THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING AND OF THE END OF THE WORLD (Part 1)

Weekly Bible Study (15/04/21; 22/04/21) Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement   Topic:    THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING AND OF THE END OF THE WORLD (Part 1) Text:                                Matt. 24:1-44   INTRODUCTION: Christ=s re-entry into the temple after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:12, 23), was greeted with a barrage of confrontational and tempting questions by various Jewish sects.  In reaction to these questions, the Lord spoke diversely and sorrowfully, and at the end lamented their obstinacy (Matt. 23:37-39).  When Jesus eventually left the temple, the disciples began to call His attention to the beauty and magnificence of the temple buildings.  And as He, in reply, stated that time was coming when no stone of that temple would be left on top of another, they asked Him A… when shall these things be, what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world=?  (Matt. 24:1-3).  It is His respon     se to these questions, popularly known as Jesus= Mount Olives discourse, that we will be reviewing in the series of study, titled: THE SIGNS OF HIS COMING AND OF THE END OF THE WORLD, which we are beginning today.  In this introductory part, we shall take a brief look at His Coming and The End Of The World.  

1. HIS COMING (Matt. 24:3).

  The word >Coming= is rendered from the Greek word >Parousia=, meaning, personal visible appearance.  The coming of Christ, the preceding signs of which He spoke so much about, is in two phases:   (i). The Rapture (Matt. 24:3, 36-44).  Rapture, which is the personal appearance/coming of the Lord Jesus in the air (not to the earth) to take His saints, is taken from the Latin word ARaptu@ meaning Acaught away@ or Acaught up@.  As Jesus descends from heaven to the cloud, the dead in Christ will immediately rise with a new body (the celestial body).  And almost immediately after that, the living ready believers will be transfigured, as they put on the spiritual (celestial) body (1Thess. 4:15-17).  This will happen in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye (1Cor. 15:51-53).  Both the resurrected and transfigured believers will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air (in the atmosphere between earth and heaven).  They will be visibly united with Christ and taken to the Father=s house in heaven (Jn. 14:1-3; 1Thess 4:15-17).  The rapture of the saints, which opens the chapter of the end-time events, is the very next agenda in the programme of the Lord for this age.  We will look at it in some more details in the course this series.   (ii).    The Second Advent (Matt. 24:3).  The coming of Christ under review, includes His second visible coming to this earth with His saints, at the end of the great tribulation (Matt. 24:29-31; Act. 1:10-11; Jude 14).   (To be treated in some details later).  

2. THE END OF THE WORLD (Matt. 24:3).
   • >World= here is rendered from the Greek word >aion=, meaning >age=, a period of time, long or short. The phrase, Athe end of the world@, as used here and in some other passages, means Aend of this age@ (Matt.13:39, 40, 49; 28:20). This age, meaning the dispensation of Christ and the restoration programme, will end with the second advent, which will witness the ushering in of the new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21:1-4).
   • It follows that the coming of Christ will mark the end of this polluted world, and the ushering in of a new one (Matt. 12:32; 2Pt. 3:10-13). So, while the defiled world as it is today, has an end, the earth and man, following the restoration, will last forever (cp. Gen. 9:12; Ecc. 1: 4; 1Thess. 4:17; Rev. 21:1-4).
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