Consider this teaching my long time friend, CHUCK. I find it scholarly, I find it fresh. I may not agree with some of his conclusions. I won't argue. Just for your consideration::
Matthew 24 is about Jesus' detailed answer to the following question:
Mat 24:3bTell us, when shall these things be? and what shall bethe sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (age)
So, if we examine His answer we can shed some light on what it will be like at the end times.
Jesus starts off by giving a warning:
Mat 24:5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:9Then 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.
Mat 24:10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
After the warnings, Jesus states:
Mat 24:13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mat 24:14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
So we see that there will be many false prophets using the name of Jesus to deceive. We must hold onto the truth and endure to the end...working in the field. No rapture has been mentioned.
He continues:
Mat 24:15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation (should be,''the desolator''), spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
The scripture that Jesus was referring to: (Dan 12:11-12 is another study.)
---Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice,and they shall place the abomination that maketh
desolate.---
The
Lord is telling the Church to look for the abomination of the desolator
as a sign. No rapture has taken place. Supporting evidence is given
here:
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and byour gathering together unto him,
2Th 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;
2Th 2:4
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.
Dan 11:36
And the king shall do according to his will. And he shall exalt and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things
against the God of gods, and shall prosper until the fury is fulfilled.
For that which is decreed shall be done.
That is pretty clear! Jesus will not be coming until these events have occurred...
He continues with a warning:
Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
I have heard many pastors state that the end will be so bad that it will be best for women not to get pregnant during those times. If that is true then maybe God believes that the “right to choose” is appropriate in the end times. No way! So, what is He saying? Jesus is coming for His virgin bride. If a “believer” falls victim to deception or just gives up and follows the antichrist, they become pregnant with another belief and will be rejected.
Isa 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou thatdidst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou thatdidst not travail with child: for more arethe children of the desolate (desolator) than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
Mat 24:20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Those
who are “pregnant” have been harvested out of season (winter) because
they followed the antichrist believing him to be the Christ.
Continuing
with Matthew's gospel Jesus further explains that the great tribulation
period will be so difficult that He will shorten the days for the
elect's sake. He tells us that many false Christs and prophets will
come using signs and wonders. Do not be deceived by them. Look for
this:
Mat 24:27For 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.
Mat 24:29Immediatelyafterthe
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:
(We are now seeing the end of Satan's tribulation period.)
Mat 24:30And 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.
Mat 24:31And
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.
Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdomsof our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
At the last trumpet (7th)
Jesus returns for all to see. This is the rapture...after the great
tribulation period, after the abomination of the desolator.
Jesus uses the times of Noah as an example what it will be like just before He returns:
Mat 24:37But as the days of Noahwere,so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38For
as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah
entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
What was it like at the time of Noah’s flood?
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they werefair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man wasgreat in the earth, and thatevery imagination of the thoughts of his heart wasonly evil continually.
The fallen angels come to earth in Genesis 6 and will be here again at the end of this age:
Rev 12:9
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with
him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
---We
see that the Church has new power because Satan is no longer in heaven
hindering our connection with God. We see the power of the Blood and
His Word:
Rev 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
(The elect overcome the fear of death...another name for
Satan.)
The Church gains power but the world goes into great tribulation:
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, yeheavens,
and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of
the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
There
will
be great evil on the earth with the eventual antichrist kingdom taking
over. Great deception will the present. The antichrist calling himself
the Christ with his minions prophesying that he is the Christ. (flood
of lies) This will be the great tribulation period.
1Ti 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;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron
Surrounded by great wickedness the people of God, the elect, will be protected by faith and do great things:
Dan
11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
The
following verse likens the Church to Noah and his family being in the
Ark. The church is sealed and protected during the great tribulation:
Rev 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, from the face of the serpent.
Satan floods the world with lies:
Rev 12:15 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.
The woman (the sealed Church) is protected in the end times from spiritual death just as Noah was protected in the Ark:
Rev 12:16
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.
Now we read the verses about one being taken away and another remained:
Mat 24:40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41Twowomen shall begrinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Who is taken and who is left (remained)? In Noah's day all those who did not enter into the Ark were taken by the flood. At the end of the Age, those who are impregnated by the flood of Satan's lies will be taken.
The Lord gives another example:
Mat 24:43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch thethief(Satan)would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour
as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
---Most will think that he is already here--- That will be the hour of temptation.
The wise servant will receive “meat” from the Lord for being faithful during the great tribulation period:
Mat 24:45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46Blessedisthat servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
The servant who becomes unfaithful has been swept away by the lies is called evil because of
his works...leaving his first love. Stay in the field keeping convent with God or:
Mat 24:50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not forhim,and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51And shall cut him asunder, and appointhimhis portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Supporting scripture:
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Rev 3:10Because
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them
that dwell upon the earth.
Rev 3:11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God,...
Dan 11:34 And when they stumble, they shall be helped with a little help, but many will join them, with hypocrisy.
When you read this verse it sounds like
“war” as in physical battles:
Rev 13:7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome
them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and
nations.
But, it is a political and spiritual war to get the elect to worship antichrist.
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