"Standing On Olivet" And "Coming From Edom."

by Armstrong, R. | Category: The Coming Again Of The Lord Jesus Christ: | Sept 1954

The events indicated by our present subject are related to a time yet future in God's great prophetic programme when developments of tremendous importance will take place, in what is now known, geographically, as Palestine and the Near East. We refer to the time of the coming of the Lord Jesus in power and great glory when He will execute God's judgement amongst the nations of earth.

God has committed all judgement into the hands of the Son (John 5.22), and the particular phase of judgement we are dealing with will be global in its extent, and will involve the entire population of the world (See Zephaniah 3.8; Zechariah 14. 2; Joel 3.2).

The battle of Armageddon, one of the shortest and most terrible battles the world will have known, will have taken place. The beast and his confederated armies, which we judge will represent the world's total military power, will suffer complete annihilation by the Lord Jesus, the kingly conquering Rider upon the white horse (Revelation 19. 11-21).

The plain of Esdraelon near Megiddo some 50 miles north of Jerusalem will be the scene of this sudden visitation of the Lord in judgement. This brings us to the time when the Lord Jesus will return to the mount of Olives.

"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" (Zechariah 14.4). What precious thoughts crowd in upon us concerning the mount of Olives! Scenes of long ago enacted upon that sacred spot move our hearts. Once, the blessed Lord stood upon its brow and, with tears rolling down His holy face, looked into Jerusalem's streets, and looked, too, across the ages, into those distant future days, days of relentless persecution, of which the prophets had written. His yearning heart of love, which felt for all, is reflected in His words "If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes .... because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Luke 19.42-44).

Again, as He moved toward the dark shadows of Calvary, it was on Olive's brow, in Gethsemane (the place of olive presses), that the Saviour agonized in blood-like sweat, as He anticipated the dreadful sufferings of the cross (Luke 22.39-44).

The last view the apostles had of their beloved Lord was when He took them to the mount of Olives, and there was taken up from them into heaven (Acts 1.9-12).

As those saddened men gazed heavenward, what joy flooded. their hearts as they listened to the two men in white apparel who appeared upon the scene, saying, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, which was received up from YOU into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven."

His future standing on the mount of Olives is in association with His coming as the Son of Man, for the purpose of delivering His people Israel, and to judge the nations prior to setting up His glorious kingdom (Matthew 24.80, 81 ; 25.31-34).

This should not be confused with the Lord's coming to the air for the Church which is His Body, the saints of this dispensation of grace, which coming will take place at least seven years earlier than His coming as the Son of Man to the earth. The period which intervenes between these two appearings sees the rise and fall of the beast and the false prophet, and the time of the great tribulation (Daniel 9.25, 26; 12. 1 ; Matthew 24. 15-30).

The words which the Holy Spirit has chosen to set forth these two appearings of the, Lord Jesus are significant, and reveal the distinctive purpose of each.

The following scriptures under two headings will prove helpful in understanding the difference.

His coming to the air for HisHis coming to the earth with

saintsHis holy angels

John 14.1-8Zechariah 14.4

1 Corinthians 15.51-57Matthew 24.25-51

1 Thessalonians 4.14-172 Thessalonians 1.7-10

2 Thessalonians 2.1Revelation 1.7

One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise (2 Peter 3.8, 9). In the fulness of God's time, even though the promise may grow dim in men's hearts through the passing of centuries, we know the blessed Christ will descend in visible form to stand upon the mount of Olives, not as in days of old in meek and lowly guise, but in the resplendent glory of His regal majesty as King of kings to judge the nations in righteousness.

This is the commencement of the time spoken of as "the day of the Lord" when the nations shall bow to the authority of Him who holds both the sword of judgement and the sceptre of righteousness in His pierced hand.

A remarkable phenomenon will take place when the feet of King Messiah shall touch the mount of Olives. The ground, which once knew the lowly tread of the Man of Sorrows, will yield to His mighty power and cleave in the midst. "There shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half toward the south."

We read in that day.... living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea (or Dead Sea), and half of them toward the western sea (or Mediterranean Sea)" (Zechariah 14. 8; see Newberry margin).

