Please visit my Message Forum and leave your thoughts

HOME

About God

Who is God?

God of creation

God is real.

What God wants

Meaning of life

Universal Law

The will of God

Follow Him

Closer to God

Mystery of God

Salvation issues

Are you saved?

Can salvation be lost

Doctrine of devils

Faith and Works

Is Grace limited?

Should we still sin?

Catholic issues

The Rosary

Pope forgeries  #1

Pope forgeries  #2

Come out of her

Mother of harlots

Harlot daughters

World Church Council

WCC members

Traditions of men

Christian issues

The Christian Lie

Rupturing the Rapture

The original Gospel

The simple Gospel

Even Satan believes

God's Sabbath

Repentance

Ten Commandments

God's name in vain.

Correct Bibles

How to pray

Who is Holy

Worshipping

Why did Jesus come

Miscellaneous

What I have learnt

Replies to letters

Message Forum

Study

Olivet Discourse

((Verse in green … comments in black))

The reason for writing this study is twofold. Firstly to answer a good friend on the subject of the 2nd Advent of Christ who asked of me.....  

Eddie  :  Cover ALL of these versed one by one without skipping any.  No junk from what man has said, no personal speculations and no ‘scripture hop scotching’ unless pointing to reference verses. Well mate, junk is a little like beauty...it is in the eye of the beholder, but I done my best. And about scripture hop scotching as you call it ... it's funny how when some people do this to prove their point, it's ok, but when others do it they are hop scotching. Example: When Jesus says He "is coming soon"...you say He didn't really mean soon. What if by hop scotching, I could prove He did mean it. What then, is it false?  I guess we need to clear up the true definition of hop scotching. :-(

......  and secondly to pass that information into the public arena for viewing also. Because there are so many different answers to the same question, it has to be then assumed all are merely giving their own opinions, but you still have to admit that the opinion of some could also be the passing on of what God has given to that particular person. Am I blowing my own trumpet? Most definitely not. I ask you to read with an open mind (please, no dogma here), and with all the evidence that I have supplied and thoughts put forward; make up your own mind. (Phi 2:12)

Matthew 23    

Most of this chapter is speaking about hypocritical behaviour of religious people. Those who speak their beliefs with their mouth to impress others, but inside are secretly pushing only their own agenda, which was the general behaviour of the Jewish community before the destruction of Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago. The rest of the chapter is a short prelude to chapter 24.

Before you get started, I would like to warn the reader that if you loose sight of the basic reading rules, and that is who the scripture is specifically addressed,  and why it was addressed ... you can come up with all the vain imaginings you can selfishly conjure up to satisfy your secret desires of the flesh. Although it may not be a salvation issue, to believe Jesus is talking to a future generation instead of the evil Jews 2000 years ago, it would certainly jeopardise the amount of blessings that come from knowing this special truth. See a short composition on who God's Judgment is upon at the bottom of this page    

1.     Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

At this time, Jesus was back in the temple in Jerusalem, so in this case He was talking to all those with an ear, that is the Jews and disciples (No gentiles)

2.     Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

Moses seat... sit in as… and interpret the Law. Or try to.

3.     All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Jesus instructs the Jews (and disciples) to keep the Law according to the Pharisees, but don’t copy their evil hypocritical behaviour.

4.     For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

The Pharisees can give the Law, but can’t keep it.

5.     But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

And what good works they do, they make sure everyone sees it.

6.     And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

To look the most important of all

7.     And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

And to be called important.

8.     But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Jesus is the only Rabbi, so don’t call anyone else. ( Rabbi means teacher, or ‘great’ teacher)

9.     And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

This is not talking about our earthly fathers…its quite ok to call your dad ‘father’. Its talking about the Jewish term…”of there fathers” which in turn means rabbi. Jesus said this to cover both bases.

10.            Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

This meaning is obvious needing no explanation

11.            But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

If somebody is truly great in the eyes of God, he will naturally and willingly serve others. If he is just ‘seen’ to be great e.g. the Pharisees, they could not please God and serve others. By serving others, you are serving God.

12.            And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Those that make themselves great will be humbled, and those who make themselves humble will be great.

13.            But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

The hypocrites of the Jewish faith received important knowledge handed down to them from the fathers, but instead of passing it on to their congregation, they keep it only for themselves. In this way the multitude are kept in submission to them. The Roman Catholic fathers have done exactly the same to the multitude today. The main point Jesus is making here though is the fact that even though they have possession of this knowledge…they refuse to use it to their spiritual benefit.

14.            Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

This is amazing piece of scripture that the Catholic hierarchy deleted from their bibles including the GNB and the NIV, speaks about taking advantage of widows and then makes long prayers in front of them to justify their evil acts. So Jesus tells them ( in this case the Jewish leaders ), that their punishment will be greater. This is also exactly what the RCC have done for centuries, and still does so. Although Jesus said this directly to the Pharisees, it also gives us the knowledge that what the RCC do is evil also and will eventually receive greater damnation.  

15.            Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

These Jew Pharisees would behave much like modern evangelists today…they break all records to convert someone, but to what? To their false doctrines that rob people of salvation and make them worse than what they were before they converted. One comforting factor is that if they are sincere about their love for God, no matter what apostasy they are involved with… God will call them out.

16.            Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

Jesus curses the Pharisees and scribes for saying it is the swearing by the gold in the temple is greater than swearing by the temple itself

17.             Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

After calling the Jews fools, Jesus asks the Pharisees and scribes which is greater between the gold or the temple.

18.            And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

Jesus continues to accuse them, this time, of putting more credence on the gift on the alter, that the alter itself, and if you swear by the gift, you must uphold the promise.

19.            Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

Again Jesus tells them it is the alter that is more important than the gift.

20.            Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

Jesus confirms that by swearing by the alter, you swear by everything that is on it, which is in the same vein as when swearing by the temple, you swear by everything in it.

21.            And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

As well as swearing by the temple, you also swear by Him that dwells there.

22.            And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Swearing by heaven, you swear by Almighty God also.

23.            Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scribes of doing the less important things of the law that are apparent, but not doing the more important things of the law that  are not apparent.

24.            Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

For the Jews, to eat anything unclean is transgression of the law, so Jesus accuses them of straining out the gnat (flea) from their food which is only a little bit unclean, but miss a camel which is much more unclean, therefore transgressing in a worse way. (Jews would strain their food in case some unclean things would get into their food accidentally and cause them to break the law of Moses)

25.            Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

This is an analogy meaning the Jews make themselves “seen to be holy” but on the inside they are evil.

26.            Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

You can’t be clean (holy) until you first clean the inside (intention of the heart) so that you can then clean the outside as well and be totally holy.

