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MATTHEW CHAPTER 24 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel See previous page Mat 24,1-14 (49l) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Condition of the world in the last days – This passage begs the question: if there is a revival in the last days, when will it occur? The Jewish people will orchestrate a great endtime revival, notably two of them, who will raise up a 144,000 Jewish witnesses, who will organize the gentile Church and restore the true doctrines of the faith. Jesus describes a period when the antichrist comes to power and begins martyring the saints. The Two Witnesses are mentioned in Revelation chapter 11; the Bible describes them as adjudicators, who will put an end to Satan's bloodlust against God’s elect. The question is: why is the antichrist martyring the saints? The only possible answer is that they have become a threat to his kingdom. The Church today in America and Europe is by no means a threat to Satan’s kingdom; in fact the antichrist will rise to power as a result of the Church's current state of apostasy. The Two Witnesses, depicted in Revelation chapter 11, will start as benevolent ministers of the gospel, but after Satan threatens to exterminate the Church they will switch hats and become God's adjudicators against the beast and his kingdom. Recall in Scripture that Daniel began his ministry after the Babylonians took Israel captive, King Nebuchadnezzar representing the antichrist. According to the pattern, it suggests that the antichrist has already come to power before the Two Witnesses begin their ministry. Note that Daniel started as a benevolent minister, but he prophesied against the king that his kingdom would be toppled, interpreting his dream of a rock cut from a mountainside without human agency and hurled at the weakened base of a statue, destroying it. The rock was a conglomeration of smaller stones cemented together in petrified sediment, each pebble representing a member of the unified body of Christ. The rock is Christ representing revival that will destroy Satan’s kingdom, and for this reason Satan will go into a rage and have the saints martyred. This is when the Two Witnesses shift gears to God’s adjudicators against the antichrist and his kingdom, and Revelation chapter 11 will be fulfilled. In the midst of revival there will be confusion in the false church, those who never made a commitment to Christ will fall away during this time. They will attempted to be part of this revival, but they were never born again. Those who fall away will constitute the five foolish virgins, foolish because they fell away and virgins because they didn’t take the mark of the beast. They will abandon this revival that they know is the work of God and run to the antichrist who is telling the world that this Jewish-led revival is the work of the devil. There will be one who will work side-by-side with the antichrist, the False Prophet, who will prophesy about the world economy coming back on line and returning to normal, and the five foolish virgins will listen to his message and be deceived. Once they realize that it will never happen they will seek the Church again, but it will be too late; the door will be shut and they will be left behind. It is ironic that the five foolish virgins are members of the Church today, most who believe in the pre-tribulation Rapture, who teach that many will be left behind, not realizing they are actually prophesying against themselves. See Also: Antichrist; Mat 24-4,5; 160a / Great endtime revival; Mat 24,9-13; 5f KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24-4,5 (5h) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your loyalty >> Your commitment to follow Jesus -- These verses go with verse 27. "See to it that no one misleads you," was Jesus' response to His disciples' question: "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" How pervasive will deception be in the last days, and how large of a role will it play in Satan's phantasm, and what form should our struggle take to conquer it? Whose job is it to keep people from misleading us? Isn't it our job? We can't say, ‘I was tricked!’, for God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all the truth. Those who are misled have veered from the narrow way as a result of having motives other than following Jesus. Maybe we are following a false teaching, indicating that we don’t know the word as we should; or maybe we are following a false spirit, indicating that our prayer life is insufficient. Either way, we should know the signs of His coming. Those who would mislead us usually offer a grandiose teaching and fabricate strange doctrines (usually involving money), but the truth is always greater than what people use to replace it, and it is always simpler than its counterfeit and far less expensive. The truth always involves faith and love; stay with these things and we will never go wrong. See also: Spiritual warfare; 46f (46f) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Fall of Satan >> Resisting Satan’s deception -- These verses go with verses 23-25. How do we resist temptation and deception? How did Jesus, the word of God, resist the devil? He prayed! Therefore, to resist Satan we must consume the Bible and keep in communion with God. Since the recipe for developing a relationship with God consists of the same ingredients we use to resist the devil, the word of God and prayer (the double-edged sword), it is safe to say that we resist Satan with our relationship with God. See also: Spiritual warfare; 160a (70c) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Being sensitive to the Spirit >> Test the spirits -- These verses go with verse 11 (93m) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Exception >> Following evil along the broad way -- These verses go with verse 11 (160a) Works of the devil >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit Christ -- These verses go with verse 11. The antichrist in the last days will be a major deception that will encompass the entire developed world, suggesting that his influence will not reach third-world nations to the same degree. The fact that many will come in Christ’s name claiming to be Him suggests competition between cult leaders, competition to become the antichrist. Why anyone would want to be him is incomprehensible after the Bible clearly states his fate, being thrown into the lake of fire without a trial. Many people in the developed world will follow this man, and he will have the same lingo of all charlatans, only his deception will be far greater. His greatest deception will be his charismatic personality. Satan will counterfeit the Lord’s charisma, meaning he will have a counterfeit anointing that he will use to persuade millions to follow him. He will have penetrating eyes, like Medusa; when he looks into the camera, half the population of the world will follow him without thinking about it. No matter what he says or does, the fact that he doesn't fit the description of Jesus’ second coming makes him a fraud (v27). See also: Antichrist; 179g / Spiritual warfare; 161e (161e) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Wandering >> Follow the wrong leader -- These verses go with verse 11. If we commit our lives to the knowledge of God, no one will mislead us, but those who try to squeak into heaven on a minimal commitment are treading on thin ice. The only reason we will not be deceived in the last days is that we know and love the truth (2The 2-10). We can’t just read the Bible once and figure we know it. We study the Bible continually, not because it is difficult material, but because it is spiritual material, and we are of flesh. There are opposing forces at work outside our bodies and darkness within preying on our heart and leading us from the truth. We are in a spiritual war, and we must fight each battle to achieve victory by faith in Jesus. We feel we are walking against a giant fan blowing us backward, or walking in a marsh waist-deep in mud. We fight the good fight, but some days we get pummeled by an invisible enemy, and we resolve to fight another day. Faith doesn’t come easy in a world of unbelief. Those who are not involved in a personal relationship with Jesus are ripe for deception. See also: Spiritual warfare; 179g / Warring against deception; 2Pet 2-18; 209d (179g) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> False prophets >> False prophets confess to be the Christ -- These verses go with verse 11. Any person who would follow somebody just because he claimed to be Jesus deserves to be misled. He must be totally unschooled in the Scriptures. Jesus said that He would not return in the flesh but in a flash with great power and glory (Vs 26-31). Claiming to be the Christ is not an effective deception, proving that those who are deceived are willfully ignorant of God. There have been a few instances over the centuries of people claiming to be the Christ, and they amazingly received