BIBLES AND REFERENCE MATERIALS 1

THIS SECTION WILL HAVE ARTICLES, COMMENTARIES, ASSIGNMENT STUDIES

ARTICLE: MESSIAH'S RETURN

Christ's Road Map To Follow PART 1

Note the question of the disciples in:

Matthew 24:33

“And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to 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?”

Now referring to the Lord’s answer to these very important questions, let us note:

Luke 21:20 to 25

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.

Also:

Luke 21:27, 28 and 31:

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then lookup, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

So likewise, ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

These verses from Luke will help us to better understand Matthew 24.

Note again:

Luke 21:22

“For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

Several times Israel’s prophets during the Old Testament days foretold Israel’s great tribulation.

Compare:

Jeremiah 30:7 to 9 and 29 to 31.

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

With:

Matthew 24:21 and 22 and 29 to 31

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

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: 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.

Here we find in Jeremiah and Matthew the Lord’s prophecy concerning Israel’s trouble and Israel’s deliverance.

About 70 A. D. the Roman army surrounded and entered Jerusalem and killed more than a million Israelites and burned up their city and left Jerusalem desolate. But God did not send His angels and gather His elect from one end of heaven to the other. This is yet to be fulfilled. When the siege of Jerusalem took place, about 70 A. D., there was no fulfillment of:

Zechariah 14:2, 3 and 4

“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

This is yet to be fulfilled. Note what is to follow: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.” Zechariah 14:9.

“And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16.

We must conclude in the light of Luke 21:22, that the Prophets of Israel prophesied concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D., as well as the coming siege of Jerusalem.

Let us note the order of events in:

Matthew 24:5 to 10:

“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers’ places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. 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. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.”

1. ANTI-CHRISTS

2. WARS

3. FAMINES

4. PESTILENCE

5. EARTHQUAKES.

Now note Revelation 6:1 to 17:

1. WHITE HORSE AND RIDER

2. RED HORSE AND RIDER

3. BLACK HORSE AND RIDER

4. PALE HORSE AND RIDER

5. EARTHQUAKES

This chapter explains that war, famine, pestilence, earthquake, are meant—We might conclude that the White Horse and the Rider represents the Anti-Christ who is to come.

Note:

Matthew 24:40 and 41:

“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

Inasmuch as there is no suggestion of a resurrection of the dead in this chapter, we must not confuse this gathering from the four winds with the rapture of the Body of Christ. It is a question here whether the righteous will be taken or left.

But not so in:

I Thessalonians 4:14 to 18

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”