Dr. Lewis Barry Chaper addressing students of Dallas Theological Seminary in a lecture on the Olivet Discourse of Matthew chapters 24 and 25. I'll return please to the 24th of Matthew, Matthew chapter 24. The government of Great Britain is sparring for time. to keep from having a holy war with the Muslim world. Practically all the Muslim world is under the control of Great Britain, and they can make them a great deal of trouble. And the requirement now from the Zionistic movement is that they shall give Palestine immediately over for a Jewish state, and that's what God promises will be done. Whether this is the time or not, we cannot tell. But it's breathtaking, men, in the light of prophecy, as to the situation in the world now, respecting Palestine. And it has been laid on my heart to go over this greatest of all prophetic utterances from our Lord himself, the Olivet Discourse. There are three great discourses recorded in the New Testament from Christ. These are the major addresses. Out of all that he said in three and a half years, it has pleased the Spirit of God to retain these three major addresses. Perhaps the sixth of John could be added as on the bread of life, but it's usually thought that there are just three major addresses. The Sermon on the Mount, which was delivered at the very beginning of his ministry, at the time when all his objective was the announcing of the kingdom and in connection with that announcement the conditions that it obtained in the kingdom and the conditions of entering into it and when the kingdom program was postponed of course the application of all of that went over until the kingdom should be set upon the earth. The night before Christ died. He gave the upper room discourse, which is purely a discourse addressed to Christians looking over into the present age. On the other side it was then of his death and his resurrection, his ascension, and the day of Pentecost. And it's the purest Christian doctrine, least complicated of anything we have perhaps in the New Testament. John chapters 13 to 17 inclusive. And only a very few hours, it may have been no more than six hours before giving the Upper Room Discourse, Our Lord gave the Olivet Discourse. As the Upper Room is a farewell word to his disciples addressed as believers, so the Olivet Discourse is addressed to his disciples as representatives of the Jewish nation. It's very interesting to see the characteristics here of these different addresses to whom they are intended. And the Sermon on the Mount likewise was addressed to his disciples, but at the time of the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. Naturally we begin in chapter 23 at verse 37. Chapter 23 at verse 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, now he's not talking to the church or to Christians when he says that. Thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thee, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but ye would not. Now he's not talking about an evening hour of devotion, but about a great prophetic event. If you turn over to 24 and verse 31, you'll see exactly what he has in mind when he says he would gather them. 24, 31. And he shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the end of the horizon, one end to the other. that final national regathering. Prophecy anticipates that Jews will go back, some of them, in unbelief, and that they're doing today. That phase of prophecy is being fulfilled at the present time. Yet awaits the great gathering and taking back in supernatural power, of which I shall speak when I come to it a little later. for it's my purpose to run through here verse by verse and get through if I can the two chapters in these hours that are assigned to us. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth until ye shall say, and they are going to say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Everything in the earth is scheduled to the God's purpose and plan with the nation Israel. It is that one thing that characterizes the program of the earth. And God has intruded into that program with something following immediately upon the death of Christ and this age is an intercalation that is a block of time set in and this has not a thing to do with the Jewish program or the Gentile program. This is not the times of the Gentiles and it's not the times and seasons for Israel. When God measured off the times of the Gentiles through Daniel it was by the figure of a great image and the image of metal representing different deteriorating forms of government. We come to the legs of iron which is Rome and then there's an interval or space before the feet of iron and clay I mentioned and it's in that space in which the world finds itself now So likewise in measuring the times and seasons for Israel we have the period of 70 weeks and the 70th week is Karol and by itself and there's a space between the 69th and 70th week and in that space we have exactly the same interval and in that we are living. We are not now fulfilling Jewish times and seasons We are not now fulfilling the times of the Gentiles, but all of those will be consummated in a closing seven-year period, the most eventful period in the history that the world has ever seen or ever will see, ever could see. But the hour is coming when Israel will say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. That too we find in the 24th chapter and the 30th verse, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Another preliminary word should be said, all of this reference to the coming is the glorious appearing when he comes to the earth in power and great glory. We're not talking about the rapture. And I'd like to say it once for all, there's not a thing here ever connected with the church or the Christian. Nothing here that's addressed to them or that can be applied to them. So I shall go through on that arbitrary statement right from the very first. Now there's no chapter mark, of course, in the original writing, and we pass straight on. And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And his disciples came to him for to show him the building of the temple. One of the most amazing things was the size of the stones in the temple. And strangely they had missed enthusiasm in him regarding the stones of the temple. And why should he be enthusiastic about that? By the word of his power he'd call into existence every mountain on the face of the earth. And the whole earth itself and little they understood when they tried to draw out of him a little natural response of what might be called their national loyalty, a little response to the size of the stones in the temple. Then came the most pessimistic word that could ever be given, the most pessimistic word. Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, Thou shalt not be left to hear one stone upon another that is not cast down." It was thrown down, of course. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, his disciples came unto him privately saying, asking three questions. Now these three questions are tremendously important from the analysis of this address. Before he goes on to answer these questions on the address, in the first part of it at least, is an attempt to answer those questions. Tell us, when shall these things be? That is the throwing down of the stones of the temple. And what shall be the sign of thy coming? And the sign of the end of the age? three important questions. Matthew does not answer the first question in his account, but it is answered in the account given by Luke in chapter 20. I scarcely try to turn up these side passages, but Luke chapter 20 beginning at 21. It's chapter 21 beginning at verse 20, and continues to verse 24, 20 to 24, and closing with this remarkable statement of which I referred a moment ago. 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 Gentiles, be under the overlordship of Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." That's exactly what is true now, that Jerusalem is under the lordship of Gentiles. And the moment that that lordship ceases, this thing has to come into play. Then the times of the Gentiles will be done. That's what gives such tremendous impetus to this present situation. If Great Britain should, in bravery now, turn around and say, we give to the Jews, the Jewish state, right then, the times of the Gentiles are scheduled to be done. I hope you catch that, men. Now, all that's described here of the destruction of Jerusalem is very clear. The language is not complicated at all. And you have certain words, like verse 21, Then let them which are in you flee to the mountains, and depart not out. And because this is similar language to what we shall have in a moment in the 24th chapter, It has given rise to a theory that the second coming of Christ was fulfilled on the destruction of Jerusalem and there's not a thing on which such a theory could ever rest except the parallel of these phrases used by Christ. In answering the questions, the second and third questions, just naturally these disciples did not know which order to put them in. And they got the second and third questions in a reverse order, at least the Lord answers them in a reverse order. What shall be the sign of the end of the age? Is the last question. And what shall be the sign of thy coming? These two are answered here. We proceed at once now on verse 4. And may I say that the end of the age is not the age in which we are living at all. It's the age in which they were living. They knew nothing about the present age. Such a thing had not been revealed up to that time. And they were talking about the end of their age. And it's most important for us to see again at this point, in connection with the end of the age, that the thing that they're talking about is that last period, which they did not realize was separated, or then, the closing 70th week of January. In fact, the thing that happens doesn't happen at the end of our age, but it happens at the end of that period, of that 70th week. And we shall see it as we go on. For he does point out the signs. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. several times now in the early part of this discourse, he gives that timely warning, and it's given to Jews. And their danger of embracing a false Christ is emphasized by so much. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass. But this is not the end. You have asked for the sign of the end. and the sign is not going to be seen in wars and rumors of wars. Now when the First World War broke out, those that were teaching prophecy had to continually say to the people, this is not a sign of the end of the age. So the terrible character of that war just stirred everybody to inquiry along that line, and the Second World War has had similar effect. But this is not the end. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famine and pestilence and earthquake in diverse places. All of this is the beginning of travail." Now the word is lost here, the thought is lost by the word, the use of the word sorrow, which is the old English for the word travail. the preliminary pains that a woman experiences before the birth of a child. And it all leads with increasing intensity up to the excruciating experience and pain of the birth of the child itself. And these are the beginnings of sorrow, of travail. And leading up to the excruciating experience of the tribulation itself. Now look at verse 21. For then shall be the great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, no flesh could endure it. But for Israel's sake, the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened." And here is an indication that the intensity of The travail of the world means the leading up to the time of the sorrow itself. I would not intrude anything here which is not in the text, but so far as my observation goes, it's at this point if we parallel things at all, that the Church is taken out of the world. Here he has been running a comment of the days that characterized this age and these leading up to the time of the sorrow. All these are the beginnings of travail. Then, you have to watch out in the study of the gospel by Matthew for the time words. They're very accurate and very important. From that time forth and after this and so on. And this little word then, T-H-E-N, does not spell N-O-W now. Then, when, in the sorrow, in the time of the sorrow. So that from this on through 21 and 22, we are describing, having a description from the lips of Christ of that period in the earth. And we must see it in that light. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted. by the Jewish people and shall kill you. And we can believe that in the light of what has happened in Europe during the past few years of the Second World War. And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Now Christians have never been hated by all nations. They're made up of the nations. We're not talking about the church or about Christians. and there is something that has not so far as I can observe come into existence yet that they are hated for his name's sake but that evidently is going to develop that they're going to be hated more for his name's sake that the ground of the hatred there may be much of that now that we do not recognize and then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And in many faults prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Jeremiah says that he'll save his people out of this tribulation. that is saved shall endure unto the end. And this gospel of the kingdom, now there's much controversy abroad at the present time as to how many gospels there are, but the gospel of the kingdom is a distinct thing and it had to be accompanied and was accompanied by miraculous science. And when they preached that they went out with the power of miracles. And it was an announcement of the King present and the kingdom at hand because the King was here. And as he came in his first advent this gospel of the kingdom was preached. And they were still preaching the gospel of the kingdom straight up to the very time of the death of Christ. Those disciples never got the thing in mind until he died and rose from the dead. and the Spirit of God came and enlightened them, then they understood something of the present age in which we're living. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached. The Lord said, you shall have not gone over the cities of Judea until all these things be fulfilled, and they never got over the cities of Judea, but that gospel is yet going to be preached in anticipation to the coming of the King. that gospel will be preached and they'll complete that program. And that for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come. Now there's a new note sounded there, unto all nations. For the gospel of the kingdom in its first proclamation was limited to the people of Israel. Christ said I am come only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. and go ye only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then shall the end come, the end for which you have asked to sign." Now it's a common thing with the men who claim for one gospel. They say that these men were preaching The gospel of the grace of God, the same thing that we have. That there's only one gospel. That during all this period of time they were preaching that one gospel. And I rise up in absolute rebellion. They could not preach the gospel of the grace of God because nobody can preach the gospel of the grace of God that doesn't believe in the death and resurrection of Christ. And he has not died and they didn't believe it and didn't understand it at all. They couldn't preach the gospel of the grace of God. And I've never found any of one of these men who contend for that thing that can explain how they could preach the gospel of the grace of God. He just could not do it. Then shall the end come. And now for a sign. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, that is the man of sin, stand as Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. standing in the holy place. This little company of Jews who go back to Jerusalem in unbelief, just as soon as ever they have the privilege granted to them in independence to do anything, they're going to build a temple there. I've been told that there are blueprints already in existence for such a building. I don't know that that's true. It may not be more than a temporary shack, just a tabernacle through which they can that they can once more in unbelief establish their Jewish worship. Whatever that may be, let's remember that this man of sin goes into that restored temple and there declares himself to be their hope. Now he gives warning in the light of the sign and it's a warning directly to us are to them in the day of their tribulation. Then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountain. Either let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. That is, he hung his coat up yonder and began to plow across the field. Now don't go back to get that coat. You haven't time to go back for it. I know to them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days. And pray that your flight should not be in winter, nor upon a Sabbath day. And the Sabbath day is once more brought back into the picture, which indicates that God has turned back to Israel and the Sabbath day is restored once more. It's here. In a controversy that I was having with Dr. Ellis about these very things, Dr. Ellis, who was at the time a teacher of Hebrew in the seminary in Pittsburgh, or in Philadelphia. And he said, does Dr. Chaffer teach his students not to pray the Lord's Prayer? And I came back with this. I said, does Dr. Ellis teach his students not to pray Matthew 24-20? How many of you ever prayed Matthew 24-20? Did you ever pray that your flight should not be in winter, nor on a Sabbath day? Did you? Why not? Didn't the Lord tell you to do it? What's the matter? Why are you disobedient on a thing of this kind? He said, pray ye, and you should not be disobedient. Well, the reason that we question certain things in the Lord's Prayer is the same reason we have here exactly. It just doesn't fit, that's all. It doesn't apply. And then, that same time, then, shall be great tribulation, such it was not since the beginning of the world. To this time no nor ever shall be, and except those days should be shortened. No flesh should endure it, but for the elect's sake it should be shortened. I had a letter a few days ago from a man who was writing me about the church going through the tribulation. And he said, if I didn't have any other reason for believing it, he said, I'm bound to believe it when the Lord said that for the elect's sake they must be here, though they shall be shortened. And the trouble with this man is it's never dawned on him that God has two elections. The election of Israel for the earth and the election of the Christians for heaven. And he's not talking about the Christians. There's not a thing here that's addressed to the Christians. And there's a tendency on the part of those who are trying to tell us that the church goes through the tribulation. They say the tribulation isn't so very bad after all. It's not so very bad after all. But who are we contradicting when we say that? Who are we challenging in a thing of that kind? And how could the Lord Jesus Christ make anything more terrible and awful than he's made this the worst thing that ever was or ever will be in the history of the world? And no flesh could endure it if it were not shortened. Now don't Don't come along and say that this thing is in some measure overstated because we don't dare to tell him that he overstates anything. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not, another warning to that people about a false Christ. For there shall rise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect Israel. Behold, I have told you beforehand. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, coming as a mystic in the desert, behind veiled curtains, and playing upon the imagination of the people. Believe it not, For they shall say that he is in the chamber, believe it not. If he come as John the Baptist in the desert, believe it not. For the way he's coming cannot be counterfeited. 