27.            Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

A perfect example of what the Parisees and scribes were at that time .. hypocrites.

28.  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

They appeared holy by there outward actions, but inwardly were full of sin…this makes them hypocrites.

29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

Jesus curses the Scribes and Pharisees again before accusing them of building great tombs for the prophets and decorating the monuments of the righteous people who had passed away.

30.    And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

But they say that if they were living at the time of these people they would not have killed them like their fathers did.          

31.    Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

By spreading this around, they admit that they are the children of those murderers.      

32.    Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

So continue and finish off what your fathers started . ( insight to what they would eventually do by killing Christ )

33.    Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Jesus calls them snakes insinuating their evil ways, before assuring them they would not escape their condemnation and penalty. They actually believed they were righteous and Gods chosen, so this was huge offence to them, and probably the straw that broke their camels back.

Please take special care to follow the following verses carefully, as they prelude to Mathew 24.

34.    Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Here Jesus is foretelling the preaching of the Gospel after He rises from the dead. The prophets, wise men, and scribes would be the disciples and helpers who were killed by the Jews while spreading the word. Please make a special note that Jesus says it is HIM who sends them.

35.    That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Because of what their fathers did to the prophets, and what they were about to do to Jesus and His messengers the disciples, all the blood of the righteous people from the beginning now (then) will be accounted to them, the Jews. Jesus by saying this is also giving reason as to why they will not later receive the free gift of salvation, as it is given to the gentiles. 

36.    Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Jesus is categorically (verily) telling the Jews that all this, that is the killing of the disciples AND the judgment of the Jews, will happen to that generation that Jesus was talking to. A generation according to the Jews was approximately 40 years…give or take a few. The original Greek word for generation here is “genea” , which is the same Greek word used in Matt 24:34. Keep this in mind as it is relevant to this prophecy ongoing into the next chapter.     

37.    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

This is our Lord pouring out His Love for His people. From the beginning of creation until this point in time, Jesus spiritually had taught, and nurtured Israel through many generations, trying to perfect them for salvation, but they did not recognize Him. To say He was heart broken would be an understatement. Also He had been born raised among the Jews and so also had a flesh love for them. This was a sad time for our Lord. He has at last, after giving them so many chances, realized their time was up. They killed the prophets and stoned the messengers, all the time while Jesus wanted to save them from their inevitable fate…as a hen would gather her chicks, but they would not allow Him. They refused to repent.

Consider the same, but more descriptive message from Luke;

Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

This is still a part of the Discourse of Jesus concerning the end time prophecy, and there is absolutely and categorically no doubt whatsoever who and what are the receivers of God's end time wrath and Judgment Jesus was talking about. This passage in Luke, combined with Mathews equivalent 23:37, clearly shows it is the wicked Jews of this time. Trying to say this is a future event some 2000+ years away is not only unbiblical and ignorant, but by doing this twisting of God's word, you are also calling Jesus a liar. This is clear and factual. This is exactly the way Titus was able to penetrate what was considered impossible to penetrate, Jerusalem wall. He encompassed it an sat tight until they ran out of food and water and simply died by the wayside with little for Titus to do for victory. Titus even commented that it was an act of God, and he could not have had victory without this act of God. Now how is that for a guy who never even believed in God? And the reason for all this? This is the cruncher for futurists... because they knowest not the time of thy visitation. Futurists have no option but to suggest this all talking about unbelievers and backsliders of today, but have these people , or the believers for that matter, had a visitation from Jesus? I haven't had one in the flesh that's for sure. The answer is no, so that false selfish theory can go down the dunny where it belongs. BUT, the Jews of AD70 DID have a visitation and they refused to acknowledge it didn't they... Hmmm?

38.    Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Because of the Jews (Symbolically Jerusalem) refusal to recognize their own salvation in the form of Messiah Jesus, it was then given to the gentiles instead, and God’s judgment would later come on them (in that generation) killing them and leaving their house (Jerusalem) flattened (desolate). It was not God’s desire that this should happen as He gave them so many chances, but it was inescapable according to His Law. Not only was their house on earth left desolate, but the mansion in the sky that was origonally prepared for their arrival was also taken from them and given to a new tenant.   

39.    For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

For I say unto you, i.e. you Jews, you wont see me again until you acknowledge that I am Lord.

Matthew 24       

This chapter is more or less exclusively a prophecy of Jesus as to the destruction of the temple of the Jews. From the previous chapter we know this is because of their hypocrisy, and so we see His judgment coming on them because of this. Many teachings on this chapter (and others for that matter) have be twisted to suit a particular cause...a future return of Jesus that has nowhere in the bible been promoted or even spoken of.  If we consider what the NIV bible has twisted the word of God to suit the Catholic church, and see how the Message bible has done the same to suit the continuation of sin, and see how the new bible about to be released to suit the Gay agenda, we should then have no confusion about the agenda of today's protestant churches promoting the rapture theory in today's bibles. To get the whole truth that God wants us to receive here, we really need to clear our minds of all former teachings on this subject, and just allow God to minister to our hearts as we read. We do this by praying for this every time we study His word.

Please note. OT prophecy is proven by scripture from the NT and history, but as there is no more scriptures recorded in our bibles for NT proof of prophecy we can only go by later writings by holy people e.g. Flavius Josephus, who was born only 4 years after Jesus was resurrected, and of course from other reliable recorded events in history. Sometimes you will even have both the OT and the NT pointing to same event AFTER both were recorded, so you see that only history can prove it right or wrong.

1.     And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

This is continuing directly for chapter 23 where Jesus was IN the temple talking to ALL who had an ear .. that is Jews and disciples. There would certainly not be any non-Jewish gentiles in the Holy Temple. This was regarded as desecration of the temple back then. So Jesus WAS talking to ALL Jews in the previous chapter, now He is approached by the disciples as He is leaving the temple, concerning it’s beauty.

2.     And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Jesus now prophecies the levelling of the temple as He walks by. The tern “not one stone upon another” is not literal, it is again (as mostly used in bible prophecy) apocalyptic or symbolic language that all Jews were familiar with. It simply meant…well and truly flattened. As it turned out, the only stones left standing were a few on the outer wall surrounding, but none on the main part.

3.     And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Now observe carefully, as we see the emphasis put on the fact that Jesus is now AWAY from the multitude, and talking directly to the disciples in PRIVATE. The disciples ask the question…not the Jews, or the gentiles, or you or me, but ONLY the disciples. So naturally the answer will be given to THEM, not the Jews and not the gentiles and NOT YOU OR ME. There is no carnal or Spiritual way to read this…it is straight out plain and simple. Now the question appears from this translation to be…when is the end of the “world”, but this is a grave error by the translators. The Greek word used here is “aeon” which translates correctly to be an “age” and not the whole earth. Even IF one would translate aeon to mean the word “world”…the world back then was only the Roman Empire and not the whole earth. So you see, whether you look at it one way or another, this is NOT speaking of the end of this earth we liver in now. It is clearly ( to the un biased) speaking of the end of the Jewish age and the old covenant, which according to OT prophecy is brought about by God’s Judgment.