Also in Ezekiel 47.1 8 10 we are told of these same waters which shall issue from under the threshold of the temple of the Lord (This is the new temple which the Lord shall build) (Zechariah 6 12 18)

"These waters issue forth toward the eastern region and shall go down into the Arabah and shall go toward the sea into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth and the waters shall be healed".

As a result of this miraculous change, the waters of the Dead Sea will be healed and there shall be a great multitude of fishes.. "And it shall come to pass, that fishers shall stand by it: from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea; exceeding many." These two places are heated on the shores of the Dead Sea.

We observe that these miraculous topographical changes in Palestine, and other changes in the earth, will provide great physical blessings during the millennium (Psalm 72. 16), yet is it true that their commencement dates from the moment the Lord's feet will touch the mount of Olives.

In Isaiah 63.1-6 the Lord Jesus is pictured here as coming "from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this that is glorious in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength." His garments are sprinkled with blood, from treading the winepress of the wrath of God. We would connect with this Revelation 19.18-15, when He will mete out in full measure the righteous wrath of God.

At long last the earth-shaking judgements of God will be released upon the nations of the earth who "know not God, and .... that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ " (2 Thessalonians 1.8). This is the time of which the prophet Joel speaks,

"Haste ye, and come, all ye nations .... come up to the valley of

Jehosphaphat:(Jehovah judgeth) for thee. will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the winepress is full, the fats overthrow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision" (Joel 3.11-16 RVM).

Also in Zephaniah 3.8 we read,

"For My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy."

We shudder when we think of man's latest weapons of destruction in this age of atomic power, yet how much more fearful it will be when "the LORD shall roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem !" Men.." shall go into the eaves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth,: from before the terror of the LORD ... when He ariseth to shake mightily the earth " (Isaiah 2. 19).

In Revelation 14. 20, the vintage of the earth (men) is gathered by the angel with a sharp sickle, and cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Christ will tread the wine press alone. Some idea of how terrible will be that visitation of divine wrath, is that the blood will come up to the horses' bridles, as the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."

The Lord Jesus will deliver His own people, the remnant of Israel who during the dreadful days of the tribulation will refuse to receive the mark of the beast in their or on their forehead, and those of every tribe and tongue and nation who will come out of the great tribulation (Revelation 7. 3-17; Matthew 25. 31-46; Joel 3.16).

With this we link the parable of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13.41-48, where we read the " Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity." Also Matthew 25.31-46 where we see the Son of Man as the great Divider of men, separating the sheep from the goats. "Before Him shall be gathered all the nations: and He shall separate them from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. "

This reveals a divine principle which has ever been operative in God's dealings with men and nations. He separates His own people from the world, that He may bring them into the place of blessing and privilege. So it will be in that day, as the Lord Himself brings into existence the outward and visible kingdom of His Father which, says He to those on "His right hand, was prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25, 34).

Those on the King's left hand will, in consequence of their rejection of Him, receive the due reward of their deeds and hear from His lips the pronouncement of righteous judgement. "Depart from Me ye cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25.41).

In conclusion we observe that the Lord's coming to Olivet, and His subsequent administration of divine judgement upon the nations, will mark an important development in the future purposes of God.

It signifies the end of Gentile world power and authority which God in His infinite wisdom has seen fit to leave in their hands since the days of Nebuchadnezzar (Luke 21.24; Daniel 2, 19-45).

King Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, was the first in the long line of Gentile rulers (Daniel 2.37, 38), while the beast (Revelation 13.) is represented by the feet of iron and clay, and is the last of the Gentile rulers. In keeping with what we have considered, we link Daniel 2.41-45 where we see the final end of Gentile rule, when the Stone, cut out of the mountain without hands, will break in pieces the image, which is representative of Gentile rule in the world. This is the judgement of the Lord upon the nations.

As we contemplate the vastness of the things which are before us, surely we are humbled and confess we have but touched the outskirts of His ways, and seeing these things are all thus to be, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy living and godliness (2 Peter 3. 11)?

May our hearts bow in the presence of God, before whom the nations appear "as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance" (Isaiah 40. 15)! Let us say like Paul, "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past tracing out!" (Romans 11.33).

Armstrong, R. | Sept 1954
The Coming Again Of The Lord Jesus Christ: