The Eschatology of Jesus - Matthew 24 Part 4
THE ESCHATOLOGY OF JESUS
MATTHEW 24 Part 4
Similes and Parables for Watchfulness
(Matthew 24:32-36 KJV)
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. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Jesus begins with a parable that should be simple to understand. When a fig tree, or any tree, begins to have leaf buds or small leaves, one can conclude that summer will soon begin. Therefore, when one experiences the events that have been discussed in the earlier part of this chapter, one can know that it is as close as someone opening the front door and entering the house. It is my opinion that “it” is referring to the return of Jesus and the rapture (catching up, gathering) which are just previously and chronologically stated in verses 30 and 31.
This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled
Below, is a list of speculations concerning the word “generation”.
- It is 40 years or 70 years
- It only refers to the Jews
- It starts in 1948 when Israel became a nation, then changed to the Israeli 1967 war, then the 1973 war
- Preterists claim it has already occurred in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the temple because “this generation” is the one that Jesus was talking to.
My view is that “this generation” is the one who will experience the tribulations, the false messiahs and prophets, the rebuilt temple or sanctuary, the abomination of desolation, the disruption of the universe, and the devastation of the planet. All these things will be fulfilled and will be witnessed by that end-times generation (and it may be us).
The words of Jesus are factual and true and they will not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only
This section of scripture contains one of the most well-known, quoted, and misunderstood verse in the New Testament: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
It is usually quoted and argued without any regards for its context. Some individuals appear to have the propensity to consider certain chapters and verses as independent, autonomous, self-contained structures. That train of thought is not reality and has created false or uninformed teaching. The books of the Bible were written in the form of letters or term papers with perhaps paragraph indications but no chapter or verse numbers or marks. The division of scriptures with chapter and verse numbers was employed to facilitate reading, memory, and discussion. I have read that chapter numbers were added in 1228 AD and verse numbers were added in 1556 AD. It appears that some of these divisions were based on subject material and others seem arbitrary
Mark adds: “neither the Son”, therefore, Jesus did not know the day and hour at that point in time. Luke does not contain this particular verse.
Many arguments and discussions concerning this verse are sometimes semantic in nature. Does day or hour mean week, month, year, decade, never? Pre-tribulation rapturists claim “never” as in, one cannot know at all. Pre-tribs almost always refer to this verse as indicating the rapture and disregard the other events detailed in this chapter, which is called “picking and choosing” a verse outside of context. They have applied the term “imminent” to the rapture, meaning, it could happen at any time without regard for any other event. In their system, this would be a 2nd coming Part A, with 2nd coming Part B occurring at the Armageddon event. In my opinion, the pre-trib view is unscriptural, does not apply context, and uses circumstantial evidence as quasi-proof. There is no direct scripture which affirms the belief.
(Matthew 24:37-39 KJV)
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
This is a simile that Jesus is using to bolster His teaching that: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. (Matt 24:33)
God told Noah that the world was to be flooded. He had him build a large boat, stock the boat with food, animals in groups of two and seven entered the ark, and Noah along with Enoch preached about the coming wrath of God in the form of a flood for several years. Some commentators state that the people before the flood had never seen rain or there was a canopy of water over the earth (these are not facts). They thought Noah and Enoch were delusional. Many (if not all) must have seen the building of the ark and the animals parading into it, but they still did not heed the signs or believe. They merely continued life as usual: eating, drinking, and getting married (or engaging in sexual activities) until the flood came.
Jesus was making the point that no one believed either the preaching or the signs concerning boat building and animals entering the boat. Likewise, He said that when one sees the events, signs, and destruction referred to throughout the chapter, then the coming of the Lord and the rapture is near, not any day from 30 AD to the present. The people of Noah’s time did not know the exact day or hour of the flood, but they should have expected its occurrence within a very short period of time. Is has been said that the flood began when Noah closed the doors of the ark (scripture actually states that God closed the doors Gen 7:16).
Some modern commentators have twisted this verse to teach the world will have a state of Genesis 6 (and the book of Enoch) all over again, complete with fallen angels, Nephilim (giants) and chimeras. This is doubtful in my opinion.
(Matthew 24:40-41 KJV)
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
These two verses describe the rapture event. Only the elect (saints) are taken and others are left even though they may be beside each other.