4.     And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

A severe warning coming from Jesus TO the disciples NOT to be deceived. Take care to note the words “them” and “you” here. If Jesus meant this to happen to a future event He would certainly have not warned the disciples specifically. You must realize that this is the REAL JESUS, talking to REAL PEOPLE, and not to future people who had not even been born yet…otherwise our Lord would have said so. Whoever believes, and teaches so, that Jesus speaks to us today in this chapter, are calling Jesus a liar and false prophet, and false teacher, and false Christ. You must be aware of the truth here…it is not hard. Even a child can discern what is going on here.

5.     For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many

By allowing scripture to interpret scripture, we can see that the above was true of 1^st century Christendom.                     

Act 13:6  And when they had gone through all the island to Paphos, they came across a certain wonder-worker and false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus;

Act 13:10  O you, who are full of false tricks and evil ways, a son of the Evil One, hating all righteousness, will you for ever be turning people from the right ways of the Lord?

Rom 1:25  Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.

2Co 11:13  For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ.

2Co 11:26  In frequent travels, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from outlaws, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the town, in dangers in the waste land, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers;

Gal 2:4  And that because of the false brothers let in secretly, who came searching out our free condition which we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might make servants of us;

Gal 2:13  And the rest of the Jews went after him, so that even Barnabas was overcome by their false ways.

Gal 5:20  Worship of images, use of strange powers, hates, fighting, desire for what another has, angry feelings, attempts to get the better of others, divisions, false teachings,

2Th 2:9  Even the one whose coming is marked by the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

2Ti 2:18  Men whose ideas are all false, who say that the coming back from the dead has even now taken place, overturning the faith of some.

2Ti 3:13  Evil and false men will become worse and worse, using deceit and themselves overcome by deceit.

Tit 1:10  For there are men who are not ruled by law; foolish talkers, false teachers, specially those of the circumcision,

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it.

1Jo 4:1  My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world.

2Jo 1:7  Because a number of false teachers have gone out into the world, who do not give witness that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Such a one is a false teacher and Antichrist.

We can see by these scriptures above that there were indeed, not a few, but many false teachers claiming the truth of Christ. This is absolutely conclusive in the scheme of things.

6.     And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet

The Lord assures the disciples not to worry when they see small wars about and rumours of wars, as these will happen, but it will not be the end of the age yet. These are just the signs of the end.

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

The Jews had not long taken Jerusalem back from the Romans, when in AD63 Nero the Roman conqueror first began attempts to get her back. By AD66 these attempts grew stronger until AD70 when Titus lead the Roman attack to finally destroy Jerusalem. It was between these 2 dates that nation rose against nation, with wars and rumours of wars, and famines etc, came to pass. An exsert from PNT (peoples new Testament 1891) commentary of this time… Famines. The natural result of civil wars. Tacitus, the Roman historian, says of this period: "It was full of calamities, horrible with battles, rent with seditions, savage in peace itself.

8.     All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In other words Jesus is saying… these are not a proof of the end, but of the beginning.

9.     Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Now, remember who Jesus is addressing here…it is critical to the whole chapter, He is telling the DISCIPLES that THEY will be handed over to be put to death. Why? For Jesus’ name sake, which means for His teaching…the gospel

10.         And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Many, meaning believers, will be offended after observing what happens to fellow believers i.e. persecutions, and turn cold toward their new faith. A little like Peter did after he was question at the arrest of Jesus. This would cause division among believers, further causing in house fights ending with hate and betrayal. As Jesus is still addressing the disciples, and the subject is the same, this can only be speaking of the beliers of that day. It is easy to take this out of context and believe it is talking about today’s strife with so many denominations hating each other, but the fact remains…it is NOT.    

11.         And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

See verse 5. False prophets and false Christ, all in the same vein. A excert from Gill’s commentary will suffice here as he calls some by name…. Mat 24:11 - And many false prophets shall rise,.... Out of, from among the churches of Christ; at least under the name of Christians; for false teachers are here meant, men of heretical principles, pretending to a spirit of prophecy, and to new revelations, and a better understanding of the Scriptures; such as Simon Magus, Ebion, and Cerinthus, who denied the proper deity, and real humanity of Christ; Carpocrates, and the Gnostics his followers, the Nicolaitans, Hymcneus, Philetus, and others:

12.         And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Because so much sin would abound, immorality would be at an all time low, preventing true love and trust. It would be hard to trust your partner in such a place, let alone family and friends.

13.         But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Jesus is telling them that you need to remain faithful through all the oppression to come, even death by the cross, in order to be saved. This would be no mean feat considering the hate both Jews and Romans had for them.

14.         And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The truth of the kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven will be preached all over the world (inhabitable earth) that was known to the disciples. That is to say the Roman Empire. (Just as it describes in KJV Strong’s Concordance )…

G3625 world

οἰκουμένη

oikoumenē

oy-kou-men'-ay

Feminine participle present passive of G3611 (as noun, by implication of G1093); land, that is, the (terrene part of the) globe; specifically the Roman empire: - earth, world.

 Now “the end” in the above verse is not the end of the world as we know it, but the end of the Old covenant age after judgment comes on the Jews for not recognizing their “visitation” of Messiah. It’s also recognized in Strong’s as “end of an act”…so the end of judgment is more likely than the end of the whole earth. One must question any doctrine that is built on the destroying of God's creation. It is just not biblical or rational.

15.         When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

whoso readeth, let him understand is added by the writer…not by Jesus. This is because ONLY a Jew would understand the abomination of desolation. In hindsight, we now know this to be Titus, who was definitely a desolator, standing in the holy of holies part of the temple, where not even the Jews were allowed to go, but only the high priest.  There could not be anything more of an abomination to the Jews than this. Here we have a gentile, and a desolator at that, being in their most holy earthly place…it was the worst form desecration the temple to them.

16.         Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Another great verse that dispensationalists and futurists hate to read because it is so incriminating to them…they have no answer to this short, but simple and to the point, words of Jesus. He says categorically “ those in Judaea” to flee to the mountains, which is exactly what the Jewish believers of Christ did when they say Titus in the temple. It is recorded in the book “History of the Jews” and other writings on AD70 destruction of Jerusalem. I wonder what the futurists of today in Australia or America would do when they think they see a sign? It’s a long way to Judaea for them in vain.

