Concerning the Return of Jesus Christ (the anointed Messiah) and the Rapture of his People!
To understand His return we absolutely must look directly at His Words found in Mathew 24:30, 31. This passage gives us the following specific information.
“THEN the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and will beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory in brilliancy and splendor (Ampl.)
And He will send forth his angels with a GREAT TRUMPET and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (NAS)
Note: I have capitalized & underlined certain key words in this passage.
The word “then” is what is known as a sequential word. Its job is to present the order of things: this happens first, and then these things happen. So what happens first before the LORD (JHVH) returns & raptures His people? Let us look at the verses just previous to these verses starting at verse 3.
What do the disciples ask Jesus?
If you said, “What will be the sign of your coming and the end / completion / consummation of the age?” you are correct. Jesus goes on to answer that question, however not before He makes one very important statement. What is the first statement Jesus makes found both in Luke & Mathew in relationship to His coming?
Mat.24:4 & Luke 21:8______________________________________________________________________________
If you answered “Let no one deceive or mislead you.” you are correct.
What does He then go on to say in Mat. 24:5 & Luke 21:8?________________________________________________
Correct , “Many will come in my name claiming, “I am he.”
Jesus is very concerned that you know the truth about how to recognize His coming so that you don’t get fooled by a false Christ. To recognize Him you have to know the signs of His coming that happen first & how he will appear. If however, someone tells you that this won’t happen or that won’t happen and it is one of the signs that are CLEARLY LISTED BELOW, then they are trying to deceive you. They are acting against Christ and His foretelling of these events. They are in essence anti- Christ. A lot of people have not paid any attention to the Lord’s words in this passage & have already shipwrecked their souls in false cults OR they are close to doing that with FALSE BELIEFS that will encourage them to embrace a false Messiah. They have ignored or are ignoring these precious words and have missed the guidelines for recognizing the RETURN OF THEIR COMING KING. Let it not be true for us.
Jesus then goes on in Mathew to list not just one sign, but many. These signs are again repeated elsewhere in other Biblical passages, such as in Luke and Revelations. We will list them congruently.
1. What is happening first in all of these references: Mt.24:6, LK21:9, Rev 6:2-4? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ That is correct: “Wars & rumors of war, nation rising up against nation, those conquering & to conquer, take peace from the earth that man should slay one another.”
War is common thread throughout all of mankind’s existence. But recently dormant Islamic communities are now rising to the call of jihad. All over the world there is an escalation of Islamic Jihad against neighboring communities with dissimilar beliefs i.e. what was common in all Islamic countries is now happening in countries without Islamic rule such as South Sudan, etc. Even in Europe there is terrorist action taken against those who criticize their beliefs in a cartoon. The U.S. is now in a war that is costing us millions of dollars. (This by the way is increasing our yearly debt to the Federal Reserve, which is backed by certain wealthy, family owned, bankers in Europe. Technically the U.S. is indebted to European owners & thus ultimately the European Union.) So we can see these events have been happening for quite some time and are now escalating. Those things must take place but the end is not yet.
2. What happens next in this sequence of events as listed in the following references: Mat. 24:7, Luke 21:11, & Rev. 6:6-8? Begin with the Revelations reference first.
Rev. 6:6 says ____________________________________________________________________________
That’s correct, “a quart of wheat for a day’s wages” and “3 quarts of barley for a day’s wages.” There will be inflation in the prices of grain. This is usually caused by a shortage of grain supply which would create a
word that begins with F and is found in the Mat. 24:7, Luke 21:11.___________________________________ If you said Famine you are correct. This has been already true for many places around the world as in Africa etc. In the U.S., wheat prices have more than doubled in the last year. Barley though not a primary ingredient in bread making is the principle ingredient in beer production. An increase in barley prices will influence the beer making industry. On top of that, Norway just opened a World Seed Bank capable of housing tremendous amounts of grain and shorting the world’s supply.
What word found in Luke’s account is also found in Rev. 6:7-8? It begins with P. _______________________ Pestilence is “any virulent or fatal contagious or infectious disease.” Rev. 6:7-8 says that the combination of sword, famine & Pestilence will affect what part of the earth.______¼ is correct. We are more than too familiar with the accounts of Aides spread throughout various countries in Africa not to mention our own ongoing battle with it here in the U.S. An interesting side note is that all 3 of the above signs: war, famine & pestilence (Aides) have wreaked havoc in Africa. Their work alone in this great continent could comprise ¼ of the earth.
3. What does Mat. 24:7 list that begins with E ___________________________________Notably many sizeable earthquakes have occurred in the last several years. Anyone know the statistics?
4. What is the next sign that Jesus lists in Mat 24:9-14, Luke 21:12-19, Rev. 6:9-11 _________________________________________________________________________________________
If you simplified these passages by saying ‘persecution of the believers’ you are correct.