(Matthew 24:43 KJV)
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Always be alert and watch for signs. Read the Bible and Bible commentaries and be knowledgeable concerning the signs of the time.
(Matthew 24:45-51 KJV)
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This passage speaks to me of serving the Lord with the promise of reward during the Millennial reign of Christ, if reward is due.
Matthew 24: 42, 44, 50
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of
These three verses are the last lines of the above parables. Their message is the same as verse 36 above. It concerns the return, which is known, but the hour of return is not certain. Therefore, always be prepared and watchful.
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
LION'S MANE PRODUCT
Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules
Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.
Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.

I give you an (F) for effort, these are just stories on how you see it ?, NOT “as it is written” your entitled to your opinion of course but don’t expect others to believe them, as these are NOT the Epistles, I would strongly recommend everyone read the account of these things for themselves in the bible.
take for instance “when Noah closed the doors of the ark”….in correct, as with much of your stories, looks like i read the bible better than you …lol
The Lord (GOD) shut them in (Genesis 7:16).
Why do you also dismiss? THEY KNEW NOT… meaning Knew nothing ? which is in context with scripture.”Until the flood came”. This indicates to US that once those who entered I AM the door (rapture) THEN the End came and swept them away….NOW that’s right at the BEGINNING as shown in Genesis and Revelations.
Order is… Those chosen to enter enter the Ark through the door Knew nothing before hand, GOD shuts the door as in the wise virgins parable, THEN the Tribulation …..NO DOOR is opened again in heaven during the remainder of Revelation Period
clearly PTR ….as in the days of Noah so shall the COMING of the LORD BE.
“There is no direct scripture which affirms the belief.” of ( pre -trib)
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. The whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation shows how GOD delivers the righteous from his wrath HOW ON EARTH can you miss it !!! ??
Shall Not The Judge Of All The Earth Do Right? , Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”
NO… GOD HAS SHOWN HE can do nothing UNTIL NOAH entered the ARK and LOT LEFT the City. its as plain as the nose on your face.. GOD SAVES BEFORE WRATH.
PTR views are upheld by the Word of GOD and precedence of rescue that HE has shown us “as it is written” in scripture.
Way to conflate ‘wrath’ with ‘tribulation’, Mr. Fed.
Perhaps you missed the distinction in the written Word. Maybe you don’t know your Book as well as you think you do.
Distinguish between wrath and tribulation and your argument fails.
Don’t think so Mr Beef… Noah enters Ark then the END, Lot leaves the City then the END, Bride enters through DOOR then the END as in the days of Noah and Lot so shall the coming of the Lord be. and maybe I believe what is written than try to argue over semantics of words.
“Distinguish between wrath and tribulation and your argument fails”
What fails Mr Beef is NOT DISTINGUISHING the ordinances and PRECEPTS given to us by GOD, and thereby replacing them with Stories and semantics.
PRECEPTS …(order intended as an authoritative rule of action)
Shall not GOD do what is right, Genesis 18
“Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Genesis 18:23
Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous WITH the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked ARE TREATED ALIKE. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” Genesis 18:25
The Almighty has given us clear examples (that’s WHY He gave them to us) of his intentions in His precepts of dealing with us in the future.
No its clearly a precept of GOD that the chosen Bride does NOT go through Jacobs Trouble.
Hey HB your comments are valid and a good summation
CT wrote:
“Don’t think so Mr Beef…”
Let’s just see about that.
“Noah enters Ark then the END…”
Agreed. No one is disputing that.
“Lot leaves the City then the END…”
Agreed. No dispute.
“Bride enters through DOOR then the END…”
I would also tend to agree with this assessment.
“…maybe I believe what is written than try to argue over semantics of words.”
Well then take the words TRIBULATION and WRATH out of whichever translation you favor, and study those words. Never are they the same. Never. WRATH comes at the end (or near the end) of TRIBULATION. I agree that members of the Body are saved from WRATH. I wholly deny that they are saved from TRIBULATION. I fail to comprehend how you could view this distinction as a matter of semantics. It is a matter of WORDS. Words have meaning, CT. The meaning of the words is not ascribed to them by me. The written Word itself teaches us the meaning.
“What fails Mr Beef is NOT DISTINGUISHING the ordinances and PRECEPTS given to us by GOD, and thereby replacing them with Stories and semantics.”
