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CHRIST'SOLIVET PROPHECY
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Jesus Christ gave some of the mostimportant teachings of His ministry duringthe last few days of His life. Included in
these teachings is the pivotal prophecy of allthe Bible-the Olivet Prophecy, which foretellsof world events to occur in our time!
In this lesson we will study Christ's prophecyabout the end of this present civilization.
In our last lesson, we studied Christ's lastpublic ministry at Jerusalem, including Hisrepeated confrontations with the religiousleaders of His day. As you recall, Christ wascontinually questioned and challenged by thescribes and Pharisees. But now they nolonger came to question or criticize Christ.They had determined only to arrest and killHim.
CHRIST PROPHESIESJERUSALEM'S DESTRUCTION
As Jesus departed from the Temple, one ofHis disciples commented on the magnificentconstruction of the Temple. With greatanguish, Christ told them of the soon-comingdestruction of Jerusalem and the Templebuildings. "See ye not all these things? verily Isay unto you, There shall not be left here onestone upon another, that shall not be throwndown" (Matthew 24:2).
Christ was speaking of the time about 40years later when the Temple, along with the
ABOUT OUR COVER . . .The Kidron Valley near Jerusalem. Christ and Hisdisciples walked across this valley to the Mount ofOlives.
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city of Jerusalem, would be destroyed by thearmies of the Roman Empire.
After this sobering prophecy, Christ and thedisciples walked through the Kidron Valley andup the Mount of Olives. From there they couldview the city of Jerusalem. As they lookedacross the ancient city, the disciples askedJesus two very important questions.
"Tell us, shall these be[the destruction of Jerusalem and the Tem-pie]? and what be the of thycoming, and of the of the _[age]?" (Matthew 24:3.)
The disciples wanted to know when thedestruction of the Temple would occur, andwhen Christ would return to set up theKingdom of God on earth. They expectedChrist to return during their lifetime. They didnot realize that the prophecy of Christ's returnwould not be fulfilled until some two millenniain the future.
A COUNTERFEIT GOSPEL
Christ answered the disciples' questions witha stern warning not to be deceived. "Take heedthat no man deceive you. For many shall comein my name, saying, I am Christ; and shalldeceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5).
Jesus was explaining that false religiousteachers would come, saying that they represented Christ and claiming to be Hisministers-even bearing the name "Christian."But in doing this, they would lead many peopleastray.
These false religious teachers claim torepresent Christ, but they preach a false gospel
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Christ warned of a counterfeit gospel-one that would mislead and deceive the many.
about Him. They do not preach the Gospelmessage that Christ brought.
Jesus said it is necessary to believe theGospel to be saved. Yet millions of professingChristians today do not know what the Gospelis! Christ's parting commission to His apostles,being sent out as His ministers to build HisChurch, was this: "Go ye into all the world,and preach the Gospel" (Mark 16:15).
Jesus then said, "He that believeth and isbaptized shall be saved; but he that believethnot shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).
Notice! Jesus emphasized the importance ofbelieving. They were to believe what theypreached-the Gospel! It is necessary tobelieve the Gospel in order to be saved.
What, then, is the Gospel?We read in Mark 1:1 that what Mark wrote
was the record of the beginning of the Gospelof Jesus Christ. Next is the story of thebaptizing ministry of John the Baptist. Then inverses 14 and 15 we read: " Now after that
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John [the Baptist] was put in _Jesus came into , preaching the
of the kingdom of God. Andsaying, The is fulfilled, and the_____ of is at hand : ye,and the gospel."
From these verses, we see that Christ wasproclaiming the Gospel message about theKingdom of God.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not man's gospelabout the person of Jesus Christ. We hear a greatdeal today of this false gospel, which confines itsmessage solely to what Jesus supposedly was orwhat He did. As a result , millions believe onChrist, but do not believe His message-theGospel of the Kingdom of God.
For more information about Jesus Christ'strue Gospel and the Kingdom of God, write forour free booklets What Is the True Gospel?and Just What Do You Mean . . . Kingdom ofGod?
Jesus Christ warned His disciples that many
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false preachers would come, misleading anddeceiving many people. This began immediately after Christ's death and resurrection.
The Apostle Paul warned in II Corinthians11 :4: "For if he that cometh preacheth anotherJesus, whom we have not preached, or if yereceive another spirit, which ye have notreceived, or another gospel, which ye have notaccepted, ye might well bear with him."
