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Matthew chapter 24. While you're 
turning there, I want to say I always find a bit of a niggling 
feeling in my heart when we sing certain psalms like this. I wonder 
if persons think, is this alright that we actually sing the sorts 
of things that we have sung? The Lord tries just and wicked 
men, his soul hates cruel ones. I mean, that's not a popular 
teaching today, it's only held on to in Reformed theology that 
God does not love everyone the way that he loves the elect. 
It then says, upon all wicked men he'll rain entangling snares, 
brimstone and fire and burning wind he for their cut prepares. These are indeed the inspired 
words of the living and true God. God is a God of love, to 
be sure, and John tells us that very simply and very clearly. 
But God is a God of righteousness and a God of justice, a God who 
does visit wrongdoers and unrepentant people with punishment and with 
vengeance from on high. And it's in that vein I suspect 
or I submit that we need to understand Matthew 24. It is God's curse 
executed upon apostate Israel. Notice, beginning in chapter 
24 at verse 1. Then Jesus went out and departed 
from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings 
of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you 
not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not 
one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be 
thrown down. Now as he sat on the Mount of 
Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, 
when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your 
coming, and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said 
to them, take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come 
in my name saying, I am the Christ and will deceive many. And you 
will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not 
troubled. For all these things must come 
to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against 
nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, 
and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of 
sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill 
you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 
And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and 
will hate one another. Then many false prophets will 
rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will 
abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures 
to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom 
will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. 
And then the end will come. Therefore, when you see the abomination 
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the 
holy place, whoever reads, let him understand. Then let those 
who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on 
the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And 
let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But 
woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing 
babies in those days. And pray that your flight may 
not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great 
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the 
world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those 
days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's 
sake, those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, look, 
here is the Christ, or there, do not believe it. For false 
Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and 
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told 
you beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, 
Look, he is in the desert, do not go out. Or, Look, he is in 
the inner rooms, do not believe it. For as the lightning comes 
from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming 
of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, 
there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the 
tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the 
moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven, 
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign 
of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes 
of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man 
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And 
He will send His angels with the great sound of a trumpet, 
and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, 
from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable 
from the fig tree. When its branch has already become 
tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 
So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is 
near at the doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this 
generation will by no means pass away till all these things take 
place. Heaven and earth will pass away, 
but my words will by no means pass away. Amen. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
the Word of God. We thank You for this discourse by our Lord. We ask that Your Spirit would 
guide us now as we look at Scripture and help us to understand. I 
pray that You would forgive us for all sin and transgression. 
I pray that You would help us to know that blessing, that joy 
that we have in Jesus, redemption through His blood. And again, 
fill us now with the Holy Spirit, and we pray these things through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. So I have said on several 
occasions, this is a very controversial passage of scripture with three 
primary ways of interpreting it. There are those who are called 
futurists. They believe that the bulk or that this is indeed 
something for our future. There are those who see two events 
going on, both the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the second coming 
of our Lord at the end of history. And then there are those in the 
minority called Preterists. And Preterists believe that everything 
written here did take place in AD 70. I have tried to demonstrate 
that in verses 4 to 14 and then as well in verses 15 to 28. I 
am mindful of the fact that this is where most people part company 
with the Preterist interpretation as we come to verses 29 to 31. 
But I will suggest that this is Old Testament language in 
the mouth of the prophet Christ, again with reference to the fall 
of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. We're simply going to take 
up verse 29 this morning, but just to give you an overview 
of 29 and 31. What we have is the cosmic upheaval 
specified in verse 29, the coming of the Son of Man in verse 30. 
Again, I don't believe that's the second coming at the end 
of history, but a judgment coming by our Lord when He comes on 
the clouds to vindicate His name in the judgment rendered upon 
Jerusalem in AD 70. And then the third is with reference 
to the calling of God's elect. We'll take up those latter two 
points, God willing, next week. Try to finish with the parable 
of the fig tree the following week. And then as I said last 
week, I have surgery so I'll be off for probably about four 
Lord's Days. and then God willing we'll return. 
But look at this language of cosmic upheaval in verse 29. Immediately after the tribulation 
of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give 
its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of 
the heavens will be shaken. I understand the challenge to 
the preterist position. This sounds like, you know, absolutely 
cosmic language. I mean, if the sun is darkened 
and the moon doesn't give its light and the stars fall from 
heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, well 
then, you can't obviously believe that this was indeed in AD 70. 
Well, I want to note a few things as we look at this particular 
verse, five specifically. First, I want to notice the time 
reference. Secondly, I'll indicate what 
the specific meaning is, as I understand it. Thirdly, the Old Testament 
background. Fourthly, the reversal of roles 
involved. And then fifthly, a comment on 
the new heavens and the new earth. But with reference to the time 
reference, notice in verse 29, I believe 29 to 31 expands on 
verse 27. Verse 27, for as the lightning 
comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the 
coming of the Son of Man be. You won't have to go out to the 
desert, you won't have to go to the inner rooms, you won't 
have to ask these pretender Christs, but rather the coming of Christ 
in terms of judgment upon Jerusalem will be so evident, it will be 
so conspicuous, it will be so visible, it will be, as it were, 
like a lightning flash that comes from the west to the east. And 
notice what Jesus then says in verse 29. There are two time 
references in verse 29 that connects us to the preceding context. 
Note first those days. He says, immediately after the 
tribulation of those days. He uses that language in verses 
19 and 22, where he's talking about the great tribulation in 
those days. And that great tribulation, as 
I've tried to argue, was the siege upon Jerusalem. When you 
see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation 
is near. That's the parallel passage in Luke's Gospel. The 
abomination of desolation which Matthew communicates to his Jewish 
audience would suggest that same thing, as they were looking forward 
in terms of a near history with reference to Antiochus Epiphanes, 
but a further history with reference to AD 70. And then the specific 
instructions to flee are particular. Those in Judea, those in the 
field. He makes known that it will be 
difficult for those who are pregnant, for those who are nursing. That 
would have no a reason to be in there if it was the Second 
Coming. There is no escape. There is 
no place to hide. There is no running to any mountains. 