small followings, but desperate times will accompany the antichrist's arrival, when people will long for Jesus' return. Yet, these false christs will expose themselves as frauds to those who know and love the truth by the mere fact that Jesus did not describe His return in the way the antichrist enters the stage (v27). He will explain that while we we looking the other way he appeared and we missed his arrival, but Jesus said that His coming will be impossible to miss. Claiming to know the truth could mean a hundred different things, but claiming to be the Christ, can only mean one thing, that the person is crazy, and crazy people are typically not very persuasive, yet he will mislead many. This is not a credit to him but naivety and ignorance on the part of his followers. The person would have to be worshipped even before he came to power; who better fits this description than the Pope? See also: Antichrist; 245l / Pope is the antichrist; Mat 24-11; 161e / Spiritual warfare; 245l (245l) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of the prince of the power of the air -- These verses go with verse 11. The antichrist will capture the minds of the vast majority of the developed world through ignorance of the Scriptures. Satan has been ruling the skies overhead ever since man fell into sin, but the fact that he is manifested in the flesh means he was removed from the atmosphere of social consciousness. Essentially, Satan will be pushed into a corner through spiritual warfare and be forced into the body of a man after being extricated from the spiritual realm. This spiritual realm is called the first heaven, understood to mean social consciousness. The mind of the general public has always been the domain of Satan, and the television set has been his favorite human invention, because it made his job easy. In fact, the airways even resemble how he has communicated with the world from the beginning, so it is the perfect satanic delusion, beaming his messages for the last seventy years, giving him power over the world. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24,9-13; 103l / Spiritual warfare; 5h (250hh) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> Believe the first message; all subsequent messages are meant to dissuade you Mat 24-6 (24a) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Fear of hardship (punishment) Mat 24-7,8 (225j) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables about nurturing the people of God >> Parables about a woman in labor giving birth to a child KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24,9-13 (5f) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your faith through hardship – These verses go with verse 22. The five foolish virgins, mentioned in the next chapter, will abandon God’s purpose for themselves as their light (love) expires, “but the one who endures to the end will be saved.” The five wise virgins will say in their heart that if they must be martyred, then so be it, but they will not fall away from the faith, and they will keep their lamps burning at all cost. A campaign a ridding the earth of Christians begins shortly after the global economy collapses and ends shortly after God establishes the Two Witnesses in their 3½-year ministry, judging the earth for martyring the saints. The Two Witnesses will protect the Church from further martyrdom, leading the woman (the 144,000) and her children (the gentile church) into the wilderness, where God will protect them and nourish them for the duration of the Trumpets. Since humanity has collectively chosen to worship demons, the Two Witnesses will send upon the world of the ungodly demonic plagues, worse than any nightmare, which will torture mankind, until the Two Witnesses are killed, and then the Rapture will occur after the dead are raised. See also: Martyrdom; 103l / Great Endtime Revival; Mat 24,10-14; 21g / 144,000 Jews will manage the gospel (Two Witnesses) God's Adjudicators; Lk 1,67-79; 46e (103l) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >> Purified Through hardship – Why will the world turn on Jews and Christians in the last days? The antichrist will convince humanity that the Jews were responsible for collapsing of the global economy, and that Christians have been prophesying these days for the last two millennia, and so it has finally come to pass in what they will call a "self-fulfilled prophecy". Thus, the antichrist will blame both Jews and Christians for all the problems of the world and turn the whole world against them. People will believe whatever he tells them to avoid being targeted themselves for eradication, and so the world will round up the undesirables who believe in Jesus with intensions of exterminating them. At that time many will fall away from the faith, even born-again Christians, for they must have had faith before they could "fall away". From jealousy they will betray the brethren, wishing they too would have remained faithful to the Lord. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24,9-11; 158h / Martyrdom; 242ka (168c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world’s rejection of God (242ka) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Reacting to persecution >> Enduring persecution >> Persecution to the death – Will our theology get us through the last day’s tribulation? Some think we serve a God who would not allow us suffer. If we believe a gospel that works only during good times, when we are tested against trials and hardship, we will fall. God would not give us a gospel that didn’t work in hard times, because hard times are far too common in this world. If the world were a wonderful place, God might consider a gospel that was suitable only for good times. The problem with the world, it keeps running into snags. Jesus suggested that we believe in a gospel that can endure suffering. He doesn’t want us to overcome with rifles and bombs but by His grace. When Jesus said that the one who endures to the end will be saved, He didn’t mean the one who stays alive to the end; we could be martyred and stay alive, but the one who gives up his faith is dead while he lives (1Tim 5-6). See also: Martyrdom; 5f Mat 24,9-11 (158h) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Division (Cliques) >> Hating your brother -- In the days of the antichrist's reign, believing in Jesus will be illegal. Jesus warned that many in the Church will fall away from the faith because of persecution, and from jealousy they will betray the brethren. It will be a fearful thing to see them relinquish their hope of heaven to ease the circumstances of their temporal lives, turning from God into reprobate monsters. Satan will hope to finally defeat the Church, but as usual he will only succeed in purifying and strengthening it, which in turn will cause it to grow all the more. People will be attracted to faith the true believers exhibit in the face of death. This will enrage the reprobates who left the Church, and they will become the Church's greatest adversaries. Jesus' Church will stand victorious over every evil thing the world throws at it. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24-11; 161e / Falling away from the faith; Mat 24-9,10; 243e (232d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> If Jesus cost too much, then you aren’t worth much Mat 24-9,10 (243e) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Sources of persecution >> Persecution from jealousy – Those who fall away from the faith will know what they are doing. Their actions will close the doors of heaven and terminate their hope of eternal life, which was once very dear to them. They will know that this will ultimately result in a one-way ticket to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. Once they receive the mark of the beast, they will become bitter, jealous and angry against the saints with whom they once believed, who are resolute in their faith. The worst thing that could happen to believers in Jesus is that they be killed as martyrs, which will send them straight to heaven and unsure them a better resurrection, their ultimate goal. Therefore, one of the main lessons of the last days is the deathtrap of sacrificing all that is good and right for immediate gratification and temporal rewards. See also: Falling away from the faith; Mat 24,10-14; 21g KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24,10-14 (21g) Sin >> Disobedience is backsliding – Jesus just said two opposing things: apostasy will be present in the Church and a Great Endtime Revival will evangelize the world. If we have spent any time in Christendom, we have heard it said that the Church is attempting to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all nations to precipitate the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is a prophecy that must be fulfilled before His return, but prophecy has a beginning point and an end point. For example, the Church has been preaching the gospel to all nations for the last 2000 years, but it hasn't brought