Mark, chapter 13

This chapter is doctrinally and specifically about the Tribulation which would have occurred right after Jesus’ resurrection if the rulers had accepted Christ when Stephen spoke to them in Acts 7. But, as it is, this event is somewhere in the future.

1 ¶ And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

Judas is the only one who calls Him, “Master”. He marvels at the beauty and majesty of the Temple buildings.

Amos 3:15 And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.

Amos 6:11 For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

Zephaniah 1:14 ¶ The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

All of man’s great and majestic works are coming down. We’ve already seen the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center but all over the world we have not seen the fall of the great cities. Its coming

Revelation 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Why? It all goes back to one event.

Genesis 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

All of man’s greatest works are designed to try to overthrow God’s sovereignty.

2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

The first application is Titus in 70AD destroying the temple. The second application is the destruction of the temple built during the Great Tribulation.

http://templemountfaithful.org/

The tabernacle that went through the wilderness winds up in Shiloh, in Ephraim. The Philistines get the Ark of the Testimony and it goes in their temple of Dagon, the half man/half fish. It is brought to one city of the Jews before King David brings it to Jerusalem and sets up a tabernacle in the city. Solomon builds a temple based on his own design. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroys it. The temple of Zerubbabel is built and finished by King Herod. This is the temple that Jesus is referring to as He speaks. Jesus is not referring to Solomon’s temple, which is destroyed.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

Judas isn’t invited here.

4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5 ¶ And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Christians are constantly confused and in every generation they say they’ve identified the anti-Christ as Hitler, Stalin, David Koresh, Sun Yung Moon, Saddam Hussein, etc. etc. etc. which is pure baloney as they are only types or pictures of the anti-Christ and poor ones at that. Christian authors who are mere opportunists simply want you to buy their book. Christians would rather do anything than read God’s word. None of them were anywhere close to getting the whole world worship them, as they claim to be Christ.

He comes in peaceably with flatteries, not as a mass murderer at first.

Daniel 11:21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

The statement says that many will come in and call themselves Christ, and this has been done and will continue to be done.

7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

The world has been swirling in wars abounding for the last 2000 years as our natural differences are overcome so that mankind will be able to unite in one grey mush to stand under the control of the anti-Christ.

“The end shall not be yet” shows that the Preterists are wrong. The Pax Romana was in play at that time. The world they knew was at peace.

8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

All of these things are happening and have happened. These are only the prelude to the worst, most disastrous era in human history.

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

The Jewish evangelists of the Tribulation, mentioned in Revelation, chapter seven, will be persecuted. There are many references to this. Read the first three chapters of Revelation. Doesn’t this remind you of the Book of Acts, which could have been the end time if the Jewish rulers had believed on Christ? But, although the last times didn’t come then, Paul is given information about what to expect IN THE CHURCH at the end times.

1 Timothy 4:1 ¶ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1 ¶ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

This is not about the radio getting the gospel out. This is about the Jewish evangelists of Revelation. If the council had accepted Stephen’s testimony in Acts, chapter seven, this all would have occurred then but it didn’t and we have the church age inserted in time, which is not mentioned here. Read the book of Ephesians. This gospel of enduring until the end isn’t preached until the Great Tribulation. Read Revelation.

11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

It is important to read the first three chapters of Revelation carefully to get a perspective on this.

12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

This worldwide internecine conflict will involve those who believe on Christ being murdered and betrayed by members of their own family as happens today in Muslim and Hindu lands with regard to relatives who seek Christ.

13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Here in the Tribulation to come there are many things to note. One is that they have to endure to the end to be saved.

If they lose their salvation and take the mark of the beast they cannot be saved again.

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

To fall away is to betray, to join the other side, and to commit treason.

Jeremiah 37:13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

They will not be able to take the mark willingly and acquiesce in worshipping the beast.

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Revelation 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Every single church in the early chapters of the book of Revelation is told that individuals must overcome by staying faithful to Christ unto the end.

Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

1John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

The church is not part of this. We believers, Jew and Gentile today, will be gone.

Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Luke 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

1Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Shepard, Victorinus, Commodianus, and Ephraim the Syrian are among the early church leaders who declared that the church would not go through the Tribulation but would be raptured.

“The end”, is the end of the world. Read Matthew 24. It is not the end of your life in the Church Age. It is the end of the world in the Tribulation.

The doctrinal belief that this is talking about not sinning until the end of your life is foolishness and shows that the preacher is illiterate, ignorant of the Bible, unsaved, or all three. There is no Christian in the context of this verse.

Who is in the passage?

Matthew 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

There are Jews in this context. There are no Christians involved. These people are under the Law.

Matthew 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

These are the rules and the events of the Tribulation for those Jews who believe Jesus Christ AND the Law.

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Christian is not going to endure to the end to be saved. Christ saved us when we believed and we were sealed until the end. This verse is not doctrinal for Christians, but has a spiritual application only.

14 ¶ But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Daniel’s statements are not about Antiochus Epiphanes because Jesus is talking about the future. There may be a localized application but read the nature of the beast in Daniel and see how smooth politically he is. Epiphanes was anything but smooth. Daniel’s statements are future, but so are Jesus Christ’s and His are after the lifetime of Antiochus Epiphanes.

2Thessalonians 2: 3 ¶ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

The abomination of desolation is standing but the Beast of Revelation is sitting. What then is the abomination of desolation?

Revelation 13: 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

What is this abomination of desolation, the image of the beast?

Supposedly, a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Chaldean Church in Syria has been seen to have spoken and allegedly that has been recorded. The fascist ecclesiastical organization called the Vatican which is a state and a church and has killed 50 million or so Christians over the course of the last 2000 years first in its incarnation as the political Roman Empire and then as “The Church”, perhaps. The Virgin Mary is worshipped by Roman Catholics and the image of the “Blessed Virgin” is worshipped. The “mother of god” and the “blessed virgin” were names given by the Ancient Babylonians to Ishtar, goddess of immigrants and harlots and personal freedom, a statue of which lies in New York Harbor and is called Liberty. This statue was patterned after a statue of Isis in Egypt, who is a version of Ishtar. The Roman Catholic Church is the Roman Empire in spiritual form and I have quotes from prominent Catholics who admit this.

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

We are about to have a discussion of a rapture of the believers DURING the Tribulation. Mark the three statements commanding someone to come up which I have mentioned earlier in these commentaries. There will simply be no warning other than this Book and the time is immediate so you will have no time to prepare.

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

This time will be the worse in human history. There is no comparison to the newspaper today nor to history books. Nothing, not the Holocaust, no World Wars, not the time of Napoleon, or not the time of the Black Death will or can compare to this time to come.

20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Were it not for the Lord’s return for the sake of the elect Jews and the believers in the Tribulation all life on earth would die in this time. It can’t get any worse without a repeat of Genesis 1:2.

What if in a repetition of Noah’s Flood that there were only eight saved people left on earth when Christ returns?
Things will get so bad, so incredibly bad at the end.

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

By application to us, we can see that we are not to believe ANY man that comes along saying he is Christ as that is not how Christ will return. Secondly, we must understand we can be fooled. You can’t permit any charismatic high muckety muck deceive you with his words. Judge all things by the words of God found in this Book.

The Beast of Revelation, the Anti-Christ, will show signs and wonders to show that he is the Messiah.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

Without being told who or when we have been told exactly what God wants us to know. Far too much money has been spent on “prophecy conferences” and books by pundits who have merely copied Clarence Larkin’s work. There has been no new information on prophecy since 1920.

24 ¶ But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Revelation 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Job 38:13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Haggai 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

Haggai 2:21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

Isaiah 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

On the spiritual side, there are powers in the universe. For every things being done in human government here there are spiritual powers fighting in the heavens which are the pattern after which the things done on earth are done. The stars are literally powers in heaven.

Judges 5:20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Daniel 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Daniel 10: 20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.

Joel 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

Joel 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

Amos 5:26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

Acts 7:43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

Re 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Don’t worship the stars, even the ones in Hollywood. They are of Satan.

Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

This is the end when Christ shall come to take over the kingdoms of the world as per Revelation 11:15.

Matthew 24:30 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.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

This is the rapture of the Jews at the end of the Tribulation. The body of Christ, the church is already in heaven at this time having been raptured at the beginning of the Tribulation.

Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob‘s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

There are three types of elect; Jesus Christ (Isaiah 42:1), the body of Christ or Christians (Colossians 3:12; Romans 8:33), and Israel (Isaiah 45:4; 65:19-22; Romans 9:11; 11:5-7). It is important to understand who God is referring to in a particular passage by USING THE CONTEXT. There are no Christians in this passage and Jesus Christ is not talking about His suffering but the Jews’.

28 ¶ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Israel is the fig tree and produces no good fruit now. But when Israel starts putting out fruit for God things are about to happen. For 2,000 years they have not been a nation. But, now, for 60 years they have been a secular nation. Time is coming when they will produce fruit for God. Watch carefully.

Song of Solomon 2:13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

There are doors in heaven and on earth in the spiritual world.

James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Psalm 24:3 ¶ Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. 7 ¶ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

Look at verse 26-29. That generation that sees these things happening will see all of these things. This is the context, preterist theology notwithstanding.

Take whatever the Bible says as literally as possible unless it is impossible to do so. This verse alone is clear evidence of the problem you have when you take a verse out of the context it’s placed in and try to create a doctrine around it.

31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Christ’s words will never pass away.

Psalm 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 ¶ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Everything that is except for God’s word will pass away. You look at your Bible and you don’t realize what that Book is. That Book is so close to God it is almost God and God has put it in His place. It is God pouring Himself out for you to see and that’s all you’ll physically see of God until Christ returns.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

See how God puts “the Scripture” in the place of Himself in these verses. Compare the Old Testament verse with its corresponding New Testament.

Exodus 9:16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

with

Romans 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

Genesis 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

with

Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

You will be judged by His words.

John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

His word judges you right now.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Don’t look for a feeling. You’ve got the power of God right there on the pages of a Book. Read it, believing it and God will do great things with you. Of course, Satan will redouble his efforts. You are a part of a spiritual war taking place in the heavens. The word of God is the power of God given into your hands.

Most people, Christians in particular are ignorant of the power of this Book. Saul is the example of the modern charismatic who depends on feelings to determine his spirituality. He is mad.

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Acts 1:6 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

This verse has nothing to do with the Rapture of the Church. This is about the Second Advent. God the Son, the Son of God, or God in the flesh limited Himself for His self appointed mission on earth. Just as He did not call down legions of angels to remove Him from the cross and as a child He grew in wisdom and stature. Christ’s walk on earth was, by necessity, a self limiting mission.

For instance, the rhetorical question is asked, “could Jesus Christ have sinned?”. Of course, nothing is outside of His power but many things are outside of His will. The old nonsense “could God make a rock so heavy He couldn’t move it” comes to mind. Christ did not have information on the end to reveal to these people.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Practically speaking, we can say that this verse shows us to always be looking for God to yank us out of here but doctrinally this is about the physical, visible Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.

The Rapture of the church is worthy of study, however.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 ¶ But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

The church will not be on earth when the events that Jesus Christ is talking about begin to happen. This doesn’t mean that the church won’t go through a great deal but that it will not be here during that last 3 ½ years.

34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

Israel’s time is 7 hours ahead of ours. The Second Advent at the end of Tribulation, will it take place at 7pm here, or 2pm there, midnight here, 7am there, 3am here, 10am there, or 6am here, 1pm there? We’ll know because we’ll be with Christ when He comes to take over the kingdoms of the world.

36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

It’s very easy to fall into apathy and lethargy as we go about our daily duties and get caught up in worldly pursuits and entertainment. Pretty soon you can forget that the Lord’s return is always imminent or “at hand.” That means it can happen at any time. One of the focal points of Christianity is an expectation of the Rapture of the Church.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

We, as Christians, are looking for Christ’s appearing, not His return to rule. But, in the Tribulation they are waiting for Christ and us to return to take over.

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;