What is there to watch for? Look at the things Jesus said. Some version translate Mathew 25:13 as be alert rather than watch. Maybe it just means to keep in mind that Jesus is returning and it could be any time. So as he warned about abusing the brothers yeah dont do that but maybe be doing the things he said do.
Any way ya slice it I dont think he means watch the news
1. Cults -- Jim Jones, David Koresh, Manson, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Moonies, etc.
Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mormonism -- 1830, Jehovah Witness -- 1870, Unification church May 1, 1954, Heaven's Gate -- 1974, Jim Jones -- 1976, Aum Shinrykyo -- 1984, David Koresh 1993
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
We have had two world wars. WWI led to the Balfour Declaration that Israel belongs to the Jews, and WWII led to 1948 and Israel being given back to the Jews. WWII clearly prefigures the tribulation like a dress rehearsal. You had an antichrist figure, the mark of the beast, a holocaust, Nuremberg trials where Haman's ten sons are hanged. We have had quite a few genocides in last hundred years, and the Spanish Flu was a worldwide pandemic, again a dress rehearsal for Covid19. But at that time you knew the end was not yet because Israel had not been given back to the Jews. Read the major Christian teachings prior to 1948, almost everyone taught that the Jews returning to Israel was allegorical and not literal.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Those things that we have seen: Spanish Flu, WWI, WWII, they were the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
This is strange, it seems He is referring to the apostles all being martyred at the beginning of the age, and yet it seems it is also describing the tribulation. Many argue that "pattern is prophecy". What we saw with the apostles in the book of Acts will be repeated at the end of the age.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Again, this is what we saw in Acts but it will be completed during the tribulation. Right now with the internet we can really reach the ends of the Earth. The Gideon's have translated the New Testament into 1800 translations and distribute them in over 200 countries. In the last 100 years they have handed out over 2 billion New Testaments. Not only so but the Bible is available free online translated into over 1800 languages (Gideon website). However, after the rapture you will see an age of miracles and the greatest revival of the church in two thousand years. So then this is a major sign.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
The abomination of desolation is the dome of the rock, it was built the exact number of years that Daniel prophesied it would be. Daniel also said blessed are those that come to the 1335 year, and it is exactly 1335 years since the dome of the rock was built.
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
The Great tribulation refers to the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation. At that time all of the Christians will have been removed and the enemies full focus will be on Israel and Jerusalem. Daniel told them the AntiChrist would confirm a covenant with them that he would then break in the middle of the tribulation. It is understood that the AntiChrist will allow the Jews to rebuild the temple because at this point he will be able to stand in the holy place just like Antiochus did at the time of Hanukah.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before.
We will see fallen angels, the Nephelim and they will do all kinds of signs and wonders during the tribulation.
So these are some of the signs we are to look for. Some have been fulfilled, some are yet to be fulfilled. The dome of the Rock was built, we have come to the year 1335 since that was built, we have had world wars, we have seen Israel given back to the Jews, we have seen Jerusalem given back to the Jews, and we have the Abraham accords. Daniel doesn't say that the Antichrist makes the covenant, he says the Antichrist confirms the covenant. The Abraham accords are a covenant for Israel to have full control of Jerusalem and to rebuild their temple. We are also seeing the fulfillment of the word for the gospel to be preached throughout the whole world. This is like a two stage rocked. At this point the first stage is all but completed, and when the rapture takes place we will see the second stage of this gospel going forth.
Jesus said it would be as the days of Noah.
1. The first day of Noah in Genesis is not his birthday but rather the day he got the vision that a worldwide flood would hit the earth and he also got the plans for the ark. We don't know how old he was when he got this but we do know he had three sons at the time. If you assume the youngest was 13 (this way he could have a four man crew) then he might have been around 33. We know he was 600 when the flood hit so go back 567 years from this year and that was the year we had the Gutenberg Bible (We have a letter from the Pope saying he had seen some pages of it in 1455).
2. We also know that Noah preached the gospel for 120 years before the flood. Go back to 1899 and that is when the Gideon ministry was first founded to distribute bibles around the world.
3. Then one week before the flood Noah enters the ark with his family, seven others, indicating Christ and the Church. At that time God shuts the door. In 2020 we had a worldwide pandemic and for the first time in human history God shut the door on businesses and churches around the world. That is 120 years after the Gideons were distributing 2 billion bibles worldwide.
Joel tells us we will see a worldwide pandemic that will eat up the entire economy in that year and that it will be a global sabbath rest proclaimed by God for people to fast and pray and that it will be a major sign that the Day of the Lord is at hand.
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