Jesus back. Rather, this Great Endtime Revival will occur over a period of only a few years. The obvious question is, who will accomplish this monumental task while the Church is in the bowels of apostasy? The Great Endtime Revival will be led by the 144,000 Jews, two of whom will be the Two Witnesses of Revelation chapter eleven, whose message and ministry will be mostly rejected by the contemporary church. Many people will give up their faith in Jesus in the last days, whose doctrines have become soiled and their love has grown cold. See also: Falling away from the faith; Mat 24,9-11; 158h / Mat 24-10 (204d) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> The apostasy Mat 24-11 (70c) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Being sensitive to the Spirit >> Test the spirits -- This verse goes with verses 23-27 (93m) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Exception >> Following evil along the broad way -- This verse goes with verses 23-26 (160a) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit Christ -- This verse goes with verses 15 (161e) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Wandering >> Follow the wrong leader -- This verse goes with verses 23-26. Throughout the Scriptures God has never written anything to the unbeliever; His intended audience has always been those who believe in Him. When Jesus made this statement, He was looking at his disciples and those who believe in Him, talking to them and to us, warning us to beware, for antichrists are coming, and he has potential "to mislead, if possible, even the elect" (v24). By definition the elect cannot not be led astray, but if it were possible, they would be misled. This speaks of the potency of Satan's delusion; it will be so strong that being chosen of God before the foundation of the world is barely enough to keep us in His divine hand. No one can pluck us from his hand, Jesus said in Jn 10-28, yet the delusion will be so strong it will threaten the saints. This means to must remain vigilant, in case we find ourselves living in those days, we don't want to be caught unaware. If we are the generation that sees the return of Christ and are caught with our lamps running out of oil, the deluge of deception will come too fast and furious to seek more oil, our lamps will go out, and we will be swept away with a flood of deception (Rev 12,15-17). Someone might say, ‘The devil will mislead many, but not me.’ The moment we say that we make ourselves targets for deception. If we don’t believe we can be deceived, we will not prepare, and the deception will come in a form we do not expect. Satan will pose as a person we would accept, someone like the Pope who has been a figurehead that the world has honored and even worshipped for millennia. They bow to Him and kiss his hand and give him the kind of reverence they should give Jesus, without suspecting he would ever mislead them. If Satan puts himself in position of the Pope, people will bow to him and kiss his hand and listen to every word he says, and he will mislead them, and there will be other deceptions just as intense. See also: Antichrist; 179g / Pope is the antichrist; Mat 24-4,5; 179g / Saul was an antichrist; Act 26,9-11; 243f (179g) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> False prophets >> False prophets confess to be the Christ -- This verse goes with verses 23-26. We know the antichrist will be a false prophet who will try to mimic Christ and persuade the world that He is the expected One. Who then is the False Prophet mentioned in Rev 16-13? There have been many false prophets (2Pet 2-1), and there were many antichrists (1Jn 2,18-22), but in the last days there will be one of each that will work together to mislead the whole world, the most malevolent man the world has ever known, devoid of mercy. Just as Hitler’s Germany was one big national cult, so the whole world will follow the antichrist. He will literally be Satan in human flesh (not that Hitler wasn't). Jesus warned that false prophets were coming to mislead many, so what will the antichrist say to mislead the world? Jesus said in Mk 13-6, “Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!'” They will claim to be the Messiah finally returned. The leader of the Moonie religion claimed to be Jesus, but we are talking about many false prophets making this claim within a short time; some will be very convincing, but one will persuade the whole world to follow him through coercion, against their will and against their better judgment, eventually becoming believers in his malevolence. They never worshipped Christ the way they will worship this man. People will obey him for fear of their lives, and over time they will come to believe they made the right choice. Atop his fear mongering he will also be very charismatic. People will appear to show a love and adoration for him in that they wouldn’t dare think or say or do anything to offend him, lest they be killed. This alone will convince many to follow him, but there will be others who will not be afraid to die; they will stand before the antichrist and defy him to his face. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24-12,13; 98k (245l) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of the prince of the power of the air -- These verses go with verses 23-26 Mat 24-12,13 (98k) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> The salvation of God >> Endure to the end – Endurance refers to both faith and what we believe. Although believing and faith are synonymous according to any reputable thesaurus, yet the Bible teaches they are inherently different. Believing is directly related to obedience in that those who believe obey and those who obey believe, while faith is a substance that comes from heaven (Heb 11-1). God gives us His faith when we believe in His truth by obeying it. When Jesus said that many will fall away from the faith, He was saying that people in the last days will surrender their God-given faith to the antichrist. As in the story of Jacob and Esau, when Esau gave up his birthright for a single meal, God accepted it as a legitimate transfer. We don’t want to enter into eternity having thrown our faith in the dumpster. The promise of eternal life is based on faith. We who endure to the end will keep the faith even if we must die for Him, knowing that our lives are waiting for us in heaven. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24,15-24; 50a / God replaces our belief with His faith; Mk 8,22-26; 226k Mat 24-12 (57c) Paradox >> Opposites >> The more you fear the less you love (75a) Thy kingdom come >> Let not your heart be hardened >> Numb from over stimulation – We see people’s love growing cold, and we do everything in His power to keep this from happening to us. When criminals victimize us, it is very frustrating and makes us wish the Lord would just take us home where this kind of thing doesn’t happen. Therefore, to avoid the pitfall of our love growing cold we die to self. Hit your thumb with a hammer and it becomes numb, which is a form of pain, but a corps isn’t numb; it can’t feel anything. This was Paul’s solution; we are to die to all the concerns of the world, for the more we die to the world, the less it can hurt us. We can ruminate over what others do to us, until our heart grows numb from over stimulation. As a solution to this Paul told us to die to self, which is a substitutionary process. When we give our worldly concerns to God, they all get shoved into the background of our lives, as He gives His anointing in return. As it is written, “always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh. So then death works in us, but life in you… Therefore we don’t faint, though our outward person is decaying, yet our inward person is renewed day by day” (2Cor 4-10-12,16). We enter into Jesus’ death and He gives us His life in return. This is how we avoid our heart growing cold. The evils of the world do not affect us, because we have died to self, and the life of God in exchange drives us further into His glory and power, so we can further die to self and better grasp the tools we use to fulfill our calling. (186i) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> Having a perverted sense of justice KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24-13 (207cb) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> God will accept you into His heaven if you overcome >> Endure to the end Mat 24-14 (50dc) Judgment >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Israel prophesied to restore the gentiles to salvation – At the end of the age there will be a crescendo of satanic activity, and literally all hell will break loose. Meanwhile, God will effect a Great Endtime Revival using His Two Witnesses with the 144,000 Jewish people prophesied in revelation, communicating the gospel to the world, saving millions from Satan’s one world government, who are willing to believe in the true doctrines of the faith that were once delivered to the saints during the first century, and