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. For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the vultures be gathered together. and they're invited, the birds of the heavens are invited to come and feast upon the flesh of horses and them that sat on them and upon the men great and small. Such is the scene connected with the second coming of Christ and the Lord evidently has a reference here to the vultures in connection with that scene. of destruction, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign, the sign of his coming, for which they asked, then shall appear the sign, but he doesn't tell what the sign is, he merely declares when it will be. It's all guesswork as to what that sign is. Dr. Gaebelein used to make a great deal of it in declaring that it was an immense revelation of chakranic glory in the heaven. Well, that's Dr. Gaebelein's guess. Somebody else has a right to guess if they choose. He should be coming in power and great glory. It is then that he shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elite from the four winds, and from the end of heaven of the horizon to the one end of the horizon to the other. The gathering of Israel supernaturally Jeremiah says that they shall no longer say the Lord liveth which brought up the people out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth which brought up the people from the north country and from all countries whithersoever. I have scattered them. That is to say, when God wanted to impress His people with a magnificent power, He said, I am the Lord that brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Now He declares that that standard of power will have been forgotten. and a new thing will have superseded it the Lord which gathered these people and brought them into their own land and by supernatural power not by common means of transportation such as in existence today even airplanes but the Lord will bring them by angelic transportation he shall send forth his angels and perhaps a good type or figure of it is Philip when after he had his dealing with the Ethiopian. He was found at Azotus, 8 miles away or 10 miles away, maybe 12 miles. He was just found at Azotus. We don't tell, we're not told what happened to Philip or how he experienced it or how he took it or anything about it. He just was there, that's all. From here he was there. And so by angelic ministration I believe that this marvelous thing is going to take place. that God is not going to wait for ships to cross the ocean or airplanes to cross in the air. But he's just going to pick these people up where they are and put them in their own land. Our connection with all this is a very, our sidelines of truth which one would like to enter into such as the saving of a nation in a day, in a palm, in the beat of a foot. All of this takes place but it's not emphasized here. I've come to the end of the section that I had in mind this morning. But I want to close by making a statement. I shall take it up at this point tomorrow, the Lord willing. I won't have to have any introductory words, I trust. Just as soon as the Church is removed from this world, I believe God is going to move upon Israel with a new and special ability to see and understand and they're going to come right into this scripture and it's going to mean to them exactly what God intended it to mean when he wrote it here. It's addressed to them and warns them and guides them in the hour that's before them. Now where do we place this great address that we're studying? It takes up Israel's program as it would have been immediately after the death of Christ. It takes that program up and goes straight ahead with it. Had there been no inclusion of this age of the Church, this is the program that lies ahead. So that when we read it, we must see that we just jump over these perhaps two thousand more years. We just jump straight over it and strike right in and go straight along as it will be. If this age had not intruded, we would be right now about 900 years past the millennium in the history of the world. We would have had the thousand year period and 900 more years beyond that at the present time. We're just tracing what will happen because God is going to take up his program and this is it. And it's put over until that time. And we must see it in that light. and he must bring an illumination to his people Israel so that they will understand and see these things. Now let's read a minute here. Now learn a parable of the fig tree when the branches yet tender and put forth leaves. He know that summer is nigh, that's an illustration and it doesn't necessarily require us to see that Israel is a fig tree at all. So likewise ye when ye shall see all these things. So they're going to see them. That's what he says. They're going to see them. The nation Israel is going to see in that day. And these things will appeal to them. Otherwise, all these warnings could have no very great effect if it were not revealed to them. Verily I say unto you, this line of descent, this nationality, this people, This branch of humanity shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. A young preacher I met over in the Carolinas some years ago said to me, I've stopped preaching, I'm not preaching anymore. I said, what's the matter with you? Well, he said, the Lord didn't keep his word, he said, and I just had to stop preaching. I said, what are you talking about? The Lord didn't keep his word. Well, he said, all these things He said that this generation should not pass till all these things be fulfilled. I said, did you happen to study Greek when you went through your course in the seminary? He said, yes, I did and forgot it. I said, I guess you did forget it. Well, I said, why didn't you look into this thing to see what he meant when he said this generation? Did he mean just the people living at that time on the earth? Or did he refer to this nation? He referred to the nation. This nation shall be preserved till all these things be fulfilled. And they have been preserved and they will be preserved regardless of the Muslim world or all the hatred of Hitler and his cohorts. This people will be preserved till this thing be fulfilled. But when ye shall see is a most important word for us today. That they shall see The light is going to fall on them, and these warnings will mean something to them. We'll take them up tomorrow. Shall we bow in prayer? Our Father, thou hast given us this lamp to our feet, this sure word of prophecy. It falls from the greatest of all the prophets that ever lived. And we are craving, Lord, that we may rightly understand every word that he spoke, that we may be instructed and enlightened and helped by it. And so may the precious grace of our Lord rest upon us, we pray in his name. Amen.