Continuing in verse 13: "For such are falseapostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. "
Even in the first century, false ministersbegan to teach a counterfeit Christianity anddeceived many people. This religious deceptiongrew and actually suppressed Jesus' truemessage from the world and deceived the wholeworld about the true Gospel of Christ!
Christ also warned that false "Christs" andfalse prophets would arise in the end-time."Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, hereis Christ, or there ; believe it not. For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shallshew great signs and wonders; insomuch that,if it were possible, they shall deceive the veryelect [God's chosen and converted people]"(Matthew 24:23-24).
This same religious deception is alsorepresented by the white horse and his rider ofRevelation 6:2. Write out this scripture on thefollowing lines. _
Many people have made the error ofequating the white horse of Revelation 6 withthe true Christ of chapter 19. But notice thatthe returning Christ of Revelation 19 brandishes a sword out of His mouth (Revelation19:15), not a bow in His hand (Revelation 6:2).Also, the time setting of the two chapters iscompletely different. Revelation 19 describesthe return of Jesus Christ, but Revelation 6
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Christ prophesied that wars would continue until the end of man's civilization.
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describes a false Christ and false Gospeldeceiving the world prior to Christ's return.
WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS
Christ continued His prophecy of end-timeevents by speaking of a time of wars andrumors of wars (Matthew 24:6).
But to which wars was Christ referring?Jesus first prophesied of a general condition
of war on earth that would continue from hisday until the end of man's civilization.Immediately after giving this warning, Christsaid, "See that ye be not : for allthese things must come to pass, but the _is not yet" (verse 6).
For nearly 6,000 years, wars-i-large andsmall, civil and international-s-have raged onthe earth.
As a project for this lesson, read througha newspaper that reports world news. Thenunderline or cut out the articles that reportwars and rumors of wars. You will find warsof attrition and wars of liberation. Therewill be religious, sectarian, intertribal andguerrilla wars. All of these fulfill Christ'swords.
Verse 7 of Matthew 24 refers to more thanthe general condition of war around the world.This verse also refers to a specific end-time warof great magnitude-s-the first and last of itskind-s-a world war of cataclysmic proportions.Write out the first part of the verse on the linesbelow. _
This particular state of warfare, when"nation shall rise against nation, and kingdomagainst kingdom," indicates global warbetween allied nations.
The world has already suffered through twoworld wars, but neither were of the nuclear,world-killing proportions Christ speaks of inMatthew 24:22: "And except those days shouldbe shortened, there should no flesh be saved[alive]." Christ referred to this possible total
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annihilation of all mankind as the GreatTribulation (verse 21).
Never before has total cosmocide-s-worlddeath-s-been in man's power. Never before hasman had the potential for the total obliterationof all human life. Just as man has always usedwhatever weapons were in his possession,mankind will use the weapons that are now inhis arsenal.
This prophecy of world war parallels theaccount in Revelation 6:4, where this conditionof war is symbolized by a horseman riding ared horse. "And there went out another____ that was : and was____ to him that thereon to take
from the , and that theyshould one : and therewas given unto him a great "
The first horseman rides forth "conquering,and to conquer" in the name of his falsereligion (Revelation 6:2). The second horsemansymbolizes war, one of the instruments of thatconquest. Prophecy describes this end-timemilitary instrument as a future ten-nationalliance (Daniel 2, Revelation 13).
Among those who will be punished at thistime are the modern-day descendants of theancient ten-tribed house of Israel. Theserepresent the peoples of the United States, theBritish Empire and some of the democracies ofnorthwestern Europe.
Today, power blocks are being formed thatwill eventually clash in the most titanic seriesof battles in human history. These arefrightening words, but neither God's people northeir children should be frightened if they areobeying God's laws. Christ said to His truefollowers, "See that ye be not troubled."
THE SCOURGE OF FAMINE
Famine rapidly follows after war. Starvationand scarcity are the results of crop damage,contaminated water supplies, destroyed livestock and the unusually high food demands forthe sustenance of a large army.
In Matthew 24:7, Christ spoke of famine in
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Famine will rapidly follow the coming world war of cataclysmic proportions.
the context of war. He again used the plural,famines, referring to many recurring instancesof famine over the centuries, increasing asnever before at the time just prior to HisSecond Coming.
Famines caused by war still strike the earthperiodically. However, despite the occasionalfamines caused by war, humanity faces adifferent kind of famine in the 20th century.These famines are caused by the problems ofoverpopulation and dwindling food supplies indeveloping nations.
Each year the world has millions morepeople to feed, mostly in the poorer nations.Although the world's food production roughlykeeps pace with this increasing population, theunequal distribution of that food is a primaryproblem facing the hungry. Food is not beingharvested where it is needed, and political andeconomic difficulties oftentimes preventdelivery of the excess food of rich nations topoorer nations.
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Jesus Christ prophesied of this conditionwhen He said, "And there shall be famines."However, Christ was also referring to a specificgreat famine in the near future.
The black horse of Revelation 6:5-6 represents worldwide famine that will result fromglobal war. This terrible famine will afflict thepeoples of the United States and Britain as wellas the vast majority of mankind. This faminewill spread to all peoples and nations untilmankind turns to God in total surrender to Hisway of life.
After mankind learns this lesson, God willonce again bless and prosper all nations in thewonderful World Tomorrow.
WORLDWIDE PESTILENCE
Worldwide disease epidemics overlap thefamines prophesied by Christ. Millions morewill die, even though they survived the initialnuclear blasts and ensuing famines.
Such massive plagues don't presently afflict
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the developed countries. Sanitary standards,medical science and organized security measures currently are able to separate "civilization" from wilderness. But the potential for anepidemic is always present when such protective conditions break down.
Christ's prophecy in Matthew 24 is paralleled in Revelation 6:7-8. This time the horrorsof disease epidemics are represented by ahorseman riding a pale horse. Write out thefirst part of verse 8 on the lines below. _
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
The events prophesied by Christ in Matthew24:4-7 have yet to reach their final impact onthe world. Notice verse 8: "__ these are the_____ of ." These eventsare the very beginning of the prophesied GreatTribulation, which is the next event to come.
Notice how Jesus explained this time oftribulation to his disciples. "Then shall they_____ you up to be , andshall you: and ye shall be ofall for my name's "(Matthew 24:9).
Christ is speaking of converted Christians aswell as the modern-day descendants of thehouses of Israel and Judah. Such tribulationdid actually occur to the nation of Judah inA.D. 70, but that episode was merely aforerunner of the great national invasions andcaptivity yet to occur on a worldwide scale inthe end-time.
Jesus continues in verses 10-13 of chapter 24:"And shall be ,and shall one another, and shall
one another. And many _shall and shall
_____ many. And because _shall abound, the of many shall ____. But he that shall unto the___, the same shall be "
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Continuing in verse 21: "For then shall be____________, such as was notsince the of the world to ____, no, nor shall be."
Many people misunderstand when thesegreat end-time events will take place. Theyoften confuse the Great Tribulation with the"Day of the Lord" and the heavenly signs.
The Bible shows us that the GreatTribulation is the time when Satan the devilwill vent his wrath upon the world. Satan willbe responsible for the suffering of those whoare not accounted worthy to escape thesehorrible occurrences. True Christians whohave not remained in contact with God willnot be accounted worthy to escape all thesethings.
This Great Tribulation is a time of war andcaptivity for the modern-day nations of Israeland Judah, and a time of martyrdom for trulyconverted Christians.
Do You Remember?
1. Christ's prophecy given in Matthew 24 iscalled the Prophecy.
2. Christ prophesied to His disciples on the
3. What was the Gospel message that Christbrought? _
4. What are the four world-shaking events thatChrist described in Matthew 24? _
5. What did Christ call the period of timewhen great troubles would come uponmankind? _
6. Who are the elect? _
7. What do the four horsemen of Revelation 6represent? _
GOSPEL PREACHED IN ALLTHE WORLD
Christ's disciples also asked Him about thesign of His Second Coming (Matthew 24:3). In
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Christ's apostle, Herbert W. Armstrong, preaches the "good news " of the coming Kingdom of God.
Matthew 24:14 Jesus interrupted His discussion of the order and time flow of world eventsto tell them when the end would come: "Andthis gospel of the kingdom shall be preached inall the world for a witness unto all nations; andthen shall the end come."
There is Jesus' answer. He had warned Hisdisciples of false ministers doing away with Hismessage. However, He said that just before theend, the real Gospel about the Kingdom of Godwould be preached in all nations.
That prophecy is being fulfilled today withthe WORLD TOMORROW telecast, the PLAINTRUTH magazine and other publications of theWorldwide Church of God.
Only the true Church of God and Christ's
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apostle, Herbert W. Armstrong, are fulfillingthis prophecy. Only God's Church is preachingChrist's Gospel message of the Kingdom ofGod to the world.