then they were lost during the age of grace by the third century. God will create a people who will integrate into the nations and call the gentiles to repentance, who will unite around the truth that the 144,000 Jewish witnesses will teach them, and they will pray for the return of Christ and for the suppression of dark satanic forces. As a result, Satan will be dethroned as prince of the power of the air and forced to take on the form of a man. His power of deception will be immense, such that even the elect will have to pray extra hard to avoid his power of attraction. Satan's greatest influence will be on the developed nations of the world with a Bible in every house, but God will effect salvation more among the undeveloped nations, who are unschooled in the Scriptures, and they will believe the true doctrines of the faith that the Jewish ministry will circulate. See also: Great endtime revival; 149f (149f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Preaching the gospel to the world >> Preach "Thy kingdom come" – Within this period of intense spiritual darkness a light will dawn. We have heard this statement from the Old Testament prophesying about Jesus’ first coming in the flesh, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9-2). This endtime enlightenment will be initiated by the 144,000 in the Great Endtime Revival, who will fulfill the prophecy, preaching to all nations and saving millions, who will flock to the Lord during this time through an accompaniment of signs and wonders, in which God will reveal Himself in a very powerful way. The rational thought is that the Church caught in apostasy would come to their senses and jump aboard this Great Endtime Revival, but in fact both apostasy and revival will continue side-by-side; many in the Church will consider this Jewish-led revival to be of the devil. They will quote Scripture saying that Satan will call down fire from heaven, but the Two Witnesses are prophesied to do the same. In fact, the one who does it first is from God, and the second is the counterfeiter. The Two Witnesses will call down fire from heaven in front of the apostate church who will think it is a trick of the devil. See also: Great endtime revival; Mat 24,15-24; 50a (154h) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Witness that the world is rebellious against God >> Witness against unbelief Mat 24,15-24 (50a) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Condition of Israel in the last days – The Two Witnesses will protect the holy city from total annihilation, preserving it for Jesus when He takes his seat in Jerusalem as king of the earth during the Millennium. The Jews will continue in their unbelief until the antichrist enters the temple, posing as the Jewish Messiah (2The 2-4), and then they will extricate him from their temple. We know the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be disobedient, deserving the title of Sodom and Egypt (Rev 11-8), and so we can assume that the Jews received him, but why did they reject him after entering the temple? It is possible the antichrist is Muslim and that he enters the Muslim temple and not the Jewish temple. The Jewish temple theoretically must be built on Mount Mariah, where the Islamic temple currently stands. Jesus said in His dissertation, “(let the reader understand).” This phrase was never used anywhere else in the whole of Scripture, making it a major heads-up. Let the reader understand what? There is great significance in rebuilding the Jewish temple, according to Amos 9-11,12, "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,” declares the LORD who does this." Solomon's temple was destroyed in the Babylonian takeover in 587/586 B.C. It was rebuilt by Herod after the Babylonians allowed the Jews to return to their homeland after seventy years of captivity; Jesus came and brought salvation to all the nations, and so it appears that rebuilding the temple signifies salvation to the gentiles. It was destroyed again in seventy AD, and when it is rebuilt (supposedly) in the last days, it will signify salvation again for the gentiles in a Great Endtime Revival. The rebuilding of the temple doesn't signify salvation for the Jews in that they will have already come to a revelation of Jesus Christ as their Messiah before the temple is built. The antichrist agrees to rebuild their temple, as a means of trying to make them believe he is their Messiah. See also: Antichrist; 152h / Great endtime revival; Mat 24-22; 219f / Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt in the last days; Mk 13,14-23; 50a (152h) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> Jesus is a prophet >> Jesus prophesies about the fulfillment of Scripture – When we look at history and see all the mistakes Israel made, they were arrogant against the Romans, being difficult to govern, giving the Romans little choice. They had tried their patience until their patience wore thin, and they came and destroyed everything. We could say the Romans were like the antichrist, only Jerusalem had it coming. Instead of Nebuchadnezzar who brought the Israelites to Babylon as slaves and treated them well for 70 years, the Romans dispersed the people into all the nations, and they have only recently returned to their homeland. Throughout the age of grace they have been persecuted and hunted like animals and systematically murdered. What about the next time when this passage is fulfilled at the end of the age; will Israel taunt their enemies until their patience frays? No, whenever endtime prophecy recurs, it is fulfilled in different ways and for different reasons. The timelessness of endtime prophecy is exemplified in that some of the events that will take place in the last days have already occurred as a prediction of the future, implying that they will happen again in a different form, having different causes and in a different age. Jerusalem will once again be invaded and its occupants dispersed. The antichrist will setup shop in Jerusalem and declare it the capital city of the world under his control for the purpose of mocking God and counterfeiting His intensions. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24-15; 160a KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24-15 (160a) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit Christ -- This verse goes with verses 23-26. Some say the antichrist will be Muslim, which is a sensible and logical deduction, but is it true? They hate Christianity; they would love to murder every confessing Christian, and they love to terrorize the world. Since Islamic terrorism undoubtedly plays a part in the fulfillment of endtime prophecy, it is likely that the antichrist will be Muslim. Some see the Middle East as the full explanation of endtime prophecy, though the antichrist is slated to pose as the Jewish Messiah, which is the virtual opposite of Islamic dogma. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24-22; 219f Mat 24-21,22 (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed -- These verses go with verses 37-39 (49k) Judgment >> Judgment day >> God judges the world >> The great tribulation – We hear about the Tribulation whenever endtime prophecy is discussed. How many of us understand that it refers to the tribulation of the saints? Jesus said that if God didn’t step-in, all life would have been destroyed. Neither world wars were the "Great Tribulation", not even Hitler’s holocaust, suggesting that the most succinct definition of the Tribulation is not murdering unbelievers, but martyring the saints. Actually, there have been many tribulations that have occurred, involving martyrdom of the saints, but the Bible recognizes only one, because of the sheer number of Christians who will die at the hand of the antichrist and His New World Order. A little head’s up for those pre-tribulation Rapture advocates: more Christians will lose their lives during the Great Tribulation than the speculative numbers they claim will be left behind. When we think of those who get saved after the Rapture, their numbers will be miniscule because of the pressures imposed on them to conform to the antichrist and take the Mark of the Beast. If they can’t believe in Jesus when it is easier, how will they believe in Him when it is harder? Jesus often talked about martyrs as something endtime believers will have to endure, but we shouldn’t take it too hard, since it will act as a free pass to heaven with the promise of a better resurrection. Mat 24-22 (5f) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your faith through hardship -- This verse goes with verses 9-13 (28e) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects the world through the Church (75d) Thy kingdom come >> Motives of the heart >> God’s motives (219f) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God transforms the world into the Church >> God works in the world for the sake of the elect – One difference between the Bible’s Great Tribulation and the many wars that have been fought is that