When Christ comes again, at the end of history, it will be to 
judge the living and the dead. And you cannot escape. And we 
have noted this several times. What Jesus specifies going on 
at this Great Tribulation is the potential of escape. But 
when we look forward to the end of history, there's no escape. The only way of escape now is 
by faith in Jesus Christ. It's by looking and living. Christ 
will come to judge the living and the dead. That means every 
man, woman, boy and girl. We will all stand before the 
judgment seat of Christ. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 
5, to give an account of deeds done in the body, whether good 
or ill. We will look upon that man whom 
God raised from the dead. that man whom God has stationed 
at His right hand, we will give an account to Him of every blasphemous 
thing we've said, of every idolatrous thing we've engaged in. Every 
time we've broken the Sabbath, every time we've been insubordinate 
to parents, every time we've harbored murderous thoughts in 
our hearts, every time we've committed the sin of adultery, 
if not externally, internally, for Jesus says, if you look upon 
a woman to lust, you have broken the commandment. We'll give an 
account for every time we have stolen, for every time we have 
lied, for every time we have coveted, we are going to stand 
before the Lord Jesus Christ. And I assure you, as much as 
I believe that this has a first century setting, as much as I 
believe that this has an A.D. 70 application, and that there 
genuinely were persons that were able to flee the siege of Jerusalem 
by the Roman armies, as sure as I am of that, I know that 
you will not be able to escape that day. when He comes again 
in glory to judge the living and the dead. There is no crackpot 
attorney or crack attorney that's going to stand for you. There 
is nobody who's going to argue your case on that day. You're 
not going to be able to say, but Lord, that's not me. But 
Lord, I didn't do such and such. But Lord... You know, sometimes 
we can be some of the best defense attorneys in the world in this 
life, can't we? Somebody catches us doing something, 
or somebody calls us on something, and it's not me, it couldn't 
have been me, because I'm too holy and pure to ever do such 
a thing like that. On that day we will have no defense. 
Paul tells us in Romans 3 that all the world will become guilty, 
or silent rather, before God Most High. That man that is caught 
or found in Matthew 22 without the wedding garment, When the 
father of the groom comes to him, it says he was speechless. 
He didn't have anything to say for himself. He didn't have any 
argument to give, and you don't either. The only way of escape, 
that day of judgment, is by faith in Jesus Christ. Now, the one 
who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his 
life a ransom for many, that one's enthroned at the right 
hand of the Father on high. And he says that all who look 
to him will have everlasting life. We saw that in the prophet 
Isaiah this morning, where Yahweh says, Look to me, all ye ends 
of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other. Isn't that 
a beautiful invitation from the God of Israel? Look to me, all 
ye ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other. You're 
not going to get help from your drugs, you're not going to get 
help from your alcohol, you're not going to get help from your 
sex, you're not going to get deliverance from your money. 
Silver and gold do not profit on the day of wrath. The only 
profitable thing on that day of judgment is the blood and 
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Say with the hymn writer, my 
hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest 
frame, but I wholly lean on Jesus' name. Isn't that our hope? Isn't 
that what brings us here on Sunday morning? Isn't that what gets 
us out of bed on Thursday morning? I mean, really, when you stop 
and think about it, Christian, what do we have that the world 
doesn't? We have everything. We may not have the money, we 
may not have the resources, we may not have the prestige, but 
we have one in heaven. We have the darling of heaven. 
We have the gem of heaven himself, and he has us in his grip, and 
we are safely folded in the arms of Christ. Back to Matthew 24. There was escape in this context. 
There was the ability to flee. There was the ability to find 
safety. But here he says, "...immediately 
after the tribulation of those days." So whatever those days 
are in verses 15 to 20, this is consistent with those days. 
Notice as well the use of the word immediately. immediately 
after the tribulation of those days. So if the tribulation of 
those days, in verses 15 to 20, can be shown to be the siege 
upon Jerusalem in AD 70, then if that's the case, then immediately 
after the tribulation of those days, this phenomena will take 
place. One man says, the structure of 
the discourse then inflexibly resists the supposition of a 
change of subject. Time, place, circumstances all 
continue the same. There's no textual identifier 
between verses 28 and 29 that we're now dealing with something 
in our future. There is nothing in the text whatsoever to suggest 
a jump in time. Gil comments on the attempt to 
project verses 29 to 31 to the second physical coming. He says, 
for all that is said to account for such a sense, addressing 
those who say that yeah, what we're dealing with up to this 
point is AD 70, but now in verses 29 to 31, we need to put that 
into our future. He says, "...for all that is 
said to account for such a sense as that it was usual with the 
prophets to speak of judgments as far off as near, and that 
the apostles often speak of the coming of Christ." These are 
justifications Gil is addressing for putting 29 to 31 into our 
future. Again, we're not talking about 
the disciples' future, we're talking about our future. Jesus is answering 
a question on this supposition that has nothing to do with these 
disciples. Gil goes on to say, and of the end of the world as 
just at hand, and that one day with the Lord is as a thousand 
years, he says, will not answer to the word immediately, or show 
that that should be understood of two thousand years after. 
