The Day of the Lord

At times I wonder if it isn’t easier to convince an unbeliever of the truth about the Lord and his word than to convince a believer who believes wrong doctrine and thinks he is correct. It doesn’t seem to matter how many Scriptures I use to prove a point, the brother will cling to the error taught him by a man he trusts or the organization of which he is a member.

 

Speaking in Tongues

After the Holy Spirit fell down upon the Apostles and all those within the house where they were gathered for prayer, the Apostles began to speak in tongues. Many Jews scattered abroad were attending the Feast of Pentecost and wondered what was taking place. All seemed to be hearing the Apostles in their native tongues. That is, the tongues of their homeland, not the universally understood commercial language of Greek in the West or Aramaic in the East. At this point Luke enumerates twelve different countries to which the Jews had been scattered (Acts 2:9-10).[1] The point of the miracle was to emphasize that this was the time for the regathering of God’s people out of those places where they were scattered. The time of restoring all things to their original God-intended beauty and meaning had begun (cp. Acts 3:21).

 

Who or What is Antichrist?

Many folks seem to be looking for an end-time figure who would rule the world for a short time, and this political figure would set up a deal with the Jews and later betray them. It would look like he would make peace, but in the end terrible destruction eventually takes place. They have several names for this political person: the Beast, the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition and even Antichrist, because he is supposed to also persecute Christians. What about these things; are they true? No, they are actually false conceptions. I have written about the Beast and several times about the Man of Sin, who is also the Son of Perdition. At this time I intend to address the name Antichrist.

 

Mark of the Beast – Part 2

Many folks believe that one of the signs we are living in the last days is that only in today’s culture could the things of Revelation be understood. Only in today’s culture could some of the things that we find there be done. For example, how could people be prevented from buying and selling in the past? It is only through the technology of today’s culture that such a thing could be done. A computer chip could be implanted in the right hand and scanned by the store clerk and presto, no one could ever steal one’s identity or one’s goods. It all seems very logical and practical, but is it Biblical? We find the foundation for this idea in Revelation 13; notice:

 

The Mouth of the Beast

Revelation, as we all should know, speaks in apocalyptic language, so a literal interpretation for many of the things we find in this book is by far out of the question. For example, who ever saw a wild beast with more than one head? Who ever saw an animal with 10 horns? These among other things in Revelation show one must not take the things we find here in a literal manner. But, if this is so, how should we understand these things without permitting our imaginations to run wild? In order to keep its readers from placing our own individual interpretation upon the meaning of Scripture, Scripture, itself, often defines its own terms. For example, Daniel 7:24 defines a horn as a king or ruler, as does Revelation 17:12. So, how should we understand the ‘mouth’ of Revelation 13:5? Quoting the Scripture in its context:

 

Gospel to Be Preached in All the World

Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God would be preached in all the world and then the end would come. What does this mean? Did Jesus mean it must be preached to every remote tribe or village on every continent and island on the planet? Did he mean it had to be preached to every people-group, as is assumed by many today, before the end could come? If Jesus cannot come until the Gospel is preached according to his command, then it should be obvious in the text what Jesus meant. What does the text actually say?

 

The Apocalyptic Coming of Jesus

In Matthew 24:30 Jesus said he would come in the clouds, and all the tribe of the land (of Israel) would mourn. Men have taken this passage to indicate Jesus’ Second Coming to this earth. Jesus makes no such reference here in the Olivet Prophecy. He is speaking of his coming in judgment over the Jewish nation that had rejected him as their King. He used the Roman armies to carry out his judgment.

 

Jesus’ Coming in 70 CE

“When shall these things be?” (Matthew 24:3). Some folks try to say that this question concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, but the final two questions in this verse, namely “What shall be the sign of your coming” and “(What shall be the sign) of the end of the age (or world)?” are for our future in the 21^st century. But is this true?

 

Can the Great Tribulation be Shortened?

In Matthew 24:21 Jesus foretold a time of great tribulation. It is from here that we get our modern doctrine of “The Great Tribulation.” In Revelation believers are warned to repent or they would go through “Great Tribulation,” and then in Revelation we find that many did repent while going through “Great Tribulation.” Whether all these Scriptures refer to the same period is uncertain as far as the texts are concerned. There doesn’t seem to be any real evidence to tie them together.

 

This Generation Revisited

What does the term “this generation” mean as it pertains to the Biblical events and especially Matthew 24:34? Many folks seem to think it means a generation 2000 years or more after Jesus gave us the Olivet Prophecy. Notice:

 

Jesus’ Coming and Paul

In Matthew 24:3 the Apostles asked Jesus what would be the sign of his coming or parousia (G3952). Jesus told them that his coming could not be hid (Matthew 24:27), and it would come upon the people suddenly when they least expected it (Matthew 24:37-39). Recently I wrote that Peter, James and John believed and taught Jesus coming would be in their expected lifetimes in the 1^st century CE. What did Paul believe and teach? Did he agree with those who knew Jesus the longest, or did he teach something different?

 

As Lightening Comes out of the East

Jesus told us that his coming could not be hidden, for “as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). I think the very fact that Jesus tells his disciples to beware of the possibility of deception (Matthew 24:24-26), that a veil of sorts would be upon his coming, but how could a veil be on Jesus’ coming if it couldn’t be hid? Nevertheless, if there were no veil, why would Jesus include a sign to show his coming had occurred? Why would we need a “sign” if Jesus were speaking of his Second Coming to this earth, as modern Christianity has come to perceive it, and was exercising his great power as the Son of God at Jerusalem?

 

What Does the Olivet Prophecy Answer?

In Matthew 24:3 the disciples came to Jesus and asked him three questions. First, when would all the terrible things he mentioned take place, Secondly what would be the sign of his coming, and finally what sign would there be to show the end of the age. Did you ever wonder why the disciples asked these three particular questions at this particular time? Well, we need to understand what prompted the disciples to ask these questions, if we are ever going to be able to understand Jesus’ reply.

 

Then shall be Great Tribulation

In the Olivet Prophecy Jesus pointed to a time of great persecution. Not only were God’s people persecuted, but this particular event would be like no other in history either before or afterward. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew:

 

Jerusalem Surrounded by Armies

In Luke 21:20 of the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus predicted that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies just before its destruction. At this time his people were to flee to the mountains. Josephus tells us that this occurred in 66 CE. The Roman general, Cestius, had taken part of the city. He burned the new city and had taken the upper city and encamped at the foot of the Temple wall. Josephus claimed that had he continued, the war would have come to a quick conclusion,[1] but “…without having received any disgrace he retired from the city, without any reason in the world…”[2] It was after this time that “…the most eminent of the Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink.”[3]