none of them encompassed the entire world. The two world wars encompassed all the developed nations, but the undeveloped nations were not involved, whereas in the Great Tribulation, even they will be included (though not to the extent of developed nations). The antichrist’s money system, alluding to the Mark of the Beast, will be electronically based, and many undeveloped nations won’t have the infrastructure to support it. Although there are computer networks in undeveloped countries, they do not incorporate rural areas, where people still live primitively. So there will be giant holes in the antichrist’s system where Christians can go for refuge. There just won’t be a practical way for the New World Order to manage large wilderness places. The question is, will Christians have enough faith to go there? The antichrist will hear of revival and try to stop it; thus God will have His saints set up camps in these rural areas. If those in such regions took the Mark, they still wouldn’t be able to buy or sell anything, because there is no computer system in place to make the transaction. For this reason, the antichrist will discount large landmasses in undeveloped countries, which the Bible describes as "the wilderness". That is where God will send His people, and there He will nourish them for 3½ years during the Trumpet judgments, and their numbers will range into the hundreds of millions. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24,23-26; 160a / Great endtime revival; Mat 24,48-51; 179c / Camp of the saints; Rev 12-6; 28k Mat 24,23-27 (70c) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Being sensitive to the Spirit >> Test the spirits -- These verses go with verses 4&5 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24,23-26 (75j) Thy kingdom come >> Motives >> Being manipulative >> Controlling people by abusing authority – There is such a thing as spiritual authority, and for that reason there is also spiritual abuse, which has been prevalent throughout the age of grace. Most of the abuse stems from ignorance with regard to how the Church should operate. The principles of God's kingdom are built around humility and submission; therefore, if we see a pastor or any spiritual leader abusing the flock, he is usually making others submit to his authority and not to God’s authority, and is unwilling to personally submit to the authority of Christ, denoting a double standard. Submitting to a person who abuses his authority in the Church hold's promise to pain and suffering but not to any benefit. We will only waste our faith and lose our trust in the Church; so when we see someone spiritually abusing the flock, run from that ministry and don’t look back, because we don’t want to waste our God-given faith on charlatans. (93m) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Exception >> Following evil along the broad way -- These verses go with verses 4&5 (160a) Works of the devil >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit Christ -- These verses go with verses 4&5. Satan has worked tirelessly the better part of two millennia developing his apostasy in the Church. He will not create a new deception but will use the old ones and all the false doctrines that go with it. Remember, Satan, the antichrist and the demons are all counterfeiters. They counterfeit God because it is an effective way to deceive people, and also because Satan doesn’t have a creative mind outside the powers of lying, cheating, stealing, killing and destroying. For example, the Two Witnesses will come and show great signs and wonders (Revelation chapter 11), making fire fall from heaven to devour their enemies, and so the antichrist will learn how to do the same to make these special powers from God seem ordinary in the eyes of the people. The whole world will believe that the Two Witnesses and the 144,000 are doing the works of God, so if the antichrist can do the same, he can draw the people's attention away from them and onto himself. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24,23-25; 46f (161e) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Wandering >> Follow the wrong leader – These verses go with verses 4&5 (168e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world who did not recognize Jesus – The worst thing we can do is follow the crowd. Jesus warned in Mat 7-13,14 that the majority will be wrong, and they will lead us astray if we follow them. The world uses a faulty set of criteria to measure credibility. We are too susceptible to the glitter and glamour that spume from certain persuasive individuals. We must listen to their words and compare them to what they do, and then determine whether someone is telling the truth. (179g) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> False prophets >> False prophets confess to be the Christ -- These verses go with verses 4&5. This did not happen in the days of the apostles, and it still hasn’t fully happened, but it will happen in the last days. 2The 2,3-10 speaks about a man of lawlessness, “coming in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” Paul said that many will be persuaded by him, who did not love the truth. Jesus said in Jn 8-32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” and here He said that if possible this man will deceive if possible the elect. When we put these two verses together, the phrase “if possible” comes better into focus. What it means is that it is not actually possible to dissuade the elect; however, he will have such a draw on man’s sinful flesh that if it weren’t for the indwelling Holy Spirit and our knowledge of the truth, we would unquestionably follow this man straight into hell. (245l) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of the prince of the power of the air -- These verses go with verses 4&5 Mat 24,23-25 (46f) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Fall of Satan >> Resisting Satan’s deception -- These verses go with verses 4&5. Those who resist Satan's deception are a threat to him. The chosen and faithful will ultimately be the ones that God uses to bring Him down; however, it will not be easy to resist him. Satan can make our world overcast from horizon to horizon with no break in the clouds, making it look like he owns this world and everyone in it, as though there were no point in resisting him. If we don't watch and pray, he can make us forget there is a God. If we don't cave to his pressure, a few of us can tear big holes in his canvas and let in the light, using as weapons the word of God and prayer, revealing bright, warm sunlight above us that he wants us to forget. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24-24,25; 160j KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24-24,25 (160j) Works of the devil >> Temptation >> Temptation to walk in unbelief >> Tempted to abandon your convictions – When Jesus said, “if possible even the elect,” He was talking about those who are straddling the fence. There are many people whom we have always thought were blood-bought, born-again, well-grounded brothers in the faith, who attended church every week and we worshipped God side-by-side, only later to discover they weren’t Christians at all, and when the antichrist comes, they will be deceived, because they do not love the truth so as to be saved. It is not good enough to follow our spiritual leaders. That won’t work in the last days with the antichrist prowling as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pet 5-8). The antichrist will establish two roads: the easy road and the hard road. This will be the core of His deception. It will be a difficult decision to take the hard road. It will be enough to convince unbelievers and those straddling the fence to follow him. They somewhat know what the Bible says and will know that the antichrist fits his description, but fear will make them doubt and the temptation of the easier road will seal their fate. Meanwhile the true Christian has been following God along the narrow way since he was saved, which has never been an easy road to follow. It will get harder in the last days, but he has already resolved in his heart to pay the ultimate price if necessary for the hope of eternal life. See also: Antichrist; Mat 24,1-14; 49l Mat 24-24 (204b) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> Going astray (207a) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish by losing your faith >> The apostasy (walking out the same door you came in) – Over half of Christian marriages end in divorce, and if people can separate in the flesh, they can separate in the Spirit. For someone who is born-again to change his mind and want to abandon his marriage to God, the person would not be able to make this decision on his own, but would need God’s affirmation in a spiritual divorce at the request of the absconder. Of course the question is why would anyone change his mind about spending eternity with God and with the angels and with the saints in heaven? It is the very mystery of lawlessness! There