on the first question. They, like a lot of people today, wanted a specific date and time on the clock.
 
Now to put that question in context, they were thinking in terms of what they had just witnessed.  Christ had made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem just as King David had done.  They had shouted “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest, to Him who comes in the name of the Lord.”
 
They had watched Him cleanse the temple and drive out the crooks who were taking advantage of the worshippers. They have now gotten a glimpse of 
the Kingdom of Christ on earth and what it would be.  So they are excited and they asked the question when will these things be?  So Jesus begins to answer.
 
I.  The Period For His Appearing
 
verse 36
 
He says two things. First, He says the time of His coming is unknown to the natural world. “No man knows the day or the hour.” 
 
Now let me just point out something from this text that seems to get overlooked a lot.  That little phrase, “No man knows” in the original languages has a very specific and direct translation and it means, “No man knows”. 
 
And yet it is amazing how many down through the years have tried. But we can safely say on the authority of the word of God that anybody who names a date and time you can know, that that person is prophesying a false prophecy. 
 
In fact, in Matthew 25:13 He said, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." He didn't name a day, He didn't name an hour.  He didn't name a month, He didn't name a year.  And He didn’t because the people of God are to constantly be expectant tand ready. 
 
Can you imagine how people would live if they knew when Christ was going to come?  They would be tempted to live a certain way until that day and hour approached and then get right with God at the very last possible moment.   And I’m afraid many Christians would be careless about their commitments as well.
 
So for all of these reasons, and maybe many others, Christ did not give us the day nor the hour.
 
Now He said not only is it unknown to the natural world but it is also unknown to the supernatural world. 
He specifically mentions “the angels of heaven". And obviously, they don’t know. 
 
But notice what else is implied here in the reaminder of the verse. 
 
“but My Father only”.
 
Now the implication there seems to be that even Jesus Himself doesn’t know, or at least at the time He made the statement didn’t know when He would return.    
 
Now obviously, the question arises, “How can that be if He was fully God in the flesh? How is it that the day and hour of His coming would be unknown to Him? 
 
I think it helps us to keep in mind the relationship between God the Father and God the Son during His earthly ministry. 
 
We need to remember that although Jesus was fully God, He chose to not take advantage of some of His prerogatives as God.  Philippians 2:5-11 tells us that though He was equal with God, that He didn't claim His privileges as God.  He laid aside those.  He voluntarily limited Himself to a human body and what a human body could do.
 
Jesus voluntarily limited His powers as the Godhead so that He could be fully God yet fully man and our Savior.  So that is the explanation as to how Jesus would not know the day or the hour of His coming.
 
 
 
But I find it interesting that after the resurrection Jesus did not include Himself in those who did not know the day or the hour of His coming. 
 
Acts 1:6-7
 
Jesus said to them "it is not for you to know".  He didn't say “I don't know” or “I guess not”, or “I’m still in the dark”.  The sense of what is said there seems to be that He does know. 
 
So it may have been, and I am only speculating, that after His resurrection Jesus knows the day or the hour because He regained and reestablished Himself as the eternal Son of God and took back those prerogatives of deity. 
 
He no longer limited Himself.  For example Jesus could walk through walls after His resurrection.  He could suddenly appear in the room with the doors being closed.  He couldn't do that before the resurrection because He was restricted to the human body but after the resurrection, He had a glorified body. 
 
But either way, in regard to the first question, “When will these things be?” we can safely answer, “God and only God knows”, and we’ll let Him and Jesus work out the details. 
 
Now with that in mind, since only God knows, then let’s think about
 
 
 
 
 
2. The Patience for His Appearing
 
If we can’t and don’t know the time of His appearing, there is really only one thing we can do and that is wait. 
 
And I don’t mean by that we are to simply sit around twiddling our thumbs like we are waiting at the bus stop. 
 
We are to wait by watching, working and worshipping as we anticipate and look for His coming. 
 
In a word, He wants to develop patience in us
 
James 5:8
 
Now keep in mind James is writing to Jewish believers who are scattered all across the earth because of the persecution of the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. 
 
Now that wasn’t all bad in that it spurred on the expansion of the church and the spread of the Gospel. 
 
But it must have been hard to wait, and James is writing to encourage them. 
 
But what about us?  Why do we need to develop patience as we await the coming of the Lord? 
 