Besides, all the following things were to be fulfilled before that 
present generation, in which Christ lived, passed away, verse 
34, and therefore must be understood of things that should directly 
and immediately take place upon or at the destruction of the 
city and the temple. Verse 29 has two time indicators 
that keeps us in the present context. Verse 29 has two time 
indicators that keeps us buoyed to the context. There's absolutely 
no textual warrant for us to jump into our future. There may 
be theological warrant, there may be a differing of views warrant, 
but in terms of the text as read, we have two things specifically 
tethering us to what's going on in verses 15 to 20. And the 
use of this generation that Gil points out, we're going to investigate 
that more fully when we get to verse 34. I'm certain in the 
first sermon on the Olivet Discourse, I indicated that this generation, 
when employed by Matthew, always means the people to whom Jesus 
is speaking. It meant Get this, this generation. Carson says, this generation 
can only with the greatest difficulty be made to mean anything other 
than the generation living when Jesus spoke. Now, Carson believes 
that what we're dealing with is in the future. So, you know, 
I think that's a bit inconsistent. Either all these things happened 
to this generation or all these things didn't happen to this 
generation. I think in some sense, That's 
what we're forced to with the language of the text. So that's 
the time reference. Secondly, the specific meaning, 
the language that is employed, is often taken literally by many, 
and thus it is believed to speak of the end of the world. Sounds 
like the end of the world in verse 29, doesn't it? You can 
nod, because it does. I mean, it sounds epic. The sun 
darkening, the moon not giving its light, and the stars falling 
from heaven, and the heavens themselves being shaken. It sounds 
epic. It sounds cosmic. It sounds like 
the end of the world. So many persons take this language 
literally, and they see in this a description of the end of the 
world. I argue that the language is common. common apocalyptic 
language from the Old Testament. In a moment, we're going to go 
through several Old Testament passages. The attempt is not 
to bury you with passages from the Old Testament, but to try 
and demonstrate there is a grammar of prophecy that the prophet 
Christ is utilizing when he speaks this Olivet Discourse. So some 
see this, as I take it, as language that is common, apocalyptic language, 
and it's supposed to be understood figuratively, or metaphorically, 
or analogically. It's language that is highly 
charged to teach us a particular truth. It's not the literal sun 
that is darkening. It's not the literal moon that's 
not giving its light. It's not the literal stars that 
are falling out of heaven. But rather this is language utilized 
in the Old Testament prophets to speak concerning the fall 
of kingdoms. And it fits the context. Go back 
to 2143, the broader context of Matthew's Gospel. Jesus tells 
the parable of the wicked vinedressers. And these men understand that 
Jesus will destroy, or that the owner will destroy those wicked 
men miserably. This is 2141. And lease his vineyard 
to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their 
seasons. He's speaking to Jews about Israel. He's speaking to Jews about the 
land. He's speaking to them about their 
own history. Yahweh sent prophets, and what 
did they do? They stoned them, they scourged 
them, they beat them, they killed them. Yahweh says, I'll send 
my son. Certainly they'll have respect 
to him. What do they do? They siege him, they take him, 
they scourge him, and they kill him. And so Jesus says, what 
do you think the owner of the vineyard's going to do when he 
comes? And these men understand the emphasis in the passage. 
He will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard 
to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their 
seasons. Jesus says, have you never read 
in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected has become 
the chief cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing, and 
it is marvelous in our eyes. Now notice verse 43. Therefore 
I say to you, the kingdom of God which was the prized possession 
of Old Covenant Israel. The kingdom of God will be taken 
from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And 
whoever falls on this stone will be broken, but on whomever it 
falls it will grind him to powder. So it is the language employed 
in Old Covenant context to speak to the fall of kingdoms. One 
man says, symbol and metaphor belong to the grammar of prophecy, 
as every reader of the Old Testament prophets must know. That brings 
us now, thirdly, to consider the Old Testament background. 
I hope you have your Bibles with you because we're going to look 
at a few texts. Notice in the first place, Genesis 
37. Genesis 37. just showing that the language 
employed by our Lord in terms of sun and moon and stars has 
a long pedigree in the Old Testament, and that when we look at those 
particular contexts, they are contexts very similar to what 
we find in Matthew 24. It is a prophecy concerning the 
fall of an opposing kingdom. Now here, this isn't that specifically, 
but I just want you to notice the language in Joseph's second 
dream. Genesis 37, 9. Then he dreamed 
still another dream and told it to his brothers and said, 
Look, I have dreamed another dream, and this time the sun, 
the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me. So he told 
it to his father and his brothers, and his father rebuked him and 
said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall 
your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the 
earth before you? Again, it's not strictly parallel 
in terms of Matthew 24, but the language is. Sun, moon, and stars. Joseph is essentially saying 
that his father, his mother, and his eleven brothers will 
bow down to him. And that becomes a reality when 
he is exalted in Egypt, There's no corn in Israel, and so they 
flee to Egypt, and they come to Joseph, who is the one who 
gives them these particular goods. Notice Judges 5. Judges 5. And I would ask you as well to 
notice that oftentimes in these passages, we see the Lord coming. We'll deal with the Lord Jesus 
coming in Matthew 24.30 next week, but just to see. that every coming in the Bible 
doesn't necessarily refer to a physical coming. This is why 
I argue that if we ask, what did the disciples understood? 
Do you notice in the scripture reading this morning in Matthew 
20, for the third time they had to be told that Jesus was going 
to die, He was going to rise again. The third time. What happens 
after His resurrection in Luke chapter 24? He has to teach those 
two men on the road to Emmaus. It says, "...all that the Scriptures 
have testified concerning me, concerning the death and the 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus." In Acts 1, they look at Jesus 
as He ascends on high, and the angels tell them that He will 
come again in like manner. These men didn't have as developed 
an eschatological system as we do in our century, in our generation. They were very familiar with 
judgment comings of Yahweh in history to deal with the enemies 
of God. Notice in Judges 5, verses 4 
and 5, the song of Deborah. Lord, when you went out from 
Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom, This is the type 
of stuff that would be in the disciples' heads. So that every 
mention of the coming of Jesus, the mention of the coming of 
God, doesn't necessarily suggest a physical coming. God comes 
in judgment. God comes on the field of battle. And this is one of those instances. 
When you marched from the field of heaven, the earth trembled 
and the heavens poured. The clouds also poured water. 
