Presents
Matthew #2561
The question is, how do we determine when the final generation begins.
Presents
Matthew #2561
The question is, how do we determine when the final generation begins.
Let us recap what we have learned so far in this most informative 24th chapter of Matthew. Jesus Christ has been responding to and answering the three questions His disciples asked Him in relation to His statement that there would not be one stone of the temple left standing atop another when He returns. They wanted to know what events we should look for leading up to His second coming, what would take place at His coming, and how we would be able to identify the season, the final generation, when all these things would take place.
He began to answer those questions by first warning us that the majority of Christians in this final generation would become deceived by those many who would come in His name claiming to represent Him as Christian preachers, teachers, ministers, priests, etc. He then told us that the world wars we grew up hearing about and the rumours of world war would cease and all the nations, both small and great, would begin to rise up alongside one another in the market place, which is the globalization we are seeing take place right before our eyes, which is that beast system John saw rising up from among the people in Rev. 13:1. This would signal the beginning of the final labor pangs which would result in "famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places", which are not those of nature but rather those of society and the world.
All this would lead to the ushering in of the false messiah, the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, who would come stand in the holy place and take the world by storm with his feats of great wonders and by performing miracles in the sight of men all of whom, except those with the seal of God in their foreheads, will become convinced that he is Jesus Christ, even the God of all nations and peoples and tongues.
Then, immediately AFTER the great tribulation of those days (Mat. 24:9), which, contrary to the traditions of men that have already deceived the multitude of Christians, will be a time of peace and prosperity while at the same time men and women are spiritually slaughtered and their hearts and minds are made desolate, the true Messiah, Jesus Christ in all His brilliance and power and glory, shall come with all His saints and consume away (destroy) all the wickedness and idolatry. He shall come as King of kings and Lord of lords and subdue all nations and execute His justice with a rod of iron, which means He shall exact strict adherence to the righteous ways of the Word of God.
These are the two tribulations and the order thereof. So make no mistake about! Let no man deceive you by any means! The abominable one, the false messiah COMES FIRST, and then immediately AFTER he has reigned defacto, in person, on earth for his short season (a period of 5 months as per Rev. 9) the true Messiah shall return. The apostle Paul made this so plain and so simple to understand in 2 Thes. 2 that it is beyond refute .Jesus Christ is NOT going to return and we are NOT going to gather back to Him until AFTER the false messiah has come and gathered his crowd, as in harvested all those who will allow themselves to be seduced by him and his sweet talking angels (vultures). Let's read it again, for one cannot overemphasize the importance of this chronology because of the very deceptive but very popular "any-moment Christ is going to return and rapture (gather back) His saints theory" that has already infected and deceived so many of our beloved brothers and sisters and has them set-up for the great fall!
Understand that the subject here is what some call the "rapture", which is the coming of our Lord and our gathering together unto Him. Paul is going to tell us what takes place before that happens, just as Christ already informed us in Matthew 24 concerning the abomination of desolation!2 Thes. 2:1-4
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him,
Don't you let anyone tell you Christ can return at any moment or that He is already here![2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Satan comes claiming to be God and gathers His crowd BEFORE Christ comes and gathers His saints! Satan is called the son of perdition because he is the son who has been sentenced to perish in the lake of fire. He comes FIRST at the sound of the 6th Trump and exalts himself by standing in the holy place showing signs and performing miracles and claiming to be God.[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
This is the abomination that takes place before Jesus Christ returns to this earth. You can either believe what the Word of God has to say concerning when we gather back to Christ or you can believe theories promoted by Biblically ignorant men and women (even those who may be well intentioned) who come in Christ's name claiming to represent Him and His Word.Do not be taken in by what men say or by movies or books which tell you that the first ones taken (gathered) are taken by Jesus Christ! Is just isn't true! The abominable desolator along with his vultures, those fallen angels of Gen. 6, come first and gather the spiritually dead to Satan's wedding feast in the holy place, the gathering place of the crowd. AFTER THAT takes place we will gather back to Christ... and not before![4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Now on to the third question as to how to determine when the final generation begins. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, gives us the set of instructions on how to know and fix the beginning of the final season. Here is His command!
