Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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Look at these great buildings!
Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
After exposing how evil the counterfeit religion had become, after proclaiming all the woes that would come on them for their evil hypocrisy Jesus then departs from the temple. That is when it gets weird. Are these disciples acting like tour guides? Do they really think Jesus has never been to Jerusalem before? But this reminds me of 1 Corinthians where Paul tells us that we will all be building, some with precious materials others with wood, hay and stubble.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
What these people have been building, they will suffer loss. Remember all the woes in the previous chapter. If you do not take the way of the cross and you do not put to death your egotistical inner man, then you can end up just like those in chapter 23 and now in chapter 24. Yes, they build great buildings, but when the shaking comes there shall not be left one stone upon another. Is your faith resting directly on Jesus Christ, the rock? Or is your faith resting upon another stone?
Every time anyone asks for the name of my blog I know what is going to happen, their face will turn sour when they hear. Why? No one likes to go to a discussion about the rapture, it is always a debate about "Harpazo" and "pre trib or post trib". These points are covered in this blog, but they are given a trivial amount of time. I'm much more interested in the spiritual warfare, I'm much more interested in the criteria by which someone would be taken or left behind.
I view the church age as a season, just as the NFL has a season. During this season we are battling the enemy. There are seven churches but ultimately we are left with one church, Philadelphia that will go to the Super bowl. When they are "raptured" the "synagogue of Satan" comes and confesses that Philadelphia was the church that was truly following the Lord's leading. During the tribulation Satan is able to release his full might on the Christians but also at that time the 144,000 are battling them as a championship team of the Lord.
For those left behind it is the last chance for them to deal with their ego and join with the two witnesses to save as many as they can. This becomes a testimony to the Jews and brings them to salvation as a nation. The great multitude standing on the sea and worshipping the Lord, that is the victory celebration.
Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
After exposing how evil the counterfeit religion had become, after proclaiming all the woes that would come on them for their evil hypocrisy Jesus then departs from the temple. That is when it gets weird. Are these disciples acting like tour guides? Do they really think Jesus has never been to Jerusalem before? But this reminds me of 1 Corinthians where Paul tells us that we will all be building, some with precious materials others with wood, hay and stubble.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
What these people have been building, they will suffer loss. Remember all the woes in the previous chapter. If you do not take the way of the cross and you do not put to death your egotistical inner man, then you can end up just like those in chapter 23 and now in chapter 24. Yes, they build great buildings, but when the shaking comes there shall not be left one stone upon another. Is your faith resting directly on Jesus Christ, the rock? Or is your faith resting upon another stone?
Every time anyone asks for the name of my blog I know what is going to happen, their face will turn sour when they hear. Why? No one likes to go to a discussion about the rapture, it is always a debate about "Harpazo" and "pre trib or post trib". These points are covered in this blog, but they are given a trivial amount of time. I'm much more interested in the spiritual warfare, I'm much more interested in the criteria by which someone would be taken or left behind.
I view the church age as a season, just as the NFL has a season. During this season we are battling the enemy. There are seven churches but ultimately we are left with one church, Philadelphia that will go to the Super bowl. When they are "raptured" the "synagogue of Satan" comes and confesses that Philadelphia was the church that was truly following the Lord's leading. During the tribulation Satan is able to release his full might on the Christians but also at that time the 144,000 are battling them as a championship team of the Lord.
For those left behind it is the last chance for them to deal with their ego and join with the two witnesses to save as many as they can. This becomes a testimony to the Jews and brings them to salvation as a nation. The great multitude standing on the sea and worshipping the Lord, that is the victory celebration.
When shall these things be?
Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
This is what many of the watchmen are asking. For example, I have seen the book of Acts as a picture of the tribulation. Can you apply this to the church age, sure, because we all go through tribulation. But we can also apply it to the seven year tribulation because there was great persecution against the church. They are arresting and killing Christians and there are two witnesses, Peter and Paul. But if this is the case, where in the book of Acts do we see the rapture? Then it hit me! When Barnabas, the son of consolation sells a property and gives the proceeds to the church, this is just like someone who discovered a pearl of great worth and sold all to buy it. This is followed by Ananias and Saphira, these are two false ones who for them being a Christian is a part they play about being devout. They also sell a property and they also claim they have given all to the Lord, but that is not true. When they are exposed they drop down dead and great fear falls on everyone concerning the church. Immediately after this we have the persecution of the church with the stoning of Stephan who is working to minister to the poor in the church. This is a picture of the rapture, during the rapture some will be taken, but even more will be left behind. In this case it seems one third (Barnabas) was truly a son of consolation who had sold all to buy this pearl of great worth. Two thirds were pretending to have sold all and they drop down dead at the rapture. In addition to those three there are others who are also Christians, they are not pretending nor are they fully given. They are the ones who are left behind. This is when the famine strikes, the men who are chosen to minister to the poor are selected and then a great persecution of the church begins.
So then what Barnabas was offering was a thanksgiving offering. It is a free will offering. It is not required. In the US we also celebrate a holiday of "Thanksgiving". The first time the nation did this was after the revolutionary war, Washington called for a one day celebration. He was giving thanks to God for bringing us all through the revolutionary war. He did not make it a yearly holiday. The second time this was done was when Lincoln was president. He thought if the nation celebrated a day of thanksgiving it might unite the nation and help his presidency. His motive was two fold. Part of the thanksgiving was for God, part for himself. But he claimed it was all for God. That was deceitful and he died in office. The third president to declare thanksgiving a holiday was FDR. He wanted to make it the fourth Thursday of the month so that it would kick off a month of holiday buying. He figured if there was a national holiday people would find it easier to go shopping and sure enough, black Friday was created and that grew into cyber Monday as well. He also claimed it was a day to give thanks to God but in reality part was for himself to get the country out of the Great depression. It was deceitful and he also died in office.
Now we know that Jeremiah said "the summer is over and we are not saved" and we see that as the feeling of all those who are left behind after the rapture. The summer is over after the harvest festival. Halloween was first started by the Celts as a harvest festival. However, in the US we don't have a harvest feast on Halloween. Rather our harvest festival is Thanksgiving.
We also know in Amos that when the rapture takes place it turns our joyful songs for our festivals into a dirge, a song of mourning as for an only son. Christmas is "our festival" and is associated with these festive, happy songs. The radio begins to play these songs after Thanksgiving. If the rapture were to take place at this time those Christmas songs would be like salt in the wounds of those left behind.
We also know that May 14, 1948 the Jews returned to Israel. It was prophesied in Ezekiel that these dry bones would live and that this nation would be formed in a single day. The vote took place in the UN at midnight and so could be considered the midnight cry which would cause everyone waiting for the Lord's return to wake up. It was one of the very first works of the UN and so was the putting forth of the tender leaves of the fig tree. Since the first mention of a fig tree was when Adam and Even hid their nakedness with fig leaves we can associate the fig tree with an attempt to cover the sin of the nations.
The UN was formed on the 17th of Cheshvan in 1945, that is the start of the Biblical flood. According to Jesus when this fig tree puts forth tender leaves, and making Israel a Jewish nation again was a tender leaf they put forth, then "this generation shall not pass away until all these things mentioned in Matthew 24 take place". According to Psalm 90 Moses says a rebellious generation is 80 years. We believe that the Great Tribulation, the second half of the seven year tribulation, is when God pours out His wrath and this sinful generation will pass away. That means on May 14, 2029 we would think the Great tribulation would begin. That is when this generation is 81. The first half of the seven year tribulation is 1,260 days and from May 14, 2029 that would go back to December 1, 2025. Prior to the rapture or coincidentally with the rapture there is going to be three days of darkness. This could refer to Thanksgiving and Black Friday (timing wise). This is not a prediction, this is simply a mathematical equation based on the Lord's word.
Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
This is what many of the watchmen are asking. For example, I have seen the book of Acts as a picture of the tribulation. Can you apply this to the church age, sure, because we all go through tribulation. But we can also apply it to the seven year tribulation because there was great persecution against the church. They are arresting and killing Christians and there are two witnesses, Peter and Paul. But if this is the case, where in the book of Acts do we see the rapture? Then it hit me! When Barnabas, the son of consolation sells a property and gives the proceeds to the church, this is just like someone who discovered a pearl of great worth and sold all to buy it. This is followed by Ananias and Saphira, these are two false ones who for them being a Christian is a part they play about being devout. They also sell a property and they also claim they have given all to the Lord, but that is not true. When they are exposed they drop down dead and great fear falls on everyone concerning the church. Immediately after this we have the persecution of the church with the stoning of Stephan who is working to minister to the poor in the church. This is a picture of the rapture, during the rapture some will be taken, but even more will be left behind. In this case it seems one third (Barnabas) was truly a son of consolation who had sold all to buy this pearl of great worth. Two thirds were pretending to have sold all and they drop down dead at the rapture. In addition to those three there are others who are also Christians, they are not pretending nor are they fully given. They are the ones who are left behind. This is when the famine strikes, the men who are chosen to minister to the poor are selected and then a great persecution of the church begins.
