Following the Signs: PART 2

For many years now, people have been talking about Matthew 24 in the Holy Bible. Many say it is a reference to the end times, while others speak of it in relation to the Tribulation Period. Some even say it relates to the Second Coming of Christ, as this pertains to the Battle of Armageddon. So, what is the actual answer?

The book of Matthew, chapter 24 is the go-to source for preachers and teachers of end-time prophecy. Unfortunately, among the elect, there are those who also misinterpret this chapter. So, we are going to examine the key elements within, in order to see for ourselves.

One of the first things that occur in this chapter is the disciples ask Jesus two questions. The first question is in relation to the signs we can watch for and the second is in relation to the Second Coming.

Matthew 24: 3 (NLT) “Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, ‘Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world (age)?’”

Jesus tells them of the events involving the Tribulation Period, Second Coming, and the Rapture while addressing them. Already knowing that those of us in our current time would understand these differences, He explains the events in great detail.

Now, we already know that the Second Coming of Christ is the event which takes place at the end of 1,335 days Daniel speaks of. Because we know this as a fact, then we also know the exact day when this will occur after the Antichrist is revealed.

But when Jesus speaks on the Rapture, he says, “However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24: 36-44 NLT).

We can plainly see that this is not about the Second Coming. After all, we know the exact day that will happen after the Antichrist is revealed. But we do not know the day or the hour when the Rapture occurs. Also, we know that the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation Period begins, as it is the event which ushers in the Tribulation Period.

Prior to this, however, there is a time and season that takes place. Like the disciples asked about the sign that will signal His return, this sign is akin to the season of the Rapture, or more popularly knows as the end of days.

These ‘end of days’, as it were, consist of wars, rumors of wars, floods, famines, earthquakes, pestilence, and so on. Also, however, these same events will occur during the Tribulation Period but on a larger scale. So, when Jesus speaks on them, He is referencing two events simultaneously; the Rapture and the Second Coming.

“Jesus told them, ‘Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24: 4-14 NLT).

We see that Jesus talks about the end of days as being akin to birth pains. In other words, He is saying that the signs of the end of days will begin slowly but will steadily increase in both frequency and magnitude. And as our current history has proven, this is absolutely true. This is why so many people have become numb to the idea of the Rapture ever occurring; that is, people have been discussing the fact that we are at the end of days for quite some time now. As such, people are numb to the idea and say things such as, “Those Christians have been talking about that forever,” and “It is all make-believe, it’s never going to happen and they just need to grow up.”

But the truth is we have been in birth pains for a long time now; at least, in terms of human time. But just as Jesus said it would be; the beginning of these signs is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Jesus also talks about the martyrs. Martyrdom would begin after Jesus ascended to Heaven and it will not stop until the Battle of Armageddon. In this sense, Jesus is talking about His disciples and every Christian who has and who will lay down their lives for Jesus’ namesake. This includes martyrs created before the Rapture and the martyrs created afterward; especially so after the Antichrist is revealed and he wages war against those in the Tribulation Period. That will be a worldwide massacring like the world has never known.

In addition to these things, we see Jesus speak on those who revolt against Him within their hearts. This happens more so than say twenty years ago because the frequency and magnitude of false prophets arising with their lies have steadily increased; just like birth pains do. In fact, Jesus says, “Many will turn away from me and betray…” This happens because of the popularity to accept teachings based in singularity, such as feel-good-only messages, and the false belief we are always saved once we accept Jesus, and as such, we don’t even have to address sin anymore.

And since Satan is the principalities of this earth, He has massive control over the airwaves. As such, masses of people are turning away and betraying Jesus. Sadly, most of them do not know they are doing so because they are following the false teachings spoken to them. That is they believe to be in the right when they are, indeed, refusing a repentant lifestyle. As such, they will weep and mourn when the Rapture occurs; for they will be left standing here wondering what has happened. Even sadder still, Jesus told us of these things and yet, they still refuse to listen to what He has requested of them all — to repent and return to Him the way they first loved Him. In other words, their love has grown cold and they cannot see the wrong in what they do.

Lastly, we see Jesus reference the Second Coming. In this, He is speaking directly to those who are left behind after the Rapture occurs. He tells them to endure until the end, and if they do, they will be saved.

Jesus goes on to say, “‘The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about — the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.’ (Reader, pay attention!) ‘Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there will be greater anguish than any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.’”

As we have previously discussed, the latter half of the Tribulation Period involves the full reign of Satan at the helm. Because God’s wrath is constantly poured out upon Satan already, His wrath comes with Satan’s rule. God’s wrath is also poured out upon the earth because of those who have blatantly rejected His Son and Christ’s teachings; that is, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, and whoever would believe in Him, will not perish but have eternal life. God’s wrath is poured out upon those who have refused and who have turned away. And honestly, who can blame God for this? After all, He only asks us to believe and then to follow Him to the best of our individual ability. He doesn’t make it tough on us.

This particular passage is talking about the middle of the Tribulation Period after the Antichrist is revealed. He immediately makes war against those who are considered to be God’s chosen ones. Here, we find several groups that fall into this category at this time, and this is why so many misinterpret the scriptures pertaining to the Tribulation Period and where the bride of Christ is in relation to all of this.

God’s chosen people are the Israelites. He chose them as a means to reveal himself to the world. Through them, God would later make a nation (May 14, 1948). It was though these people that God would be born into flesh, Jesus Christ, our Lord. He took the sins of the world upon himself. And it was these very people who would yell out, “Crucify Him!”