All we have to do is learn the parable of the fig tree if we want to know when summer is near, which is the time of the harvest at the end of this flesh age. Of course that takes a little labor and patience in understanding because the parable of the fig tree begins way back in the fig grove where the seduction of mother Eve took place by that "old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan (Rev. 12:9)." If you remember Christ's teaching of the Parable of the Tares in Matthew 13 then you know that the Wicked one's seed was sown in that fig grove and as a result Adam and Eve took fig leaves and sewed them together and covered-up their private parts to hide their sin and the conception that had taken place. That conception resulted in the birth of Cain, who was not Adam's son, which is why he is not listed in Adam's genealogy in chapter 5 of Genesis! One must therefore have the wisdom and knowledge from our Father's Word to know of that wicked "branch" stemming from the wicked tree which was in the midst of the garden. Only then can one understand who the bad figs are spoken of by Jeremiah in his 24th chapter.Matthew 24:32
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
You see, the time would come in the last days when that wicked branch of Cain's descendants would begin to gather in the holy place, in the land of Judea... you know... where the abomination of desolation is set-up! Hello!
The point is that the bad figs are those same tares we learned of in Matthew 13 who claim to be of the true branch of Judah (who are good figs), but they are NOT! They are liars and are of the synagogue of Satan (see Rev. 2:9 & 3:9) and there are only two churches out of the seven in Rev. 2 & 3 who teach concerning them in this final generation. Those bad figs, along with the good, were set out before the temple in the land of Judea on May 15, 1948, when the Zionist movement finally succeeded in establishing the state of Israel by sanction of the United Nations.Jeremiah 24:1-3
The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.[2] One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
[3] Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
Note: You can read the rest of the chapter on your own. We also have a study called "The Parable of the Fig Tree" which goes into more detail than we are afforded in this short summary of the parable. You can read it by logging unto The Parable of the Fig Tree right here on this web site.
To that end, if you have the wisdom spoken of in Rev. 13:18, such as knowing the Parable of the Tares and the Parable of the Fig Tree, then you can also easily "count the number of the beast", which means to enumerate or trace by using "stones worn smooth through service" over a long period of time. Those are the "stones" Christ spoke of who shall be toppled and destroyed. By the way, the pictures and types we are given in scripture of the beast and the image he sets up, have 6's stamped all over them. Read God's Word and get a clue... as in get clued in on what is happening in this final generation.
For example, the beast sent forth to challenge and intimidate the army of Israel was named Goliath and he had on 6 pieces of armor, he was 6 cubits and a span tall, and his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron.
Likewise, the image Nebuchadnezzar set up to worship in the days of Daniel was 60 cubits in height and 6 cubits in breadth.1 Samuel 17:4-7
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. [5] And he had an (#1)helmet of brass upon his head , and he was (#2)armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. [6] And he had (#3)greaves of brass upon his legs, and a (#4)target of brass between his shoulders. [7] And the staff of his(#5)spear was like a weaver's beam; and his (#6)spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
Nevertheless, Christ told us to learn the Parable of the Fig Tree and when we see his branch put forth leaves, then know that the final season, the final generation, has arrived. That generation coincides almost to the year with the generation known as the Baby Boomers.Daniel 3:1
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore (60) cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
One final note on the fig tree. We are not only to learn what it is and when it germinated, in other words when his branch was planted in the land of Judea, the fact of which we know by seeing it come to pass, but in Luke's gospel Christ tells us we are supposed to behold (as in observe) the fig tree, and all the trees as well. Observe how ? ? ?
