The Caldwell Commentaries Podcast

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This is the first in a two-part study on how the Lord Jesus, on the last night of His pre-resurrection time spent with His Apostles, transitioned the Passover "Seder" memorial celebration into what Christians refer to as "The Lord's Supper".  In this first message, we discuss the original Egyptian Passover, which led to Israel's deliverance from her bondage, and the Permanent Passover Memorial (which God command Israel to annually celebrate so each succeeding generation would not forget what He had done for His people in delivering them from bondage in Egypt.  We talk about the spiritual significance of the Passover lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread.  We also look at the Passion Week Passover (how it was celebrated by Christ and His men), seeing how events like His washing of the disciples' feet, John's question of John 13:25, and the handing of the sop to Judas all fit so perfectly into the sequence of the Passover service.

Charles Spurgeon said, "The Jewish Passover was made to melt into the Lord's Supper, as the stars of the morning dissolve into the light of the sun".  If Christians, who regularly participate in the ordinance of "The Lord's Supper" (aka "Communion") want to understand all that it signifies, they must see and understand it in the light of the Jewish Passover! Why? Because it was in the Jewish Passover "framework" that Christ instituted His Supper.

Before Jesus spoke the beautiful "Parable of the Ten Virgins," He gave two more admonishments (the first three are discussed in lesson 138).  They are "The Sleeping Porter Admonishment" (Mark 13:33-37) and "The Daily Care Admonishment" (Luke 21:34-36).  Through all five parabolic warnings, the Lord was warning those living in the Tribulation ("The Time of Jacob's Trouble" - Jeremiah 30:7), "BE READY!  I have given you many signs, so although you will not know the exact day or hour of My return, you can know when it is very near!  Do not be caught unprepared!"

Included in this discussion is an informative look at the Jewish wedding customs of Christ's day.  It is imperative to understand the three phases of the Jewish marriage to rightly interpret this parable (it also gives further proof for a pre-Tribulation Rapture).  

Lots of great truths to learn, so click the "play" button!

The Lord's "Parable of the Fig Tree" has become a controversial parable; part of the controversy is because it has been viewed as a complicated allegory rather than a simple analogy.  A popular interpretation of this parable says the fig tree pictures Israel and her reinstatement as a nation in 1948 is its "budding" in the parable.  The conclusion then means the generation that saw Israel's reinstatement will see Christ's return (the Rapture)! Hear the Biblical reasons not to interpret the parable that way and find out how it should be interpreted!

Also discussed are the Lord's "Flood Admonishment" (as in the days of Noah so shall also the coming of the Son of man be), His "Thief Admonishment" (Matthew 24:43, 44), and His "Evil Servant Admonishment" (24:45-51).  These are important "warnings" that must be rightly interpreted.  Something to continually remember is the Church is not in "The Olivet Discourse".

This lesson brings us to a discussion of the most momentous event of all time: the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus in all His Divine Glory!  Did you realize prophecies regarding the Second Coming make-up 1/3rd of all prophecies of Scripture?  Do you know of the 333 prophecies regarding Christ Jesus, 109 were fulfilled at His First Coming, while 224 remain to be fulfilled at His Second Coming!  Next to the subject of faith, no other subject is mentioned more in the Bible than Christ's Return.  One more statistic: for every one time the First Coming is mention, the Second Coming is mentioned 8 times!

This lesson is about one of the 21 times the Lord predicted His Return.  In addition to predicting the blasphemous abomination of desolation (lesson 136), He gave a sign that will immediately precede His Return - a great decrease in light from the celestial luminary bodies.  At almost the same instant as that decrease in light, "the sign of the Son of man" will appear in the sky!    Find out from this study what that final sign  might be!

To this point in His Olivet Discourse, the Lord Jesus spoke about the end-times' rise of false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes - all of which will begin to noticeably increase in frequency and intensity (like labor pains) during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation (Daniel's final 7-year "week" - 9:24-27).  He also predicted that, during the second 3 1/2 years, there would be great persecution of Jews and Christians, the rise of many false prophets, and the proliferation of sin and total lawlessness (Matthew 24:9-12).

In Matthew 24:15, Christ gave the specific sign that would divide the two halves of the Tribulation Period.  It is the sign that should warn Jews living in Israel, as well as Tribulation saints, that massive persecution (by the Antichrist) is about to begin.

Find out about an historical "abomination of desolation" (Antiochus Epiphanes), which served as a prophetic preview of the even greater "abomination of desolation" the Antichrist will perform as he breaks his "covenant" with Israel (her covenant with death).  

After giving the "labor signs" of the beginning of the Tribulation Period, the Lord proceeded to predict the second half of the Tribulation, which is called "The Great Tribulation".  It will be a time of unprecedented calamity on this earth; fortunately, it will only last 3 and one-half years.  Its culmination comes suddenly with the Lord's Return.  