So then what Barnabas was offering was a thanksgiving offering. It is a free will offering. It is not required. In the US we also celebrate a holiday of "Thanksgiving". The first time the nation did this was after the revolutionary war, Washington called for a one day celebration. He was giving thanks to God for bringing us all through the revolutionary war. He did not make it a yearly holiday. The second time this was done was when Lincoln was president. He thought if the nation celebrated a day of thanksgiving it might unite the nation and help his presidency. His motive was two fold. Part of the thanksgiving was for God, part for himself. But he claimed it was all for God. That was deceitful and he died in office. The third president to declare thanksgiving a holiday was FDR. He wanted to make it the fourth Thursday of the month so that it would kick off a month of holiday buying. He figured if there was a national holiday people would find it easier to go shopping and sure enough, black Friday was created and that grew into cyber Monday as well. He also claimed it was a day to give thanks to God but in reality part was for himself to get the country out of the Great depression. It was deceitful and he also died in office.
Now we know that Jeremiah said "the summer is over and we are not saved" and we see that as the feeling of all those who are left behind after the rapture. The summer is over after the harvest festival. Halloween was first started by the Celts as a harvest festival. However, in the US we don't have a harvest feast on Halloween. Rather our harvest festival is Thanksgiving.
We also know in Amos that when the rapture takes place it turns our joyful songs for our festivals into a dirge, a song of mourning as for an only son. Christmas is "our festival" and is associated with these festive, happy songs. The radio begins to play these songs after Thanksgiving. If the rapture were to take place at this time those Christmas songs would be like salt in the wounds of those left behind.
We also know that May 14, 1948 the Jews returned to Israel. It was prophesied in Ezekiel that these dry bones would live and that this nation would be formed in a single day. The vote took place in the UN at midnight and so could be considered the midnight cry which would cause everyone waiting for the Lord's return to wake up. It was one of the very first works of the UN and so was the putting forth of the tender leaves of the fig tree. Since the first mention of a fig tree was when Adam and Even hid their nakedness with fig leaves we can associate the fig tree with an attempt to cover the sin of the nations.
The UN was formed on the 17th of Cheshvan in 1945, that is the start of the Biblical flood. According to Jesus when this fig tree puts forth tender leaves, and making Israel a Jewish nation again was a tender leaf they put forth, then "this generation shall not pass away until all these things mentioned in Matthew 24 take place". According to Psalm 90 Moses says a rebellious generation is 80 years. We believe that the Great Tribulation, the second half of the seven year tribulation, is when God pours out His wrath and this sinful generation will pass away. That means on May 14, 2029 we would think the Great tribulation would begin. That is when this generation is 81. The first half of the seven year tribulation is 1,260 days and from May 14, 2029 that would go back to December 1, 2025. Prior to the rapture or coincidentally with the rapture there is going to be three days of darkness. This could refer to Thanksgiving and Black Friday (timing wise). This is not a prediction, this is simply a mathematical equation based on the Lord's word.
Take heed that no man deceive you
Matthew24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
I think the number one way to do this is to study the word of God.
1. No one knows the day or the hour. To me that eliminates all of the feast days of the Lord in the book of Leviticus or anywhere else in the Old Testament prior to Jesus' earthly ministry.
2. It is an appointed day. Since it is not one of the appointed days in the Old Testament it could refer to an appointed day in the New Testament after Jesus was crucified. We only have two. Pentecost is mentioned and is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but it was a celebration of the first fruit of grapes. Therefore it could be argued that they did know the day and certainly the hour (9 AM is when the new wine is poured out). The other day is the Lord's table which is a dress rehearsal for the wedding feast and the rapture. So I have always felt the rapture is on the Lord's day, that is our appointed day. Now there are other appointed days that were set up after the Lord's earthly ministry. Halloween is an appointed day for Satan and demonic worship. But Thanksgiving seems like the most appropriate appointed day. Still you also have Christmas, not a day in the Bible but a day that the pagans knew and you have Easter, again, that is supposed to be Passover and the day of resurrection, both of which were days mentioned in the Old Testament.
3. We are told to watch, repeatedly. In fact the church in Sardis is warned if they don't watch then they won't know the hour. The only way to reconcile this with "no one knows the day and hour" is to point out that this verse by the Lord is present tense, not future. He didn't say no one will know, only that no one knows right now. This would align with the word in the Old Testament that God will do nothing without first telling His prophets.
Many people think that by saying "no one knows the day or the hour" they are protecting themselves from being deceived. I like to think of Judo, this is a style of warfare where you let your opponent over commit and use that against them. Do not base your understanding on a single verse and do not base it on a single verse that is taken out of context. When Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour He used three analogies: the day of harvest, the day a baby is born and the day a thief strikes.
The farmer does not know the day of harvest when he plants the seeds. He could probably estimate a two week window at that time. But when you are three weeks away from harvest he can probably estimate a much smaller window, perhaps one week. Then when you are seven days out he can probably estimate the day. Likewise with a baby, you don't know the day the baby is going to be born so you have to pack a bag and be ready. When the water breaks then you know it is time. Likewise with a thief which is why you employ a night watchman.
So let's apply this. We knew when the Jews returned to Israel that we were within one generation of the Lord's return. Then this last June when they held the red heifer ceremony and gathered up the ashes we knew we were probably less than a year away. Also, in 2023 when Hamas invaded Israel to kick off the Psalm 83 war, that was called "the flood" and that was the water breaking. That also told us that now is the time for the baby to be born. Then the thief in the night is when they switch out the currency for a digital currency where they control what you can buy or sell. UK is already doing this, China has already implemented a social credit score, and the rise in the price of Gold tells us the elites are about to do this right now.
Matthew24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
I think the number one way to do this is to study the word of God.
1. No one knows the day or the hour. To me that eliminates all of the feast days of the Lord in the book of Leviticus or anywhere else in the Old Testament prior to Jesus' earthly ministry.
2. It is an appointed day. Since it is not one of the appointed days in the Old Testament it could refer to an appointed day in the New Testament after Jesus was crucified. We only have two. Pentecost is mentioned and is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but it was a celebration of the first fruit of grapes. Therefore it could be argued that they did know the day and certainly the hour (9 AM is when the new wine is poured out). The other day is the Lord's table which is a dress rehearsal for the wedding feast and the rapture. So I have always felt the rapture is on the Lord's day, that is our appointed day. Now there are other appointed days that were set up after the Lord's earthly ministry. Halloween is an appointed day for Satan and demonic worship. But Thanksgiving seems like the most appropriate appointed day. Still you also have Christmas, not a day in the Bible but a day that the pagans knew and you have Easter, again, that is supposed to be Passover and the day of resurrection, both of which were days mentioned in the Old Testament.
3. We are told to watch, repeatedly. In fact the church in Sardis is warned if they don't watch then they won't know the hour. The only way to reconcile this with "no one knows the day and hour" is to point out that this verse by the Lord is present tense, not future. He didn't say no one will know, only that no one knows right now. This would align with the word in the Old Testament that God will do nothing without first telling His prophets.
Many people think that by saying "no one knows the day or the hour" they are protecting themselves from being deceived. I like to think of Judo, this is a style of warfare where you let your opponent over commit and use that against them. Do not base your understanding on a single verse and do not base it on a single verse that is taken out of context. When Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour He used three analogies: the day of harvest, the day a baby is born and the day a thief strikes.
The farmer does not know the day of harvest when he plants the seeds. He could probably estimate a two week window at that time. But when you are three weeks away from harvest he can probably estimate a much smaller window, perhaps one week. Then when you are seven days out he can probably estimate the day. Likewise with a baby, you don't know the day the baby is going to be born so you have to pack a bag and be ready. When the water breaks then you know it is time. Likewise with a thief which is why you employ a night watchman.
So let's apply this. We knew when the Jews returned to Israel that we were within one generation of the Lord's return. Then this last June when they held the red heifer ceremony and gathered up the ashes we knew we were probably less than a year away. Also, in 2023 when Hamas invaded Israel to kick off the Psalm 83 war, that was called "the flood" and that was the water breaking. That also told us that now is the time for the baby to be born. Then the thief in the night is when they switch out the currency for a digital currency where they control what you can buy or sell. UK is already doing this, China has already implemented a social credit score, and the rise in the price of Gold tells us the elites are about to do this right now.
Why do you think that "many will come in the Lord's name and say "I am the Christ"?
Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
The deceit comes from men who are false prophets and false teachers. It does not come from the Bible. Now the false prophets may make a phony Bible, you have the Mormon's bible, you have the Jehovah Witness Bible, you have a number of other "new" translations that have distorted and twisted the word of God to push some doctrine.
However, King James Version, New King James Version, 1901 American Standard Version and Darby version are all, in my opinion, accurate and reliable versions.
The word Christ means "anointed one". According to John we all have the anointing, but these false prophets claim to have "a special anointing". Steer clear of anyone who has "a special anointing". Also to say you have an anointing from God is not the same as saying "I am Christ". That is like saying "I am the anointed one". Anyone who claims to be "the anointed one" has made it very clear that they are a false prophet. Do not confuse this with someone who claims they have an anointing from God, that is Biblical and in the New Testament.
They shall "deceive many". Not a few, but many. I avoid any teacher or preacher with a million subscribers to their channel or to any congregation that has thousands of members. We were told that the way is narrow and few there be that find it. For a church or ministry to be extremely popular and have "many" adherents, that is "strange". Also, my logic in avoiding these is this: if someone with a million subscribers says something that sheds light on a particular verse then I will hear about it. There are too many people I am fellowshipping with and talking to for this not to reach me. There is one exception to this rule and that is if the person is dead. If after fifty years this persons ministry is still selling books in Christian book stores it is a testimony. But once again, anything of value shared in those books will be common knowledge among the genuine teachers of the word.
Now why do you think that "many will come in the Lord's name and say "I am the Christ"? They are trying to profit off the Lord's name. They are trying to make merchandise off of the simple and naive believers. There is no short cut or easy way to get to the father. There is only one way, that is Jesus Christ, and it is a narrow way, and there are few that find it. People listen to these charlatans because they are looking for a shortcut, an easy way, a cheat sheet. Do not fall for that temptation.
Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
The deceit comes from men who are false prophets and false teachers. It does not come from the Bible. Now the false prophets may make a phony Bible, you have the Mormon's bible, you have the Jehovah Witness Bible, you have a number of other "new" translations that have distorted and twisted the word of God to push some doctrine.
However, King James Version, New King James Version, 1901 American Standard Version and Darby version are all, in my opinion, accurate and reliable versions.
The word Christ means "anointed one". According to John we all have the anointing, but these false prophets claim to have "a special anointing". Steer clear of anyone who has "a special anointing". Also to say you have an anointing from God is not the same as saying "I am Christ". That is like saying "I am the anointed one". Anyone who claims to be "the anointed one" has made it very clear that they are a false prophet. Do not confuse this with someone who claims they have an anointing from God, that is Biblical and in the New Testament.
They shall "deceive many". Not a few, but many. I avoid any teacher or preacher with a million subscribers to their channel or to any congregation that has thousands of members. We were told that the way is narrow and few there be that find it. For a church or ministry to be extremely popular and have "many" adherents, that is "strange". Also, my logic in avoiding these is this: if someone with a million subscribers says something that sheds light on a particular verse then I will hear about it. There are too many people I am fellowshipping with and talking to for this not to reach me. There is one exception to this rule and that is if the person is dead. If after fifty years this persons ministry is still selling books in Christian book stores it is a testimony. But once again, anything of value shared in those books will be common knowledge among the genuine teachers of the word.
Now why do you think that "many will come in the Lord's name and say "I am the Christ"? They are trying to profit off the Lord's name. They are trying to make merchandise off of the simple and naive believers. There is no short cut or easy way to get to the father. There is only one way, that is Jesus Christ, and it is a narrow way, and there are few that find it. People listen to these charlatans because they are looking for a shortcut, an easy way, a cheat sheet. Do not fall for that temptation.
Run the race with endurance
Matthew 24:6 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.
Before the printing press by the time you heard of a war it was a few months after it started if you heard about it at all. Then when we had newspapers you would have the guy yelling "read all about it", not "hear all about it". Then radio came after WW1 for most people. WW2 was the first time everyone in the US could remember when they heard about Pearl Harbor and that we were at war. But at this time you heard news, not rumors. The art of manipulating people with rumors has developed greatly by the CIA and Madison Avenue. To hear a rumor someone has to speak it. That has taken off ever since we had Youtube. But Youtube having different channels that "told the news" that took off with the Pandemic because of the censorship. So to be fair we heard of wars starting with WW2 and we have heard rumors of war starting in 2021.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Nation rising against nation has been throughout the entire church age. Kingdom against kingdom sounds more like the world wars of the last 100 years. We have had a lot of famines, pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. However, it wasn't until we had seismometers that we learned about earthquakes in divers places, and that also was around WW2.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
All of them together are the beginning of sorrows. The previous verse says we will experience any one of these throughout the church age. But at the start of the tribulation that is greater than anything we have ever seen in human history we will see all of them together. This is what happened in Acts right before Stephen was martyred.
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.
This is what happened when they killed Stephen and then persecuted the church. It will happen again after the rapture during the tribulation. This is why I think Barnabas, Ananias and Saphira represent the time of the rapture with some being taken and some being judged as false prophets.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This is a fair description of "karens" a term for someone easily offended and for cancel culture, the term about how people betray one another, and of course doxing, the term for revealing a persons address so that they can be the recipient of hate. This is about to go epidemic levels.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Youtube has allowed the gospel to go global, just as this forum and this blog is available to anyone worldwide as long as they have the link. As genuine prophets and teachers rise, so shall the false ones. It is a war, the more people speak the truth the more Satan works to deceive others.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
We see this too. "If it bleeds it leads" is a term in the news business. Scary headlines, all the news that highlights how iniquity abounds. I was once being lectured by about six or seven black people about how systemic the racism is in the US. So I said, all this is fine, what I would like to know is your personal experience of racism, give me your personal experience about how you have been unfairly treated because you are black? It went silent. No one had any personal experience. Whenever you talk to someone who has experience real racism, perhaps Jim Crow, or some other example they always rebuke those whining about racism today. They say they don't know what they are talking about.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
The Christian life is a race and it is an endurance race.
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.
This is a very important verse. In Mark it doesn't say it will be preached it says it will be published and in Luke it doesn't say this at all, it simply says it will go out into the world. Generally speaking they say the same thing for the church age, however, each of these three books also has a specific agenda for the tribulation. Matthew is to the Jews who get saved at the end of the seven years as a nation. Prior to the end of the tribulation there will be countries where it is illegal to preach the gospel. But when the two witnesses are killed their death is live streamed to the world. That will be the preaching of the gospel to every nation. Mark represents the tribulation saints, after the rapture everyone is going to want to know what happened and newspapers and others will publish the gospel. This is because young children will disappear and they will publish that this is one theory about where they went. Of course the Antichrist will be pushing the great delusion, so just as the gospel is published so will lies and deceit be published. Luke is written to those who are raptured before the tribulation, for them the gospel goes out into the world, but it still is not published in every nation and is not preached in every nation.
Matthew 24:6 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.
Before the printing press by the time you heard of a war it was a few months after it started if you heard about it at all. Then when we had newspapers you would have the guy yelling "read all about it", not "hear all about it". Then radio came after WW1 for most people. WW2 was the first time everyone in the US could remember when they heard about Pearl Harbor and that we were at war. But at this time you heard news, not rumors. The art of manipulating people with rumors has developed greatly by the CIA and Madison Avenue. To hear a rumor someone has to speak it. That has taken off ever since we had Youtube. But Youtube having different channels that "told the news" that took off with the Pandemic because of the censorship. So to be fair we heard of wars starting with WW2 and we have heard rumors of war starting in 2021.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Nation rising against nation has been throughout the entire church age. Kingdom against kingdom sounds more like the world wars of the last 100 years. We have had a lot of famines, pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. However, it wasn't until we had seismometers that we learned about earthquakes in divers places, and that also was around WW2.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
All of them together are the beginning of sorrows. The previous verse says we will experience any one of these throughout the church age. But at the start of the tribulation that is greater than anything we have ever seen in human history we will see all of them together. This is what happened in Acts right before Stephen was martyred.
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.
This is what happened when they killed Stephen and then persecuted the church. It will happen again after the rapture during the tribulation. This is why I think Barnabas, Ananias and Saphira represent the time of the rapture with some being taken and some being judged as false prophets.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This is a fair description of "karens" a term for someone easily offended and for cancel culture, the term about how people betray one another, and of course doxing, the term for revealing a persons address so that they can be the recipient of hate. This is about to go epidemic levels.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Youtube has allowed the gospel to go global, just as this forum and this blog is available to anyone worldwide as long as they have the link. As genuine prophets and teachers rise, so shall the false ones. It is a war, the more people speak the truth the more Satan works to deceive others.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
We see this too. "If it bleeds it leads" is a term in the news business. Scary headlines, all the news that highlights how iniquity abounds. I was once being lectured by about six or seven black people about how systemic the racism is in the US. So I said, all this is fine, what I would like to know is your personal experience of racism, give me your personal experience about how you have been unfairly treated because you are black? It went silent. No one had any personal experience. Whenever you talk to someone who has experience real racism, perhaps Jim Crow, or some other example they always rebuke those whining about racism today. They say they don't know what they are talking about.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
The Christian life is a race and it is an endurance race.
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.
This is a very important verse. In Mark it doesn't say it will be preached it says it will be published and in Luke it doesn't say this at all, it simply says it will go out into the world. Generally speaking they say the same thing for the church age, however, each of these three books also has a specific agenda for the tribulation. Matthew is to the Jews who get saved at the end of the seven years as a nation. Prior to the end of the tribulation there will be countries where it is illegal to preach the gospel. But when the two witnesses are killed their death is live streamed to the world. That will be the preaching of the gospel to every nation. Mark represents the tribulation saints, after the rapture everyone is going to want to know what happened and newspapers and others will publish the gospel. This is because young children will disappear and they will publish that this is one theory about where they went. Of course the Antichrist will be pushing the great delusion, so just as the gospel is published so will lies and deceit be published. Luke is written to those who are raptured before the tribulation, for them the gospel goes out into the world, but it still is not published in every nation and is not preached in every nation.
This is the last call!
Matthew 24:15 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
This is the sign that the Jews will see when it is time to flee Jerusalem. This verse is not in Luke because those who are raptured before the tribulation will not see this. It is in Mark and Matthew because both the tribulation saints and the Jews will see this. Instead it is when we see Jerusalem compassed about with armies, that is the sign to flee for us. We saw that in 2023 and 2024 and 2025 with the Psalm 83 war. At one point there were seven different fronts in that war.
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Interestingly the same thing is said in Luke. My feeling is that in the Old Testament Israel was divided into two kingdoms, the norther kingdom of ten tribes and the southern kingdom of two tribes called Judea. I think this represents Israel and the US today, two kingdoms were 98% of the world's Jews live, about 50% in one country and 50% in the other. I think Luke is referring to the US while Matthew is referring to Israel. I think the the seven year tribulation starts with the destruction of the Great Babylon and that refers to the destruction of the East and West coast of the US with a tsunami, earthquake and then later suitcase nukes and invasion.
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.
It would be nice if you had packed a go bag prior to this and kept it with you when you are in the field. You have to prepare mentally and physically for something like this. When I was frequently hiking and camping I learned there are three things that are essential, everything else is optional. You need a knife, rope, and matches. Those three things.
In the US I would expect any place that is five miles from the coast will be unlivable. Any place within 100 miles of the coast will be overrun with migrants and gangs. You can ride 100 miles in a day on a bicycle. I would think at the very least you would want to be 200 miles from the coast, and five hundred miles would be ideal.
Now if the Lord is advising to run, then that is clearly the best advice. Think about Ukraine, Russia was massing on the border for a month before they invaded. The Ukrainians could have easily left then, and at the very last moment they could have left as soon as Russia crossed the border. But if they waited they would no longer be able to leave, people were grabbed up off the street and forced into duty.
So this sign is the "last call", last chance to leave dodge before the Antichrist goes full apocalyptic nightmare on everyone.
Matthew 24:15 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
This is the sign that the Jews will see when it is time to flee Jerusalem. This verse is not in Luke because those who are raptured before the tribulation will not see this. It is in Mark and Matthew because both the tribulation saints and the Jews will see this. Instead it is when we see Jerusalem compassed about with armies, that is the sign to flee for us. We saw that in 2023 and 2024 and 2025 with the Psalm 83 war. At one point there were seven different fronts in that war.
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Interestingly the same thing is said in Luke. My feeling is that in the Old Testament Israel was divided into two kingdoms, the norther kingdom of ten tribes and the southern kingdom of two tribes called Judea. I think this represents Israel and the US today, two kingdoms were 98% of the world's Jews live, about 50% in one country and 50% in the other. I think Luke is referring to the US while Matthew is referring to Israel. I think the the seven year tribulation starts with the destruction of the Great Babylon and that refers to the destruction of the East and West coast of the US with a tsunami, earthquake and then later suitcase nukes and invasion.
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.
It would be nice if you had packed a go bag prior to this and kept it with you when you are in the field. You have to prepare mentally and physically for something like this. When I was frequently hiking and camping I learned there are three things that are essential, everything else is optional. You need a knife, rope, and matches. Those three things.
In the US I would expect any place that is five miles from the coast will be unlivable. Any place within 100 miles of the coast will be overrun with migrants and gangs. You can ride 100 miles in a day on a bicycle. I would think at the very least you would want to be 200 miles from the coast, and five hundred miles would be ideal.
Now if the Lord is advising to run, then that is clearly the best advice. Think about Ukraine, Russia was massing on the border for a month before they invaded. The Ukrainians could have easily left then, and at the very last moment they could have left as soon as Russia crossed the border. But if they waited they would no longer be able to leave, people were grabbed up off the street and forced into duty.
So this sign is the "last call", last chance to leave dodge before the Antichrist goes full apocalyptic nightmare on everyone.
Behold, Jesus has told us this beforehand
Matthew 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
In other words you need at least six years warning and better yet ten years warning. If you knew this were going to take place in 2029 you would want a heads up in 2019 or 2020. That was what the Pandemic was, Joel prophesied about it and said that "the Day of the Lord is at hand" meaning "next door". God was giving you a warning so that you would not have a child who had not yet been weaned. Woe is to you because you did not read your Bible and you were not watching for the Lord's return.
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
A lot of people think that the flight will be on Passover and that will be the day that the two witnesses are killed or it will be on resurrection day because that will be the day they are raised. That makes no sense, if that were true then it would be on a sabbath day. Why would the Lord tell us to pray that it not be on a Sabbath day if it were appointed to be on a sabbath day? Also, Hanukah is in the winter, so don't look at Hanukah as a shadow of this event.
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.
In Revelation this appears to take place when wormwood hits the earth. Many think that the asteroid "apophis" is wormwood and it will come closest to earth on April 13th, 2029, a Friday. Based on the Lord's word about this generation shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled, I believe the great tribulation must begin before May 14, 2029.
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.
I have no idea what this means, other than it will be truly horrific for those who are on earth at this time. Think of the holocaust and all those in the concentration camps. If the war had dragged on a little longer how many of them would be dead?
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
We talk about the Antichrist, but the world will be flooded with counterfeit Christs. Now is when you can learn the truth and be grounded in the truth before the great delusion comes in like a flood to make it impossible to know what is true.
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.
How would Satan deceive people after the rapture? The theory is they will claim aliens came in a spacecraft and took away the bad people.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
We are warned beforehand what they will say, so you have no excuse to be duped by them.
Matthew 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
In other words you need at least six years warning and better yet ten years warning. If you knew this were going to take place in 2029 you would want a heads up in 2019 or 2020. That was what the Pandemic was, Joel prophesied about it and said that "the Day of the Lord is at hand" meaning "next door". God was giving you a warning so that you would not have a child who had not yet been weaned. Woe is to you because you did not read your Bible and you were not watching for the Lord's return.
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
A lot of people think that the flight will be on Passover and that will be the day that the two witnesses are killed or it will be on resurrection day because that will be the day they are raised. That makes no sense, if that were true then it would be on a sabbath day. Why would the Lord tell us to pray that it not be on a Sabbath day if it were appointed to be on a sabbath day? Also, Hanukah is in the winter, so don't look at Hanukah as a shadow of this event.
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.
In Revelation this appears to take place when wormwood hits the earth. Many think that the asteroid "apophis" is wormwood and it will come closest to earth on April 13th, 2029, a Friday. Based on the Lord's word about this generation shall not pass away until all these things be fulfilled, I believe the great tribulation must begin before May 14, 2029.
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.
I have no idea what this means, other than it will be truly horrific for those who are on earth at this time. Think of the holocaust and all those in the concentration camps. If the war had dragged on a little longer how many of them would be dead?
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
We talk about the Antichrist, but the world will be flooded with counterfeit Christs. Now is when you can learn the truth and be grounded in the truth before the great delusion comes in like a flood to make it impossible to know what is true.
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.
How would Satan deceive people after the rapture? The theory is they will claim aliens came in a spacecraft and took away the bad people.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
We are warned beforehand what they will say, so you have no excuse to be duped by them.
Only accept the genuine article
Matthew 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Think about all the cult leaders, this is what they always say, oh he is in this compound in the desert or he is in this secret place, only we know. This is fundamental to all these cults, they have secret knowledge no one else has. That makes no sense. God is the creator of the whole universe, why would only 100 people have this secret knowledge in some monastery or compound. No, God's word is going to be in the book that is everywhere, in every country, the book that is easiest to find, easiest for anyone to get. The book in everyone's language.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The Lord's coming is the main event for the entire globe, for all mankind. I used to think this verse didn't make sense. If the Lord's coming is seen in the East as a bright shining, how could that shine to the west like lightning? The Earth is round. But then we had the first Gulf war and CNN was reporting live as the rockets and bombs fell and those pictures were coming from the east and shining to the west like lightning, they were traveling at the speed of light via satellites and fiber optic cables. How could anyone other than God have known that two thousand years ago?
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
In the Gulf war Saddam Hussein was like the carcase and the US and the coalition of forces assembled were like the eagles, or vultures. What is also interesting about this verse is we had three solar eclipses traverse the US from one end to another between 2017 and 2024, they wrote out the Hebrew letters Aleph Tav, or "Alpha and Omega" if translated to Greek. They intersected in illinois over a place called "little Egypt" where every year they have a festival for "where the vultures gather together". The Lord wrote His initials on the US and X marked the spot where the vultures gather together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
This is what caused me to turn to the Lord, I heard this verse and thought "I want to see that!" I wanted to be in the Lord's army when He appeared in great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This is generic, they will gather the elect from the four corners of the earth, their will also be tribulation saints who are martyred and there will be the Jews saved as a nation. These events are going to be huge, worldwide, filling the heavens. So don't fall for a Mason, or Jim Jones, or any of these other poor imitations.
Matthew 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Think about all the cult leaders, this is what they always say, oh he is in this compound in the desert or he is in this secret place, only we know. This is fundamental to all these cults, they have secret knowledge no one else has. That makes no sense. God is the creator of the whole universe, why would only 100 people have this secret knowledge in some monastery or compound. No, God's word is going to be in the book that is everywhere, in every country, the book that is easiest to find, easiest for anyone to get. The book in everyone's language.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The Lord's coming is the main event for the entire globe, for all mankind. I used to think this verse didn't make sense. If the Lord's coming is seen in the East as a bright shining, how could that shine to the west like lightning? The Earth is round. But then we had the first Gulf war and CNN was reporting live as the rockets and bombs fell and those pictures were coming from the east and shining to the west like lightning, they were traveling at the speed of light via satellites and fiber optic cables. How could anyone other than God have known that two thousand years ago?
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
In the Gulf war Saddam Hussein was like the carcase and the US and the coalition of forces assembled were like the eagles, or vultures. What is also interesting about this verse is we had three solar eclipses traverse the US from one end to another between 2017 and 2024, they wrote out the Hebrew letters Aleph Tav, or "Alpha and Omega" if translated to Greek. They intersected in illinois over a place called "little Egypt" where every year they have a festival for "where the vultures gather together". The Lord wrote His initials on the US and X marked the spot where the vultures gather together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
This is what caused me to turn to the Lord, I heard this verse and thought "I want to see that!" I wanted to be in the Lord's army when He appeared in great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This is generic, they will gather the elect from the four corners of the earth, their will also be tribulation saints who are martyred and there will be the Jews saved as a nation. These events are going to be huge, worldwide, filling the heavens. So don't fall for a Mason, or Jim Jones, or any of these other poor imitations.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
A fig tree is not the national symbol of Israel, their national symbol is an olive tree. In fact none of the countries in the Mid East use a fig tree as a national symbol. The first use of the fig tree in the Bible is when Adam and Eve fell they used fig leaves to cover their nakedness. So it is directly tied to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I would say it is a symbol of human civilization and human wisdom that is separate from God. The attempt to govern yourself apart from Jesus Christ the Lord and king. The UN was formed in 1945 after WW2 and then in 1948 one of their very first acts was to grant Israel statehood in 1948. So it is not simply the formation of the UN which is the sign or the reformation of Israel as a state in a single day, those are prophecies and those were fulfilled and they are amazing. But it is the UN voting for Israel to be a state as one of their first acts which is the sign that summer is nigh. Summer is the harvest season, after the rapture it is winter (based on the prophetic figurative language). After WW1 the Gideons began to distribute bibles internationally and that became a mission in WW2. Since that time the Gideons have distributed over 2 billion bibles worldwide. There are very many other evangelistic ministries on earth, but we have probably had more people saved in the last 80 years than we had in the previous 1600 years.
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
To be "at the doors" is similar to be "at hand" or "next door". All the signs mentioned by the Lord are signs letting us know what will happen immediately before His return.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
According to the context of the question at the beginning of this chapter which Jesus is answering, this is telling us a time frame for His return. How long is a generation? Is it 40 years? According to Moses in Psalm 90 a generation is 70 years, 80 years if you are "strong" or "rebellious".
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Only Jesus Christ, the incarnated God, can say this.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
So we have been given a range of time, a generation, but not the day or the hour. But if you understand that all these things must happen before Israel turns 81 then everyday that passes the time range is narrowing.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Wow, well think about that. The "flood", that was the name of the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 took place on Cheshvan 17 which was the day of Noah's flood. Noah preached the gospel for 120 years. The Gideon's began distributing Bibles in 1908, so in 2028 it will be 120 years and in 2029 we estimate that will be when this generation will "Pass away" as the Great Tribulation begins and the pouring out of God's wrath.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
That is a fair description, in the days prior to the invasion from Hamas Israelis were at a festival eating and drinking and partying. Hamas attacked during some music festival.
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
"Took them all away" is an interesting expression. It doesn't say drowned them. This is also what happened, Hamas took a whole bunch of hostages away. What happened in 2023 in Israel is a warning to us, He is saying "so shall it be also with the coming of the Son of man".
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
The people were in a field when the attack came, some were taken, some were left. That is a photographic negative of the rapture.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
If we apply this to the church, then the field is the gospel field and grinding at the mill are those who are getting into the word to make bread to feed the children of God. You can be in the gospel field and still be left behind (the term taken means to be taken as a closer personal friend and this word for left is similar to the word for divorced). So then, if you are a close personal friend of Jesus and when He comes you are in the gospel field or you are grinding at the mill, you will be taken. On the other hand if you are like the woman described in the book of Hosea you will be served with your divorce papers and left behind.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Did you get that? You have to connect this word with "no one knows the day or hour". Whenever Jesus says that He concludes with "watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come". In Christianity they quote "no one knows the day or hour" as a reason to say "stop talking about this". But the only time the Lord ever says this is to emphasize that we must watch, not that we shouldn't.
Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
A fig tree is not the national symbol of Israel, their national symbol is an olive tree. In fact none of the countries in the Mid East use a fig tree as a national symbol. The first use of the fig tree in the Bible is when Adam and Eve fell they used fig leaves to cover their nakedness. So it is directly tied to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I would say it is a symbol of human civilization and human wisdom that is separate from God. The attempt to govern yourself apart from Jesus Christ the Lord and king. The UN was formed in 1945 after WW2 and then in 1948 one of their very first acts was to grant Israel statehood in 1948. So it is not simply the formation of the UN which is the sign or the reformation of Israel as a state in a single day, those are prophecies and those were fulfilled and they are amazing. But it is the UN voting for Israel to be a state as one of their first acts which is the sign that summer is nigh. Summer is the harvest season, after the rapture it is winter (based on the prophetic figurative language). After WW1 the Gideons began to distribute bibles internationally and that became a mission in WW2. Since that time the Gideons have distributed over 2 billion bibles worldwide. There are very many other evangelistic ministries on earth, but we have probably had more people saved in the last 80 years than we had in the previous 1600 years.
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
To be "at the doors" is similar to be "at hand" or "next door". All the signs mentioned by the Lord are signs letting us know what will happen immediately before His return.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
According to the context of the question at the beginning of this chapter which Jesus is answering, this is telling us a time frame for His return. How long is a generation? Is it 40 years? According to Moses in Psalm 90 a generation is 70 years, 80 years if you are "strong" or "rebellious".
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Only Jesus Christ, the incarnated God, can say this.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
So we have been given a range of time, a generation, but not the day or the hour. But if you understand that all these things must happen before Israel turns 81 then everyday that passes the time range is narrowing.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Wow, well think about that. The "flood", that was the name of the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 took place on Cheshvan 17 which was the day of Noah's flood. Noah preached the gospel for 120 years. The Gideon's began distributing Bibles in 1908, so in 2028 it will be 120 years and in 2029 we estimate that will be when this generation will "Pass away" as the Great Tribulation begins and the pouring out of God's wrath.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
That is a fair description, in the days prior to the invasion from Hamas Israelis were at a festival eating and drinking and partying. Hamas attacked during some music festival.
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
"Took them all away" is an interesting expression. It doesn't say drowned them. This is also what happened, Hamas took a whole bunch of hostages away. What happened in 2023 in Israel is a warning to us, He is saying "so shall it be also with the coming of the Son of man".
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
The people were in a field when the attack came, some were taken, some were left. That is a photographic negative of the rapture.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
If we apply this to the church, then the field is the gospel field and grinding at the mill are those who are getting into the word to make bread to feed the children of God. You can be in the gospel field and still be left behind (the term taken means to be taken as a closer personal friend and this word for left is similar to the word for divorced). So then, if you are a close personal friend of Jesus and when He comes you are in the gospel field or you are grinding at the mill, you will be taken. On the other hand if you are like the woman described in the book of Hosea you will be served with your divorce papers and left behind.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Did you get that? You have to connect this word with "no one knows the day or hour". Whenever Jesus says that He concludes with "watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come". In Christianity they quote "no one knows the day or hour" as a reason to say "stop talking about this". But the only time the Lord ever says this is to emphasize that we must watch, not that we shouldn't.
What would you do to prevent your house from being broken into?
Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Here is another example of us not knowing in what hour the Lord will come, a thief in the night. So then, if you knew what hour the thief would come what would you do to prevent your house from being broken up?
1. I would argue that the vaccine is illegal. When you mandate an experimental vaccine you must provide all the research that was done, they didn't do that. Also, you cannot mandate an experimental vaccine if there are effective therapies. HCQ and Ivermectin were effective therapies. They violated the law when they mandated it. I would shine the light on them, I would pray for the Lord to fulfill His word that the things done in secret would be manifested and made known.
2. As they developed the technology for a digital ID to be used for all financial transactions and that would include a social credit score, I would be letting everyone know that this is the precursor to the mark of the beast. This technology has to be in place and up and running prior to the Antichrist taking over.
3. As they lay the ground work for the great delusion, claiming people were taken by aliens, I would be educating people concerning the great delusion and about the rapture. I would make sure everyone understood this was not aliens, it was the rapture.
4. As the beast system is rising out of the nations with AI, robots, drones, and quantum computers I would be educating people that this is the beast system, it is here to steal your job, so that they might turn to the Lord and be saved before they are laid off and deemed a useless eater.
5. I would be warning those in the US that this country has become the Great Babylon and the judgment is determined so that as many as possible could repent and turn to the Lord and be saved while there is still time.
6. I would continue to hand out bibles by the thousands so that there is no paper trail and when Antichrist comes to power and wants to seize the bibles he won't be able to find these ones.
7. I would pray for people by name to be saved and come to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ the king of kings and to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. I would pray for all those in authority so that we could live in all godliness and honesty.
8. I would pray for the churches in my city and for my city that we could be a refuge city during the tribulation to help save people alive.
Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Here is another example of us not knowing in what hour the Lord will come, a thief in the night. So then, if you knew what hour the thief would come what would you do to prevent your house from being broken up?
1. I would argue that the vaccine is illegal. When you mandate an experimental vaccine you must provide all the research that was done, they didn't do that. Also, you cannot mandate an experimental vaccine if there are effective therapies. HCQ and Ivermectin were effective therapies. They violated the law when they mandated it. I would shine the light on them, I would pray for the Lord to fulfill His word that the things done in secret would be manifested and made known.
2. As they developed the technology for a digital ID to be used for all financial transactions and that would include a social credit score, I would be letting everyone know that this is the precursor to the mark of the beast. This technology has to be in place and up and running prior to the Antichrist taking over.
3. As they lay the ground work for the great delusion, claiming people were taken by aliens, I would be educating people concerning the great delusion and about the rapture. I would make sure everyone understood this was not aliens, it was the rapture.
4. As the beast system is rising out of the nations with AI, robots, drones, and quantum computers I would be educating people that this is the beast system, it is here to steal your job, so that they might turn to the Lord and be saved before they are laid off and deemed a useless eater.
5. I would be warning those in the US that this country has become the Great Babylon and the judgment is determined so that as many as possible could repent and turn to the Lord and be saved while there is still time.
6. I would continue to hand out bibles by the thousands so that there is no paper trail and when Antichrist comes to power and wants to seize the bibles he won't be able to find these ones.
7. I would pray for people by name to be saved and come to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ the king of kings and to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. I would pray for all those in authority so that we could live in all godliness and honesty.
8. I would pray for the churches in my city and for my city that we could be a refuge city during the tribulation to help save people alive.
Who then is a faithful and wise servant
Matthew 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
The disciples asked to know when these things would be and what the signs would be. The Lord answered that question and now this is His question, who will be the faithful and wise servant? It is not good enough to simply feed the people, you have to give them their meat in due season. Too many sermons and preachers ignore the season, they don't want to talk about the prophecies, or about the day of the Lord being at hand. That is contrary to what the Lord told us to do.
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Two things here. Number one you need to be giving them their meat in due season, and number two you need to be doing this when He comes. There have been many watchmen saying they see the signs of the Lord's coming. It used to be I could see four or five new videos a day that were relevant. But recently it seems they have dried up. It seems many have "run out of gas" or to be more Biblically accurate, their lamps are out of oil.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Does the Once Saved Always saved doctrine mention this verse? We are not saved by works, but if the Lord finds you faithfully working when He comes then you will be made a ruler over all His goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
We are running a race, if you run out of gas, that is not terrible, it simply means your strength is not great. But don't make excuses, admit your strength is not great and pray for the Lord to help you. Don't blame the Lord for your failing, rather turn to the Lord to strengthen you.
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
it was bad enough the guy was blaming the Lord for his failing, but now he is beating his fellow servants? I get that after twenty miles of a marathon race you are tired, but this guy is not too tired to smite his fellow servants? And it gets worse, he eats and drinks with the drunken. Now it is clear, he simply wanted to return to the world. OK, certainly a bad choice, but don't make it worse by blaming the Lord for your giving in to Satan's temptations, and then beating your fellow servants who are speaking the truth and convicting you of your sins.
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Whoa! I mean Whoa! What does He mean He'll come in an hour that you are not aware of? Doesn't Christianity teach that Jesus comes at a time that no one knows the hour? Let's consider that your wife is pregnant. You don't know the hour that she will give birth, but you are certainly aware that she is pregnant and it could be any hour. You are aware of the hour. But imagine instead you are drunk and hanging out with people that a Christian should not be hanging out with when your wife gives birth. Now that is going to be a very shameful birth for you. You as a father will be put to an open shame. And that is a fitting judgment because you have treated the Lord's servants shamefully. With what measure you measure it will be measured to you.
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
The disciples asked to know when these things would be and what the signs would be. The Lord answered that question and now this is His question, who will be the faithful and wise servant? It is not good enough to simply feed the people, you have to give them their meat in due season. Too many sermons and preachers ignore the season, they don't want to talk about the prophecies, or about the day of the Lord being at hand. That is contrary to what the Lord told us to do.
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Two things here. Number one you need to be giving them their meat in due season, and number two you need to be doing this when He comes. There have been many watchmen saying they see the signs of the Lord's coming. It used to be I could see four or five new videos a day that were relevant. But recently it seems they have dried up. It seems many have "run out of gas" or to be more Biblically accurate, their lamps are out of oil.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Does the Once Saved Always saved doctrine mention this verse? We are not saved by works, but if the Lord finds you faithfully working when He comes then you will be made a ruler over all His goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
We are running a race, if you run out of gas, that is not terrible, it simply means your strength is not great. But don't make excuses, admit your strength is not great and pray for the Lord to help you. Don't blame the Lord for your failing, rather turn to the Lord to strengthen you.
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
it was bad enough the guy was blaming the Lord for his failing, but now he is beating his fellow servants? I get that after twenty miles of a marathon race you are tired, but this guy is not too tired to smite his fellow servants? And it gets worse, he eats and drinks with the drunken. Now it is clear, he simply wanted to return to the world. OK, certainly a bad choice, but don't make it worse by blaming the Lord for your giving in to Satan's temptations, and then beating your fellow servants who are speaking the truth and convicting you of your sins.
