Lesson#48

RETURN TO SYLLABUS
THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #48
THE PARABLE OF THE LIGHTNING (MAT 24:27) AND
THE PARABLE OF THE CARCASE AND THE EAGLES (MAT 24:28)

MEMORY VERSE:REV 22:12

THE PARABLE OF THE LIGHTNING (MAT 24:27) AND THE PARABLE OF THE CARCASE AND THE EAGLES (MAT 24:28)

THIS CHAPTER IS CALLED, "THE OLIVET DISCOURSE" BECAUSE JESUS SPOKE IT ON THE MT. OF OLIVES. IT REFERES TO HIS SECOND COMING AND IS, THEREFORE, ALL PROPHECY ABOUT THE FUTURE.
BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE PARABLE, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE TIME PERIOD TO WHICH THIS PARABLE REFERS.

A SIMPLIFIED CHRONOLOGY OF TIME

TIME	THE EVENT
MARCH 27, 28 AD	THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
50 DAYS AFTER THE RESURRECTION	THE DAY OF PENTECOST, THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
FOR APPROX. 2000 YEARS	THE CHURCH AGE: THE TIME IN WHICH WE NOW LIVE
?	PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH (1THE 4:16)
FOR 7 YEARS	THE TRIBULATION PERIOD (REV 7:14)
AT THE END OF THE 7 YEARS	THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON (REV 16:16 REV 19:19)
	THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
1,000 YEARS	THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST ON EARTH (REV 20:4)
AT THE END OF THE 1000 YEARS	FIRE FROM HEAVEN DESTROYS THE EARTH (2PET 3:7, 10)
	A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH CREATED FOR AN ETERNAL KINGDOM (REV 21, 22)

READ MAT 24:27-28 FOR THESE TWO PARABLES.

TO WHOM IS JESUS SPEAKING?

JESUS SPOKE THESE PARABLES TO THE DISCIPLES. THEREFORE, THE MESSAGE IS FOR BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST.

READ MAT 24:1-3

WHAT THREE QUESTIONS DID HIS DISCIPLES ASK? (3)

#1 – "WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE?"

THE QUESTION AND THE ANSWER REFER TO JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE (MAT 23:37-38)

JESUS GIVES THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IN MAT 24:15-28.

#2 – "WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY COMING?"

THE QUESTION REFERS TO HIS SECOND COMING.

JESUS GIVES THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IN MAT 24:29-31.

#3 – "WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THE END OF THE AGE?"

THE QUESTION REFERS TO THE CHURCH AGE, WHICH BEGAN ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST AND WILL END AT THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
THE QUESTION ALSO INCLUDES THE TRIBULATION PERIOD OF 7 YEARS AFTER THE CHURCH AGE ENDS.

JESUS ANSWERS THIS QUESTION IN MAT 24:4-14

QUESTION #1 "WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE?

READ MAT 24:15-28 (LUK 21:20-23) FOR JESUS’ ANSWER CONCERNING JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE.

JESUS SPEAKS ABOUT AN EVENT THAT HE CALLS, "THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION". (15)

THIS PHRASE WAS FIRST USED BY DANIEL IN DAN 11:31 AND DAN 12:11.

IT REFERS TO AN HISTORICAL EVENT WHEN A SYRIAN KING, ANTIOCHUS EPHIPHANES IV, ENTERED THE JEWISH TEMPLE AND OFFERED A PIG ON THE JEWISH ALTAR AS THE SUPREME INSULT TO THE JEWS AND TO GOD.

JESUS MENTIONS THIS EVENT BECAUSE BIBLE PROPHECY HAS A DOUBLE FULFILLMENT. THEREFORE, WE MUST LOOK FOR A SIMILAR EVENT SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE WHEN THE JEWISH TEMPLE AND ALTAR ARE DEFILED BY AN INSULTING SACRIFICE.

THE SECOND FULFILLMENT WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD WHEN THE ANTICHRIST SETS HIS OWN IMAGE IN THE JEWISH TEMPLE FOR PEOPLE TO WORSHIP.

NOTICE THAT THE FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY ASSUMES THERE IS A REBUILT JEWISH TEMPLE, OF WHICH THERE IS NONE NOW.

JESUS SPEAKS ABOUT A TIME WHEN THE JEWS WILL FLEE JERUSALEM. (16-21)

THE FIRST FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY WAS IN 70 AD WHEN THE JEWS FLED AT THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM BY THE ROMANS.
THE SECOND FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. WHEN THE ANTICHRIST PLACES HIS OWN IMAGE IN THE JEWISH TEMPLE, THE JEWS WILL REALIZE THAT THE ANTICHRIST IS NOT THE MESSIAH THEY THOUGHT. THEN, THE ANTICHRIST WILL BEGIN TO PERSECUTE THE FLEEING JEWS.

JESUS SPEAKS ABOUT A SHORTENING OF THOSE DAYS. (22)

TO PREVENT MAN FROM TOTALLY DESTROYING HIMSELF IN THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON AND TOTALLY DESTROYING ALL JEWS, GOD WILL INTERVENE IN MAN’S EVENTS WITH THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST TO END THE AGE.

THE ELECT ARE THE JEWS AND THE CHRISTIANS.