17.         Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

This is to say…don’t waste even one second of time, do it now or else the ensuing army will nab you.

18.         Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Same as above. Like when Lot's wife stopped to turn around and see her city being destroyed...she was turned into a pillar of salt, so Jesus was being very specific here on the urgency of running to the hills.

19.         And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Meaning how hard it will be to travel quickly for a woman and baby as the Roman soldiers approach them. You see in those days they only had camels and donkeys…they didn’t have jet planes.

20.         But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

Another one that cause the futurists to stumble. They say that the old heaven and earth are still here, but atb the same time they don’t have to keep the law, which is totally against what Jesus said in … Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Now if the old heaven and earth that was around when Jesus said this, is still here, then we all gotta keep the Sabbath, and that was why Jesus even said that. The old heaven being the old covenant because it was made in heaven and the old earth being the Law of Moses, or the whole Jewish system, which was made here on earth. The early Christians and Jews understood this symbolic language that God used perfectly. That’s why all the disciples and apostles and such were EXPECTING the 2^nd coming of Jesus in their own lifetime.

21.         For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

 After all the believing Jews would escape to the mountains, then the Tribulation would start, and by crikey it did. The Jews who refused to believe Christ stubbornly remained in Jerusalem and copped the full force of that desolator Titus and his Roman army. The records of this event are enough to turn even the hardiest man off meat forever. It was the worst that anyone could imagine. Recorded in the writings of Josephus is the story of a woman that was so hungry from famine, that she killed and ate her own baby son. Can you see now why God’s wrath would fall on such people? Even the lowest Christian would not even consider this act, but for a Jew (without the Spirit of god) didn’t hesitate.

22.         And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

The days were shortened to make the prophecy come true… Eze 6:8  Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. These remnant are the few who believed in Jesus who escaped to the mountains. This is the same remnant that Jews today claim to be, but are not. There is no Jews left today, the remnant (only a few) were SCATTERED and inter married, so all those claiming to be Jews today are only bastard Jews… not real Jews. This is all part of God’s plan. He wanted some of His chosen race to be at least part (if only a small part) of His greater plan…new heaven and earth. But it would be different now, they had to be willing to have a new law, planted on their hearts, and let go of all their traditions. A whole new ball game.

23.         Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

If anyone comes after all this, and claims to be Christ, don’t believe them. This shows, by way of the word "then" that after the great tribulation the Jews will be looking for Christ, but He tells His disciples not to believe any sightings of Him. Why would Jesus say this? Because He is not flesh anymore...He came back in Spirit to judge the Jews, and we know by history it was a great judgment..

24.         For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

And according to the bible, this certainly happened soon after this book was written (see acts).  Not only by scripture as seen in matt 5 above, but we can also prove this according to history.  If you study Josephus, you will see that many false prophets and Christ’s did in fact come at that time and promised them salvation from God. These were ‘plants’ by the Jewish hierarchy to try and stop them from defecting to the Romans. Because of the great tribulation they were suffering, this made them extremely vulnerable to any influence toward safety in God, be it from good or evil sources. If you check out the writings of Eusebius, you will also find where Hegesippus talks about false prophets and false Christ’s around the same time. These false Christ's and prophets were so convincing that if it were possible, they would have even deceived the elect. Dositheus was reputed to work wonders, according to Origen : Barchoebebas too, who Jerome saith pretended to vomit flames. They were mere magicians, but the Jews were so gullible at that time. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05136c.ht

25.         Behold, I have told you before.

Probably talking about verse 5 and 24 of this same chapter. He is saying…Listen, I have told you this about the false Christ’s and prophets before also.

26.         Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

No matter where they say they have seen Christ, don’t believe it, because He can’t be seen anywhere on earth because He is Spirit only.

27.         For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

When the lightning strikes, it lights up the whole sky by one strike, as if it is everywhere, and so to it was when The Lord came back in judgment on the Jews to destroy Jerusalem and stop their sacrifices. This is also the battle of Armageddon I believe. Everyone in the world ( Roman Empire) knew of the Jews and their ways, and knew the stopping of sacrifices was a great thing against them as it was the core of their belief system. All the nations knew what happened to them by Nero and Titus, which explains the east … west Jewish idiom to mean “everyone will know” or "everyone will see".  When I say..."everyone will see that goodness is better than evil", does it mean they see with their eyes? Not necessarily. Paul said (see  1Co 12:8-13, 15:50  ) as One Spirit that is everywhere, to be with us for eternity. This is what Jesus is talking about also. In short, this is an idiom to show how widely it would be know when He came.

28.         For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

This verse is uncertain. There are a few different interpretations. Even the commentaries are different. Personally I believe the carcass is the symbolic spiritually dead Jew, and the eagles are the Roman soldiers. They wore an eagle emblem on their uniform. We see by the preceding verse that this is and idiom also. In other words, wherever you see the Jews, you will also see the Romans. Please consider these words by Moses to Israel 1500 years prior, warning them what will happen if they continue in sin;

Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

In this verse we have the lord shall bring meaning wrath, nation against thee, meaning Rome, from the end of the earth, which Rome was in terms of the Jewish world, as swift as the eagle  flieth, which was symbolic of the Roman soldier, and finally ; whose tongue thou shalt not understand which was the case with the Jews of the inner circle, the priest and Pharisees etc who were the main perpetrators of crime and sin whose God's wrath was intended.

29.  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

 Rev 6:12-17 is saying the same thing, and this type of apocalyptic language is scattered all over the Old Testament.  Please read Isa. 13:10, Isa. 34:3-5, Ezek. 32:6-8, and Amos 8:9, and then ask yourself two questions:

1. Are these verses speaking the same language about the same things?

2. Who are these verses talking about?

Answers:

1. Yes, they all use the same apocalyptic language, and use almost the very same words talking about the same things as Mathew. Words like sun shall be darkened, moon shall not cause her light to shine, and All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark Does this ring a bell?

2. No, this is not talking about a future event for us. It was when prophesized though. It was talking about Babylon wasn't it?

Now if this was true literally, then today we should not have a moon shinning right? But it was not spoken literally like the simple minded dispensationalist suppose, It is symbolic to mean a HUGE event bringing Gods wrath/Judgment on the earth. As it was this time Babylon, and as it was the next time Jerusalem AD70. The futurist's suppose real stars will fall from the sky. This event was the greatest of biblical history. Just imagine, a life system that had been kept by the Jews for thousands of years was now destroyed. As revelations said... wrapped up like a scroll and thrown away. Too many make little of this great history changing event. No wonder that God would use such apocalyptic imagery.