A WAY OF ESCAPE
Christ showed that for most of God's peoplethere is a way of escaping the GreatTribulation. Jesus commands us to watch andpray. "Watch ye therefore, and always,that ye may be accounted to____ all these things that shall _to , and to before the _of " (Luke 21:36).
We should be watching world events. Thiswill enable us to see the Bible prophecies of the
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end-time being fulfilled as Christ's returndraws nearer.
Have any of Christ's prophecies beenfulfilled since He first started the Church? Onthe lines below, write out some of theseprophecies. You may want to ask your parentsfor assistance. _
You should pray for help in obeying yourparents and keeping God's laws so that you canbe considered worthy to escape the GreatTribulation.
In Matthew 24:15-20, Christ urged us topray that we would not need to escape on aSabbath day or in winter. Special warnings arealso given to pregnant women and nursingmothers.
Jesus Christ promised to His own electprotection from the prophesied tribulation thatwill soon strike this world. And fortunately,God is not only going to save these elect, butmillions of others "for the elect's sake"(Matthew 24:22). This is mankind's only hopefor survival.
HEAVENLY SIGNS PRIORTO CHRIST'S SECOND COMING
Immediately following the period of tribulation, mankind will witness startling events."Immediately the _of those days shall the_____, and the shall not - __her ', and the shall - __from , and the of the____ shall be " (Matthew24:29).
The prophet Joel also spoke of this same time."The shall be turned into_____, and the into _before the and the dayof the LORD come" (1oeI2:31).
Joel refers to these heavenly signs as thebeginning of the terrible Day of the Lord.
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Let's notice what the Bible says concerningthese heavenly signs: "And, 10, there was agreat earthquake; and the sun became black assackcloth of hair, and the moon became asblood; And the stars of heaven fell unto theearth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimelyfigs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Andthe heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolledtogether" (Revelation 6:12-14).
This is the time when God will directlyintervene in world affairs. The Day of theLord is the time when God will punish therebellious nations of this world (Revelation6:17).
God says He will bring distress upon defiantand sinful people who hate truth and peace andlove evil (Zephaniah 1:14-15, 17). This day ofthe Eternal's wrath will come after theheavenly signs in the sun and moon. And thesefrightening supernatural signs will immediatelyfollow the Great Tribulation.
We have learned from Matthew 24 and Joel2:31 the following sequence of events:1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th
Do You Remember?
1. What supernatural event immediately fol-lows the Great Tribulation? _
2. It is important that we and_ __ always to be worthy to escape.
3. The Great Tribulation is the wrath of_____ upon mankind.
4. What, according to Christ, is the sure signof the end of this age? _
5. The time of God's intervention in the affairsof mankind is called the _
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CHRIST'S SECOND COMING
Christ described His Second Coming aslightning that flashes from the east and is seenin the west. All those alive when He returnswill be able to see it (Matthew 24:27).
Christ will return to the earth in power andglory to rule the earth and bring peace: "Andthen shall the of the _of in heaven: and then shall all the
of the mourn, and theyshall the of coming inthe of with____ and great " (Matthew24:30).
Christ warned His disciples earlier that falseprophets would arise to deceive many people.For centuries Satan has sent his false prophetsto deceive people into expecting the imminentreturn of the Messiah. As a result, many peoplehave become doubtful that Christ will everreturn. Now that God's true servants arefinally announcing the imminence of Christ'sSecond Coming, most people do not believe!
Events will be further confused as a powerfulreligious leader of enormous influence dominates the world scene. Christ says that thisgreat false prophet, who will hold sway duringthe Great Tribulation, will perform greatmiracles and wonders trying to deceive evenconverted Christians (Matthew 24:24).
Christ will return to this earth as the seventhtrumpet sounds. These trumpets will begin tosound during the Day of the Lord. NoticeMatthew 24:31: "And he [God] shall send his_____ with a great of a_____, and they shall
his from the__________', from one end of_____ to the other."
God's people will be gathered from all overthe earth. This will include God's people whowill be alive when Christ returns and those whohave died in Christ over the centuries. This isthe first resurrection.
The Apostle Paul wrote in I Thessalonians
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4:15-17 that those who are dead "asleep" willbe resurrected. As Christ returns at the soundof the trumpet, those Christians who are alive,along with those who have qualified and died,will all be caught up in the air to join Him inthe clouds. They will then descend with Christas He returns to take over the rulership of theearth.