Let’s keep this really simple. Do WRATH and TRIBULATION mean the same thing? or don’t they. Can WRATH and TRIBULATION be conflated according to sound teaching? or can’t they. Which of us is confused or hoping to muddy the waters of doctrine? you or me. Let’s see whether you have a stable enough footing to answer these questions. I strongly suspect you will do anything but offer a simple answer to the simple questions I have asked, which is never a good sign for a seeker after the Way.
“No its clearly a precept of GOD that the chosen Bride does NOT go through Jacobs Trouble.”
Your conclusion is based on a flawed process. Your conclusion is not true.
Hey Mr Beef you have No Beef as clearly shown by your reply.
“Your conclusion is based on a flawed process. Your conclusion is not true” you say.
Oh! really.
An 8 year old can see what process / concepts God has concluded in regards to Jacobs Trouble which is the Great Tribulation He has given us CLEAR examples, HE stated SO SHALL THE COMING OF THE LORD BE, your argument is with God not me, as you have supplemented the Ordinances and PRECEPTS set by God in following the traditions of man by not accepting that GOD does NOT Judge the Righteous WITH the wicked.
“Well then take the words TRIBULATION and WRATH out of whichever translation you favor”
I clearly stated Jacobs Trouble which is the Great tribulation as opposed to tribulation in general.
You accept God rescued Noah before Wrath, Lot before Wrath thereby the Bride then MUST be before Wrath and the Great Tribulation Jacobs Trouble, as scripture upholds Gods Precept of rescue for His chosen people.
or He would have said the COMING of the Lord will be as in the days of Daniel meaning don’t expect anything other than Lions den and put into burning fires….so He would have no reason to say: “Comfort yourselves”, and “when these thing BEGIN to Occur Look up for your deliverance is nigh”.
You then say go.. “and study THOSE WORDS” !!! ??? huh…nothing but word play as shown.
“Let’s keep this really simple” Mr Beef…. God has made it as simple as He can with His examples, its Man who twists the meanings with semantics.
” Let’s see whether you have a stable enough footing to answer these questions. I strongly suspect you will do anything but offer a simple answer to the simple questions I have asked, which is never a good sign for a seeker after the Way.” you say.
As mentioned your Tribulation word play has been answered, an 8 year old can work out the reply ,Noah went through a Door then the END, Lot went through a Door then the End the Bride goes through the Door,then the End, CLEARLY shown in REVELATION at the Beginning as shown by God in Genesis.the DOOR is NOT opened again, ALL the WAY THROUGH the GREAT TRIBULATION in the book of Revelation.
What is never a good sign is when a person does not accept clearly, “as it is written” and what is simply intended to be communicated to us….lol
Who is muddying the Precept set by GOD ?
Ephraim we all make typo’s I also will take correction when it is given in correct context with ‘as it is written”, We all Err at times and electronic communication does come across as we may intend at times….cheers
“You accept God rescued Noah before Wrath, Lot before Wrath thereby the Bride then MUST be before Wrath…”
That’s it, CT. STOP RIGHT THERE. Because that’s all the Scripture clearly states. It is YOU who adds his conclusion to the above. It is YOUR conclusion that the words WRATH and TRIBULATION can be used interchangeably – even if you don’t have the guts to come right out and say it. Since you would rather be coy and pretend to have answered my direct question (which you have not), saying things like:
“…your Tribulation word play has been answered, an 8 year old can work out the reply…”
…I’ll answer it for you. As now I have.
And next I will add: You cannot rightly do what you are doing. You cannot rightly conflate these two words, on the grounds that their meanings embody entirely separate and distinct concepts. Now if that sounds foreign to your ears, or like I’m employing deceitful ‘wordplay’ to make my point, then I think we’re done here. You may well be beyond the scope of reasonable conversation about such matters. Either that or, as I strongly suspect, you’re just being obtuse because it suits you in this case to do so. I think you’re pretending my meaning is complicated. I think you’re pretending not to understand me. So be it.
“Who is muddying the Precept set by GOD?”
You are.
Here are the facts, according to the written Word: There is a period of time referred to as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. This period seems to be commensurate with the period referred to as the Great Tribulation. In other words, I believe Scripture makes it clear these periods are one and the same. What they ARE NOT is God’s WRATH. His WRATH comes as a punishment at or near the END of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. This means that one can be taken out of the way of God’s WRATH without being ‘raptured’ away from the TRIBULATION.
