MATTHEW 24: 3-35 An in depth study - updated
Category: Religion and Philosophy
MATTHEW 24: 3-35 An in depth study - updated
Let’s take a real close look at this part of scripture and study it piece by piece.
Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 3. While He was seated on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately and said, Tell us, when will this take place, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end (the completion, the consummation) of the age?
The New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible words have 25 different Greek and Hebrew words listed that are all translated as coming the Bible. The Greek word that was used here was parousia.
Strong’s defines parousia as being from the present part of paremi, which means to be near or at hand ie advent (often return) physical aspect: coming, presence.
The Greek noun parousia literally means a "being alongside" this word is drawn from the preposition para’ (alongside) and ousia (a "being") So, actually the right translation for this text would be "what will be the sign of Your presence"
Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 4Jesus answered them, Be careful that no one misleads you [deceiving you and leading you into error].
5For many will come in (on the strength of) My name [appropriating the name which belongs to Me], saying, I am the Christ (the Messiah), and they will lead many astray.
6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened or troubled, for this must take place, but the end is not yet…….
Notice : Christ did NOT say that he would not be here on the earth. (Let me repeat that so it is not missed – Christ DID NOT say that he would not be HERE ON THE EARTH.) What he DID say was make sure that no one deceives you. Then he goes on to tell us how to tell the difference between the false Christs and Christ himself when he appears.
1. The false Christs will be out publicly announcing themselves and trying to get attention.
2. The false Christs will arise and will give great signs and wonders trying to say that the signs and wonders prove who they are.
Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 23If anyone says to you then, Behold, here is the Christ (the Messiah)! or, There He is!--do not believe it.
24For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).
25See, I have warned you beforehand.
26So if they say to you, Behold, He is in the wilderness (desert)--do not go out there; if they tell you, Behold, He is in the secret places or inner rooms--do not believe it.
27For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28Wherever there is a fallen body (a corpse), there the vultures (or eagles) will flock together.
I highlighted the word in pink - the Greek word parousia is used in speaking of the return of Christ. Also I noticed something here while studying this chapter. Nowhere does Christ say that he will not be present on the earth. He merely states do not be deceived by false Christs.
Also he gave a way of being able to tell whom the one true Christ will be when he does return. 27For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Basically Christ is saying here when I come back I will make myself known as "lightning".
Let’s back up a little now and look at these passages.
Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;
8All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish].
9Then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
10And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.
11And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error.
12And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,
13But he who endures to the end will be saved.
14And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.
15So when you see the appalling sacrilege [the abomination that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place--let the reader take notice and ponder and consider and heed [this]--
16Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;
17Let him who is on the housetop not come down and go into the house to take anything;
18And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his overcoat.
19And alas for the women who are pregnant and for those who have nursing babies in those days!
20Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
21For then there will be great tribulation (affliction, distress, and oppression) such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now--no, and never will be [again].
22And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would endure and survive, but for the sake of the elect (God’s chosen ones) those days will be shortened.
First we will see the disgusting thing standing in the holy place. Then this phrase is used. --let the reader take notice and ponder and consider and heed [this] --. A clue or riddle?
I believe that this "disgusting thing standing in the holy place" is what passes for "Christianity" these days. God has been calling his people…." Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues."
Revelation 18 (Amplified Bible) 2. And he shouted with a mighty voice, She is fallen! Mighty Babylon is fallen! She has become a resort and dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every loathsome spirit, an abode for every filthy and detestable bird. 3. For all nations have drunk the wine of her passionate unchastity, and the rulers and leaders of the earth have joined with her in committing fornication (idolatry), and the businessmen of the earth have become rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness. 4. I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues.
Today, what I see in the "churches" is not what I believe Christ taught his disciples when He was here on earth. What is being taught in the "churches" today is "doctrines of daemons"
1 Timothy 4:1-3 (Amplified Bible) 1. BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, 2. Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized), 3. Who forbid people to marry and [teach them] to abstain from [certain kinds of] foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and have [an increasingly clear] knowledge of the truth.
So, as you can see – I believe that the "disgusting thing standing in the holy place" has already taken place.
Then we see - MATTHEW 24: 16. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; We are to run to the mountains! There is coming the greatest time of suffering the world has ever seen. If God doesn’t shorten these days no one will survive.
This phrase --let the reader take notice and ponder and consider and heed [this] --. Says to me that within these passages is a sort of riddle. So the sentences before and the sentences after have to be looked at carefully.
There will be a disgusting thing standing in the holy place. One could say that is happening even now. (Which I have already discussed) Then those in Judea should flee to the mountains because the biggest disaster to ever hit the earth is on its way.
What could be in the mountains to save us that Christ would tell us to flee there to escape the disaster?
Now, on to the next passage.
Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendor].
31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect (His chosen ones) from the four winds, [even] from one end of the universe to the other.
32From the fig tree learn this lesson: as soon as its young shoots become soft and tender and it puts out its leaves, you know of a surety that summer is near.
33So also when you see these signs, all taken together, coming to pass, you may know of a surety that He is near, at the very doors.
34Truly I tell you, this generation (the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period) will not pass away till all these things taken together take place.
35Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
Take notice to this phrase - IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS – Now this phrase is put at a very interesting spot in this prophesy. Look at the very next sentence. "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."
That sounds like the after math of a nuclear war or some other equally horrendous global disaster. If this is the after math then that means that this disaster has come and gone before verse 30 which says – "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendor]."
Now this really caught my eye too. Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 33So also when you see these signs, all taken together, coming to pass, you may know of a surety that He is near, at the very doors.
If Christ is returning in the sky – then why does he use the word doors?
Now I want to attract your attention to this - Amplified Bible = MATTHEW 24: 34. Truly I tell you, this generation (the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period) will not pass away till all these things taken together take place. It is important to note here that the Amplified Bible makes the meaning of this passage very clear. From the beginning to the end when these prophecies begin to unfold no more than one generation of people will see it from start to finish. That is not a very long time.
Actually, one could say that all the things in this prophecy have come to pass. What are we waiting for then? We are waiting to flee to the mountains.
My next blog will be about just that. What is in the mountains that we will be fleeing to? Why will it be safe?
Live Love Always – but stay informed
