What comes next?

[KingJ]

I have been studying Matt 24 and want to share on what I believe is coming next for us.

1. False christs that show great signs and wonders and deceive many Matt 24:5, 24
2. Persecution and death of Christians Matt 24:9
3. Great falling away Matt 24:10
4. Abomination of desolation in the holy place Matt 24:15

I stop there as I believe reading Matt 24:39-44 provides undeniable evidence of a rapture event.

Of the 'beginning of sorrows' events mentioned by Jesus, Matt 24:5 is the only one I believe is remaining.

The others I believe are fulfilled. Namely:

Matt 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars.

We have wars a plenty. Everyone is in fear of a terrorist attack. That, Iran nukes and the demonized Russians is surely sufficient rumour of wars.

Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Nation against nation. This makes me think of WW 1 and WW 2. Natural disasters, we just need to google a graph of their increase over the last hundred years to see this prophecy is fulfilled.

I personally believe the day we see the anti-christ in the temple, will be the day we are raptured.

 

[Hekuran]

OK. But remember Jesus promise that "this generation will not pass away until all these things are accomplished". Most of the prophecy in Matthew 24 was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. A generation was considered 40 years (think of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years), so if Jesus was speaking at around AD33, the timeline fits.

Still looking forward to Jesus returning in glory.

 

[Quantrill]

As with anything dealing with the last days or eschatology, ones timeline and understanding is going to be based on so many things.

1.) Do you interpret Scripture literally or spiritually (figuratively)?

2.) Do you believe there is a Rapture or is it just the Second Coming?

3.) What do you believe the 'Kingdom Heaven is?

4.) What do you believe the Gospel of the Kingdom is?

5.) Do you believe there is a 7 year Tribulation?

6.) What do you believe concerning the Church and Israel?

7.) What is the 'end of the age'? (24:3)

8.) How do you interpret the two parables in (Matt. 25), as they address the time spoken of in (Matt. 24)?

Quantrill

 

[KingJ]

OK. But remember Jesus promise that "this generation will not pass away until all these things are accomplished". Most of the prophecy in Matthew 24 was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. A generation was considered 40 years (think of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years), so if Jesus was speaking at around AD33, the timeline fits.

Still looking forward to Jesus returning in glory.

The reason I don't agree is that there has been no abomination of desolation standing in the holy place after Jesus. There has been no false christs showing great signs and wonders. Even the natural disasters at that time can be questioned. The only prophecy in the 'beginning of sorrows' that can be debated is 'wars and rumours of wars / nation against nation'.

Matt 24 speaks of events that have clearly not occurred (bar destruction of the temple). The rapture being the clearest. Why interpret Matt 24 as fulfilled but hold to that?

 

[B-A-C]

Matt 24:14; "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

This hasn't happened yet.

Matt 24:15; "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

This hasn't happened yet

Matt 24:21; "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

This hasn't happened yet

Matt 24:27; "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

This hasn't happened yet

Matt 24:29; "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Matt 24:30; "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
Matt 24:31; "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.

This hasn't happened yet

Matt 24:35; "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

This hasn't happened yet

If we move from Matthew 24 to 1 Corinthians 15....

1 Cor 15:24; then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
1 Cor 15:25; For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
1 Cor 15:26; The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
1 Cor 15:27; For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.
1 Cor 15:28; When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Jesus hasn't handed the kingdom back over the Father yet.
If we move to Revelation 20

Rev 20:2; And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
Rev 20:3; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
Rev 20:4; Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Rev 20:5; The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

None of this has happened yet. Satan hasn't been "bound for a thousand years" (in the pit). Also, when was the reign saints were resurrected and reigned with Jesus?
None of these have happened yet.