The mountains gushed before the Lord. this Sinai before the Lord 
God of Israel. It's apocalyptic language. It's 
highly charged language. It displays cosmic realities 
to try and parallel the majesty of God Most High coming in judgment. What other language do we have 
that's big enough of God? What other language can we possibly 
conceive of that can even start to scratch the edge of God? Sun, moon, and stars is as big 
as we get, isn't it? Sun, moon, and stars is as massive 
as we can even begin to entertain. And yet, this is a means by which 
God displays something even greater concerning Himself. Notice thirdly, 
the prophecy of judgment against Babylon in Isaiah 13. Keep in 
your head the whole idea of sun, moon, and stars. consistent with 
or parallel to the coming of the Son of Man with reference 
to judgment. Notice in Isaiah 13 at verse 
1, the burden against Babylon which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, 
saw. See, we see the target of the 
prophecy, we see the target of the destruction here. Note verse 
6, this is called a day of the Lord. So we see that phrase in 
scripture, Day of the Lord. And again, we immediately think 
and associate it with the second coming of Jesus. Now, they were 
probably typical of that to be sure, but there were days of 
the Lord in the Old Covenant when God Himself came in judgment. Verse 6, Wail for the Day of 
the Lord is at hand. It will come as destruction from 
the Almighty. Note the similar language to 
the Olivet Discourse in verses 9 to 13. Behold, the day of the 
Lord comes, cruel with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the 
land desolate, and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the 
stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The 
sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not 
cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its 
evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will halt the arrogance 
of the proud and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 
I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than 
the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens 
and the earth will move out of her place in the wrath of the 
Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger. And then 
note the specific target again highlighted in verse 19. In Babylon, 
the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will 
be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Note, fourthly, 
the prophecy of judgment upon Edom in Isaiah chapter 34. Again, the attempt here is not 
to bury you with text, but simply to highlight there is a grammar 
of prophecy. Metaphor and symbol are in that 
grammar of prophecy. Christ understood the prophets 
because He authored them. He moved them to write. He takes 
their language as His own language. When He comes in the triumphal 
entry in Matthew 21, the men of Galilee, when asked, or the 
men of Jerusalem say, who is this? And the men of Galilee 
say, this is the prophet. Well, Christ assumes this prophetic 
role on Mount Olivet, and He teaches consistent with what 
Israel had always received. Notice in Isaiah 34, beginning 
in verse 4, It says, well, just so you get the context, come 
near you nations to hear, verse 1, and heed you people. Let the 
earth hear and all that is in it, the world and all things 
that come forth from it. For the indignation of the Lord 
is against all nations and His fury against all their armies. 
He has utterly destroyed them. He has given them over to the 
slaughter. Also their slain shall be thrown out, their stents shall 
rise from their corpses, and the mountains shall be melted 
with blood. Note, all the host of heaven 
shall be dissolved and the heaven shall be rolled up like a scroll. 
All their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine 
and as a fruit falling from a fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed 
in heaven. Indeed it shall come down, notice 
specifically on Edom. The city of Bozra is mentioned 
specifically as the prime city of Edom. And on the people of 
my curse for judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled 
with blood. It is made overflowing with fatness, with the blood 
of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For 
the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozra, and a great slaughter in the 
land of Edom. The wild oxen shall come down with them, and the 
young bulls with the mighty bulls. Their land shall be soaked with 
blood, and their dust saturated with fatness. You see, the language 
employed It's big language. It's huge language. Talking about 
God, bringing to bear judgment upon opposing nations. And note verse 8 before we move 
on. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of 
recompense for the cause of Zion. We have seen this phrase used 
in Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse. After he says that 
Jerusalem will be surrounded by enemies, he says, for these 
are the days of vengeance. that all things written may be 
fulfilled. God's vengeance comes upon sinful 
nations. When those kingdoms fall, cosmic 
language is employed to highlight the significance of the event. 
Notice, fifthly, Ezekiel 32. Ezekiel 32. Beginning in verse 6, this is 
a prophecy against Egypt. Specifically verse 2, Son of 
man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say 
to him, And then notice in 32.6 of the prophet Ezekiel, "...I 
will also water the land with the flow of your blood. Even 
to the mountains and the riverbeds will be full of you. When I put 
out your light..." That's the language. God puts out the light 
of these enemy nations. He puts out their light. The 
sun is dark and the moon no longer gives its light. The stars fall 
from heaven. That is biblical language to 
speak to the destruction of kingdoms that have risen in opposition 
to God Most High. He puts out their light. Verse 
7, I will cover the heavens and make its stars dark. I will cover 
the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light. 
All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over 
you and bring darkness upon your land, says the Lord God. Notice, 
I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring 
your destruction among the nations into the countries which you 
have not known. Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you 
and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you. Now note this, 
when I brandish my sword before them. Yahweh brandishes his sword 
before Egypt. How does he do that? Look at 
what he says. And then they shall tremble every 
moment, every man, for his own life in the day of your fall. 
For thus says the Lord God, the sword of the king of Babylon 
shall come upon you. So when the Babylonians came 
to wipe out Egypt, it's as if Yahweh is brandishing His sword 
to bring judgment upon Egypt. And in so doing, He puts out 
their lights. So the disciples on all of it 
would have had these things and concepts in their minds. It would 
not have been a stretch for them to see the Son of Man coming 
in the clouds of heaven. didn't mean Jesus coming to earth, 
but rather His coming to the Ancient of Days where He receives 
this kingdom and He executes this vengeance upon Israel who 
had opposed Him and who had rejected Him. And all of this causes their 
fall. Verse 12, By the swords of the 
mighty warriors, all of them, the most terrible of the nations, 
I will cause your multitude to fall. Notice as well the prophecy 
of judgment upon Judah in Joel 2. Joel 2, one of the minor prophets, 
Hosea, Joel. They're not minor prophets because 
they're not as important. They're minor prophets because 
they're not as long. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel 
write very long prophecies. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, 
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi 
don't write as long. So it's not minor because they're 
not important, they're minor because they're not as long. 
Notice in Joel 2, again, just getting a flavor for the language 
that is used. And in the context, this is judgment upon Judah. 
This was written in about the 9th century BC, 835. Joel was 
a prophet to the south. He is foretelling the destruction 
of Jerusalem that would happen, not in AD 70, but in 587-86 BC. Now note specifically what he 
says in Joel 2, 10 and 11. The earthquakes before them, 
the heavens tremble, the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars 
diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His 
army, for His camp is very great, for strong is the one who executes 
His word. For the day of the Lord is great 
and very terrible, who can endure it? Actually, this probably refers 
to the locust plague that came from God in judgment upon Judah 
far before the Babylonian captivity. Forgive me. So it's a locust 
plague, a day of the Lord. a locust plague, a judgment from 
God. He brandished his sword, not 
through Babylonians against Egypt, but he brandishes his sword through 
locusts who come to devastate the inhabitants of Judah because 
they offended and defied and rebelled against the living and 
true God. Notice Joel 2, 28-32, a passage 
I think we're all familiar with. Whether we read Old Testament 
scripture or not, this is quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost 
in Acts chapter 2. Remember when they're surprised 
and perplexed and wonder, what does it mean that the Holy Spirit 
has come upon these men? And they're speaking in tongues, 
and Peter says, this is that which the prophet Joel spoke. 