30.  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Many read this verse wrong. It is not saying to look for a sign in the heavens, it is saying " a sign will appear (on earth) to show that Jesus is in  heaven"  The Jews hated Jesus and they had always asked for a sign (proof) of His authority. Normally Jesus refused their demands, but this time they would see this sign, or evidence that He is indeed in heaven and is now coming in the clouds in Glory (with all His angels), to bring Judgment in destruction of Jerusalem.  Because the wicked Jews recognised this sign when their precious Jerusalem would be flattened, this would cause all the tribes of Israel to mourn, not for Jerusalem, but because they now realised the truth of the matter, and what THEY did to Jesus. One must remember and understand that the gentiles did nothing to hurt Jesus except for the beating which was not personal, but part of normal practice for crucifixion. ...it was the Jews who killed Jesus and it was them who would mourn, and it was the Jews who Jesus was judging in AD70. Why the Jews and not the gentiles? Because it wasn't the gentiles who killed Jesus...it was the Jews who said when their time came to set Jesus free..."crucify Him" and "let his blood fall on us and our descendants". The Jews asked for it, and very typically of God...they got it. Besides, God was so tired of the sins of His people. So yes, the sign that Jesus is coming  is the destruction of Jerusalem, and this coming Judgment was on the Jews ONLY, not the gentiles.

Clouds is an Old Testament symbolic term/idiom meaning "many people or multitude" so in this case it could read...coming with the many angels of heaven. eg;

Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. This is Satan saying how he would put himself above all/many people to be equal with God.

31.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

And he shall send his angels Jesus will send His disciples ( all willing to take up their own cross) with a great sound of a trumpet to preach the gospel, and they shall gather together his elect to gather all His people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Remember Jesus was talking to the disciples here, who were familiar with Jewish symbolic language and idioms. All those who spread the gospel of Jesus are His angels, and all those who believe in Messiah are His elect. This verse is the end of the prophecy regarding what will happen; the rest is more or less signs and warnings.  ( Please see Adam Clarke's commentary on this verse at the bottom of this lesson.

32.  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

Jesus is using the allegory of the fig tree in relation to the coming Judgment (return of Jesus) and destruction of Jerusalem. When the tree puts forth leaves i.e. when Jerusalem sees the signs Jesus spoke about earlier, then summer is close by, or judgment is about to come.

33.  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Should need no explanation really except to put extra emphasis on the closeness of His coming...at the door in any terms means very very imminent.

34.  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

This is probably the most hated verse in the bible by the dispensationalist futurists because they have no answer to it. They beat around the bush with wild guesses to what this can possibly mean aside from the obvious. Seeing it is probably the MOST important verse in the Christian scheme of things, we will break it down Greek word by Greek word.

Verily is the Greek word 'amen' meaning surely or positively. Jesus said this on important matters to bring the attention to it's extreme consequence.

You is the Greek word 'humin' to mean you, your, yourselves, or ye and in this case the 'you' was the disciples of Jesus who had originally ask Him the question...when will all this happen?

This. Now the Greek word houtos houtoi means hereof, it, she, the same, these, they, this, which, who. There can be no doubt whatsoever that the generation here is the ones standing in front of Jesus at the time. If it was to mean a future generation, the Greek word ho hay to would have been used, which means 'that'. In other words it would read "that generation".

Generation or genea in Greek, means by implication "an age" according to the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. When you see the words "this generation," please ask yourself "which generation?" If you check out the word "generation" in Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, you will find that the Greek word is "genea." It says, "The whole multitude of men living at the same time." Also we find in William F. Arndt and Wilber Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the NT and Other Early Christian Literature: "basically, the sum total of those born at the same time, expanded to include all those living at a given time. Contemporaries." Why do futurist's continue to not only twist the word of God falsely, but even twist the English language also. There can obviously be only ONE translation of the word genea, and that is the generation of people living at the time of Jesus on earth. To believe otherwise is a serious and deliberate attack on God's word. To continue in this vein could cause extreme ramifications considering the extent of the damage that it can cause sincere followers of God.

35.  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Heaven and earth was clearly the present ecclesiastical and social order of that time. The Old Covenant in earth and heaven. As we know that passed away at the destruction of Jerusalem.

36.  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Here Jesus is telling the disciples that no man will know the day and hour of His presence (parousia), but is NOT speaking of years. People think that this means to not know the approximate time. Blimey, if that was the case, then why did Jesus give the signs?  It was a warning to the faithful to run to the hills when judgment was "about to happen". As the day was not known, in which Jerusalem should be attacked by the Romans, Jesus advised his disciples to pray that it might not be on a Sabbath; and as the season was not known, therefore they were to pray that it might not be in the winter; Matthew 24:20. See on Mark 13:32. This brings up another dilemma for the futurists. If the Law has been nailed to the cross as Paul so clearly states, then why should Jesus say this about the Sabbath? I can answer that plainly and simply readers; it is because the Law was in vogue right up until the judgment came which totally destroyed it. Jesus knew of course that this would be the case, and this is why he asked them to pray it would not come on a Sabbath. Josephus tells us of the increased bloodshed during the Roman attacks on the Sabbath. He describes many law keepers laying down arms on the Sabbath and becoming easy prey for the Romans. It is so important to understand this simple concept that most deliberately turn a blind eye to because it interferes with their fleshy doctrines.

37.  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

And so  it happened just like in the days of Noe...the believing Jews stayed and ran for the hills to safety, while the evil Jews were taken away by death and slavery by the Roman army.

38.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39.  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40.  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 41.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

 So shall also the coming of the Son of man be, Yep, that's what happened alright. They never expected Titus to return again, especially after they chased him away in an earlier battle that they one with Rome. You see, they honestly thought God was on their side as the final blow came, and that's why they did not run to the hills as Jesus warned them to.

42.  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

This proves they would know the approximate time of His return. Jesus says to 'watch' for that time according to the signs He gave them. This would mean that when they see evidence of the signs, they would run to the mountains for shelter, and sit and wait for their day to come. They would not have to wait long as the signs were only a few years. Depending on what time they discerned the Judgment to come, would determine the amount of waiting. Between 1-7 years.

 43.  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.

Meaning ... if they could see the signs and act on them, they would still have a house after His coming. This would be the mansion God has ready for all who love Him, which is within us, and where God Ministers to His true children.

44.  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Jesus reiterates verse 36 again. This did indeed come true at the destruction of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. While Titus and his Roman army came rampaging through Jerusalem on a killing spree, the Jews continued to do their sabbath thing. They were like lambs to the slaughter because they didn't think God's Judgment would come to them. They so ignorantly believed God was pleased with them.

45.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Who among them love the master enough to be obedient to His commandments, in order to qualify to teach the Gospel in His kingdom.