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Whoa! I mean Whoa! What does He mean He'll come in an hour that you are not aware of? Doesn't Christianity teach that Jesus comes at a time that no one knows the hour? Let's consider that your wife is pregnant. You don't know the hour that she will give birth, but you are certainly aware that she is pregnant and it could be any hour. You are aware of the hour. But imagine instead you are drunk and hanging out with people that a Christian should not be hanging out with when your wife gives birth. Now that is going to be a very shameful birth for you. You as a father will be put to an open shame. And that is a fitting judgment because you have treated the Lord's servants shamefully. With what measure you measure it will be measured to you.
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Rachel finds a savior
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
This may be the most misunderstood portion of the Bible. It may be like what Mark Twain said, it's not what we don't know that gets us in trouble, it is what we do know that just ain't so that gets us in trouble. For many years I thought I understood this, but the problem is there are some really difficult problems with this story. First of course, are we bridesmaids or are we the bride? Based on the Galilean wedding they are describing the bridesmaids though the word used is virgin, meaning a marriageable maiden or one not defiled with idolatry. The second of course is that this number ten is not the full number, twelve is the full number. So you have the reference to two people prior to this, one is taken and one is left. Now we have the other ten and again five are ready and five are left. I have heard many good teachings on this, you need your vessel full of oil, I agree. You need to buy the oil, that means we are not talking about the free gift of grace, we are not talking about the Lord's blood that has forgiven us and redeemed us. This story destroys the whole OSAS narrative that condemns any reference to works as a "works based salvation". These ten are all saved because their lamps are lit, that indicates salvation, but you also need oil and for that you must pay the price. But why does Jesus call them bridesmaids? With the other two one was a close personal friend that was taken and the other one who was left behind was "divorced". According to the Jewish practice, when you are engaged you are wed. Chapter 1 uses the term "wife" for Mary even though they have not been together yet as husband and wife. Of course we also use the term virgin, so to liken her to one of the ten virgins is not completely out of bounds, but Jesus is using a picture of a Galilean wedding where it is one man and one woman and talks of ten virgins with lamps. Those are the bridesmaids.
So let us look at the type and shadow of Rachel. When Jacob married Leah she was a bridesmaid. Then Leah, and her hand maid and Leah's hand maid all had children but Rachel didn't. Rachel was barren and was in a bitter rivalry with Leah. Ultimately she decides she doesn't want to be the bitter aunt without any children all by herself and so she embraces Leah's children and the other children as her own. This is why Rachel is considered the mother of Israel, not Leah even though Leah had seven of the children and Rachel had only two. This also explains the number ten. To ten of Jacob's sons she was the "bridesmaid" and to two she was the mother. Some Jews like Peter and John and Paul got saved, they would be described as the ones taken in the previous chapter. But most Jews have not gotten saved and instead have been in bitter rivalry with Christians. At some point they will need to repent, and embrace all of God's children as they are related because Jesus was a Jew. They will be like Rachel, who embraced all of Jacob's children as her own.
Rachel paid a price. She exchanged one night with Jacob to get the wildflowers that Leah's son had picked. The Jews are going to see the church taken first as the bride of Christ. They will be left behind. Many will be devout, they have not been defiled with idolatry, and they will ultimately have to repent for their two thousand year bitter rivalry and confess that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Only when they can embrace all the children of God as theirs by paying the price and giving up their ego as "God's chosen people" will they be able to enter into the wedding feast.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Some teach that "slumbered and slept" refers to died and these are the dead in Christ who are raised at the same time as the rapture. The word of God is a two edged sword. That is certainly one way to understand this right up until the next verse becomes fulfilled.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
The midnight cry was when the UN declared that the Jews could return to Israel at midnight. That was a huge fulfillment of prophecy likening them to dry bones rising up out of the grave of the holocaust and walking into Israel. Take a look at Israel, about two thirds of the jews are secular and don't even believe in God, at least they are not devout. Then of the one third about half are in a bitter rivalry and half aren't.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
For the Jews to return to Israel is to trim their lamp. Many were wealthy and successful and instead they move to a third world country and work on a farm. But over the last 75 years they have built Israel into a first world nation as highly developed and wealthy as any nation on earth.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Some are working out of their own strength and some are like Moses with the burning bush. It is the oil that is burning and they are not consumed.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
The two witnesses refer to the ministry of the two witnesses during the first half of the tribulation.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
So people have taught that this refers to the pre tribulation rapture, but that makes no sense. The two witnesses will also be with those who have gone in. The rapture is in the twinkling of an eye, no one will have time to go and buy oil and return. This indicates that many Jews will get saved during the first half of the tribulation and will enter in either in the rapture or as martyrs. But then when everyone sees the two witnesses killed and then raised again they also will be ready but at that time the door is shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Once again, what is this? They had lamps that were lit, they went to the two witnesses and bought the oil, so what does this mean "I know you not"? In Philippians we are told that we go through the experience of the cross so that we could "know the fellowship of His suffering". These Jews will go through the second half of the tribulation, they will know the fellowship of His suffering and He will save them when the Mount of Olives is split.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Once again this is simply one valid interpretation based on the fact that Matthew is written with the agenda of sharing the gospel of how the Jews will be saved. This story does not appear in Luke or Mark. That is very significant. The word of God is a two edged sword, I don't doubt that you were taught differently about these verse and those teachings were likely to have been "good". But the fact is to be left on the earth during the Great Tribulation when God pours out His wrath, that is really something that is never addressed and should be considered when viewing the path that the Jews will take to find salvation.
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
This may be the most misunderstood portion of the Bible. It may be like what Mark Twain said, it's not what we don't know that gets us in trouble, it is what we do know that just ain't so that gets us in trouble. For many years I thought I understood this, but the problem is there are some really difficult problems with this story. First of course, are we bridesmaids or are we the bride? Based on the Galilean wedding they are describing the bridesmaids though the word used is virgin, meaning a marriageable maiden or one not defiled with idolatry. The second of course is that this number ten is not the full number, twelve is the full number. So you have the reference to two people prior to this, one is taken and one is left. Now we have the other ten and again five are ready and five are left. I have heard many good teachings on this, you need your vessel full of oil, I agree. You need to buy the oil, that means we are not talking about the free gift of grace, we are not talking about the Lord's blood that has forgiven us and redeemed us. This story destroys the whole OSAS narrative that condemns any reference to works as a "works based salvation". These ten are all saved because their lamps are lit, that indicates salvation, but you also need oil and for that you must pay the price. But why does Jesus call them bridesmaids? With the other two one was a close personal friend that was taken and the other one who was left behind was "divorced". According to the Jewish practice, when you are engaged you are wed. Chapter 1 uses the term "wife" for Mary even though they have not been together yet as husband and wife. Of course we also use the term virgin, so to liken her to one of the ten virgins is not completely out of bounds, but Jesus is using a picture of a Galilean wedding where it is one man and one woman and talks of ten virgins with lamps. Those are the bridesmaids.
So let us look at the type and shadow of Rachel. When Jacob married Leah she was a bridesmaid. Then Leah, and her hand maid and Leah's hand maid all had children but Rachel didn't. Rachel was barren and was in a bitter rivalry with Leah. Ultimately she decides she doesn't want to be the bitter aunt without any children all by herself and so she embraces Leah's children and the other children as her own. This is why Rachel is considered the mother of Israel, not Leah even though Leah had seven of the children and Rachel had only two. This also explains the number ten. To ten of Jacob's sons she was the "bridesmaid" and to two she was the mother. Some Jews like Peter and John and Paul got saved, they would be described as the ones taken in the previous chapter. But most Jews have not gotten saved and instead have been in bitter rivalry with Christians. At some point they will need to repent, and embrace all of God's children as they are related because Jesus was a Jew. They will be like Rachel, who embraced all of Jacob's children as her own.
