THE BIG PICTURE
(Oracles, Miracles, Puzzles and Mysteries)
Three blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who would learn and imagine what the elephant is like by touching it. The first man touching the elephant’s trunk said, “It is a fire hose”. The second man touched the elephant’s ear and said, “No, it is a tree with large leaves”. The third blind man touched the elephant’s tusk and said, “No, it is a protruding weapon”. Each blind man feels a different part of the animal’s body, but only one part, such as the trunk, ear or the tusk. They then describe the animal based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest, and they come to blows. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people’s limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.
This parable has some similarities to the discussions about Jesus’ Second Coming, does it not?
Regarding the Second Coming of Jesus, some say “He will come back in the sky”; others say “no, He will descend onto the Mount of Olives”; yet others say, “No, all of it is a metaphor or is just symbolic”. So heated is the discussion, some have even come to verbal blows.
Let’s have a look for ourselves…
Matthew 24:19-31, For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:15-21, Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand—then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. And, whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.
Read full chapter – Footnotes
- Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
- Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:23e., Messiah
- Matthew 24:24e., confirming miracles
- Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:27e., be visible everywhere
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
Revelation 19:11-16 – The Coming of Christ
Revelation 19:11-16, And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 19:15 Or shepherd
- Revelation 19:15 Lit wine press of the wine of the wrath of God’s anger
His Feet Will Stand on the Mount of Olives
Zechariah 14:1-11, Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoils taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the houses plundered, the women raped, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be eliminated from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west forming a very large valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
On that day there will be no light; the luminaries will die out. For it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at the time of evening there will be light.
And on that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.
And the Lord will be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.
All the land will change into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will live in security.
Footnotes
- Zechariah 14:3 Lit a day of His fighting
- Zechariah 14:4 Lit from
- Zechariah 14:5 As in many mss and ancient versions; MT You
- Zechariah 14:6 Lit glorious ones will congeal
- Zechariah 14:10 Lit it
(Scripture source for info above from BibleHub.com / New American Standard version)
RECAP of the progression of the Second Coming of Jesus:
- A sign in the sky – Jesus returns in the clouds of the sky (every eye will see him and the nations will mourn). Matthew 24:29-31.
- He will gather His elect. Matthew 24:20-31.
- A throng of all nations, peoples and tribes that cannot be counted standing before His throne. Revelation 7:9-10.
- He will appear in the sky on a white horse with His heavenly army and will destroy the nations with His mouth. Revelation 19. (At this point, he wages war from the heavens, with His heavenly army, and “from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so with it He may strike down the nations…” (Revelation 19:15).
- He will then stand on the Mount of Olives and the earth will split. Zechariah 14:4.
Some say He will come back “in the sky”;
others say it will be “on the Mount of Olives”;
a few say it’s all a metaphor or symbolic.
So heated is the discussion, some have even come to verbal blows.
Whether being ‘blind’ to the entire picture being presented, or peering through a ‘keyhole’ and thereby seeing only part of the entire scene, or suffering from self-imposed ‘myopia’, you get the ‘full picture’ only if you step back so you can see the entire picture. Then open your eyes fully and see all of it, and discard you narrow predisposition.
So, which view is right?
All of this – from Matthew 24, Revelation 19 and Zechariah 14 – detail Jesus’ second coming – from the sky to the earth – is His Second Coming!
All of it.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young.
(PS: Here is a little metaphor of sorts that might help.)
It’s five o’clock and a car pulls up the driveway and the children yell with glee, “Daddy’s home”.
All the children run to the front door to greet their father as he comes up the sidewalk, jumping up and down, they yell in unison, “Daddy’s home! Momma, Daddy’s home!”
The father comes into the house, embraces his wife with each child clinging to their legs, and the wife says, “Yes. Daddy’s home”.
So, when did Daddy really come home? I think we know.
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