That’s about as simple as concepts get, CT. If you don’t get it then there really isn’t much more you and I have to say to each other on the matter
Agree, CT. But let me try to clarify what I agree about:
It is my opinion that Jesus never said much of anyting about the church as that which began at Pentecost. The word rendered “church” is of course ekklesia, and this word was commonly used for any sort of gathering, including the angry mob shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”. Similarly, words like “elect” and “saints” are used throughout scripture for the righteous of any age. So we can only know by context whether Jesus spoke of the church specifically, or of the righteous generally. And seeing that his disciples still believed the 70th week of Daniel was about to commence even after Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 1:6), this shows that they knew nothing of the Rapture, regardless of its timing. So I don’t see the Rapture in the Gospels at all; rather, I see the people of Israel being told that the Day of the Lord would come suddenly and without warning. Jesus told them to stay alert and keep watching, for this very reason.
(And Beef, there’s a debate challenge about this specific point in a certain neglected message board.)
So we cannot derive Rapture timing from the Olivet Discourse. Rather, we get it from Paul, who alone was given the secret (trad. “mystery”) of all things “church”. And in his teachings on such things, he never once mentioned any of the disasters and signs for the Day of the Lord with his statements about the “snatching away” (harpadzo) or “departure” (apostasia). There will only be the shout of the archangel, the trumpet of God, Jesus descending in the clouds, the dead IN CHRIST (not all the righteous dead) raised to life, the living IN CHRIST (not all the righteous living) instantly transformed to immortal bodies, and then we are all “snatched up” to meet Jesus in the air, where we will be with Him forever. As you and I agree, this is our “blessed hope” and earns the “crown of righteousness” promised to all “who long for His appearing”. But the point is that this event is not associated with anything else.
HOWEVER, the fact that Noah was indeed taken out from the Flood (he was not preserved from drowning while immersed in the water), and the fact that Lot was FORCEFULLY SNATCHED AWAY before the wrath of God rained down, is surely significant in a way the disciples could not have known at the time Jesus told them this. The Day of the Lord did not begin when Jesus arose, nor when the temple and Jerusalem were razed by Titus in 70 a.d. And without the temple, there is no covenant relationship being practiced between God and the people of Israel; they are still “divorced” from God. Yet we know that this is not permanent:
Isaiah 66:8
Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.
Ezekiel 37:7-8
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Israel is in their ancient land but in unbelief; the nation was born in a day but there is still no life in them. This is surely fulfillment of prophecy, but the Day of the Lord has not yet begun, since the people of Israel have not yet returned to the considtions that existed when they were “cut off” in 70 a.d. Once they turn again to YHWH and rebuild the Temple, we can be sure that this Day is commencing. It is my belief, from scripture alone, that this Rapture will be the removal of the Restrainer which allows the 70th Week to commence, since this and possibly also the battles of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 will awaken them and turn them back to God.
“And Beef, there’s a debate challenge about this specific point in a certain neglected message board.”
If you promise to sweat this one out to the bitter end, I’m all over it.
We’re both going to get badly exasperated. So what. We both know how this thing works. Challenge accepted.
Awesome. Exasperation beats boredom. For a while at least.
BTW, Beef, please go to Debate Setups at the bottom section of the main page, then click on the Rules topic. You can then reply to the challenge subtopic about the Olivet Discourse to indicate acceptance.
I found the correct page on your forum.
I may take a day or so to consolidate and consider my thoughts on the topic. This might work out to include the argument I advocate that there is no distinction between ecclesia, Body of Messiah and House of Israel. I think it will have to.
Anyone interested can visit:
http://shieldoffaith.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=34
Anyone wishing to participate should sign up and post a comment under the ‘Welcome / post a greeting as soon as you join” heading, otherwise you get axed as spam.
Good. Please note from the Rules that your first post will be just to accept the challenge, then the Affirmative begins the opening remarks. So no need to post your main argument right away.
Also, for onlookers, only the two participants are to post in the thread. Everyone else can just read.
“Hey HB your comments are valid and a good summation”
Thanks for the correction. I accept all corrections.
I will try to fix the Noah comment. Just a case of reading something numerous times and not noticing the detail.