46.  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Blessed is the servant who works hard for the Lord without ceasing, and so is never caught loafing ( one foot in the world and one foot in the church) but instead always doing the Lords work.

47.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Most definitely this same servant will have his rewards indeed.

48.  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delay his coming;

If that servant doesn't expect the master to come quickly,

49.  And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

and continues in his evil ways;

50.  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he look not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

The Lord will come when he least expects

 51.  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

An ancient method of punishment which was practiced among the Israelites. See 1Sa_15:33, and 2Sa_12:31. The idea here is that very severe punishment shall be inflicted upon him, while weeping and gnashing of teeth would indicate a life of intense suffering. Indeed both these expressions must be regarded as metaphors, indicating nothing more clearly than a terrible and certain punishment.

Matthew 25

 In this chapter Jesus continues to tell the disciples how it will be at His 2nd coming, but could also be the case of how it was as He was on earth in the flesh. Basically it is an account of how hypocritical religious people behave generally, compared to the true spiritual lover of God who is lead to perfection by the Holy Spirit. This is the basis of all religious teaching...to overcome the world, but few are totally committed to putting it into practice. What Jesus is doing here is simply encouraging the disciples to put their faith into practice as He hates hypocrites and loves righteousness. Also Jesus uses parables to show how heaven is like, meaning how the day of reckoning will work.

 1.  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

By the use or the word 'then', we know Jesus is still talking about the time of His coming, or just a short time before. The virgins are the believers and the bridegroom is Jesus.

2.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish

This simply tells us that some of the believers are foolish and some not. Those who love God sincerely from the heart and not just their mouth. The wise were those who heard and obeyed the cry, whereas the foolish still heard, but had more important things according to their true desires in their lives preventing them from obeying.

 3.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

The foolish believed only in the word of God (light) and so the Spirit was neglected.  I see the lamp (light) as the word of God, and the oil as the Spirit of God which enhanced their faith...the two complement the ultimate truth. Whereas the Spirit can save...the word cant. These people are the mainstream which appear holy on the outside, but are filthy dirty inside. These are certainly eager to read the word of God and tell all they can find what it all means, but in fact have no clue because without the Spirit, they have only vain imaginings at their disposal because of their lack of faith/Spirit (oil).

 4.  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Now the elect/wise always carry both with them always. That is to say they read the word of God constantly as they overcome the world with the Spirit of truth which instils obedience. The wise will understand all things of God because they have the truth on their hearts, but the wicked cannot understand because they carry empty lamps. The wise will endure to the end whereas the wicked will fall by the wayside.

 5.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept

 6.  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Midnight is the time when we are usually asleep or very tired ( a time we least expect)  to receive such an outcry,  which is almost always startling and unexpected. The implication is that the cry of the coming of the Bridegroom, the trump of the archangel, will be sudden and unexpected.  

7.  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

The virgins ( believers in God) turned up their lamps, which signifies a closer attention to the coming of The Lord. Throwing more light on the subject. Checking the scriptures for finer detail etc.

 8.  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

Because the foolish, or wicked and lukewarm if you like, were not seeking more oil (Spirit) in their lives, they come to a state of pure carnal thought, with no room for the wisdom of God, where truth and understanding are found. This is a good analogy to the lamp. Up until this time, a Jew was born with the lamp ( a believer by ancestry, with scripture) but from the Judgment onward it had to be asked for. This is a fairer and more stable way to extend the Kingdom of God as it comes from a decision to believe rather than a given.

 9.  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

These spiritless suddenly realise they lack spirit, and instead of having faith in the one who provides the Spirit, they ask of the wise could they provide. Now would you give any of the Holy Spirit you have in you away to a non-believer...or would you tell them where to get it? The price required for the Spirit is unrelenting faith.

 10.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

When The Lord came in Judgment in AD70 on the Jews, those who believed in Messiah took His advice and were saved by leaving Jerusalem and forever being with Him. While still alive by the Holy Spirit, and heaven there after.

11.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

Those who refused Messiah and therefore His advice, stayed in Jerusalem drinking and giving in marriage while the Romans came to destroy them from the north. Now when all was near lost, they would cry out to God to save them...

 12.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

...but not realising Jesus was the one given all authority in heaven, refused to acknowledge them as faithful believers, so He would naturally confess He doesn't know them.

 13.  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Again, as He has many times said in the bible, Jesus warns to watch for ye know not the day nor hour when He will come. Now "watch" here means mainly two things. Firstly to be aware of and look for the signs Jesus gave them, and secondly, and more importantly, keep the faith and live righteous lives. While we are on the subject, please notice as always in the Olivet Discourse, that Jesus specifically states clearly that it is "YE" the disciples, who his warnings are addressed to.

 14.  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

The man is Jesus who before He ascended to heaven called His servants (any believer) to spread the gospel (goods)

 15.  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

Some servants are given much to do, some less, and some little according to their capability.

 16.  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

Him who received 5 talents traded (worked) to make 5 more. Meaning they in preaching the gospel with what The Lord had given them were able to lead 100% to salvation

 17.  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

Same as above ...100%

 18.  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

This servant did nothing with what was given him because he did not trust in what the Lord had given him to make a profit

 19.  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

A contentious verse indeed. Many seeking the future flesh return of Jesus can only suppose it means thousands of years later when they expect Jesus to return the 2nd time in the flesh when the conditions are ripe. They fail to see that never in the history of mankind have those conditions ever been more ripe than when Jesus came the first time. That is the primary reason He came for crying out loud...because the sin of the Jews was worse than Babylon, and mounted all the way to heaven. As Jesus was still speaking to the disciples in private, there is no reason to think that a long time will mean any length of time outside their own life. In other words, if I was told it would be a long time before I receive payment for a Job (in which this parable compares our life to), I could expect that to be anytime from now until I die...certainly not a time after that. As it was in this case, it took 40 years for Jesus to come back (AD70), so yes, that is a long time in anyone's life.

 20.  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

This servant did well with the gospel of Jesus

 21.  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

And so reaped the reward by entering into the Kingdom eternally.

 22.  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

 23.  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

As this man was less capable and so received less responsibility for the gospel, he was still able to receive the same rewards because he used what he did have to the utmost.

  24.  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

Just because this servant had the least of gifts for to spread the gospel, he didn't trust in what he had at all. By his description of his Lord, it is also obvious he did not really know Him , otherwise he would have said nice things about Him instead of belittling Him.

 25.  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

He being afraid is evidence of his lack of faith and trust in his Lord, and thus also afraid of extending the gospel to others. By hiding what The Lord had given him, that is his talent/gift to spread the word, he is keeping it only for himself therefore and wasting whatever gift he had been given which is ungratefulness to the Lord also.