Notice in 2.28, and it shall come to pass afterward that I 
will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters 
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young 
men shall see visions. And also on my menservants and 
on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood 
and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into 
darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great 
and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that 
whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For 
in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as 
the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls." 
Again, the language is conspicuous. You see, the language utilized 
in biblical prophecy. There is a grammar, there is 
symbol, there is metaphor, there is figurative use, there is sun 
darkening, there is moon not giving its light, there are stars 
falling. Again, it's huge language to try and get at the hugeness 
and the immensity of our great God. As I said, Peter quotes 
this on the day of Pentecost. He speaks concerning the fall 
of the Spirit upon the Church of Jesus Christ. But he also 
quotes that bit about judgment. I think Peter has in mind AD 
70. I think what Joel is speaking of here is first century reality. 
Spirit comes upon the Church, God's Word goes forth, Jews continue 
to reject it, and ultimately they are destroyed in the siege 
at Jerusalem. John Owen understood Acts 2 that 
way. He said the things here spoken of in Acts 2 were those 
signs, coming on the language of sun, moon, and stars, He says, 
The things here spoken of were those signs, prodigies, and judgments 
which God showed unto and exercised the people of the Jews withal 
before the destruction of Jerusalem, even those foretold by our Lord 
Jesus Christ in Matthew 24. And they were all wrought during 
the time that they enjoyed the dispensation of the gospel before 
described. Notice Joel 3, verses 14-16. Again, just to see the language 
utilized once again. Joel 3.14, multitudes, multitudes 
in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord is near 
in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, 
and the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will 
roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. The heavens 
and earth will shake, but the Lord will be a shelter for His 
people and the strength of the children of Israel. Notice in 
Amos chapter 5. Amos chapter 5. Amos chapter 5, very specifically, 
verse 8. He made the Pliads and Orion. He turns the shadow of death 
into morning and makes the day dark as night. He calls for the 
waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth. 
The Lord is his name. He rains ruin upon the strong 
so that fury comes upon the fortress. Notice in Amos chapter 8, specifically 
verses 9 to 12, The vision of summer fruit. The summer fruit 
in this particular vision is Israel. The idea of summer fruit 
is that they're ripe for judgment, just as summer fruit is ripe 
for the picking. Israel had offended God. They'd 
broken covenant with God. They had brought themselves into 
that place of being the enemies of God. And in this vision, the 
prophet declares as much. Notice in Amos 8, beginning in 
verse 9, And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord 
God. that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken 
the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into 
mourning, and all your songs into lamentation. I will bring 
sackcloth on every waist, and baldness on every head. I will 
make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a 
bitter day." Now before you muse on the fact that baldness is 
a sign of God's judgment, look at the language that is used 
in this particular section. It's the same stuff. It's the 
same thing. Behold, verse 11, the days are 
coming, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine on the land, 
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the 
words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea and from 
the north to the east. They shall run to and fro, seeking 
the word of the Lord, but shall not find it. Before we move on 
to consider this grammar of prophecy and just a couple of more texts, 
look what Amos says there is a judgment from God. Behold, 
the days are coming, says the Lord God, that I will send a 
famine on the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, 
but of hearing the words of the Lord." Would that affect us? Would that bother us? If the 
government mandated that Bibles were to be burned and Christians 
were to shut up about their faith, would it really perplex us? You 
say, well, of course it would. We're Christians, we love the 
book, we love the Bible, we love the scriptures. Why such biblical 
illiteracy then? Not speaking about us, but throughout 
the Christian world, the professing Christian world. I referred in 
the last hour, we're considering, concerning, you know, interpreting 
Bible, or interpreting the Bible. There was a famous pastor, a 
man by the name of Rick Warren, I think last year or the year 
before, who released a book on Daniel's diet plan. You know, 
Daniel didn't eat the delicacies of Babylon that were offered 
to him. He ate the veggies and those sorts of things. And when 
the man who handled the slaves came, they saw that Daniel was 
robust and he was healthy and he was strong. Brethren, if you're 
reading Daniel to slim down, you have completely missed the 
point of the Bible. See, I think that if we would 
seriously be perplexed by a threatened famine of the Word, it would 
be evident in the way that we live. It would be manifest in 
the way that we spend time with God in private. It would be manifest 
by the way that we spend time with God in public. It would 
be manifest by our response to the Word. a person who doesn't 
read Scripture, a person who neglects the public means of 
grace, a person who doesn't meditate or contemplate or think through 
the Word, and dare I say it, a person who doesn't apply that 
Word in his life, I'd be very hard-pressed to believe you'd 
actually be concerned about losing Scripture. If we're not using 
it now, if we're not capitalizing on it now, if we're not searching 
it now, if we're not under its preaching now, then why in the 
world would we say, oh, we'd hate it if the government came 
and took our Bibles away? I think I've shared with you 
before that account that's in Puritan Hope by Ian Murray. I 
think it was the Puritan pastor, John Rogers, where he personifies 
God to the people, and then he personifies the people to God. 
And God to the people says something to the effect that, you know, 
you neglect my Sabbaths, you neglect my house, you neglect 
my word, you neglect my, you know, prayer to me, you neglect 
all these things, so here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to 
take thine Bibles away. And then Rogers personifies the 
people to God. And he says to God, or says on 
behalf of them to God, Lord God, please take our houses, take 
our carts, take our fields, take our children, he says, but take 
not thine word from us. That was a sermon that Rogers 
preached to indict the people in his day that they were content 
with a famine. Not that there was a famine in 
the Puritan era. They should have been laughing 
it up when these giants roamed the earth. Brethren, search your 
heart. What's my view of Scripture? 
Not do you believe me in Matthew 24. Again, I've said many times, 
if we disagree, I hope that you'll at least learn where I'm coming 
from. I think this wealth of material 
from the Old Testament does highly illustrate what Jesus is doing 
in Matthew 24. But if you disagree, that's fine. But what do you think about Scripture? 