What are the reasons that God wants us to be patient?  What are the reasons that Jesus is waiting to come for believers in the rapture? 
 
I guarantee that the tribulation saints will wonder why He is waiting when all of this is going on the earth.  In fact, that very question is asked by those who have been martyred as Revelation records for us. 
 
So why the need for patience in regard to the coming of the Lord?
 
Well,
 
1. Sin Must Run Its Course
 
The Bible talks a great deal about sin having to mature or become “fully ripe” before the judgment comes, just like grain has to be fully ripe before we harvest the grain. 
 
We are given that picture in Revelation 14:15-16
 
Sin must run its course.  Sin must spend its self.  And at that time God will bring the full retribution on those who have rejected Him and those who have disobeyed and those who sought to follow their own way. 
 
By the way, that is why the final judgment on sin and sinners does not come until after the millennial reign of Christ on the earth. 
 
Where sinners are now and even those who die during the tribulation will be is not the final destination of the lost.  They are separated from God and in torment, no doubt. 
 
 
 
But the ultimate dwelling place of the lost is the lake of fire and that comes after the Great White Throne Judgment which follows the final revolt of Satan which follows the Millenial reign of Christ.
 
So that’s the first reason for patience.  Sin will have its day, and God is content to wait, and we ought to be also. 
 
2. The Church Must be Complete
 
Romans 11:25
 
There are two things there that he says.  He says first the church which is the body of Christ must be complete before the Lord's return in the rapture.  The Lord has a certain number of people who will make up His bride.  There will be a marriage supper of the Lamb.  And you cannot have the marriage supper until the bride is ready, until the bride is complete.  And the church is the bride of Christ. 
 
So he says Jesus is not going to come until the fullness of the Gentiles is come in.  Until the last person is saved who is going to be saved.  One day that person is going to be saved.  It may be a little junior boy, a teenager, a little elementary child, a senior adult, but there is a last person who will be saved.  And when that person is saved, Christ will come in the rapture.
 
Now the 2nd Coming occurs seven years later.  And that seven year period is not just for judgment and tribulation, but also for the salvation of Israel. 
 
That means, number three, Jesus has not come yet because
3.  Israel must be Converted
 
Romans 11:26
 
He doesn't mean every Jew who has ever lived will be saved, but rather all the faithful, believing, remnant at the time of His glorious appearing will be saved.
 
Remember, as we discovered last week, there will be many Jews who are in hiding at Petra during the final days of the tribulation. They will be attacked by the antichrist.  And as he comes against them, they will have their eyes opened to the truth about Jesus Christ, and they will accept and embrace and worship Him as their Messiah.
 
They will go into the thousand year reign of Christ and finally and fully have everything that was promised them as the people of God.  They will worship and serve Jesus as Lord, as we will, one people united together in Christ, in the temple in Jerusalem.  God will not end the tribulation until the faithful remnant of Jews will be saved.
 
So sin must run its course, the church must be completed, Israel must be converted, and number four, the 2nd coming has not occurred because 
 
4. God Set a Time That is Certain
 
God has appointed a time.  God has appointed a day and an hour for the coming of Christ.  God appointed a day for Christ to come the first time.  God appointed a day for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on the day of Pentecost.  And God has appointed a day for the Savior to return.
And when that day comes, He will return but not until that day.  Look at what the Scripture says in
 
2 Peter 3:8
 
We say it has been two thousand years since Christ left and promised to come.  Two thousand years, but to God it has only been two days.  God does not count days like we count days.  A day with the Lord is like a thousand years.
 
Now in regard to this certain, appointed day is where the date setters like to go crazy.  They calculate and add and subtract and look at calendars and study the Mayans and the Greeks and draw their conclusion. 
 
And in spite of all the time and energy they spend, it is nothing more than speculation; interesting, but simply educated guesswork. In the lab, we call it a hypothesis. 
 
But, don’t be deceived.  God is waiting for a certain appointed time.  He said be patient. 
 
One of these days the last events of life on this earth as we know it are going click away, and when the last tick sounds, Jesus will return.  The last person who shall be saved during the church age will be saved.  Our waiting will be over.  Our faith will have given way to sight.
 
Within a seven year period of time, sin will run its course, Israel will turn to its Messiah the time will come and Jesus will return.  Who knows when it will all happen?  God knows.  Just be patient.