 26.  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

He is wicked because he is selfish and ungrateful, and because he knew The Lord was a shrewd man....

 27.  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

...he should have made interest ready for His return. 

28.  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

So to whom has much been given, more will be given, and to whom little has been given, even that little will be taken away.

29.  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Well whaddaya know...I just said that.

 30.  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Darkness signifies place of the wicked and weeping and gnashing means terrible suffering. This is not hell as many think...there is still hope for the soul if one repents from these things.

 31.  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Jesus in everlasting Judgment and ruler of the world. Just as He is right now as He rules every thought of every devout Christian in the world. Please remember, although Jesus created the world and all that is in it, some choose to live in Satans part of the world. This is NOT the part that Jesus rules. There will always be evil, and so there will always be that world ... the outer darkness. ( See the parable of the wedding)

 32.  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

This is another contentious verse. As the wicked have already been judged, this has to mean the separation (judgment) of the warm from the lukewarm. Or else it means separation of the wicked unbelievers for the good unbelievers if there is such. Take your pick. I favour the former as it is more scriptural, but not certain as we also know that His sheep hear His voice and so should not be in need of separation. For me a difficult verse that I need to meditate on more to feel peace about. One thing is for sure though, it's purely prophecy and not a salvation issue except for the warning.

 33.  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Because the sheep and goats eat grass in the same paddock, we can compare this very much so with the parable of the wheat and tares. So we can be assured that this took place at the end of the Jewish age ( old testament) and I see no reason why this concept will not continue to be applied for eternity. This is not speaking about the end of the world per say, but rather the end of the age in the world. Jesus said it right, but some of the translators got it wrong, as my beloved KJV did also, which personally doesn't concern me much because there is not one translation in perfect shape. Says allot for the infallible bible hey. Lets look at this part of the tares parable:

^{Mathew 13:38  (1161) The3588 field68 is2076 the3588 world;2889 the3588 good2570 seed4690 are(3778), 1526 the3588 children5207 of the3588 kingdom;932 but1161 the3588 tares2215 are1526 the3588 children5207 of the3588 wicked4190 one;}

^{Mat 13:39 (1161) The3588 enemy2190 that sowed4687 them846 is2076 the3588 devil;1228 the3588 harvest2326 is2076 the end4930 of the3588 world;165 and2532 the3588 reapers2327 are1526 the angels.32}

^{Mat 13:40 As5618 therefore3767 the3588 tares2215 are gathered4816 and2532 burned2618 in the fire;4442 so3779 shall it be2071 in1722 the3588 end4930 of this5127 world.165}

Now I deliberately included the Strong's numbers so we can see the two different Greek words 'world and age' used but not translated as such. In verse 38, the world (2889) is actually correct as it is Greek for world, but come on down to both 39 and 40 verses and we have different Strong's numbers (165) used for world which is technically in error as it is the Greek word aeon which clearly means age...not world. Once we see this error, a who new light shines on the subject, showing us that Jesus is talking about the end of the Jewish system and not at all the world

 Before Christ the kingdom of God was very hard to find, but since Christ, we have the Comforter to show us how to find it, and Jesus Himself tells us where it is;

 35.  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36.  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

This is not to show that Jesus was ever in need, but rather show the character of those who really love God and love their neighbour.

37.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38.  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39.  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

They think Jesus meant Him specifically, so they asked when did we ever feed you etc.

 40.  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

God's Spirit is in all who love Him, and I am not sure it is not even in some that don't, so when you do something nasty to any of God's people, and that includes the whole world, then you are in effect doing it to God also because He lives in all of us.

 41.  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

 His left hand ( symbolic of lessor) are the wicked, so this is to the the goats, the foolish virgins, and slothful and wicked servants in this case which represents all the wicked who are against Him. For Jesus to say "depart from me", must mean at one stage they were with Him, so yes, these poor unfortunate souls are expelled from the Kingdom (depart from me). We know that much of prophecy is symbolic and apocalyptic so that only the people it is aimed at can really understand it...unless of course we are familiar with this language. We can be, if we study hard the Old Testament, where we see terms like 'fire and brimstone' simply to mean alienation from Glory/God which means eternal suffering. Does this mean eternal life in real flames? Are you mad? Do you really think a righteous and loving God would bring that on even the least of His creation? If so, then you are far too dogmatic  to receive the true insight and understanding from God. Don't let man rule your heart that closes all doors...open your mind and allow the true river flow.

 42.  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

 43.  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

When one of God's creation was in need, you like the Pharisee walked right on by and leaving him in agony. In need of food and clothing. In need of love and encouragement.

 44.  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

They deny God, they recon they are wise by following the letter of the word but not putting it into practice. They boast of their piety for all to see on the outside, but on the inside they lack all things.

 45.  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And because you refuse to love your brother, bringing me interest on the loan you got from me...

 46.  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

You will suffer eternally for your hypocrisy and wickedness, while the sheep (righteous) will have a good paddock forever.

 Just one example of slaughtering God's word.

1Thess 2:19  For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? NIV

 1Thess 2:19  for what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye before our Lord Jesus Christ in his presence? YLT

Now there is a perfect example of slaughtering God’s word. The NIV has totally changed the meaning to suggest a flesh return, whereas the YLT (Young’s LITERAL Translation) says it as it is which suggest a spiritual return. The Greek word Parousia is translated plainly....presence. The NIV is not the only one, many do the same…even the precious KJV.  

 If people are going to continue to "transliterate" the word of God...they better get it right.

God's Judgment.

 The secret ( it seems, but shouldn't be) of getting the full gist of the Olivet Discourse is to first know who God's Judgment was against, then why it was against, and then of course...when it would happen. Lets look at them in that order.

Who Judgment was against!

We should not have any problem with who it is against as we know by scripture that all unbelievers have ALREADY been judged, Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God ... so now it has been narrowed down to the believers only...who are they? Well, the only believers in the God of Abraham at that time was the Jews and the Christians right?  Ok, so of these two,  which is God's wrath and Judgment directed at? Well, by the umpteen verses in the Old Testament with God telling of His Judgement coming on Israel, and the umpteen verses in the New Testament with Jesus attacking the hypocritical Jews, it don't need an Einstein to work out who is going to cop it. It can be none other than the Jews of 70AD of course, (nothing to do with the wannabe Jews of today) and of course any other false antichrist teachers of that time.   Isa 9:8 The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob.  Go here  and take the "Whose Judgment" link to see the rest of the many verses on Judgment of the Jews.