are things that happen in this life that are unimaginably evil. To be indifferent to God throughout life and then die without Him and go to hell is bad enough, but to be born-again and then abandon the divine relationship calls for the stiffest of eternal penalties. See also: Working the grace of God (God has called us to work with him); Col 4-13; 155i (219h) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> God chooses us through our faithfulness – It would be useless if God chose us if we resisted His will, and it would be useless that we should seek God's salvation if He didn't want us. In combination, salvation is a balance between the will of God and the will of man working together. In other words, God chooses us as we ourselves. For example, what good would it do if God wanted us to escape the deception of the antichrist if we stepped headway into it? God could give us power to overcome, but if we do not walk in that power, we are not benefited. Conversely, what good would it do if we determined not to be ensnared in the devils temptations if God were unwilling to help us? We are little ants who have no power over demonic entities, except for what God gives through His Spirit. Jesus raised a very crucial point when He said, "mislead, If possible, even the elect." If the elect are willing to be misled, then they will be misled, but if they seek God with all their hearts, then the antichrist cannot deceive them. If it were not possible for the elect to be misled, He would have told us; instead, he sternly told us not to be misled. See also: Working the grace of God (God has called us to work with him); Col 4-13; 155i Mat 24,25-41 (50b) Judgment >> God judges the world >> The second coming of Christ KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24-27 (5h) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your loyalty >> Your commitment to follow Jesus -- This verse goes with verses 4,5 Mat 24,29-51 (40a) Judgment >> Jesus is the judge >> Jesus judges the world’s unbelief Mat 24,29-31 (66l) Authority >> Lordship of Christ >> Jesus’ authority >> The authority of His second coming (213d) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all powerful >> Christ subjects the creation to Himself (237b) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >> Last trumpet -- These verses speak of a post-tribulation Rapture when it says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days." The "Tribulation" refers to the tribulation of the saints, not of the world, and by that definition, once the Rapture occurs the Tribulation of the saints is finished. Note that in this verse there is no mention of God's people trailing behind Christ (because they haven't yet been raptured), but in a sister verse we are all following behind Jesus riding on white horses (Rev 19-14). We are not riding behind Him in this verse because it is depicting Jesus coming for us in the advent of the First Resurrection/Rapture. However, the Church in today's loose-living world is so-called preparing for a pre-tribulation rapture (there is no reason to prepare; that's why the theory is so popular) under the false premise that God will rescue us from the tribulation, so let's eat, drink and be raptured. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paraphrasing, it simply says, 'After the tribulation, God will gather together His elect.' This signifies a post-tribulation event, unless we think there will be two raptures, one for us and one for tribulation converts, but that would be quite a stretch. Take a closer look at this passage. Many instances of the Bible seem to describe the earth experiencing a direct hit from a very large asteroid. Jesus may in fact be describing this very thing; one having this effect would have to be at least six miles in diameter. He said, "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light," possibly from a great plume of dust resulting from such an asteroid hit. He continues, "And the stars will fall from the sky." The stars would seem to be whirling through the sky, because the earth was rocked; and the sign of the son of man refers to this plume of smoke and dust. Jesus said that He will be coming on the clouds of the sky; those clouds may be the cloud of an asteroid plume and not the white puffy kind. (237c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >> Rapture is delayed – The Day of the Lord is one of many hot topics of Christendom today. The Day of the Lord does not depict a single day but many days, so which day is it? The Day of the Lord is the last day of the Great Tribulation, called the First Resurrection/Rapture of the Church. When Jesus spoke about the Tribulation, He was talking about the tribulation of the saints, not of the world. Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16-33). Jesus then defined the Great Tribulation in reference to the saints; the Church’s tribulation therefore ends by definition at the First Resurrection/Rapture. Jesus was very careful to say that nobody knows the day or the hour, but He mentioned nothing about the week, month and year. We won’t know the exact day, though the Bible has given us a frame of reference. When we tally up all the endtime prophecies, we can come to a fairly cohesive story about what happens and the sequence of events. Date setters defy the Lord, yet we can safely offer a general idea about the Day of the Lord, and that is sufficient. Mat 24-31 (15i) Servant >> Angels execute Judgment >> For the sake of the Church Mat 24,32-41 (225i) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about the garden of the kingdom >> Parables about plants Mat 24,32-36 (214i) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s time is soon >> Evidently soon – Consult the Internet about the length of a generation and it will spit out 30 years. So when Jesus said, “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (v34), He was talking about an approximate 30-year period, and that includes the beginning of birth pangs, which involve the ramping-up of weather patters and earthquakes. The term “Global Warming” appears for the first time in 1975, but the earth didn’t warm to produce catastrophic weather patterns until about the year 2000. If the Great Tribulation is seven years long as most people assert, it suggest we have one more year before the Seals of Satan's wrath begin to unfold (2023). Frankly, that sounds about right! Here we are in 2022; the earth has been experiencing birth pangs for at least twenty years. We hold our breath every time we turn on the news for fear of what we might see and hear. The world has unsolvable problems, and society is polarized in ways that will never be fixed. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, so the Seals unfurling in the very near future seems a reasonable conjecture. Severe weather patterns have been plaguing the earth in ways that have never happened in recorded history, and earthquakes are striking the earth more frequently than ever, and so it seems indeed that the end is near. Things are getting so severe that we can hardly see the world traversing along its current trajectory for long. Mat 24-34 (214g) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> Dispensation of God’s revelations >> Dispensation of the last days -- When Jesus used the words, "this generation", He was referring to the generation in which these things will take place. That is, all the last-days events He mentioned will happen within the time span of a single generation; that's about 30 years. He has given us a timeframe by which we may gauge the circumstances occurring in our own generation to help determine whether we are living in the days of His return. It is also a useful verse to help interpret other passages pertaining to the same topic, such as the entire book of Revelation. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24-35 (243k) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> The indestructible kingdom >> The head of the body is indestructible >> The word of God is indestructible (244g) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> The word of God is eternal >> The word of God will outlast the creation -- Some say that faith is too nebulous and intangible to contemplate, yet these so-called intangibles will outlast the present universe! Jesus was saying that if we do not believe in Him, His words will outlive His skeptics. God’s Truth is the only real Truth, because it is eternal; man has his truth, but it soon expires. For example, people go to college for years and study certain fields of knowledge, and then ten years later nobody values his education. It is better to seek God’s Truth, for it has no expiration date. The knowledge we obtain about Him will not grow obsolete. Mat 24,37-39 (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed -- These verses go with verses 48-51 (167g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not understand the word of God -- These verses emphasize the fact that people don't understand the Scriptures because they have no regard for God's word. In today's world people are oblivious to the things of God. Jesus is describing a generation that has been so desensitized and inoculated through brainwashing techniques and psychological manipulation that have replaced a healthy sense of reality with the love of money, which is the root of all evil and the root of society's mindset, and for that reason they cannot understand the Scriptures. (168d) Works of the devil >> Do not conform to the world and meet God’s judgment – This passage dispels the idea of people turning into monsters before Jesus returns; instead, the world will have a persona of normalcy, as in the days of Noah. If Noah's generation didn’t wax into madness or act like wild animals, or murder their fellow man, or become homosexual perverts, what did they do to precipitate the judgment of God? Genesis 6-5 says, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis six before this verse talked about the fact that man was fixated on sex. “The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose” (Genesis 6-2). America is fixated on sex! God’s complaint against mankind in the days of Noah was that men cared more about women than they did about God, which is exactly what Adam did to get expelled from the Garden of Eden. Eve had taken the forbidden fruit before she offered it to her husband, so in his mind he had already lost his wife. He was forced to make a decision, either to stay with God and lose his wife or follow his wife and lose His relationship with God. He chose is wife over God, which is idolatry, and this was also the sin of Noah’s day, and it is America’s sin today, splashed on TV day and night. Genesis 6-5 equates the wickedness of man and his evil thoughts to idolatry, the fact that man never gave God a thought, and this is why He sent a flood on the ancient world. Therefore, to the degree that our generation has forgotten God is the degree to which judgment is looming over mankind in the last days. See also: Noah; 182e / Last days; 215g / Adam was first and then Eve; Eph 5-22,23; 73h (182e) Works of the devil >> Deception >> Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >> Because they have no regard for God’s word -- There are some who think that the great tribulation is regional, that it only pertains to Israel and the surrounding area, the Middle East, but Jesus didn’t say that. They liken it to Noah’s flood, claiming that it too was regional, but Jesus used Noah’s flood as a description of the last days, and said that it would come upon those who dwell on the face of all the earth (Lk 21,34-36), so was Noah’s flood. See also: Noah; 195g (195g) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping men >> Worshipping the idol of pleasure – God’s complaint about the days of Noah was their idolatry. People in Noah’s day never thought about God; they became secular like the world today; we too are a generation of idolaters. God made man to worship Him; He freely admitted that He is a very jealous God, making no qualms about it. If we think this is wrong, try to change Him; we would have more luck moving to the Andromeda Galaxy. God has an everlasting love for us, so are we going to deny Him our fellowship, just because we think His jealousy is petty? There are many sides to God; love is just one of them; there are other sides just as intrinsic to His divinity, such as His sovereignty or His creativity, yet His jealousy stems from these. For example, as God, He must subject His creation to His authority, so we know who is in charge, and He becomes jealous when we don’t submit to Him. To worship God is to willingly submit to his Lordship, but if we deny Him, He will Lord Himself over us against our will, so either we give Him Lordship over our lives or He will take it. The very mention of hell helps us understand God’s sovereign authority over His creation. See also: Noah; 215g / God is sovereign; Act 17,22-31; 74b (215g) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> Suddenly >> The judgments of God come suddenly >> Without warning – It says the ancient world was totally ignorant of God until the flood came; then they understood that God was sovereign, but then it was too late. Probably the most pervasive deception straight from the mouth of Satan is that God made man to exist apart from Him, as though He made us solely to enjoy our lives as pleasure-seeking heathens. Man in the last days will be eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage in total ignorance of God, and then suddenly from seemingly nowhere everything will change as it did in the days of Noah. Something will happen to simultaneously affect mankind in every corner of the globe, describing the first seal in the Book of Revelation, “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, 'Come.' I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer” (Rev 6-1,2). Ask a thousand people what this means and you would get a thousand different answers; make it a thousand and one: the first seal depicts the total collapse of the global economy. This would affect every person in the developed world, just as the flood did to the people in Noah’s day. Everything will appear to be the same, except that the entire monetary system will have collapsed and now there is no medium of exchange. No one can buy or sell until a new monetary system can be erected in its place. However, the governmental powers will not act immediately. They will let people starve to death; people will riot in the streets and kill each other, and disease, famine and pestilence will wipe out a forth of the population of the earth by the time the sixth seal is broken. See also: Noah; 168d / Last days; Mat 24,42-51; 49i / Global economic collapse; Jn 9-4,5; 184e KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24,42-51 (5k) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your strength through perseverance (49i) Judgment >> Judgment day >> He will come like a thief in the night – The day of the Lord is indeed a specific day, but oftentimes the Scriptures do not speak about it as a day but as a period of days when endtime prophecy is fulfilled, particularly in terms of the Book of Revelation starting in chapter six with the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The first is a white horse with a rider carrying a bow with no mention of any arrows, meaning that this rider will not wage a conventional war with bullets and bombs, but it will be a war of economics. That is, the first horse of the apocalypse represents the total collapse of the global economy. This will happen while preachers who abuse their flocks have turned their backs on God, and they won't realize that all hell is about to be unleashed on them and their congregations, and that day will come on them suddenly like a thief in the night (1The 5-1,2). See also: False shepherds / Last days; 49m (49m) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Condition of the Church in the last days – Jesus is depicting a pastor of a church who is unprepared for when these things happen. The days prior to their fulfillment will act as a training period, so when that day falls on them, they had opportunity to be prepared, but they weren't. As it happens, being prepared for the fulfillment of endtime prophecy will prove to be our greatest asset. God will speak into our heart and tell us what we need to know to escape all these things that are coming to the whole world and to stand before the son of man (Lk 21-36). Preachers in those days, however, will not be prepared nor prepare their congregations for what's coming, and as a result, many will be swept away with the unbelievers. See also: False shepherds; Mat 24,45-47; 5m / Last days; Mat 24,42-44; 214b (84cb) Thy kingdom come >> Be on the alert >> Be faithful till Jesus comes >> Prepare others for His return Mat 24,42-44 (214b) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing transcends our comprehension >> God’s time does not make sense to the natural mind -- Jesus promised He would return on a day when we were not expecting Him; He also promised His return would be delayed. Therefore, He will come only after we have given up hope that He will ever return. His delay will act as a weeding-out process. He knows His faithful ones will wait for Him till the end of time, but there are others riding on their shirttails who are not faithful to Christ, who are trying to avoid hell but know nothing about faith. These will fall to the wayside as God purifies His church during His delay, "That He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless." See also: Last days; Mat 24,37-39; 168d Mat 24-42 (83k) Be on the Alert (Key verse) KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Mat 24,45-51 (206k) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish in your sin >> Perish in your omission of righteousness – There are some things we want to do for God but don’t know how, and there are other things we know how to do but don’t want to do them. Most of us have