What do you think about the Bible? What do you think about searching 
it privately? What about you men? Are you leading 
your families? Are you taking your children 
by the hand to the throne of God's grace? What better thing 
for families to do than to worship God? It's fun to go to the park. It's fun to have picnics. It's 
fun to have all this stuff. It certainly is. It's great. 
But you know what's more glorious than going to the park or having 
picnics? It's taking your child by the hand and leading them 
to the throne of grace. It's taking your child and telling 
them the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Son, daughter, you're 
a sinner. You've transgressed the law. 
Oh, you'll hurt their delicate psyches if you do that. They 
know they're sinners. We're not telling them something 
they don't know. Each one of you kids knows when 
you're rebelling against God, that's not right. Because you're 
made in the image of God, and God has His creational law written 
in your hearts, and you know that to transgress your parents 
is wrong. So it's not damaging their delicate psyche, it's damaging 
them not to tell them they're sinners. It's keeping from them 
the hope that they desperately need. It is keeping from them 
the Lord Christ Himself. Show them, teach them, speak 
to them, preach to them. So men, we might say, oh, I love 
Scripture. I just love it, but I love it 
so much I'm not going to share it with those whom I love the 
most in this world. I'm not going to pray with them, 
I'm not going to read to them, I'm not going to pray for them. 
I've shared as well before, in a church that I was at, I remember 
visiting somebody and asking this man about his prayer life. 
You know, prayer police, I'm going to get you. How are you 
doing with prayer? I think his wife piped up, I 
just want him to pray for me. I said, do you pray for your 
wife? He says, not really. I died a little bit inside. What 
do you mean? You profess saving faith in Jesus 
and you don't pray for your spouse? So, needless to say, I smacked 
him. No, I didn't smack him. I said, you need to pray for 
your spouse. Brothers, we live in a theologically 
rich age. Everybody's a theologian today. 
Everybody spends time on the internet debating today. You 
ain't spending time with your wife and kids in catechism. And 
when I say catechism, I don't mean just the rote memorization, 
though I do mean that. The Puritans used catechism to 
speak of instruction, to teach, to catechize. Catechesis. Put it in their heads. Get that 
raw data in there, so that when God, by His grace, opens their 
heart, They know what justification by faith is, not just cognitively, 
but now experientially. They own it for themselves. They've 
got a data bank there that is to be drawn off of. So you see, 
we may say, oh, it would really bother me if there was a famine 
imposed with reference to the Word of God. Well, if that's 
the case, then our lives will evidence it. We'll evidence it 
by the way that we treat the Word of God that we presently 
have. Notice as well, The prophecy of judgment upon Judah in Zephaniah 
1. Zephaniah 1, Nehemiah 1. 1.14, the great day of the Lord 
is near. This is specifically targeting 
Judah via Babylon. In the 6th century BC, the great 
day of the Lord is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day 
of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry 
out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, 
a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, 
a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against 
the fortified cities and against the high towers. Again, he doesn't 
specifically speak of sun, moon and stars there, but it's in 
the vein of that grammar of prophecy. And then one final Old Testament 
text is in Haggai 2, 6 and 7. Haggai 2, verses 6 and 7. This 
is a post-exilic prophet. This is after the Babylonian 
captivity. God speaks concerning the future 
glory of the people of God. 2, 6, and 7. For thus says the 
Lord of hosts, once more, it is a little while, I will shake 
heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, and I will shake all 
nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations, 
and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. For those of you who are readers 
of the book of Hebrews, you'll note that the Apostle quotes 
this in the context Hebrews chapter 12, that you've not come to Mount 
Sinai, but you've come to Zion. He's talking about new covenant 
realities in Hebrews 12. He's talking about the church 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Haggai the prophet is looking 
forward to the future glory of God's people as it pertains to 
God's Christ. It's the messianic age. It is 
the reign of Jesus at the right hand of God Almighty. And in 
Hebrews 12 specifically, he quotes verse 25. I'll just start there 
to give the context. See that you do not refuse him 
who speaks, for if they did not escape who refused him who spoke 
on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from 
him who speaks from heaven. whose voice then shook the earth, 
but now he is promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not only 
the earth, but also heaven. Now this yet once more, this 
is Haggai 2, 6 and 7, indicates the removal of those things that 
are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things 
which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving 
presently a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace 
by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, 
for our God is a consuming fire. Owen, Gil, apply this language 
in Hebrews 12, not to the shaking of the heavens and earth in terms 
of the second physical coming, but of the fall of Jerusalem, 
the destruction of that visible kingdom, the transfer of the 
covenant people, or the transfer, rather, of the kingdom from Old 
Covenant Israel to the New Covenant Israel, which is the church of 
Jesus Christ, the recipients of God's blessings and promises. 
So we see the time reference, the specific meaning, the Old 
Testament background. Now quickly, we move on. France 
says, language about cosmic collapse then is used by the Old Testament 
prophets to symbolize God's act of judgment within history with 
the emphasis on catastrophic political reversals. There's 
a reversal of roles going on here too. This ought not to be 
new to us who have studied the gospel of Matthew. Matthew 8, 
what does Jesus say? Many will come from the east 
and the west, and what will they do? They will sit down with Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out. 
