"The Blessed Hope"⤒🔗

What Paul calls "the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), Jesus says will take place "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (Matthew 24:29), that is, immediately after the time of trouble during Satan's loosing. What a comfort our Savior's appearance will be! It will come at the darkest hour that history has ever known (Luke 21:25-28)!

As Jesus gave His Olivet discourse concerning the Last Days, he finally came to the Last Day, itself. He said,

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, 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 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29-31

Our Lord gives us a vivid picture of that event at the end of history. The point of this vivid language is not to give a photograph, as it were, of the events of that coming hour. Referring to this passage, the Baptist, A.T. Robertson, wrote: "Literalism is not appropriate in this..." (Word Pictures in the New Testament, I:193). Actually, what Jesus did was give a picture of the Last Hour by means of Old Testament prophetic language (see Deuteronomy 30:4; Isaiah 13:10, 27:13, 34:4b; Ezekiel 32:7; Daniel 7:13, 14; Joel 2:10, 31, 3:15; Haggai 2:6, 21; Zechariah 2:6, 12:10, 12). By means of this language Jesus was saying that in the Last Hour there would be convulsions in nature by which the creation would finally be freed from the shackles of sin, as we are taught in Romans 8:18-22.

Though some believe that the human race will be an­nihilated by bombs, or by the sun moving farther and far­ther away from the earth, or by a star-fragment rushing toward the earth, none of this seems possible. Jesus' words, and the rest of the New Testament, do not permit this. Notice what Jesus said.

1. There would be this tremendous convul­sion in nature.
    
2. He would then appear.
    
3. Then, after that, the elect would be gathered. The human race will not have been annihilated by means of the disasters in nature. (See also 1 Thessalonians 4:17.)

Incidentally, this event is not to be confused with the great conflagration mentioned in 2 Peter 3:10-13. This comes later.

Along with this phenomena in nature will appear "the sign of the Son of man." This, of course, is the "blessed hope." On several occasions Jesus had been asked for a sign and He would answer by referring to the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:38-45; 16:1-4). In that day there will be a sign: His ap­pearance. When, in His trial, the high priest said to Jesus, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God," Jesus answered, "Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:63, 64). When Jesus appears, His majesty will make all else seem pale.

At that point in time, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. Yet, even as unbelievers acknowledge Him as Lord, they will be calling for the moun­tains and the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the Lamb's wrath (Revelation 6:15-17).

The Trumpet Signal←⤒🔗

At the same time, there will be comfort for the believer (Matthew 24:31). The trumpet, we are told, will sound, and the angels will gather God's elect. God's own will have no reason to fear.

A trumpet is often mentioned in relation to the return of Christ. Before we consider some of the events which are signaled by the trumpet, perhaps we should see the significance of a trumpet in Scripture.

In the Old Testament, when God came to meet His peo­ple, the meeting was announced by the trumpet's sound (Exodus 19:16, 17, 19). Also, the sound of a trumpet was a call to war (Isaiah 27:13). When God came to rescue His people from hostile oppression, it was said that a trumpet was sounded (Zephaniah 1:16; Zechariah 9:14). Thus, the trumpet's sounding in the Last Day speaks of the eternal fellowship with Immanuel, "God with us." It speaks of deliverance and the end of the forces of evil.

Whether or not there will be a literal trumpet blare in that day can be debated. The point of the mention of the trumpet's sound is that Christ's return will not be missed by anyone and it will mean great comfort for the believer. "But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).

The Battle of Armageddon←⤒🔗

Christ's coming will bring about what is referred to as the Battle of Armageddon. While some Bible teachers go wild with fanciful interpretation about this battle, it is not therefore an idea we out of reaction, pass by. It is taught in Scripture. Our task is to understand what is meant.

In two places in Revelation we read about Armageddon — 16:12-16 and 19:11-21. This portion of the vision in Revelation answers the question: what of the reprobates who are still living when Jesus comes again? At the last moment in history when Christ appears, they will have been under the sway of Antichrist and thus engaged in persecution which for the believer has so intensified that it seems as if there is no hope. When Christ appears this host of evil is brought to an end. This final conflict is referred to as the Battle of Armageddon.

The basic passage referring to this is Revelation 16:12-16. It teaches about God's wrath on sin as it becomes fully ripe. The River Euphrates, the boundary between the Promised Land and heathen nations, a symbol of the separation be­tween the church and the unbelievers, is dried up (16:12). This is another way of speaking of the results of Satan's loos­ing. The forces of unbelief (vv 13, 14), pictured as kings of the world, unclean spirits (influences) coming out of the mouth of the dragon or beast (the word of the false Christ), rise up against the people of God. This picture is of the anti­christian government and the false prophecy of that time. The confrontation is called "the war of the great day of God, the Almighty" (v. 14). Verse 16 names the place as Har-Magedon

A parallel passage is located in Revelation 19:11-21. In those verses we see the Lord who in His appearance makes war on those who stand opposed to Him and His people. He is "The Faithful and True," He is not the false Christ. His white horse is the horse of victory (v. 11). He smites the enemies of God (v. 15). The end of the "battle" is the Judg­ment (vv. 19-21).

What is the significance of Har-Magedon, or Armaged­don as we call it? Literally, it means Mt. Megiddo. The reference is to Old Testament events that took place at Mt. Megiddo, and of course, their significance for the church.

Geographically, Mt. Megiddo is located some fifty miles north of Jerusalem. Nearby are Nain, Endor and Carmel. To the northeast is Mt. Tabor. Below the heights of Megid­do is the Plain of Esdraelon, or the Valley of Jezreel. Events which took place there, in the Plain of Esdraelon at the foot of Mt. Megiddo, put meaning into the use of the term Har­-Megedon in the Book of Revelation.

Several notable battles occurred there.

The first one is recorded in Judges 4 and 5. King Jabin, the Canaanite, was on his way to oppose Israel. He had General Sisera as his right hand man and 900 chariots at his command. Israel, on the other hand, had no army, not even a shield. Deborah reminded Israel that they, of themselves, could not defeat Jabin. However, they were to fight because Jehovah could defeat Jabin, and would! Israel's victory came as a result of some amazing signs in nature. In victory Israel followed after the fleeing Canaanites.

Again the valley is filled with the sound of battle. In Judges 6:5, we read of the Midianites coming after Israel. In Judges we read that Gideon with his small, small army-300 men, comes forth! Doom is sure! But the Plain of Esdraelon echoes with "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon" and 300 lamps flash. In terror the Midianites flee. Tiny, seemingly helpless Israel is victorious.

The point of both of these historical incidents is that when matters seemed utterly hopeless, victory came, and it came from the Lord!

That is precisely the point of the Battle of Armageddon. We do not waste time plotting out on maps the way the ar­mies will come to this last battle on the Plain of Esdraelon. In fact, fulfillment of the words in the Revelation does not mean that it will happen at that geographic location. Instead, we understand that at history's darkest hour, when all seems humanly speaking, utterly hopeless, and that the end has come for the church due to Antichrist's wicked work, Christ appears and deliverance is given. Antichrist is brought to nought (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Victory comes through Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:9).

A crashing end has come to Satan's little season!