The Greek words for "tree" and "trees" are not the same in this verse. The fig tree is "suke" while the trees is "dendron". Once we have learned what the parable of the fig is and know when it was set out (germinated), we are then to "behold" (eido, see, consider, observe) the fig tree nation and all the other nations to know that when they "shoot forth", summer is now near at hand.Luke 21:29-30
And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
To "shoot forth" not only means to germinate, but to throw forward as in push to the front. How do all the nations push to the front? They all come together![30] When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Again, it is by observation as we see the prophecies unfold before our eyes that we know that the return of Christ draws nearer and nearer, as is "even at the doors".shoot forth, proballo, prob-al'-lo, Greek 4261; from Greek 4253 (pro) and Greek 906 (ballo); to throw forward, i.e. push to the front, germinate :- put forward, shoot forth.Matthew 24:33
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Note: The word "it" in verse 33 should be translated "He". In other words, it is He, Jesus Christ, who is "even at the doors"!
That means that there will be Baby Boomers who shall see the return of Jesus Christ. Hey, the firstborn of the "boomers" are soon to become "seasoned citizens". For those who like to speculate on dates, etc., know that a generation is not one year but rather a span of years, a span of time and so we do not have a new generation begin every year. To that end, population experts place the "post war" Baby Boomer generation from 1946 to 1964 which makes them now in 2010 range in age from about 46 to 64 with an average age of 55.[34] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
And so it is that this heaven and this earth age (for "the earth abideth forever") shall pass away, but the righteousness of His Word shall never pass away. Not only that, but the passing away of this earth age shall happen exactly as it is written and not the way some men might imagine it to be.[35] Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
No one knows the exact day and hour, i.e. the precise moment, when the end of this age is consummated. However, we already know the season and have even observed quite a bit of drawing nigh unto the doors. We know these things and the nearness of His return by following His commands to both learn and know those things which He has foretold us shall come to pass and then take heed and watch to know when they do![36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Now here is an historical type which will help us do just that... i.e. understand and observe!
The subject is the "coming", which is the "leading up to" of the return of Christ.[37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Do you know with whom they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage in the days of Noah? Remember, this is important to our understanding of what it shall be like in the last days so let's go to Genesis 6 and find out.[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,
The sons of God are the fallen angels, Nephilim in Hebrew, which are identified in Jude 6 as "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation". They are those angels (sons of God) we are reading about in Gen. 6 who came to this earth to take to wife the daughters of "eth ha adam", i.e. the daughters of Adam. They are those same vultures whom Christ shall destroy on the Lord's Day, the day of His coming (Rev. 11:13), for as it is written they are the ones "he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."Genesis 6:2-4
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
You "see", it was after Satan's attempt to destroy the woman in the fig grove and prevent the seed of Adam from bringing forth Messiah, that these fallen angels came to earth and took to wife Adam's daughters in order to do the same thing, i.e. corrupt the seedline through which Messiah would come. In fact, you will find the scriptures replete with Satan's attempt to destroy Christ, all the way up to His death on the cross where he finally bruised His heel as per Gen. 3:15.
Now open your eyes and notice what was happening![3] And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
The union of the fallen angels with the daughters of Adam produced hybrid offspring who were giants among men. These "mighty men", men of renown, are called gibor, and there is ample evidence not only in history (look up Rephaim) that there were once giants who roamed the earth, but there is still physical evidence extant today such as the shores of Bashan. Only Noah, his wife and his three sons and their wives (8 total) were left among the descendants of Adam who did NOT corrupt themselves with these fallen angels, for it is written in Gen. 6:9 that Noah "was a just man and perfect in his generations", which simply means he had a pure pedigree. God brought about the flood of Noah to rid the earth of the corruption that was taking place. By the way, there was another eruption of these fallen angels following the flood and their offspring are those whom God told Israel to destroy right down to every last man woman and child. Goliath, whom David slew, was last of these giants that we read about. He was 13 feet tall, one big dude![4] There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And so it is written in Rev. 12:7-9 that Satan and his angels will be cast out of heaven to this earth when Michael gets the go ahead to stand up and boot them out. Though they shall appear as angels of light, i.e. angels of God, they shall come and spiritually seduce women (virgins) and take them to wife! Note: We're talking spiritual seduction this time, not physical as in the garden!(Virgins are symbolic of Christians, both men and women.) Remember what Christ said regarding this time... "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! (Mat. 24:19)?" He was referring to the seduction by these vultures. Paul also warns us of these angels in 1 Cor. 11:8-10.