an evil conscience about sin, but we don’t necessarily have an evil conscience about omitting righteousness, which is more evil than the sins we commit. In fact, omitting righteousness is the very cause of sin. The man found himself in trouble with God in this verse because of the righteousness he omitted. If this goes on too long, eventually his evil conscience will erode his good faith, becoming an inroad for the devil to introduce discouragement, which acts as a dark cloud over his head, similar to depression, and if he lets that go too long, eventually his faith won't be strong enough to overcome the temptations of the world. See also: Sin (omission of righteousness); Rom 6-16; 25l Mat 24,45-47 (5m) Responsibility >> Jesus’ yoke of obedience >> Our obligation to shepherd the flock – Jesus was talking about getting ready for His return. His admonishment was to be faithful, sensible slaves, tending to the needs of the saints, and warned us not to develop an evil, unbelieving heart that mistreats our fellow servants. Moreover, though these parables apply to everyone, they are specifically directed to church leadership. Furthermore, Being that Jesus is addressing these statements to the Church in the last days, He is suggesting that there will be many evil shepherds in charge of His people at that time. See also: False shepherds; Mat 24,48-51; 21b (87g) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience is logical to your spirit >> It makes sense to your spirit to obey God – We will receive a body at the resurrection of the righteous, but it will not be this one, and so the flesh fights against our faith in serving the Lord, because it is not a beneficiary of His promises. This life is the only time our flesh has to live; it is slated for death, still now God has called us to die to the flesh, not even to let it live while it has a chance. After death this body will no longer exist; God will give us a new body made from a totally different substance (1Cor 15-38,44), and He made our spirit promises of a life to come. He will create a new Adam and a new Eve and command them to increase and multiply, and their numbers will grow exponentially, filling an infinite universe throughout the course of eternity, and He will put us in charge of them. He will make us rulers of a kingdom that is both infinite and eternal, and we will live forever with Him. He will create a new heavens and a new earth in which planets and galaxies will be able to support life billions of light-years into space, and God will spread His tabernacle [kingdom] over them (Rev 7-15). It makes sense to obey God; our future is bright, but not to our flesh, which cannot believe in God. The more faithful we are in this life, the more responsibility He will give us. The sinful nature of man thinks God is a joke, and it is in total agreement with the devil, and this is why Satan has had so much success ruling the world. Anybody who would believe in God makes himself an enemy of the devil. Our flesh fears death, but our spirit knows that death will only unite us with Him. Before that time, these are year is fruitful service that we render to Him so long as we remain alive in the flesh. Our faithfulness in direct contradiction to our flesh glorifies God in ways that we cannot glorify Him in heaven, because then we will have bodies that will long to serve the Lord, and we will see His face. Body, soul and spirit will want nothing more than to serve and please Him in every way. It is natural to serve God in heaven, but in this world and in our sinful flesh serving God takes faith, and faith blesses God. See also: New heavens and a new earth (God will create another race of man and put us in charge of them); Mat 28-5; 23m (99m) Thy kingdom come >> Persevere in ministering to the body of Christ (129c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of evangelism >> Feed the people with the fruit of your walk Mat 24,48-51 (21b) Sin >> Disobedient to the call – Jesus was not referring to His own time but a time when church leaders would mistreat their parishioners prior to His return. Therefore, He was not talking about physical abuse but spiritual abuse, trying to jingle money from their pockets. In the last days there will be many pastors who will misuse their positions and abuse the flock for sordid gain. Their aim is to become wealthy and live lavish lifestyles, instead of worshipping God and serving the saints. read Ezekiel 34,1-10 about further insight about God's opinion of false shepherds. Specifically, verse three says, "You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock." See also: False shepherds; 47f (47f) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Hell is a place of torment – False shepherds of the Church in the last days will be completely incognizant of the fact that God is about to pounce on them with sword drawn and cut them in pieces and assign them a place in hell with the hypocrites. Jesus is saying that the afterlife for those in hell is such that he can be cut to pieces and still live. Hell is a place of the dead where horrible things happen to people who know pain and suffering far beyond anything we could experience in this life, who seek death to rid themselves of that place but cannot attain it, because they are already dead. It is a place where people are assigned to the catacombs according to their category of sin. See also: False shepherds; 179c (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed -- These verses go with verses 21&22 (49d) Judgment >> Those who are unfruitful in His kingdom are destroyed (168a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world >> Do not let the world’s approval shape you to itself (179c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >> Jesus rebukes the Pharisees >> The world runs into the Church to escape God’s judgment – In the first century everything was well defined; all the expectations were understood; the way of salvation was unhampered by obtuse doctrines. In the last days it will be useless to run into the Church to hide from God’s judgment, since that is where judgment will begin (1Pet 4,17-19). In the first century the saints judged themselves daily in hope of perfecting their ministries toward God and man, but in the second century things began to muddle; the way of salvation became less clear, and then grew hazy. The teachings of Christ started moving downhill in favor of man’s sinful flesh, making it easier to be saved, their debt to God less severe and their accountability to Him cheap. Church leaders introduced heresies; surmising that Jesus was not coming any time soon, they began to beat their fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards and entertained false spirits. The Bible teaches that the return of Christ will be glorious, but there is nothing glorious about the people in charge of the Church in the last days. Christ will effect a Great Endtime Revival that will welcome His return, but the false shepherds will not partake of it and even hinder those who were entering (Lk 11-52). See also: Great endtime revival; Mat 24,1-14; 49l / False shepherds; 184g (184g) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace of God >> Spending His grace on your pleasures >> Abusing your position -- There has been an epidemic of spiritual abuse, emotionally, and psychologically since the 1980's that has been tolerated and thus spread to many church leaders throughout the world. They want tall, beautiful buildings, so they bleed the flock of every available dime. They raise their titles and positions above the Biblical description of a pastor and demand respect from the sheep. Then they lead a life of wanton pleasure above the means of those who made them wealthy, above those who finance their worldly appetites. They operate from a spirit of unbelief in the second coming Christ, about whom they preach every Sunday. See also: False shepherds; 243d (243d) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Sources of persecution >> Persecution from within the body – False brethren are trained by false shepherds, and as a result, churches are collapsing from a lack of attendance and funding, and at the same time pastors are in high demand, showing the apostasy to be profound. If we go to church and try to have a conversation with somebody about Jesus, he would politely excuse himself from the conversation claiming suddenly to be needed elsewhere. People meet in the foyer before and after the service and socialize about anything but Jesus, because their faith is not from the heart; otherwise their conversation would revolve around Him. Jesus said, “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Mat 12-34). They want us to think they are devout Christians; they want us to believe that during the week they are tending to their faith, though they always seem preoccupied with other concerns. Their faith in God is nonexistent, and this is prevalent throughout all of Christendom. See also: False shepherds; Mat 24,42-51; 49i See next page