Rachel paid a price. She exchanged one night with Jacob to get the wildflowers that Leah's son had picked. The Jews are going to see the church taken first as the bride of Christ. They will be left behind. Many will be devout, they have not been defiled with idolatry, and they will ultimately have to repent for their two thousand year bitter rivalry and confess that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Only when they can embrace all the children of God as theirs by paying the price and giving up their ego as "God's chosen people" will they be able to enter into the wedding feast.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Some teach that "slumbered and slept" refers to died and these are the dead in Christ who are raised at the same time as the rapture. The word of God is a two edged sword. That is certainly one way to understand this right up until the next verse becomes fulfilled.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
The midnight cry was when the UN declared that the Jews could return to Israel at midnight. That was a huge fulfillment of prophecy likening them to dry bones rising up out of the grave of the holocaust and walking into Israel. Take a look at Israel, about two thirds of the jews are secular and don't even believe in God, at least they are not devout. Then of the one third about half are in a bitter rivalry and half aren't.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
For the Jews to return to Israel is to trim their lamp. Many were wealthy and successful and instead they move to a third world country and work on a farm. But over the last 75 years they have built Israel into a first world nation as highly developed and wealthy as any nation on earth.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Some are working out of their own strength and some are like Moses with the burning bush. It is the oil that is burning and they are not consumed.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
The two witnesses refer to the ministry of the two witnesses during the first half of the tribulation.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
So people have taught that this refers to the pre tribulation rapture, but that makes no sense. The two witnesses will also be with those who have gone in. The rapture is in the twinkling of an eye, no one will have time to go and buy oil and return. This indicates that many Jews will get saved during the first half of the tribulation and will enter in either in the rapture or as martyrs. But then when everyone sees the two witnesses killed and then raised again they also will be ready but at that time the door is shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Once again, what is this? They had lamps that were lit, they went to the two witnesses and bought the oil, so what does this mean "I know you not"? In Philippians we are told that we go through the experience of the cross so that we could "know the fellowship of His suffering". These Jews will go through the second half of the tribulation, they will know the fellowship of His suffering and He will save them when the Mount of Olives is split.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Once again this is simply one valid interpretation based on the fact that Matthew is written with the agenda of sharing the gospel of how the Jews will be saved. This story does not appear in Luke or Mark. That is very significant. The word of God is a two edged sword, I don't doubt that you were taught differently about these verse and those teachings were likely to have been "good". But the fact is to be left on the earth during the Great Tribulation when God pours out His wrath, that is really something that is never addressed and should be considered when viewing the path that the Jews will take to find salvation.
Why some are taken and some are left behind
Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Once again the doctrine of OSAS bites the dust.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
The Lord is saying that what He just shared about "who is the faithful and wise servant" and about the ten virgins is explained here. People have different abilities and receive talents based on their ability. Your goal is to take what the Lord gave you and double it. I don't need to worry about who got five talents and who got two and who got one. As long as I can double what the Lord gave me He will say well done. This is true if you are in the field, or if you are grinding at the mill, or if you are watching for the Lord's return and feeding the saints in due season. Each of us has a lamp, it is lit, and in order to keep it burning we need to fill our vessel with oil. You have to pay the price for the oil. To trade with the talents means you invest what the Lord has given you.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
This is explaining why one person is taken and one is left. This is explaining why one virgin is wise and another is foolish. One person made the most of what the Lord gave them and the other person was lazy.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
This is why I hate the OSAS doctrine, where do they ever talk to you about the Lord returning and reckoning with you about your labor? Any time work or labor is mentioned they condemn this as "works based salvation". This is not works based salvation, it is works based reckoning.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
OSAS would tell you that if you have been forgiven by the Lord's blood on the cross that He will say "well done, good and faithful servant". But that makes no sense. You did not do anything, the redeeming blood was something the Lord did, not you. Second of all how can you call yourself faithful? You are a sinner saved by grace. You weren't faithful. Also you were serving sin, not Jesus. This word here has nothing at all to do with being saved by grace. It has to do with those who are saved by grace and become servants of the Lord and are faithful to Him and labor together with the Lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
It is easy to see that this guy is slothful or lazy. But why is he wicked? His story about why he did nothing with the gift the Lord has entrusted us with was a lie. It was a fabricated excuse. He is trying to blame the Lord Jesus for his behavior.
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
At the very least you could invest your talent into another brother or sister's ministry.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This explains why some are taken and some are left behind.
Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Once again the doctrine of OSAS bites the dust.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
The Lord is saying that what He just shared about "who is the faithful and wise servant" and about the ten virgins is explained here. People have different abilities and receive talents based on their ability. Your goal is to take what the Lord gave you and double it. I don't need to worry about who got five talents and who got two and who got one. As long as I can double what the Lord gave me He will say well done. This is true if you are in the field, or if you are grinding at the mill, or if you are watching for the Lord's return and feeding the saints in due season. Each of us has a lamp, it is lit, and in order to keep it burning we need to fill our vessel with oil. You have to pay the price for the oil. To trade with the talents means you invest what the Lord has given you.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
This is explaining why one person is taken and one is left. This is explaining why one virgin is wise and another is foolish. One person made the most of what the Lord gave them and the other person was lazy.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
This is why I hate the OSAS doctrine, where do they ever talk to you about the Lord returning and reckoning with you about your labor? Any time work or labor is mentioned they condemn this as "works based salvation". This is not works based salvation, it is works based reckoning.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
OSAS would tell you that if you have been forgiven by the Lord's blood on the cross that He will say "well done, good and faithful servant". But that makes no sense. You did not do anything, the redeeming blood was something the Lord did, not you. Second of all how can you call yourself faithful? You are a sinner saved by grace. You weren't faithful. Also you were serving sin, not Jesus. This word here has nothing at all to do with being saved by grace. It has to do with those who are saved by grace and become servants of the Lord and are faithful to Him and labor together with the Lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
It is easy to see that this guy is slothful or lazy. But why is he wicked? His story about why he did nothing with the gift the Lord has entrusted us with was a lie. It was a fabricated excuse. He is trying to blame the Lord Jesus for his behavior.
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
At the very least you could invest your talent into another brother or sister's ministry.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This explains why some are taken and some are left behind.
The sheep and the goats
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
There has been a lot of confused teachings over this portion. We are not saved because we gave someone a drink of water. There is only one way to the Father and that is Jesus Christ. It is the blood of Jesus that saves us from hell. This portion is not about the children of God, it is about the nations. It is not about those who inherit the kingdom that was before the foundation of the earth, but the kingdom that is from the foundation of the earth. These sheep are not believers, they are the nations who are kind, considerate and compassionate. During the millennial kingdom the believers will rule and reign with Christ and the Jews will be the priesthood. So then, who are the subjects? How would you rule and reign if there are no subjects? These are the subjects. This is my understanding and I realize that verse 46 presents a problem. What does Jesus mean by the righteous shall go into life eternal? He said the sheep were righteous for the way they treated His brethren. That seems clear that they are not His brethren, they are not born again, but they have behaved in a way that He calls "righteous". For a believer Jesus Christ is our righteousness, but for these ones they way they treat the believers determines if they are righteous. Again, my interpretation is that they shall enter into the millennial reign of Jesus Christ as the "nations".
Now a goat is very different from a sheep. A goat will ram other animals and it can seriously hurt or even kill them by ramming into them. Goats are violent, sheep aren't. Street gangs are violent whereas law abiding citizens are not. Jesus Christ is the great shepherd of the sheep and the believers are to be shepherds. We are to feed the sheep, care for them, etc.
Anyway there are other verses in the Bible describing the nations coming into Jerusalem to learn of God during the Millennial reign. We also know that Satan is released for a short while to fight against the Lord at the end of the millennial reign. This indicates that there are still unbelievers who will be deceived and manipulated by him at the end of the millennial kingdom.
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
There has been a lot of confused teachings over this portion. We are not saved because we gave someone a drink of water. There is only one way to the Father and that is Jesus Christ. It is the blood of Jesus that saves us from hell. This portion is not about the children of God, it is about the nations. It is not about those who inherit the kingdom that was before the foundation of the earth, but the kingdom that is from the foundation of the earth. These sheep are not believers, they are the nations who are kind, considerate and compassionate. During the millennial kingdom the believers will rule and reign with Christ and the Jews will be the priesthood. So then, who are the subjects? How would you rule and reign if there are no subjects? These are the subjects. This is my understanding and I realize that verse 46 presents a problem. What does Jesus mean by the righteous shall go into life eternal? He said the sheep were righteous for the way they treated His brethren. That seems clear that they are not His brethren, they are not born again, but they have behaved in a way that He calls "righteous". For a believer Jesus Christ is our righteousness, but for these ones they way they treat the believers determines if they are righteous. Again, my interpretation is that they shall enter into the millennial reign of Jesus Christ as the "nations".
Now a goat is very different from a sheep. A goat will ram other animals and it can seriously hurt or even kill them by ramming into them. Goats are violent, sheep aren't. Street gangs are violent whereas law abiding citizens are not. Jesus Christ is the great shepherd of the sheep and the believers are to be shepherds. We are to feed the sheep, care for them, etc.
Anyway there are other verses in the Bible describing the nations coming into Jerusalem to learn of God during the Millennial reign. We also know that Satan is released for a short while to fight against the Lord at the end of the millennial reign. This indicates that there are still unbelievers who will be deceived and manipulated by him at the end of the millennial kingdom.