Paul also wrote: "Behold, I shew you a____; We shall not all ,but weshall all be , In a , inthe of an , at the last____: for the shall sound,and the shall beincorruptible, and we shall be "(I Corinthians 15:51-52).
Can you imagine such a wonderful event?Imagine seeing your parents along with otherconverted members of God's true Churchchanged into immortal, spirit-composed members of God's Family! They will rise to meetChrist in the air as He returns to this earth.They will touch down on the Mount of Olivesin Jerusalem as Christ ushers in a Millenniumof world peace. What a fantastic future wehave to look forward to!
NO MAN KNOWS THE HOUR
The inevitable question asked by Christ'sdisciples, and doubtless one that concerns youand me, is-exactly when will Christ return?
Jesus did not tell us. Christ said that no man,not even the angels in heaven, know the exacttime of His Second Coming (Matthew 24:36).
Christ did say that it is possible to knowwhen His return is very near. In the parable ofthe fig tree, Christ said that we know whensummer is near when a fig tree puts forthleaves. In the same way, we observe worldconditions to know approximately when Christwill return.
As we have already seen, Christ spoke ofmany signs and conditions in the world thatwill immediately precede His return. Anothersign that Christ gave is found in verses 37-39.In your own words, summarize these verses on
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the lines below. _
Just as the people at the time of the Floodwere corrupt, selfish, obsessed with entertainment and interracially marrying, similarconditions will exist at the end-time. In fact,these very conditions exist now.
By watching world events we are able to seeample evidence of end-time conditions. Andjust as the Flood suddenly came and swept thatcivilization away, so will the end-time eventsand Second Coming of Christ come swiftly.
On the lines below, write out the ways inwhich you can watch world events. _
Again Christ repeats His previous warning:" therefore: for ye _what your doth "(Matthew 24:42). We as Christ's disciples areto be in a constant state of readiness for Hisreturn by watching world conditions, prayingand remaining close to God.
If Christ's people are doing this, they willnot be caught unprepared by Christ's return. Inthe same way, Christ said that the owner of ahouse would be prepared against robbery if hewere warned in advance (Matthew 24:43).
BEING A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT
In the latter few verses of Matthew 24 andall of chapter 25, Christ admonishes HisChurch to be ready for His return. He exhortsHis people to be prepared spiritually. Theyshould be obedient to His laws, and living theexample expected of a Christian. They shouldbe practicing the "give" way rather thangetting for themselves. They should be doingHis work until He returns.
In the parable of Matthew 24:45-51, Christ
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likens Himself to a lord who has entrusted hisaffairs and work to a servant. In the same way,Christ has entrusted His Church and Work toHis people. What does He expect to find uponHis return? " is that _whom his lord when he shall findso . Verily I say unto you, That heshall him over all his___" (Matthew 24:46-47).
Just as the baptized members of God's Churchare preparing themselves to become spirit beingsat Christ's return and to rule with Him, so mustthe young people in God's Church be preparing.You can prepare for an exciting job in the WorldTomorrow through obedience to God and yourparents, as well as through involvement in theChurch's youth programs.
In our next lesson, we will conclude the finalweek of Christ's life with the events of Christ'sfinal Passover.
Young people can begin preparing todayfor exciting jobs in the World Tomorrow.
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UNSCRAMBLE THE LISTSListed below are 20 key words and phrases found in the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24. Unscramble each of thewords and phrases and write them in the list to the right. When you have completed the new list, unscramble theletters in the boxes to complete the verse below. When you have finished, write a short paragraph about how thisscripture is being fulfilled today.
BTIULRNIOTASWRASNMFAIEKSUHEREAQTASCEIPSETLNEYTEABRSEFLATPOREHSPERUDNELEPSOGEDEHCARPSWNERODWTHCAGNOTIARNEEPGNIEWESYDAFNOOHAPTEURMTLTNIGNHIGNSUKDRADNEETHIFLUAFSVRETNA.e»:
__ 0 __ 0 0____ 0_00 00 0 ____ 0_0 0 ____ 0 __0 00_0 _0_0 __0_0 0 0_0 __ 0 __ 0___ 0__0 __ 0 00_0 _0 0_ 0 _0 __ 0 ___ 0 ___ 0 0 0_0__ 0 0 0 0_
"And this of the _ - - - - --shall be in all the _ - - - -
for a unto all - - - -;
and then shall the _ _ _ _ " (Matthew 24: 14).
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