See, the Israelites as a whole, they did not desire to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. They were searching for someone militaristic. This is why so many of them will choose to follow the Antichrist, as well. It is the Antichrist who is militaristic. Not until the Battle of Armageddon, does the real Jesus appear in the clouds for all to see, otherwise known as the Second Coming. From that time forward, Jesus will reign for a thousand years with a rod of iron (militaristic).

It was a simple misinterpretation of the scriptures that caused the Israelites to miss the most important facet of the coming of the Son of Man. That is they believed the Son of Man should have been militaristic from the get-go, and not someone who came to bear the sins of the world upon His shoulders. They did not understand that the Son of God would “deliver” them first, in the sense of eternity and then He would return later to “deliver” them in a physical sense. They were only looking for the physical aspect of being “delivered,” so to speak.

As such, much like people do today in regards to misinterpreting Matthew 24 as having only one meaning, they too thought the foretelling of the coming of the Son of God only had one meaning. Because of this, they missed out. Even today, many Israelites still are awaiting the coming of the Son of God; ergo, many will be deceived when the Antichrist is revealed. Like the rest of the world, they will bow down and worship him. Taking on the mark of the beast, they will blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, and as such, they will never be forgiven. It is a sad but honest truth.

After Jesus laid down His life for us, everyone who accepts Him becomes His chosen, per se. So, although Israel is God’s chosen people, as it were, it is those who accept Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives that this passage of scripture is speaking about. This, however, is not indicating that the bride of Christ is left to endure the Tribulation Period. But rather, Jesus is discussing all of those who are new in the Lord after the Rapture and those who have rededicated their lives to Him — the ones left behind because they turned away from Jesus’s teachings within their hearts.

The days shortened that Jesus speaks of is the 1,290 days after the Antichrist is revealed; that is, God is all-knowing. As such, when God thought about the length of time Satan would be given during this time, He knew that anything longer than 1,290 days would also mean not one person would be left alive. As such, while God thought on the timeframe, He shortened the days to 1,290. This is why Satan only receives 3 and one-half years in terms of full reign. Anything longer and there would not be one person left alive because Satan hates every single human on this planet. But because Jesus is merciful and He loves those who are new to Him after the Rapture and those who are rededicated, these days after the Antichrist is revealed will only be 1,290.

In the book of Daniel in chapter 12, we see two different times associated with the length of the Antichrist’s reign in terms of the final half of the seven-year peace treaty. We see, “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. And blessed are those who wait until the end of the 1,335 days!” (Daniel 12: 11-12 NLT).

Unlike the modern calendar, Jewish common calendars fall under a completely different set of rules. Without confusing everyone too much, I will say that Daniel followed this calendar system, per se. So, when we discuss “3.5 years” in relation to the final portion of the Tribulation Period, we are talking about the 1,290 days in Daniel.

The 1,335 days in Daniel is about the Second Coming of Christ. So, between these two moments, we have 45 days which seem to make no sense. But they actually do. In the book of Revelation 19: 19-20 (NLT), we read: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their mighty armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast — miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”

Now, we must remember that the beast is the means in which Satan utilizes to reign upon the earth. As such, after the Battle of Armageddon, the beast is thrown into the Lake of Fire; whereas, Satan becomes bound and thrown into a bottomless pit for a thousand years. With that being stated, the one on the horse is Jesus. He returns with His bride and this is the Second Coming.

For 45 days, the armies of the world will gather at the site where the Battle of Armageddon takes place. They will ready themselves to destroy Israel once and for all. And more importantly, they gather in preparation to wage war against Jesus. Obviously, this does not work out well for the world and its armies. But this is the moment in where the missing 45 days do occur, according to the book of Daniel and the 1,290 days versus 1,335 days.

One thing to consider about prophecy in the Word of God is that it is only prophetic in terms of humans. To God, however, these events are outright facts because He has viewed them already. After all, God is all-knowing. Even people who may try to change these outcomes can’t. This is because every decision they could possibly make, but more importantly will make, is considered by God. In layman’s terms, the Bible does not hold prophecy in the eyes of God. It is but facts that have already happened at the time He viewed the world.

To us, this is future events; albeit, many of these things are occurring right now. As such, they seem prophetic to us. But to God, on the other hand, He is the Beginning and the Ending. He can see the past, present, and future. So, where we define these events as being prophecy, God sees them as outright facts. And because God can do this, when He considered the various times that Satan might reign fully, He shortened any lengthy times down to 1,290 days, with 45 additional days being set aside for the armies of the world to gather. He had to do this or there would not be one person left alive; that is, the Tribulation Period is truly beyond human comprehension in the latter portion.

So, as for Matthew 24, the truth in this book is that Jesus speaks of the Rapture, Tribulation Period, and the Second Coming. All three of these events are spoken of within this chapter. But when people decide to place their views of singularity upon it, they come to conclusions based on deception. But if we take the time to be led by the Holy Ghost and not ourselves, we easily can see that Jesus speaks on all three events within a single chapter.

We are at the end of the season in terms of the Rapture and the forthcoming Tribulation Period. It is vital we take God seriously in these matters. As such, we must take self-evaluation of where we stand with Jesus.

“And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world — from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven” Matthew 24: 31 (NLT).