So, do you want to know what will be taking place just before Christ returns? Then understand how it was in the days of Noah and "see" the picture of the big wedding party that was taking place with the fallen angels, the "eating and drinking and marrying". You "see", the spiritual analogy is that they were not eating the bread of life, nor drinking of the pure water of God's Word, nor remaining virgins! They were eating idolatrous meat and drinking of the wine of fornication and being "taken" (seduced) in the field!
Now here is a test question based upon all that we have learned so far in this 24th chapter: "Which wedding feast occurs first?" Or better put, "Which bridegroom comes first, the true bridegroom who is Jesus Christ, or the fake bridegroom who is the Instead of Christ?"Matthew 24:39
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Unfortunately far too many pastors and ministers use this verse to teach and support the any-moment rapture theory. They say they want to be the first one "taken" in the field. Seems to me we read a while back that Christ said "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Mat. 24:13)." The word "endure" in Greek means to "tarry behind". And didn't Christ make it quite clear that the abominable one comes first to stand in the holy place, to play the role of Jesus, and along with his vultures gather all the spiritually dead unto himself?[40] Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
No, you really don't want to be the first one taken in the field, for if you are already "taken" when Jesus Christ comes, you are in big, big, trouble!
The next verse tells us why the one laborer who was grinding away was suddenly taken and the other left. Since the dirty birds do their picking first, they are only able to pluck those who are not watching, i.e. who are not on their guard knowing that the vultures come first to take whosoever they can. Most Christians have been "set-up" by the any-moment rapture theory to accept the first supernatural entity who comes to this earth claiming to be Jesus.Though we do not know precisely, down to the hour and day, when these things take place, we DO KNOW "what" takes place before Christ returns and "what happens" when the true Christ comes.[41] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
If you are one of God's elect, then you are to be a watchman and remain a faithful laborer in the field until such time as your Lord doth come. What Christ is teaching us now pertains to the wise verses the unwise servants who labor in the field. Make sure when you see the abominable one standing in the holy place that you do not allow yourself to be caught up in his storm and taken to wife out of wedlock to the true Messiah. Remember, Satan and his vultures come first to gather and feast on the spiritually dead.
This implies, even as the next verse documents, that those taken were not watching the signs and the events taking place and they therefore were the ones caught off guard and taken.[42] Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Do not go to sleep in this final hour.[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.
Question? Are you to "be ye also ready" to be "taken" by the thief when he comes, or ready to take a stand against him and not allow your house to be broken up? Right! So in that case how do you prepare yourself and your household to be ready and on guard against Satan and his fallen angels? You will find the answer in the next verse:[44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Be a wise and faithful servant and stay laboring in the field by feeding the meat of God's Word to your household, to your brothers and sisters, that their eyes may be opened to the iniquitous traditions of men which promote "fly away" theories and even tell people they do not need to know the book of Revelation because they are not going to be here when those things come to pass! This is the final season, the season when our people need meat on their bones and the strength from His Word to endure unto the end and not be taken by the false messiah and his dirty birds who shall come to eat and drink with them and take them to wife![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?
You "see", there are two types of servants in the field! One is going to be taken by Satan, the spurious messiah, and attend his wedding feast, and the other is going to remain in the field faithfully doing the will of his or her Father... watching and warning and teaching His children the truth and the meat of His Word. And that servant shall be well blessed when Jesus Christ returns at the sound of the last trump!
