24:1 We now enter the 24th chapter of Matthew and we know, because we have studied alongside the disciples, that Jesus has taught so much within these pages. And yet, as much as Jesus has taught, there is still so much more He will cover for our benefit. We are lucky that the disciples asked (in advance) many questions we would have liked to ask Jesus ourselves. Therefore, we should be grateful for their ignorance and for their tendency to need further explanation of messages. Jesus was teaching not just for the people of the present, but also for the people to come... all the way up to us (and past us even) and therefore, it is not an accident that the disciples have so many questions. Jesus knew that you could learn from their questions as well.
There are still new things the disciples have to learn, and there are still things Jesus has already taught that they need clarification on.
One of those things concerns the disciples awe of the architecture of this particular building in this verse. The disciples want to show Jesus this big, expensive church. The problem is that... Jesus has already taught them that wealth is not what pleases God. Jesus is not impressed by this church -- Jesus is impressed by what comes out of a church (if what comes out is productive, kind, honest, fair).
24:2 Jesus let's them know, bluntly, that no matter how elaborate a church or a city is built, the only things that survive God's cleansing and rebuilding of the Earth are good works and the people doing them. God creates a safe, beautiful home for His true, kind children and to do that, He creates a new habitat for us after this one -- the home where the evil have been sifted out. So do not be impressed by what humans built because it won't last -- be impressed with kindness, truth and mercy because they will.
24:3 The disciples, sitting with Jesus in private are asking Him: "Speaking of the end of this world... what can we expect when that is close?" How will we know when You are coming and what will the signs be? This is a popular question even today. So, let's learn what to expect!
Keep in mind that Jesus teaches us when the "end" (beginning of the new) is approaching. He does not give us a date, otherwise we would would not act authentically -- knowing that God was coming soon, we would be on our best behavior and not necessarily our true behavior. So while some of these signs might be relevant today, we cannot predict and exact day or even year.
24:4 Jesus reminds us of the message in Chapter 23 of Matthew: Be careful. There are a lot of deceitful people out there, pretending to be things they are not, and you do not want to get caught in their charade. Why did Jesus bring this up again? Well, we can deduce that in the end of these days (keep in mind there is NO end for good people!!) there will be a lot of deceit, a lot of corrupt churches and religions, and corrupt governments and leaders.
24:5 Many will come pretending to be Jesus. If you have read and studying the Bible, you won't be fooled by fakes. Already in history we have examples of people who tricked others into believing that they were holy or saviors... but they actually committed atrocities against people, killing, harming and confusing them.
And some people come in Jesus' name by pretending to teach His word... but instead of teaching God's word, they teach their own selfish, greedy ideas. Someone might talk the talk but not walk the walk. They might be hypocrites. Watch them; observe them. You must also read the Bible for yourself -- someone might tell you something is in the Bible and if you do not know the Bible for yourself, they could make up anything they want and fool you easily. Back up what they say and do with the message in the Bible.
24:6 Wars and rumors of wars. Well, that definitely could be speaking of the age we are in now. Many nations are embroiled in disagreement and war and certainly there are rumors of new wars starting both between and within countries.
HOWEVER, do not read over the rest of the verse -- it's important. Jesus says two more things:
- 1) Do not be afraid. You never have to be afraid when a circumstance involves God. He is your Father and your protector you can expect only love from Him.
- 2) Rumblings of wars and rumors of wars, while they may begin the end of times, the end is not yet. By telling us this, Jesus warns us not to expect turmoil in the end. People commonly think that the end times will bring desperation, pain and fear but Jesus has just informed us that this is not true.
24:7 Countries will fight against each other. (This has happened all-throughout history so perhaps we will experience an increase in volume and frequency). Famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.
We already know that many people are starving all over the world. Many people blame God for this. Actually, it is humanity who is responsible for suffering on the Earth. God teaches the way to eliminate such disparities but humans choose not to -- and this is why God put us here, so that He could see who we really are and what we allow when He is watching from afar.
However, this has a double meaning. Jump into Amos, Chapter 8, verse 11 where God defines this famine.
"Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
From this verse we learn that in the end times, those who had not already reached to God but instead rejected Him, will lose Him. In the end times, we can expect that a lot of people will not have a strong relationship with God. This is also something that is true for our time now. Some people go to church but not many of them live the word of God when they leave church.
We can suppose that pestilences might be created by the poor conditions in slums and impoverished areas as well as because of corrupt scientific research (modification of the natural). Humans pollute the Earth with their factories and materials and this pollution negatively impacts our health, animals, the globe...it has consequences which cause diseases and ailments.
Earthquakes. This could be a double meaning. The Earth has always had Earthquakes, so perhaps we can expect an increase in frequency and magnitude. We also could expect that the Earth itself might be readying to rejuvenate itself. Nature is quite incredible, God has created nature and given it the ability to nourish and sustain itself. We are contributing to the death of much of nature and perhaps it suspects that it needs a shaking (figuratively and literally).
24:8 So, the aforementioned will begin the sorrows. The sorrows are a time when people COULD be happy and safe but instead are frustrated or troubled because they have looked away from God and His message -- not as a punishment, when we do not trust God, we become fearful because we do not feel His love and protection running through us.
Think of the sorrows more deeply, more as a metaphor. The word used, "sorrow," should actually be translated as "Labor pains". The original word was written in Greek as "Odin". Therefore we can understand that the sorrows expected towards the end times will be metaphorically similar to childbirth pains. These happenings will suggest that the Earth will be caused, by God, to begin to prepare itself for the new. In a way, we are children in the womb. Our time here is our chance to grow and to absorb nutrition (a healthy way of life) when our trial here is over, we will be birthed to our true parent -- God (provided we chose to receive our nutrition from Him).
Think of the sorrows more deeply, more as a metaphor. The word used, "sorrow," should actually be translated as "Labor pains". The original word was written in Greek as "Odin". Therefore we can understand that the sorrows expected towards the end times will be metaphorically similar to childbirth pains. These happenings will suggest that the Earth will be caused, by God, to begin to prepare itself for the new. In a way, we are children in the womb. Our time here is our chance to grow and to absorb nutrition (a healthy way of life) when our trial here is over, we will be birthed to our true parent -- God (provided we chose to receive our nutrition from Him).
24:9 If you do not trust God, this verse might read fearful to you. You do not ever have to be afraid. When deceit and greed are in abundance, you are going to be called and challenged to be your best self despite adversity. Your actions will speak volumes and will reverberate around the world. Remember Jesus, He had a grand and beautiful message and while the important people heard Him, the evil people tried to put Him out. They were unsuccessful. They will also be unsuccessful in putting you out. God protects you: He gives you courage and wisdom and He welcomes you into His house. For you, there is no death. There is nothing an evil person can take from you.
24:10 A lot of people lose their sense of honor. They will argue with each other because they cannot find happiness or rest on the path they have chosen. Do not fear these things; they are already around in the world -- people "die" defending their beliefs because their beliefs defending the rights of other people. People already argue and fight with each other but if you're kind, you are of God. If you are of God, His protective shield is over you feeding you with courage and strength and the reminder that to leave this world... means to immediately join with Him.
24:11 False prophets come and deceive many. Again, this can increase in frequency and degree but already among us are people who are claiming to be holy and just and instead are hateful criminals who commit injustices daily. All around the world evil people have taken power and using their control to do horrible things claiming to be of God... but they ARE NOT. They pollute His word. But we are warned and helped to be observant, to be vigilant so that they do not take over our minds.
24:12 Those without the courage from God will lose heart and become discouraged by all of violence. Some people even blame God for the violence even though He is opposed to it and not responsible for it. People grow cold because they give up their lives to defeat and hopelessness. Stay warm in God's comfort.
24:13 Endure. Be brave. Be bold. Be just and kind. The reward is to unite with your loving God. Work with Him to bring the innocents out of evil's control. Work for HIM not for the evil systems and people. He needs you. Work and be saved. And you will also feel strong and happy that you have been productive in saving people who deserve it.
24:14 God will reveal Himself to everyone, so that everyone knows the truth in the end of this age. Some will chose to join God's side... some love themselves and power and evil too much and will try to escape. God will eliminate them before they get anywhere.
