The Stone Cometh Preface notes. Jesus said the Stone would come upon Judaism. Jesus said “this generation” (Mat 23:36) not a generation thousands of years following. Their antichrist system (1Jo 2:22; 1Jo 4:3; 2Jo 1:7) rejected the Stone, not our generation. However, their rejection did not stop Christ from being the Stone, the head of the corner. Jesus, the chief corner Stone, notified the Jews they would be crushed. The penalty for rejecting him was desolation. The Stone would crush the very temple in which they sat at the moment spoken (Mat 23:38). Their generation did not pass before all these things happened.
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST – The Stone Cometh
By Pastor Delbert Young
The Stone Cometh Preface notes
Our images in The Revelation is full of symbolism.
As we will see, the Book of Revelation is in four sections ending with the four-square city the Lamb’s wife. There is the vision of the Son of Man in the midst of the seven golden lampstands; the vision of the Lion and the Lamb opening the scroll; the vision of the King of kings coming on the white horse; and the vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem the Lamb’s wife.
The title The Stone Cometh finds its origin in the book of Daniel chapter 2.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, dreamed of a great image. The image represented the four world empires that would exist. At the end of the dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a Stone cut from a mountain without human hands. This Stone struck the image upon its feet and broke the feet to pieces. The Stone then ground the rest of the image to powder. It all became as chaff. The wind carried it away and there was no longer any place found for them. Lastly, the Stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
The legs, feet, and toes of the dream were the fourth and last world empire. It was the Roman Empire. According to Daniel 2:44, “in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” This is extremely important. This tells us the kingdom of God was established in the days of the Roman Empire. It is about this event the Book of Revelation concerns. If Daniel was correct, the Kingdom of God was established between the times of 63 B.C. and 410 AD. and is now in operation. We do not await Jesus to return to establish the kingdom. It was established in the days of the Roman Empire–those kings.
It was in the days of the Roman Empire Jesus Christ, the stone, was “cut out of the mountain without hands.”
From that time until now this Stone, Jesus Christ, has “brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold” (Dan 2:44-45). He has crushed to powder every kingdom. There has not been one empire ruling the world since Christ ascended–not one! The Roman Empire was the last. Just as Daniel said, the stone has crushed every kingdom and will continue to crush. Christ now rules. There will never be another world empire. The Stone Cometh.
The Stone Cometh Upon Judaism
During the last week of the life of Christ prior to the crucifixion on Friday, Jesus warned the religious system of the Pharisees of the Stone’s coming (Mat 21:42-44).
Jesus said the Stone would come upon Judaism. Their antichrist system (1Jo 2:22; 1Jo 4:3; 2Jo 1:7) rejected the Stone. However, it would not stop Christ from being the Stone, the head of the corner (chief corner stone). Jesus, the chief corner Stone, notified the Jews they would be crushed. The penalty for rejecting him was desolation. The Stone would crush the very temple in which they sat at that moment. The Lord informs the Jews, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” Less than a generation from that moment, the notification became a reality. Jerusalem, the temple, and the land of Palestine were crushed. The Stone Cometh!
The Stone came in A.D. 66. In A.D. 70, the temple, Jerusalem, and all of Israel were historically laid desolate and crushed to pieces. The nation was dispersed into the four corners of the earth. This destruction happened exactly as Jesus said it would. This desolation was the great tribulation described in Matthew 24:21.
Josephus, once a temple priest and once an army commander, was captured by the Roman army of A.D. 66. He became an eyewitness to the tribulation, and his writings are now quoted as a historical witness. Josephus writes about this great tribulation, and in an almost prophetic manner, he writes about the Stone’s coming.
The Roman army used huge war machines called “engines” by Josephus. These engines threw arrows called darts and stones. Josephus writes of the exceptionally large war engines used by the Roman 10th legion.
Josephus says of one such engine.
“Now, the stones that were cast, were of the weight of a talent, and were carried two furlongs and further. The blow they gave was no way to be sustained, not only by those that stood first in the way, but by those that were beyond them for a great space. As for the Jews, they at first watched the coming of the stone for it was of a white colour, and could therefore not only be perceived by the great noise it made, but could be seen also before it came, by its brightness; accordingly, the watchmen that sat upon the towers gave them notice when the engine was let go, and the stone came from it, and cried out aloud, in their own country language, `THE STONE COMETH`.”
The Stone Cometh Preface notes
The Stone Cometh Preface notes
Other Related Sermons:
Coming of Jesus the Son of Man 1 Luke 21:5-19
Coming Of The Lord Part 1 Audio
Time of Visitation audio and sermon notes
Also see:
1 Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book V, VI, 3, page 557