In this lesson, the Lord presented 5 features that will characterize this time period.  The first 3 are negative; the last 2 are positive.  The negative characteristics are: (1) great persecution of the saints, (2) false prophets, and (3) the proliferation of sin. 

The two positive features that will take place in the final half of the Tribulation are: (4) the promise of "salvation" for the one who endures to the end (NOT in reference to spiritual, bt to physical salvation, and (5) the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom (find out why Matthew 24:14 does not mean the Gospel must be spread to the entire world before Jesus can return for His Church).   What is "the Gospel of the Kingdom" that will be "preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations" in the final years before Christ's Return?  Answer is found in this study.

The first of the four sign-events to occur in the period of the Tribulation Jesus termed, "The Beginning of sorrows" will be a worldwide deception through a proliferation of false christs (see Lesson 3 in this series).  The next three sign-events of this time frame are discussed in this lesson.  They are massive destruction by way of intensified warfare among the nations of the world, a vastly increased death toll as a result of not only the warfare, but increased famines and pestilences (diseases), and dreadful physical disturbances occurring on land and in the sky.

The four "sign-events" of "The Olivet Discourse" are described by the Apostle John in Revelation 6:1-8 as the first four seal judgments, pictured by four different colored horses with ominous riders upon them, famously referred to as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".  Although the Church does not look for these four frightening figures, yet it seems we can hear their thundering hoofbeats off in the distance.  Be sure you are right with the Lord TODAY!

In Jesus' answer to answer the second question asked Him by His disciples, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?" He gave them a whole series of events that will precede His Coming!   In fact, He took them rapidly through the entire seven years of "The Tribulation" on earth (the final week of Daniel's 70 Weeks' Prophecy - see our two podcast lessons tagged "GREAT 70 Weeks' Prophecy).

The Olivet Discourse is Christ's panoramic account of the end-times' events to occur on earth before He returns to establish His earthly Kingdom.  In Matthew 24:4-8, He prophesied of the types of events (signs) that will take place during the first half of the Tribulation (also called "the beginning of sorrows").  In Matthew 24:9-14, He went on to predict the events that will occur in the second half of the Tribulation (called "the Great Tribulation").  In Matthew 24:15-31, He had  further words of prophecy about specific signs of the end-times.  There is more, but we will discuss it when get to lessons 8 to 10.

Describing the first half of the Tribulation, the Lord gave four specific types of "sorrows" those living at that time will experience.  The first is that there will be a great increase in spiritual deception!  Included in this lesson is a review of some of the 23 major false messiahs who have attempted to deceive Israel and the world into believing in them since the time of the true Messiah, Jesus Christ!  It is very interesting!!

This second lesson from the greatest prophetic sermon (and the longest) by the greatest Prophet Who ever lived (the Lord Jesus) is Christ's answer to His disciples' first of two questions asked as they rested on the Mount of Olives on their return trip from Jerusalem to Bethany (where they spent the night with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary).  The question had to do with when the destruction of the Temple would take place, which Jesus shocked His men by predicting on their way up the Mount.

The disciples had no idea of the coming destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 by the Romans, much less  that it would be a "mini-picture" of an even worse, end-times' desolation of the rebuilt Temple by the Antichrist to occur shortly before the return of Christ at His Second Coming.  

In this lesson, we present the four interpretation views of this sermon (and the Book of Revelation), with seven valid reasons why this discourse (and Revelation) must refer to yet-future "end-times' events" and cannot solely apply to either the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem or to events that have already taken place during the Church Age.  This view is referred to as pre-millennialism.  If you have no earthly idea what the differences are between amillennialism, post-millennialism, and pre-millennialism, this study makes it very simple to understand.  Remember:  it is very important to know why you believe what you believe and not just trust others to tell you what to believe!  Examine the Scripture itself, for it is its own Interpreter!

It was Tuesday of the Lord's Passion Week.  Having departed from Jerusalem, after an extremely trying day, He and His disciples rested on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Holy City.  He likely pointed down to the city and prophesied there would not be one stone left upon another.  Earlier, as He departed from the Temple for the last time before His death, He had predicted its desolation.  The disciples were curious, to say the least.  Thus, they asked Him two questions: (1) ". . . When shall these things be?" and (2) "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 5:3).   

The Lord's response to those two important questions launched Him into presenting what is called "The Olivet Discourse," the greatest prophetic sermon by the greatest Prophet who ever lived - and the One Who truly knows the events that will preceed His Second Coming.

It is often said, rightly so, that "The Olivet Discourse" is like a "jet tour" through the Book of Revelation from chapters 6 to 19.  It is very important to listen to this introductory lesson before continuing with Lessons 2 to 10.  It is critical to understand the two questions asked by the disciples from their JEWISH perspective.