Eze 38:19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low (exactly like the Jews were at the first coming of Jesus)

Eze 7:2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Eze 7:3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations................ Eze 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. ....They [the chief priests, scribes and elders] understood that He spoke the parable against them." (Mk. 12:9,12)
 

Why Judgment was against!

1. It was the Jews that killed Jesus, killed the prophets, taught falsely, and their sins stacked up all the way to heaven... 1Thess 2:15  Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: ... and ...1Thess 2:16  ( The Jews) Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

2. The pagans sins were not as bad as the Jews according to Jesus...Mat 11:24 You can be sure that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to you!"

3. It was the Christians of the time that risked their lives, suffered for Jesus' sake, and preached the gospel that Jesus brought with Him as we all well know.1Th 1:6 You imitated us and the Lord; and even though you suffered much, you received the message with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.

   1Th 2:14 Our friends, the same things happened to you that happened to the churches of God in Judea, to the people there who belong to Christ Jesus. You suffered the same persecutions from your own people that they suffered from the Jews,

    Heb 10:32 Remember how it was with you in the past. In those days, after God's light had shone on you, you suffered many things, yet were not defeated by the struggle.

   1Pe 5:10 But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who calls you to share his eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation.

Now you can make up your own mind why judgment was against the Jews.

When was Judgment to be against!

When we note .......2Pe 3:8 ......... that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day...do we take this literally, or do we use it as an idiom? We know in prophecy that a day is a year, fair enough because that is plain and clear...but are we to expect everything else in the bible to be one day as a thousand years also? Has God not always used prophecy to denote a happening? Absolutely, and He did in this case also when Jesus Christ was spot on with His prediction of the end of the age with destruction of Jerusalem and the ceasing of sacrifices when He said "at hand" and "soon" and "quickly". What part of "soon" don't dispensationalist  understand. I fully understand that a day is as a thousand years to the Lord, but in prophecy God is dealing with mans time, and always has. The reason Jesus never used the day/year rule is because it was just around the corner, and it was designed to be secret so that the true believers of Jesus would believe is prophecy and follow the signs to safety. And that is exactly what did happen....to the letter.

So, when was Judgment coming on the wicked Jews? In the same generation. Lets check out a few verses;

1. Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
2. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matt. 3:2)
3. Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?" (Matt.3:7)
4. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees." (Matt. 3:10)
5. His winnowing fork is in His hand." (Matt. 3:12)
6. You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes." (Matt. 10:23)
7. the age about to come." (Matt. 12:32)
8. The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds." (Matt. 16:27)
9. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." (Matt. 16:28; cf. Mk. 9:1; Lk. 9:27)
10. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (Matt. 24:34)
11. From now on, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Matt. 26:64; Mk. 14:62; Lk.22:69)
12. The kingdom of God is at hand." (Mk. 1:15)
13. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Mk. 13:30)
14. Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Lk. 3:7)
15. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. " (Lk. 3:9)
16. The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Lk. 10:9)
17. What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others." …The scribes and the chief priests …understood that He spoke this parable against them.” (Lk. 20:15-16,19)
18. These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Lk. 21:22)
19. If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?" (Jn. 21:22)
20. He has fixed a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness…” (Acts 17:31)
21. There is about to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Acts 24:15)

22. As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment about to come…" (Acts 24:25)

As you should be able to see by now, these 22 verses (about 60 more still in my closet) clearly show that judgment was either about to come, or in that generation. These verses cannot be twisted by the dispensationalists without doing them damage.

Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that the last days would be when the Messiah would come the first time (Dan 2:28), so how could they be again 2000 years after that? If this is so, then there has to be three comings of our dear Lord. The futurists will wear out our dear Lord Jesus.

When John the Baptist preached "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," what did he mean? I think he meant that Jesus, the one with all authority in heaven and earth, was about to come and bring the Kingdom of Heaven with Him...don't you? Well at least that is what happened. Now if John used the words "at hand" to say Jesus was about to come, could Jesus use those words too for the same reason? Sure He could, and He did...look. Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Was Jesus warning us today...or was He warning those He was preaching to? Yes, that's right, He was warning those He was preaching to (but we should take heed also)  that they need to stop sinning because the Kingdom of God was about to come. And it did come didn't it boys and girls. At Pentecost after the Judgment in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is this very Spirit of God  that is in us today, that shows us the Kingdom of Heaven ( or God if you prefer) is already here within us (Luke 17:21).

1Jo 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.

What do we do now brethren...do we say it is one second to a year with God? Or do we simply yield to the truth here. Surely we know that this proves that the last hour means it is imminent. John is saying, because there are already many antichrists present, it has to be the "last hour"...or "at the door" or "about to happen". John, as well as Paul by the way, was expecting the Judgment to come any day now. They had seen all the signs that Jesus warned them about already come to pass, and now they were seeing those who were trying to guide the sheep away from the Shepherd; the antichrists. Here John is warning his fellow believers that God is about to pour out His wrath in Judgment on Israel because of their wickedness, and as history tells us, very shortly after John wrote this letter all of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the sacrifices were annihilated. I implore you by friends in Christ, look away from the flesh, and focus on the Spirit, and allow God to get this important message through to you. Be strong, and be bold, and admit to yourself in your deepest part of your soul, that it is only your selfish desire for a flesh return of Jesus, together with the doctrines fashioned by the many money loving church institutions of the world that you have been taught, and the many  of dreamland rapture books sold in their millions that you have read, that influences you to follow the multitude futurist doctrine. Go to the websites of these wicked people, who sell these books at exorbitant prices to the young sheep. Look at the millions of dollars they make out of it to fill their evil pockets. If you are of the elect, and are sincere for your quest of truth, the you will most certainly, without doubt, be convinced by the bible and your heart that these modern day doctrines of raptures and physical return of Jesus, are antichrist.

Before you go reflect on this

Why did God so specifically speak to the the angels of the seven churches in revelations? At that time there were only a few established churches, and they were most likely the ones that Paul established as the other disciples either taught in the Jewish synagogues or hidden away in safety. Under these circumstances one would be hard pressed in their wildest imaginations to recon it was NOT directed specifically to these churches in Revelations as the way it is indeed worded. Why are people saying it was aimed specifically at us today? You have to understand that this period is the beginning of Christianity, the beginning of the new Covenant, and it had to be made clear to the flock right from the beginning what is required in the coming new age, or new Jerusalem. This is why God sent His personal instructions to these churches, to set up the stage for the eternal new age with the new Covenant. To this day, nearly 2000 years later, we are still basically following the same instructions, barring of course the odd  false doctrine like we have been discussing. I'm am fully confident that these irregularities will be ironed out over time to stabilise a strong and flourishing Christian age.

 Back to the top

 Home