Matthew Chapter 24
Continued from previous post.
Verse 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.”
Only eight people survived the Flood of Noah’s day. In the coming “flood,” more will be saved. How many? We know not, perhaps only a billion or so, perhaps less. This implies that during this great time of trouble more than three quarters of the population will perish some six billion people.
We only know that if the trouble were not cut short, all would die. Incidentally, any nuclear exchange, plague or etc., as bad as that might be, or even the ramped mobs of anarchist masses scouring the earth pale in significance to the trouble which is to come when the fallen angels are let loose and are able to materialize once again. Your worst nightmare falls far short of what is to come.
The fallen angels will first direct their efforts at the Great Company, who will die as a class suddenly. Of course some individuals will die in the interim between the completion of the Little Flock and the sudden execution of the remainder (the majority) of the Great Company at the hands of the fallen angels. The feet members will also die as a class suddenly, but earlier.
Their deaths will not come at the hands of the fallen angels, but at the hands of the corrupt church. Just as Jezebel got Ahab to do her dirty work so the antitypical Jezebel (the church nominal) will get the people (the government) to do their dirty work, possibly proclaiming the true Church to be domestic terrorist because they are proclaiming the end of the present order is upon us, the end of society as we know it and thus should be classed in with the rest of those promoting anarchist ideas even though this is completely against what they are saying.
Many professed Christians (tares in reality) will be amongst those forwarding this lie, these unfortunately will be found among those resurrected to age lasting shame, when in the kingdom they realize that in persecuting the true Church whom they believed to have been false prophets they were in truth persecuting the Lord. Poor souls the shame and regret with which they will endure will be staggering. Pray that you are not found amongst them.
At the end of the age, the nominal systems will cut them off so that none will be left. The faithful, zealous feet members will put their own heads in the noose, as it were, by speaking out. This is like Jesus—he intentionally went to Jerusalem at the end of his ministry, knowing the Pharisees were lying in wait to kill him. He went to the slaughter as meek as a lamb, for he knew it was God’s will and he was ready to die under that circumstance. It will be the same at the end of the age when Babylon is in power. Those who stick their heads out will be targets right away.
Although the coming trouble is an unpleasant subject, that is what these verses are saying. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The trouble will be “such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The future trouble will be worse than anything in the past or anything to ever occur again.
Mark 13 describes a similar situation, but notice Verse 18: “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter”—period! The emphasis is clearer than in Matthew 24. Verse 19 is interesting too: “For in those days shall be AFFLICTION, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.” This makes the matter very plain, for Matthew 24 might convey the thought of “age”; that is, that the Flood of the first age is not included. Mark 13 plainly includes ALL dispensations—past, present, and future.
“And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days” (Mark 13:20). In this verse we have the liberty of understanding the tense as future. This technique is commonly used in the Old Testament where many prophecies yet future are spoken of as already fulfilled. The context determines the perspective in which the future event is being viewed. Sometimes the prophet is transplanted in time as if he were living in our day; then he states a future event as if it is already in progress or already past.” (The Gospel of Matthew)
In our next post we will move on to Verse 23.
Continued from previous post.
Verse 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.”
Only eight people survived the Flood of Noah’s day. In the coming “flood,” more will be saved. How many? We know not, perhaps only a billion or so, perhaps less. This implies that during this great time of trouble more than three quarters of the population will perish some six billion people.
We only know that if the trouble were not cut short, all would die. Incidentally, any nuclear exchange, plague or etc., as bad as that might be, or even the ramped mobs of anarchist masses scouring the earth pale in significance to the trouble which is to come when the fallen angels are let loose and are able to materialize once again. Your worst nightmare falls far short of what is to come.
The fallen angels will first direct their efforts at the Great Company, who will die as a class suddenly. Of course some individuals will die in the interim between the completion of the Little Flock and the sudden execution of the remainder (the majority) of the Great Company at the hands of the fallen angels. The feet members will also die as a class suddenly, but earlier.
Their deaths will not come at the hands of the fallen angels, but at the hands of the corrupt church. Just as Jezebel got Ahab to do her dirty work so the antitypical Jezebel (the church nominal) will get the people (the government) to do their dirty work, possibly proclaiming the true Church to be domestic terrorist because they are proclaiming the end of the present order is upon us, the end of society as we know it and thus should be classed in with the rest of those promoting anarchist ideas even though this is completely against what they are saying.
Many professed Christians (tares in reality) will be amongst those forwarding this lie, these unfortunately will be found among those resurrected to age lasting shame, when in the kingdom they realize that in persecuting the true Church whom they believed to have been false prophets they were in truth persecuting the Lord. Poor souls the shame and regret with which they will endure will be staggering. Pray that you are not found amongst them.
At the end of the age, the nominal systems will cut them off so that none will be left. The faithful, zealous feet members will put their own heads in the noose, as it were, by speaking out. This is like Jesus—he intentionally went to Jerusalem at the end of his ministry, knowing the Pharisees were lying in wait to kill him. He went to the slaughter as meek as a lamb, for he knew it was God’s will and he was ready to die under that circumstance. It will be the same at the end of the age when Babylon is in power. Those who stick their heads out will be targets right away.
Although the coming trouble is an unpleasant subject, that is what these verses are saying. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The trouble will be “such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The future trouble will be worse than anything in the past or anything to ever occur again.
Mark 13 describes a similar situation, but notice Verse 18: “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter”—period! The emphasis is clearer than in Matthew 24. Verse 19 is interesting too: “For in those days shall be AFFLICTION, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.” This makes the matter very plain, for Matthew 24 might convey the thought of “age”; that is, that the Flood of the first age is not included. Mark 13 plainly includes ALL dispensations—past, present, and future.
“And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days” (Mark 13:20). In this verse we have the liberty of understanding the tense as future. This technique is commonly used in the Old Testament where many prophecies yet future are spoken of as already fulfilled. The context determines the perspective in which the future event is being viewed. Sometimes the prophet is transplanted in time as if he were living in our day; then he states a future event as if it is already in progress or already past.” (The Gospel of Matthew)
In our next post we will move on to Verse 23.
