Matthew 24:1 ¶ And Jesus
went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him
for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto
you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be
thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the
mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when
shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of
the end of the world?
As Jesus leaves the temple with His disciples He lets them know
that this magnificent temple, began by Zerubabel hundreds of years before,
after the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple;
2Chronicles 36:19 And they
burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the
palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
Ezra 5:2 Then rose up
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to
build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets
of God helping them.
…and finished by Herod the Great, history tells us, will be utterly
destroyed and it was so in 70AD.
The Jews would rebel against their Roman overlords and fight among
themselves as Jerusalem is besieged by Roman general and future emperor, Titus,
son of the Emperor Vespasian. The temple will burn, something Titus insisted
was accidental and against his specific orders. The Arch of Titus, which was built
in Rome to commemorate
Titus's victory in Judea, depicts a Roman victory procession with
soldiers carrying spoils from the Temple, including the Menorah. According to an
inscription on the Colosseum, Emperor Vespasian built the
Colosseum with war spoils in 79 CE – possibly from the spoils of the Second
Temple, Wikipedia tells us.
It is now only represented by the famous Wailing Wall, represented
because the Wailing Wall may not have been part of the actual Herod’s temple.
It is here that the disciples ask about Christ’s return to rule
Israel and the end of the world which gives us a clear context of what is to
come next. A type of Bible interpretation called Preterism, which originated in
the Catholic church or at least was first fully expounded on by that Church at
Rome, insists that all of these events took place when Jerusalem fell, that
Christ is actually, if not physically, ruling over Israel and the events of
Revelation have already taken place. There are full Preterists and partial
Preterists, though.
Matthew 24:4 ¶ And Jesus
answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye
shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these
things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All
these are the beginning of sorrows. 9
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and
ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall
betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall
deceive many. 12 And because iniquity
shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel
of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come. 15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:) 16 Then let them which be
in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of
his house: 18 Neither let him which is
in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days! 20
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the
sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is
Christ, or there; believe it not. 24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I
have told you before. 26 Wherefore if
they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he
is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there
will the eagles be gathered together. 29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 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:
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. 31 And he shall send 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.
There will be many in history who will claim to be the Messiah or
Christ. A book by a Rabbi Hillel Silver, written, if I am not mistaken, as a
doctoral dissertation in the 1920s was entitled Messianic Speculation in
Israel. Silver outlined how, in the last 2,000 years, many have come
forward claiming to be the Messiah for the Jews or declaring that they knew
when the Messiah would arrive, and then to declare that they knew when the end
of the world would be. A list of Messiah claimants can be found on the online
encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
As a modern example in the 20th century a rabbi named Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who lived from 1902 to
1994, was claimed by many of his adherents to be the Messiah-to-come for the
Jews.
Verses 6 and 7 have been expressed throughout history. Don’t focus
on a single event as there will be constantly wars and rumors of wars. These
things will happen but the end is not here yet. They will, though, at the end
come to a crescendo like the climax of a symphony in our minds, threatening the
destruction of all there is. Followers of Christ will be persecuted around the
world. It has been said that today there are more Christians martyred for their
faith each week than when pagan Rome was at its full power. Others have said
that more Christians have been martyred in the last century than in all
previous centuries combined as Satan’s wrath builds to a fury.
Followers of Christ will be caused to stumble, will betray each
other, and even turn each other into their persecutors to save themselves. Because
of iniquity many will be cold to the gospel truth who may have even been
somewhat zealous in previous times. This is no more apparent than in the last
century of Christianity in the industrialized countries of the West where
religion is often nothing but a sham or an excuse to do wickedly to others in
God’s name.
John 16:2 They shall put
you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service.
False prophets, false Christs, false teachers will deceive
multitudes at this time. While these things mentioned have always happened they
will be very prominent toward the end.
Luke 18:8 I tell you that
he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he
find faith on the earth?
Holding fast to the end is of the utmost importance no matter how
bad things get.
Revelation 2:10 Fear none
of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of
you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days:
be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Revelation 2:7 He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the
paradise of God,,,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…17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name
written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it…26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:5 He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels…12 Him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no
more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the
city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my
God: and I will write upon him my new name…21
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 21:7 He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
son.
The entire world will hear the gospel of Christ before the end
comes and is that not a possibility today?
There will be a temple rebuilt and there will be the abomination
of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, showing that he was not
talking about the era he lived in when he wrote;
Daniel 9:27 And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading
of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 12:11 And from the
time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that
maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Antiochus Epiphanes, a type of the Antichrist after Daniel’s day,
sacrificed a pig on the altar and offered up prayers to Zeus.
The defiling of the new temple will take place in the middle of a
week of years and last for 3 ½ years. See the work being done to build this
third temple at www.templemountfaithful.org.
Then, Christ talks about the Jews final persecution, the Time of
Jacob’s Trouble mentioned in Jeremiah 30 and in Revelation, chapter 12.
Jeremiah 30:6 Ask ye now,
and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man
with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned
into paleness? 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.
Revelation 12:14 And to the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and
half a time (3 and a half years), from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water
as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the
flood. 16 And the earth helped the
woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the
dragon cast out of his mouth. 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.
Don’t believe any man who says he is Christ even if they seem to
perform signs and wonders possibly deceiving the very elect, He tells these
believing Jews and then explains how He will appear as lightning flashing from
the east to the west. He then describes conditions that remind one of the Book
of the Revelation.
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. 15
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on
us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day
of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The people of the earth will mourn and wail when they see Him.
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.
The Rapture or Translation of the Church could be described as
this passage ends although the use of And doesn’t always mean something
that directly follows another. And can just add additional information
without indicating a time or demanding that the event after and must be
the next event. This verse got me wondering about whether this placed the
translation or rapture of the Church at the end of the Tribulation as some
people say until, as I read other things in Genesis and outside of the Bible
how and can be used to insert information that was not spoken of
previously not necessarily meaning that it followed after the last events
described.
I’ll give you an example. “Joe was a very successful engineer even
up until his 70s. And he got his engineering degree from MIT.” This is more
used in conversation than in formal writing. Just a thought.
Matthew 24:32 ¶ Now learn a
parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth
leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, even at the doors. 34
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be. 38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood
came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall
be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women
shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the
house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and
would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler
over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord
when he cometh shall find so doing. 47
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall
say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his
fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For verse 32 see;
Song of Solomon 2:11 For,
lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of
the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
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.
The destruction of the city and the temple will tell them that the
things Christ told them about are ready to come to pass. The destruction of the
temple signifies the time of the Gentiles which will end with the translation of
the Church, the thousand year reign of Christ, and the judgment of the unsaved dead.
Every event of history since then has been simply a reshuffling of the deck
chairs on the Titanic. Nations are being prepared, empires swirl around the drain,
and all will be ready for their last stand against Christ in the millennium.
The generation that sees the rapture, the translation of the Church
happen, will live to see it all happen. No man on earth knows when these things
will happen. It will be like the days of Noah until the Flood came. The rhythms
and celebrations of life will continue until the wrath of God is revealed. Then,
as Jesus describes in detail the elect shall be removed. What will He find us
doing when this time comes? The implication in 48 is that this is a false
Christian, one of the tares mentioned in a previous parable, who while claiming
to be a servant is not truly a servant and what could have been theirs is
granted to others he would not deem worthy. There will be plenty of people who
are not raptured or translated who will cry out, “why did I not go with them?”
And don’t think that, oh, things are so bad now, this must be the
end, because they will not be as we think.
…for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
1Thessalonians 5:2 For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2Peter 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.
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