What does Jesus say in Matthew 21 concerning the religious leaders 
of his day? John came and preached to you 
and you rejected him, but harlots and publicans, they're entering 
into the kingdom of God. This is a role reversal. Israel 
has become Babylon. Apostate Israel, who had rejected 
the Lord Christ, who had persecuted the people of God, had assumed 
Babylon's posture, and as a result, the sun will be darkened, the 
moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from 
heaven, and there will be a shaking in the heavens, when Israel, 
as a body politic, as the people who once were the people of God 
become lo ami, from the prophet Hosea, not my people. It's a role reversal. The Lord 
God brings judgment to bear upon these covenant breakers, and 
now He includes men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, 
including Jews, but it's not by virtue of their Jewishness, 
It is by virtue of the true Israel of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, 
who fulfills all that the Father gave Him and saves to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto Him through Christ. And then a final thought 
concerning the new heavens and the new earth. This will be very 
quick. If you understand Matthew 24, 29, literally, If you understand Matthew 24, 
29 literally, that the sun really stopped giving its light, or 
it will, and the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not 
give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven. If you 
understand that literally, then you have to believe, I think, 
or you're committed, I think, to believe that the new heavens 
and the new earth will be brand new. There will be an utter discontinuity 
between this age and the age to come. In other words, if the 
sun is darkened, the moon doesn't give its light and the stars 
fall from heaven. Imagine if the stars fall from heaven. What 
happens to the Earth? I'm not an astronomist. I'm not 
a rocket scientist. I think, though, that if all 
the stars from the heavens fell to the Earth, I think the Earth 
wouldn't be anymore. So the new heavens and the new 
earth would be something brand new, a brand new creation. That's 
a legitimate option. I'm not saying that's a heretical 
view. Some people think that. That this heavenly state that 
we look forward to, described in the book of Revelation as 
new heavens and new earth, is something completely new. I'd 
argue that the scripture highlights more continuity. There's discontinuity, 
but there's continuity. In other words, it's not a new 
heavens and a new earth that is absolutely brand new, but 
it's redeemed. It's restored. The paradise lost 
at creation is paradise gained at new creation. And I think 
there are several lines that suggest this thought. When Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob died, and yet Jesus refers to them at that 
feast in Matthew 8, they're still Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In 
other words, I'm going to go into the grave. I'm not going 
to come out Cam Porter. He's not going to come out Jim 
Butler. He's probably quite thrilled about that. There is continuity 
in terms of the believer's resurrection. Note the Lord Jesus Christ. He 
goes into the grave. He comes out of the grave. It's 
the selfsame Jesus, though glorified, right? Thomas sees the piercings 
in his sight, he sees the piercings in his hands, he sees the piercings 
upon the Son of God. There is a continuity. It's a 
new heavens and a new earth. Not because the old has been 
obliterated, but because the new has redeemed it. The new 
has restored it. In Romans chapter 8, the Apostle 
says creation itself is in bondage, and it yearns for the redemption 
of the sons of God. God's not at war with creation. God doesn't hate us in our physicality. God is at war with sin and in 
the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ. Yes, there's discontinuity. It's a new heaven, it's a new 
earth wherein there is no more sin, there is no more sorrow, 
there is no more pain, there is no more hunger, there is no 
more thirst, there is no more death. That's a discontinuity, 
but the continuity is that it will be us looking upon Jesus, 
seeing Him in His glory, seeing Him in His splendor, seeing that 
One who bears those wounds in His own body. So it's not obliteration that 
the Scripture envisages, it's restoration, it's redemption. This creation that yearns in 
Romans 8 will know the blessing on that day when Jesus does come. So I suspect that if we take 
a cosmic view of 29, or a literal view rather, then we have to 
conclude that the world will be remade. If we see it figuratively, 
we see the thrust or trajectory of Scripture that what goes into 
the grave comes out of the grave, albeit glorified, albeit energized 
by the Spirit, albeit fit in a capacity to glorify and enjoy 
God forever. But nevertheless, if you and 
I go in, you and I come out. So the new heavens and the new 
earth, there is a continuity. Our confession seems to indicate 
this. At the last day, such of the 
saints as are found alive shall not sleep, but be changed. And 
all the dead shall be raised up with the self-same bodies 
and none other, although with different qualities, which shall 
be united again to their souls forever. So the pattern of individual 
believers, the pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ, the yearning 
of creation itself for the redemption. So in conclusion, I hope that 
we have seen that the language employed, and again, if you disagree, 
you disagree, but the language employed is not the first time 
it's been employed. Verse 29 does not occur in a 
vacuum. This is language common. Common. I think you would agree. Yeah, 
that was a lot of text. And the amount of text makes 
the point. I'm not suggesting that, but 
the amount of text highlights or illustrates the point. There 
is a grammar of biblical prophecy. Jesus is in tune with that grammar, 
and Jesus uses it, at all of it, to communicate the specifics 
concerning the significance of the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Immediately after the tribulation 
of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give 
its light, The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of 
the heavens will be shaken. That means that the kingdom has 
been destroyed in Old Covenant Israel. Lights out for Old Covenant 
Israel. Again, they can come by grace, 
through faith, to the Messiah. In this new covenant era, hopefully 
a whole multitude of Jewish people will be saved. But the emphasis 
here is on the first century fall of Jerusalem. The significance, 
as we have seen many, many times, covenantal transformation, transfer 
of the kingdom, the fulfillment of all things which are written, 
the vindication of the Son of Man, which we will see next week, 
and the calling of the nations to repentance and faith in Christ. I suspect and I submit that at 
times we come to Matthew 24 more attuned with prophecy that we 
have learned than with the prophecy of the Old Testament Scriptures. 
I realize that's not the case for everybody, but we oftentimes 
bring our presuppositions to bear upon verse 29. It has to 
mean the end of all things. Well, if it meant that in Amos, 
and if it meant that in Ezekiel, and if it meant that in Isaiah, 
if it meant that in Judges, if it meant that in Genesis, well, 
I don't understand how it works now. It's language that is used 
by the prophets to highlight something epic in redemptive 
history, vis-à-vis the fall of the enemies of God. As well, 
we need to recognize prophetic language and compare Scripture 
with Scripture. And then I would suggest there 
is some degree of inconsistency. Now this is always a tough thing 
for a preacher to say, because we're all inconsistent, every 
single one of us. Some of us were talking recently 
about Luther, what a colorful figure he was in the history 
of the church, and we in the 21st century have the vantage 
point of seeing his spots, and seeing his warts, and seeing 
his blemishes. And this young brother said to 
me, in a hundred years they're going to see ours as well. We 
don't always see them. I don't know why, but I think 
I'm awesome! Not mean, personal. I guess I 
do. But we all tend to have that, 
right? We live in the selfie age. So to say there's inconsistency, 
as a preacher who's inconsistent, I shudder at the thought of the 
implication. But there is an inconsistency 
here. When we're ready to take verse 29 literally, except for 
the word immediately. It's literal sun, literal moon, 
literal stars, but that word immediately really doesn't mean 
right after the tribulation of those days. There is that inconsistency 
of interpreting language that is meant to be interpreted figuratively, 
sun, moon and stars, and then treating language that is supposed 
to be interpreted literally, figuratively. Immediately doesn't 
mean immediately there, and this generation can't mean this generation. 
