Jesus' Teaching about Believing during the Tribulation

“Believe” in Matthew, Mark & Luke - Part 21:

We continue reviewing the use of the Greek word Pisteuo, translated “believe” in Matthew, Mark and Luke, where the following individuals are recorded as having uttered it:

1. Once by the Angel Gabriel who was sent from God to speak to the Priest Zacharias, see Vol 3, No 35,

2. Once by Elizabeth, wife of the Priest Zacharias, mother of John the Baptist, speaking to Mary, mother of Jesus, see Vol 3, No 36,

3. 25 times by Jesus Himself,

4. 5 times by Chief Priests, Scribes & Pharisees,

5. Once by the father of the demon possessed boy,

6. Twice by the Gospel writer Mark in his narrative.

We are to the point where we have studied 17 of the 25 instances where Jesus is recorded as having said “believe.” Today we proceed to a portion of His Olivet Discourse where Scripture records Him using it three (3) times:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:21 - 2721 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

. See also Mark's account where He uses the word believe once - Mark 13:20 - 2220 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

. (Luke's account of this dialogue is abbreviated and does not include the word believe - Luke 21:5 - 385 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

37 And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.

38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

.)

The complete context of this passage is Matthew 24:1 - 25:46; Mark 13 & Luke 21:5 - 85 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

, beginning with the disciples pointing out to Jesus the beautiful building/s of the Temple as they were leaving. Jesus responded that the Temple would be thrown down, leaving not one stone upon another - Matthew 24:1 & 21 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

. This prophecy was fulfilled about 40 years later when the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD when they overran Israel and sent the Jews into dispersion.

Charles F. Baker notes in his book “Understanding the Gospels” the special significance of Jesus' exit from the Temple at this time because this was the second time the Temple was left desolate. He observes the striking similarity of this and the first time it was left desolate. Quoting from Baker: “It will be seen from Ezekiel 9:33 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side;

; 10:4, 18 & 19; 11:23 that the glory of the Lord departed from the first Temple in stages and finally went up from the midst of the city, that is, upon the Mount of Olives, from which it disappeared into heaven. The glory of the Lord appeared again in the Temple in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, but when He was rejected by Israel He likewise departed in stages from the Temple, and finally left the Temple and went out to the Mount of Olives.” After His resurrection Jesus Christ ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. When He returns to establish His Kingdom on earth His feet will again stand on that mount, Zechariah 14:44 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

; Acts 1:11 & 1211 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

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Jews had no county of their own after 70 AD. They were killed, persecuted and driven to and fro for over 1900 years. It was not until after the Holocaust of World War 2 that they were allowed to return to Palestine in 1947 and establish the Nation of Israel. But their return was not because they had repented and turned to Jesus Christ as their Messiah and the Temple is still not rebuilt on the Temple Mount, the location of the first two temples. Israel today is a secular nation and the temple can't be rebuilt because the Muslims built the Dome of the Rock there in 691 AD where it stands today. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock for Wikipedia's history of the Dome of the Rock.) Witness the reaction of Muslims to the publishing of a cartoon about their prophet or any desecration of their Quran and one can imagine the worldwide violence that would erupt if anything were to happen to the Dome of the Rock. However, God's Word tells us that The Lord Jesus Christ will return to the Mount of Olives, a remnant of the Nation of Israel will turn to Him and the Temple will again stand where it belongs.

In previous studies we have observed that when Jesus was here He taught Israel to believe the Kingdom message proclaimed by John the Baptist, which brought forgiveness of sins and healing from physical infirmaries. In today's study we find Him warning Israel not to believe the false christs that will appear just before and/or during the Great Tribulation even though they will show great signs and wonders. He said these words almost 2000 years ago but His prophecy still has not occurred. Some “spiritualize” what He said, claiming these events have already occurred, i.e., the past persecutions of Jews culminating in millions being killed by Hitler in the 1930's and 40's was the Tribulation about which He spoke. But as terrible as past persecutions have been they don't compare to what lies ahead. The Jews who believe and are saved out of the yet future Tribulation will survive only because of God's miraculous intervention as they wait for His return, which will not be mistaken because it will be like lightening coming out of the east and blasting to the west; obvious to all.

By revelation from the risen Lord Jesus Christ the Apostle Paul explained why these events have not come to fruition yet. He wrote: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:2525 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

(see the full context in Romans 9, 10 & 11). At the time Paul wrote these words he was no doubt unaware that Israel's blindness would last for 2000 years or more but the fact remains that Israel has not been the world's prominent Nation, as promised and foretold in the Old Testament, and it still isn't. The good news is that during this long period of time God has dealt with individual Jews and Gentiles in grace. The requirement to be part of God's family for the last 2000 years was proclaimed by the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 41 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

, and he explained that those who believe this message are members of The Body of Christ: Galatians 3:2828 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

; Colossians 3:1111 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

, Romans 12:55 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

; 1 Corinthians 10:1616 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

; 12:12 & 27; Ephesians 3:66 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

; 4:12; 5:23.

Paul made it clear that the Body of Christ (all believers from Paul up to and including us today) will at some point in time be caught up to meet The Lord Jesus Christ in the air and so will ever be with Him, 1 Thessalonians 4:1313 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

- 1813 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

. (This is what is termed “the rapture.”) He also teaches that we will not have to go through the Great Tribulation that Jesus taught the Jewish believers they and the rest of mankind will have to endure. This is evident because Paul tells us to comfort each other with what he wrote about the rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4:1818 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

, and then explains further in 1 Thessalonians 5:1 - 91 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

that we believers are not appointed to wrath, 5:9, which is the Great Tribulation that will descend upon the people of earth as a thief in the night and from which there will be no escape, 5:2 & 3. Paul explains that we are not of the night (when the thief comes) but we are of the light, 5:4 & 5.

Ever since Paul disclosed these facts believers have taken them to heart. Each successive generation died off leaving new believers to embrace them. We thank God He has held off returning for His Body of believers all these many years, which has given us, living today, the opportunity to be included. God's promises revealed by Paul almost 2000 years ago are just as good today as they were then. But after this period of grace ends and members of the Body of Christ are taken up into heaven as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 -18, the events prophesied concerning Israel will come to fruition and the Great Tribulation will occur as Christ describes in our text. There will Jews living when Christ's Body is taken up (the rapture) who will be left because they did not believe. But after that event they will come to believe that the Man Jesus who lived 2000 years ago was indeed their Messiah. They will be part of that remnant of Israel who will endure the Great Tribulation described by Jesus when He was here and by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation. Then, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth like lightening from east to west and stands on the Mount of Olives, that remnant of Israel will look on Him who they pierced, John 19:3737 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

; Revelation 1:77 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

, He will destroy their enemies, Zechariah 12, and return Israel (and the Temple) to their promised prominent position in the World.