Pay close attention:
Matthew 24:29
-
Immediately After Great Trib
-*Sun darkened
-*Moon darkened/light changed
-*Stars fall from heaven
Revelation 6:12-13
-SIXTH SEAL is opened!(AFTER GREAT TRIB)
-Great Earthquake
-*Sun darkened
-*Moon darkened/light changed to "as blood" color
-*Stars fall from heaven
These
very specific events will not happen at two different points in history, Keraz. They happen
only once and they happen AFTER the Great Tribulation -
just exactly as scripture says they do.
Matthew 24:29
"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:"
It does not say:
"Immediately after the
GT 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:"
Jesus is actually going in reverse order. Since most claim Revelation is not chronological, perhaps it is the other way around and the OD is not chronological. Jesus does not break it down for us in alliterations of 7s, does He?
Jesus already declared the end, but did not start over at any particular beginning. The end is verse 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."
Anything after verse 14 is prior to the end. It is definitely
not after the end. Revelation 14:6-7
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
So the end is still after or at this point in Revelation. Although not much left but the winepress ending all of humanity as we know it. The rest of the chapter is the end.
"And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."
Yet even John goes on with 15-19 into specific or symbolic descriptions of this end. So many just default to a stance Revelation is not chronological, and we need the OD to straighten it all out for us.
Back to Jesus to see what happened just before the end. It was not the Second Coming, in the next verse, so the end is not at the Second Coming. What Jesus declares is:
"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) . Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:"
We have a long line of thoughts ending with colons. In fact some think this is going all the way back to 70AD.
Or it could be an event just prior to the end.
We have a parenthetical plopped down in the midst of this narrative by Jesus. (whoso readeth, let him understand) . So is this a warning to the hearers about 70AD or for those reading the Scriptures for the next 1900+ years?
Some say comparing Luke's version and the historical record it has to be 70AD. Except that those reading it after 70AD would have no literal future application, and the fact was pointed out that only those reading would understand.
Is it because they can look back on history? Not exactly. The end is still not until the angel declares the final gospel in Revelation 14. Because the gospel is still ongoing, is the only reason why the end was not in 70AD. So readers should at least understand that much.
The last thing before the end is the AoD. Does Revelation 15 - 19 confirm that? Yes it does, because no tribulation happens after chapter 15. Chapter 15 and16 covers the 7 vials. Not tribulation, but God's wrath. Still part of the winepress. Chapter 17:
the judgment of the great whore. Chapter 18:
Babylon the great is fallen. Still judgment and winepress of the end. That leaves Revelation 19, the assumed Second Coming. This is not what Jesus described in the OD. John has deliberated the end with 6 chapters.
So we are left to look back at Revelation 13. Bingo! We have an AoD. So John gives us an AoD in Revelation 13 followed by 6 chapters of a deliberated end. The first thing before the end in Revelation is the AoD. So let the those reading Matthew 24 understand in light of Revelation 13 to 19.
What happens prior to the AoD in Revelation 13?
We have 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Thunders. After Matthew 24:20, we go back to the narrative:
"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. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 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. Behold, I have told you before. 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. 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. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together."
Explain to me why Christ the Prince cannot be present during this time? Were there not many false christ and prophets during the first century while Jesus walked the earth prior to the Cross? Even the rebellion prior to 70AD brought out many false messiahs no doubt. Many like to point out historical facts to prove the end already happened, and yet they were already happening while Jesus and John the Baptist were also doing their God called ministry. Why is there a disconnect in the point this will all happen again after the Second Coming? Yes, even after the Second Coming there will be great tribulation and false prophets and false christs. So the Trumpets and Thunders do not default to a period prior to the Second Coming. They can just as easily be the greatest period of tribulation ever and still be after the Second Coming and definitely prior to chapter 13 and the AoD. There is nothing in Matthew 24 were Jesus specifies a correct order or indicates certain things have to happen first. We see the words "when", "for then shall be", and "Immediately after", yet that does not conclude an order.
The Second Coming is going to bring an immediate stop to the church on earth. So Immediately after the trouble the church has faced, during the last 1990+ years, is true about the Second Coming. Jesus was not lying.
"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 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."
Does this happen before this:
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 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."
If we go by this order, we get the AoD happens first, the GT next, the Second Coming, and last of all Israel becomes a Nation. If this is a fact, we already skipped the first 3 facts and Israel is a Nation. So nothing is left according to this logic. There will be no Second Coming, GT, nor AoD. We are at the last step before the end. Unless of course it is in the reverse order. Or you do not factor the fig tree in at all?
After verse 35 Jesus is just comparing past historical events. The order of how the end is worked out, over. If you reject the fact the fig tree is part of that order, you really have no signs except the actual Second Coming. Waiting for an AoD or GT to happen first is futile. The point is not to give the day and hour, but the end was still declared and some events pointed out.
Obviously John in Revelation does not specify the Second Coming either. To the point where many claim their own chronological order, and claim Revelation has no order to it at all.