JESUS SPEAKS ABOUT A GREAT DECEPTION BY THE ANTICHRIST. (23-26)

JESUS MENTIONS FALSE MESSIAH’S THREE TIMES IN MAT 24 BECAUSE THE JEWS WILL TEND TO BELIEVE THAT THE ANTICHRIST IS THEIR MESSIAH.

THEREFORE, JESUS TELLS THE DISCIPLES WHAT JEWS SHOULD LOOK FOR TO DETERMINE THE TRUE MESSIAH.

THE PARABLE OF THE LIGHTNING (MAT 24:27)

WHAT DOES THE LIGHTNING REPRESENT?

LIGHTNING THAT COMES OUT OF THE EAST REFERS TO THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS IN THE EAST.

HE WILL COME JUST AS HE LEFT ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF ACTS.

READ ACT 1:9-11

HE WILL APPEAR IN THE CLOUDS, IN THE MIDDLE EAST, TO SET HIS FOOT ON THE MT. OF OLIVES FROM WHERE HE ASCENDED.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LIGHTNING?

LIGHTNING APPEARS IN THE SKY, JUST AS JESUS WILL APPEAR IN THE SKY.
LIGHTNING APPEARS QUICKLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY JUST AS JESUS WILL APPEAR QUICKLY. NON-BELIEVERS WILL NOT BE EXPECTING HIM.
LIGHTNING IS VERY BRIGHT AND CHARGED WITH POWER JUST AS JESUS’ COMING WILL BE VERY BRIGHT AND CHARGED WITH THE POWER OF GOD.
LIGHTNING IS OBVIOUSLY NOTICEABLE JUST AS ALL PEOPLE ON EARTH WILL SEE JESUS COME BACK IN THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING.

WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE LIGHTNING?

JESUS’ EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING WILL OCCUR SUDDENLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT HE LEFT…ON THE MT. OF OLIVES. EVERYONE ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN WILL KNOW IT.

THE PARABLE OF THE CARCASE AND THE EAGLES (MAT 24:28)

THIS PARABLE HAS REMAINED VERY DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET AND CONTINUES TO BAFFLE SCHOLARS. THIS, THEREFORE, IS A POSSIBLE INTERPRETATION:

WHAT DOES THE CARCASE REPRESENT?

THE CARCASE REPRESENTS DEATH, EVIL, AND MORAL CORRUPTION.

WHAT DO THE EAGLES (VULTURES) REPRESENT?

READ REV 19:11-18

BIRDS OF PREY ARE INSTANTLY AWARE OF WHEN ANIMALS OR HUMANS ARE ABOUT TO DIE. THEY CIRCLE OVERHEAD WAITING FOR THAT MOMENT OF DEATH.
THEREFORE, THE EAGLES SEEM TO REPRESENT FINAL JUDGMENT BY GOD.

WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE CARCASE AND THE EAGLES?

FOR WHEREVER EVIL, MORAL CORRUPTION, AND DEATH EXISTS, THERE DIVINE JUDGMENT WILL INEVITABLY FALL. THEREFORE, JESUS CHRIST WILL COME WHEN CONDITIONS ON EARTH ARE AT THEIR WORST…AT THE END OF THE AGE DURING THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. THERE WILL BE MUCH DEATH AND DESTRUCTION THAT WILL CALL THE VULTURES TO THE SCENE.

QUESTION #2 – "WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY COMING?"

READ MAT 24:29-31 (LUK 21:25-28) FOR JESUS’ ANSWER TO THE SIGNS OF THE EVENT OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

THESE VERSES TELL US EXACTLY WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN TO EARTH. IT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

THE SIGNS:

THE SUN DARKENED, THE MOON DARK, THE STARS FALL, AND THE POWERS OF HEAVEN SHAKEN.
A CLOUD OF PREVIOUSLY RAPTURED BELIEVERS WHO ARE GATHERED FROM ALL OVER HEAVEN WILL COME BACK TO EARTH WITH JESUS.

QUESTION #3 – "WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THE END OF THE AGE?"

WE WILL CONSIDER JESUS’ ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IN OUR NEXT LESSON WITH A PARABLE THAT OCCURS AT THE END OF MAT 24.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE (MAT 24:32-35)
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

APPLICATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE LIGHTNING ((MAT 24:27) AND THE PARABLE OF THE CARCASE AND THE EAGLES (MAT 24:28)

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST?

TO BE READY, ALL THAT IS NECESSARY IS TO HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST BY INVITING HIM INTO YOUR HEART.

PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE (MAT 24:32-35)

READ MAT 24: 1-14, AND 29-35 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.

READ EZE 37:1-14
WHAT DOES THE FIG TREE REPRESENT?

(REMEMBER THE PARABLE OF FIG TREE AND FAITH IN MAT 21:18-22, LESSON #41? TO KEEP THE SYMBOLISM CONSISTENT, THE MEANING IS THE SAME AS BEFORE.)

WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY THE WORDS, "WHEN ITS BRANCH IS YET TENDER, AND PUTTETH FORTH LEAVES"? (32)

WHAT DOES SUMMER REPRESENT? (32)

DO YOU KNOW ANY HISTORY THAT FULFILLS THIS PROPHECY? IF SO, WRITE IT HERE.

WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THIS PARABLE?

MEMORY VERSE: EZE 37:14