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24:1-2 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down." |
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Matthew 24:3
As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him
privately,
saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be
the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
The disciples asked Jesus about 3 specific topics:
1. The destruction of the temple buildings
2. The sign of Jesus return
3. The end of the age
Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads
you.
Matthew 24:5
"For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will
mislead
many.
False teachings about Jesus and the time of His return have been preached in the past and will continue to be preached.
Matthew 24:6
You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that
you are not
frightened for those things must take place, but that is not yet
the end.
The time of the end does not come by wars. They are not an
imminent sign of
Jesus'
return.
Matthew 24:7-9
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom, and in
various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
But all these things are merely the beginning of birth
pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you,
and you will
be hated by all nations because of My name.
Wars, famines, earthquakes, and religious persecution have prevailed
for many years, but
they are not a sign of His coming.
Matthew 24:10
"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and
hate one
another.
Matthew 24:11
"Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
Matthew 24:12
"Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow
cold.
People have become cold in the way they treat other human beings, but
this is
just due as Jesus pointed out "because lawlessness is
increased." The news media and the entertainment business just
pump
out violence and lawlessness, and people get used to crime.
Matthew
24:13
But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
Matthew 24:14
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole
world as a
testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
After the true news of His return is preached to the whole world, then
He will
return. You are listening to this news right now!
Matthew 24:15-16
Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which
was spoken of
through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the
reader
understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
What Jesus is describing now is for the Jews of that time, the ones
that were in Jerusalem when the temple was destroyed. Jesus is
now answering
question number 1. There are many interpretations of what is
meant by the
"abomination of desolation." I suggest the reader compare what
is said in Matthew with what is said by Luke:
Luke
21:20-21
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies,
then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to
the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must
leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city;
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The
desolation was caused by the Roman armies. The Roman armies
entered into Jerusalem and into the temple -- an
abomination. When that happened it was just too late.
There was no time to pack up. It was just that simple.
Only rubble remains of what was once God's temple.
Matthew 24:17
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Matthew 24:19
But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are
nursing babies in
those days!
Matthew 24:20
But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on
a Sabbath.
Matthew 24:21
For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not
occurred since
the beginning of the world until now, nor
ever will.
See: Tribulation
The tribulation for the Jews was going to be intense. They had
to flee to
the mountains, and out of the land of Israel, and were not able to
come back to
their land till many, many generations later. Even now, the Jews
have no
jurisdiction over God's temple ruins. Once this tribulation is
over, God's coming is at hand.
Matthew
24:22
Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have
been saved; but
for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
The tribulation for
the Jews started with the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, continued over
the years
with pogroms in diverse cities, and reached a decisive moment during
the time
of Hitler. That persecution is what the old testament refers to
as "Jacob's
trouble", Jeremiah
30:7. Satan
has tried to destroy all the Jews, so that God could not keep the
promise He made to
Abraham; but he was not allowed -- "for the sake of the elect" those
days were cut short. This is explained in more detail in Reasons
for
the Rapture,
and also in Woman with 12 Stars.
Matthew 24:23
Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,'
or 'There He
is,' do not believe him.
Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will
show great signs
and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
Matthew 24:25
Behold, I have told you in advance.
Matthew 24:26
So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,'
do not go out, or,
'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.
Matthew 24:27
For just as the lightning comes from the east
and flashes even to the
west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:28
Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
God is telling us to be alert, not to go to any place... that the "vultures will gather" wherever the corpse is. The Lord will send His angels to gather us. We do not need to follow any human direction.
Jesus then goes on to describe the signs that will follow the tribulation -- the signs before His return to rule for one thousand years. Remember, the tribulation for the Jews is just dwindling, but they are still an object of hatred in the land of Israel, with much persecution from Arabs and Palestinians.
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Matthew 24:29-30
But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. |
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These signs are the ones God gives before the wrath of God begins as explained in our new file.
See - Wrath of God.
Matthew 24:31
And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and
THEY WILL
GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the
sky to the
other.
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Matthew 24:32
Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; |
Matthew 24:33
So, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is
near, right
at the door.
"These things" refer to the sun darkening, the moon darkening, and the
stars
falling.
Matthew 24:34
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these
things take place.
The generation that sees the sign will not pass away till the event is fulfilled. The generation that saw the abomination of desolation -- the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem -- saw the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple (question number 1.)
The generation that sees the signs in the sun, moon and stars will see Jesus return to earth to rule for a thousand years. This is the millennium. (question number 2.)
Remember that for the rapture there are no signs. Jesus comes like a thief in the nights who does not alert you.
The generation that suffers persecution by the government of the Leopard beast will see the return of Jesus Christ for the battle of Armageddon and the end of the age (question number 3.)
Do not confuse the rapture/rescue with the resurrection. The first resurrection occurs many years after the rapture, as explained in Timeline to Revelation and The First Resurrection.
Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass
away.
Yes, God creates a new heaven and a new earth.
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels
of heaven, nor
the Son, but the Father alone.
At that time Jesus did not know that He would take so many years in
returning to
earth. Only the father knew.
Matthew 24:37
For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days
of Noah.
Jesus did not know the time, but He knew the conditions that had to be
present
for His return -- the return for the rapture/rescue.
Matthew 24:38
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and
drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the
ark,
Notice that they were not building boats and preparing for the flood which was coming.
Matthew 24:39
and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all
away; so will
the coming of the Son of Man be.
The people during the time of Noah did not understand; the same as now,
very few people
are reading these words that you are reading now; most people are
hooked to
their TVs and are being influenced by Satan with lies and corruption.
Matthew 24:40-42
Then there will be two in the field; one will be taken and
one will be
left. Two will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one
will be
left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your
Lord is
coming.
As you can see, Jesus might come to
rapture
you when you are
working. You might be taken
and your fellow co-workers might not. It is like a train we are
all waiting for,
and the train is late in arriving. If we step out and go to do
something else, we
might lose the train. The train will leave and we will be left
behind. So it will be at the time of Jesus coming to rescue His
followers.
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Matthew 24:43
But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. See Thief
in the Night. |
Remember that when Christ come for the rapture, He will not give any signs. He will come like a thief in the night to rescue us. This is so the Devil will not be aware. If God gave us signs. Well, that would take the element of surprise away. In an instant Christ will appear, like lightning. You have to be ready. You do not have time to convince people to go with you. You do not have time to call people and ask them if they are going; the bible says that the man in the field not return to the house to get his coat.
We are sounding the alarm that the Lord is coming! Be prepared to leave. Don't miss "the train"! Do not delay your departure by doing something else. Remember Lot's wife, Luke 17:32. Take the warning, so you are not part of the group that is left behind.