Now, John MacArthur I have a great deal of respect for, but when 
he deals with the Olivet Discourse, his argument as to why preterism 
is wrong, with reference to the Olivet Discourse, he says, because 
none of these things did take place in the first century. I 
think I've shown at least how we could see that these things 
did take place in the 1st century. The 4-14 things and the 15-20 
things. And if those 15-20 things were 
1st century AD Jerusalem, AD 70 Jerusalem, then that immediately 
happens that sun stops shining, that moon is darkened, or the 
other way around, and that the stars are falling. We need to 
be consistent. We take the figuratively, we 
take the literally, and then finally, I want you to turn back 
to the prophet Amos. It's the last thing, and we'll 
close with a word of prayer. We'll pray again, and then go 
eat. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Look at Amos 5. I've always loved 
this depiction of the day of the Lord set forth by the prophet. 
I've mentioned that you won't be able to escape on the Day 
of Judgment. The persons in Matthew 24, 15-20 
could escape. When they saw the abomination 
of desolation, they could run, they could leave, they could 
flee to the mountains. They were told not to go get their stuff 
out of their house. They were told not to get their coat at 
the edge of the field. They were told it would be difficult if 
they were nursing babies in those days or pregnant in those days. 
They were told it would be difficult, or pray that your flight be not 
on Sabbath. But there was the opportunity to escape. I have 
sought to remind us each and all, every single time we look 
at the Olivet Discourse, there is no escape when Jesus comes 
again in His glory to judge the living and the dead. And I think 
the prophet here illustrates this point. Our attempt to escape, 
our attempt to hide, but God will find us out. Notice Amos 
chapter 5, specifically at verse 16. Therefore, the Lord God of 
hosts, the Lord says this, There shall be wailing in all streets, 
and they shall say in all the highways, Alas, alas! They shall 
call the farmer to mourning, and skillful lamenters to wailing. 
In all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through 
you, says the Lord." I will pass through you, says Yahweh. He 
will pass through. How? In providence, in historical 
events. Now notice, verse 18, Woe to 
you who desire the day of the Lord. Those who are saying, Oh 
yeah, we want the day of the Lord. Similar in the prophet 
Malachi. Woe to you who say, I want the 
day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is going 
to be a day of judgment for you. And that's the point here in 
verse 18. Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord, for what 
good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness and 
not light. Now note this illustration. It 
will be as though a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. This is what's going to happen 
on the day of judgment. You're going to run as from a 
lion. I'm escaping a lion. You ever been out in the wilderness 
and seen a lion? Me either. I can only imagine 
the thing that would be most necessary and essential at that 
time is to run. To run, to flee, to hide. And 
what does the prophet say? You're going to try to run. You're 
going to try to flee. You're going to try to hide. Because 
you've seen this lion of judgment, and a bear meets you. Now what? What do you do when you meet 
a bear? They say, assume the fetal position. They say, run. They 
say, go downhill. I think all of that is a bunch 
of garbage. I would say, pray to God Most High because this 
killing machine is about to lay his teeth and his paws into you 
and play with you. But you see what the prophet 
is saying. This is going to be the temptation. This is going 
to be the tendency. When the clouds roll back and 
are open like a scroll, and the Son of God descends in the glory 
of His Father to judge the living and the dead, the temptation 
or the tendency is going to be to be like when you see a lion, 
you run and you hide. And then you meet this bear. 
But he doesn't stop. It will be as though a man fled 
from a lion and a bear met him, or as though he went into the 
house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. You run from the lion, you meet 
the bear. You run from the bear, you get 
to your house. You enter into your front door, 
you shut the door, you start to brush your head off of the 
sweat, and you lean your hand on the door, and a serpent bites 
you on the hand. You see, some of you think you're 
going to escape the judgment of God because you're good people. 
You're not good. Some of you think you're going 
to escape the judgment of God because my parents are members 
of the church. Some of you think you're going 
to escape the judgment of God because, you know, that's all 
back then. There's nothing of that Bible 
that is for us today. Yes, it is the judgment of a 
thrice holy God. And having outlined all this, 
the prophet then ends with verse 20, Is not the day of the Lord 
darkness and not light? Is it not very dark with no brightness 
in it? You, O Israel, of all people, 
ought to be the last to desire the day of the Lord. The only 
ones who desire the day of the Lord are those who are safely 
in the arms of the Lord. Only those who, by the grace 
of God, are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, those 
who have been forgiven of their sins, we are the ones who say, 
Come, Lord Jesus, come. If you are not a believer, you 
don't want the day of the Lord. But if you are not a believer, 
come to the Lord. It's the beauty of Scripture. 
God calls sinners not to go out and fix their lives and get everything 
sorted out and then come, because you can't. It's come. Come, and 
God sorts you out. Come, and Christ cleanses you. 
Come, and Christ gives you a righteousness that avails with God. You kids, 
you young people, all this stuff about Preterism and Futurism 
and Matthew 24 and all these texts, sun, moon, star, is probably 
somewhat confusing, and I sympathize with you, but this much is clear. 
If you do not believe the Gospel, if you are not found in Him, 
there will be a terrifying judgment that makes what happens to Israel 
in the Old Covenant look like a walk in the park. makes it 
look like it was nothing. It is the wrath or the cup of 
the wrath of God that sinners will drink for eternity for having 
violated His holy law. The means of escape is faith 
in Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank You for the Word of God. We thank You for the consistency 
of it, and I pray that all of us would take heed to this warning 
of the prophet Amos, that we would be prepared for that day 
when we will stand in judgment before the God of heaven and 
earth. As well, give us a spiritual appetite, give us a hunger and 
a thirst for righteousness, give us a desire for the truth of 
Holy Scripture. And I pray that you would go 
with us now, that you would watch over us, that you would encourage 
and strengthen our hearts. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.