Please note I did not say persecution of the Jews. The individuals Jesus was relating this information to were not Jews. They were from the region of Galilee which is in the territory of the old Northern Kingdom. They were the righteous remnant from the Northern Kingdom that had not been displaced into the nations, and they were not descended from the tribe of Judah. Why do you think the New Testament is constantly referencing the times Jesus spent in Judea and the interaction with the people there as the Jews, the Jews, the Jews. It is because there is a distinction from the people in the Northern Kingdom area (Israelis) and the Southern Kingdom (the Jews). It is a distinction they were all too familiar with but we are not so familiar. But in this case it is extremely important for us today to understand that distinction. To verify this read 2 Chronicles30:1,6 To whom did King Hezekiah send couriers? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________He sent letters to “all Israel and Judah…to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria” In verse 11 we have listed those from the Northern Kingdom who came. Who are they? _________________________________________________________________________________
Note Zebulon is the same tribe listed in Isaiah 9:1-3, 6a. What is this passage referencing? _______________________________________________________________________________
If you said Jesus’ initial ministry than you are correct.
The vast majority of his disciples hailed from the tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. So when Jesus is making this revelation of persecution to his followers, it is to the descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Israel is just God’s chosen people – his followers. Yes, He does also specifically warn the Judeans to flee to the mountains, but if you think this is a warning only for the Jews, you miss the implication of your own impending persecution as a believer and His follower. If persecution were to occur in this country would you disown Jesus Christ because you feel you did not come to this place for such a time as this? This was for others not for you. This is not what you were taught. Remember, “If however, someone tells you that this won’t happen or that won’t happen and it is one of the signs that are CLEARLY LISTED, then they are trying to deceive you.” You simply are being taught things that are against Christ’s teaching & therefore antichrist in nature. The believers in China during the communist takeover were surprised by the persecution they suffered because they were taught they would miss the tribulation to come. Thus many abandoned their beliefs and their eternal salvation simply because this was not the Jesus they had been taught and accepted. Jesus is being as stridently clear as He can be, “Let no one deceive you.”
The whole pre-tribulation perspective has its origins in a little denomination known as the Plymouth Brethren. A young 13 year old girl had an ecstatic vision where she was told Christians wouldn’t be here for the persecution during the tribulation, but would be raptured out before the tribulation. A man named John Darby broadcasted this perspective abroad along with the other teachings of the Plymouth Brethren. Though no one knows any of the other tremendously powerful viewpoints of the Plymouth Brethren (plurality of elders as pastors of the church, weekly breaking of bread, etc) this is the only tenant that has been latched onto and promoted vigorously. Why is that? It has little merit scripturally and yet it runs rampant throughout the Christian churches. Perhaps we jump to accept it because we are fear driven and not prone to embrace pain. The Muslim faith however requires martyrdom for entrance into paradise and they readily offer themselves on suicidal missions. Our Savior bled and died an intensely painful death on our behalf and encourages us by saying “If you suffer with me, you will reign with me.” It is also written that these times “call for patient endurance of the saints”.
Those who embrace a pre-trib rapture, interpret Thessalonians to say that it is the Holy Spirit that restrains the man of lawlessness. When the Holy Spirit is taken away (with the rapture of the Church), than that man can be revealed. So if the saints and the Holy Spirit are taken away, how can anyone be indwelt with the Holy Spirit as their deposit guaranteeing their salvation? (Eph 1:13, 14) And why is there any need of patient endurance on the part of the saints if there is no possibility of people becoming saints? This pre-tri b rapture perspective makes no logical sense and sets up the one who embraces it to deny their LORD and Savior or accept a false messiah because they weren’t suppose to be here for this. If you do still hold to this position despite the above information & explicit logic, then please do yourself a favor and at least admit that your perspective is controversial at best and prepare mentally for the fact that you might possibly be wrong.
This is especially pertinent in view of the following facts:
· Presently the U.S. has 800 concentration camps that can hold over 2000 people & 1 in Alaska that can hold 2,000,000(that in itself is close to 20 million people- check it out on the internet). They can be operational instantly because they are constantly being maintained. They are under the direction of FEMA
· Martial law can be declared by a president without the consent of Congress or the House. Under martial law anyone deemed a threat to the U.S. can have their property and possessions seized with no trial. Under Martial law FEMA DIRECTS things but the director of FEMA is put in place by the president. This would be of great concern if we were to have a president with Islamic sympathies or racial bias. Check it out on the internet.
· One stipulation of being a part of the United Nations is the suspension of our constitution and rights in lieu of a one world government.
· Overseas CNN broadcast the official proclamation of the establishment of a one world government. This news however is being blocked here by both the secular and Christian news networks.
5.
Please note they are very parallel to the seals and trumpets listed in Revelations.
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