Yep, that blessed servant is found still laboring in the field... plowing and grinding away, while the other is attending the first wedding party and busy eating and drinking and being spiritually seduced by Satan and his fallen angels whom they think is Jesus Christ and His holy saints. Only those who remain virgins (spiritually) shall make it through the dark hour until the end (telos). Note: We are going to pick this up in chapter 25 in our next study and see why it is that the unwise do not make through the final hour.[46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
They shall be blessed and crowned with glory and made kings and priests and shall reign with Christ for a thousand years. Rev. 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (See also Rev. 5:10.)[47] Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Here is the other type of servant who claims to serve Christ.
In other words, they begin to waver and doubt and think that maybe this one who is performing miracles and doing such wonderful things really is Jesus after all. Remember, Satan is that good that if it were possible he could deceive even the elect![48] But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Do you understand that the majority of us shall be deceived? Jesus Christ said so in Mat. 24:5, Mark 13:6, and Luke 21:8 just for openers! In fact, it is going to be just like it was in the days of Noah... when the multitudes would not heed the sound warning and teaching of Noah.Do you believe and follow the traditions of men or do you know and believe the Word of God? You better open your eyes and ears and the Word of God and begin to "see the light"! Here is what Paul has to say about those who sleep at the grinding wheel and the spiritually drunken who would rather sing and party than plow:[49] And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
If you are a student of God's Word, even of the law and the prophets, then you already know the times and the seasons for He has foretold you all things pertaining to the final generation.1 Thes. 5:1-9
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
How does it come? It comes suddenly upon those who are eating and drinking and taking in marriage. Matthew 24:39 "And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."[2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
They will say Peace and Safety and believe that all is well because they will believe Jesus is here![3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Are you going to be deceived during that dark hour and eat and drink with the drunken (spiritually speaking)? Not if you study your Father's Word and believe that which is written instead of what man pawns off as doctrine.[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
We are children of light who are children in the know, children who are knowledgeable of God's Word because of having wisely listen to Him tell us how the events of these last days take place and in what order they occur.[5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
So don't go to sleep on your watch! Stay awake at the wheel and keep your hands on the plow and be sober minded believing that which is written as opposed to the feel good soothsaying fly-away theories brought to you by the many false teachers who come in the name of Christ and follow along with that junk. That may offend some, but your life depends on whether you make it through the storm and endure unto the coming of the Lord or you are plucked up by the fallen angels who are really spiritual vultures posing as angels of light.[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Most of our good brothers and sisters are in a daze and have no clue what is happening at this late hour. Don't be caught off guard! "Be ye also ready" and put on the gospel armor (Eph. 6), all of it, and get ready to take a stand.[7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
God is not angry at those faithful servants who love and serve Him and they shall not be subject to the pouring out of the cup of His wrath upon the ungodly. But those servants who are not looking for Christ to return because they believe He is already here, because they have been the first ones sweet-talked and taken up by that one standing in the holy place claiming to be God, they are in for a very long day when Jesus Christ returns. That long day is the Day of the Lord, the 1000 years known as the Millennium.[8] But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.[9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
You "see", the unwise and unfaithful servants are looking for Christ to return now, at any moment. However, when the false messiah comes and they are wed to him because they believe he is Christ, they will no longer be looking for Jesus to return. Got it? In other words, that servant will have already been "taken in the field" and wed to the false messiah and will have no idea that the true bridegroom is coming. Here is what shall happen to that evil servant:Matthew 24:50
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Remember what shall happen to the hypocrites, those stones of the temple, when Christ returns? He is going to crush them to powder in the spiritual sense. Those Christian's who turn back to smite the true servants of God are going to become salt piles along side the pulverized stones. In other words, they shall be put under the rod of iron in the Millennium by those who shall be given rule over His household during the Millennium. They will have one thousand years with the help of God's elect (Ezek. 44:23) to get their act together and "learn the difference between the holy and the profane" and thus be able "to discern between the unclean and the clean" or they shall follow the son of perdition into the lake fire at the great white throne judgment![51] And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In our next study we will learn the difference between a wise servant and an unwise servant and what one must do to make it through the darkest hour yet to come!
... to be continued.
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