24:15 Now we are going to talk about the anti-christ. First, let's discuss the purpose of the anti-christ's coming.
God wants to know if you know Him, the TRUE God. He wants to know if you were dedicated to the message. Meanwhile, Satan wants to draw you away from the word. Think of Satan as a set of qualities: greed, selfishness, violence, impatience, vengeance, deceit, mercilessness. Those qualities draw you away from the qualities God teaches: patience, selflessness, mercy, faith, hope, truth, forgiveness and wisdom.
The anti-christ's time here is a time where people are either duped by his false rule or if they can recognize the true God who brings, creates and fosters the good qualities. The qualities that Satan encompasses often promised you flattery, power and wealth and God wants to know if you will take the bait.
Conversely, God's qualities promise togetherness, unity, humility, mercy, patience and rest. God wants you to be able to RECOGNIZE these things. Kind hearts will know their Father. Evil hearts will know theirs. God wants to organize this Earth -- but He lets us choose which side we want to be on. While the anti-christ is here, many will choose his side because he will make it seem appealing. You must know that the anti-christ's promises are fake, brittle and temporary... he wants to control you, to use you so that he can have power and wealth. Anti-christ means INSTEAD of Christ. or Opposite of Christ.
God is so fair. He lets us decide where we want to be. Choose to be with God, study and recognize the falsehood, and the lies, be humble... do not seek or desire wealth, control and fame... because anti-christ gets a short and limited amount of time here and then he will be destroyed. Destroyed along with him will be his followers.
Recognize your TRUE God. Follow Him and work with Him in the service of saving and protecting humanity. Inherit your eternity where there love is given equally and in abundance.
The anti-christ is mentioned in the Bible A LOT; he comes and he tries to capture as many as he can. Anti-christ is taught in Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, Matthew, Mark, Luke... and so many more places because God wants you to STUDY and recognize the powers which wish to steal you from Him.
24:16-18 God is saying, flee from Satan! He pretends to be Jesus so you can likely expect him in the places Jesus was... Satan puts on a good act: he has studied to bible so that his deception works, he knows the word very well. He knows how to be convincing. God is staying -- Do not stick around and give him the opportunity to convert or confuse you...do not linger. Instead, get to work against him.
24:19 This is a metaphor. Remember that God uses the analogy of marriage to explain his union with you. He's your father and your creator... He's your husband in the metaphor but He is not the type of husband people have on Earth.
So in this metaphor: Jesus is saying, woe to the people who CHEAT on God with Satan. Woe to the people who bring to life Satan's plan. The pregnancy, the baby, are representative of giving life to Satan's work instead of God's. God went to watch from afar, so if he comes back and you're "pregnant" with Satan's works and ideas... He knows you have not been faithful to His (the True God's) kind, instructive word.
Woe to the people who work with Satan people God is sad to lose anybody. Woe to them because they will not get an eternity; they will cease to exist.
24:20 This verse needs to be broken down a bit to be understood. Our lives now, in the present, are the time to be harvested by God. God wants us to represent His wonderful house so that right now, we can inspire others to join it. When God comes, you do not want to be found as a person who troubled His children, or a person who kept them from learning or finding Him. Your flight, in "winter", would be too late. Nothing can be harvested in winter; nothing can be gathered in winter, the harvest time will have passed.
On, The Sabbath, God will be here and you want to find yourself already made a part of His family. Waiting until He gets here will not really count. Why? Well, when God is standing before you, tangible and proven, everyone will believe in God. God wants you to believe in Him and trust Him before He shows himself to you so that He knows your love is true and also so that you were able to live and make decisions in complete freedom.
You want to take flight with God's flock and to do that, you need to be instrumental to Him during the end times. You need to love Him and love others.
24:21 A great tribulation that has never happened before -- Well, those living during the end times, and during this tribulation will indeed face a situation never faced by humans before. They will have to decide between the true God and the false- but convincing anti-God. Your tribulation is named as such because people will not understand why you are denying the supposed god (anti-christ). You will have identified him as the liar and evil entity that he is, but others will not yet have done so. Therefore, your life will require effort to maintain and support your beliefs.
24:22 Here is a bit of information about the anti-christ. He's going to be really, truly convincing. Satan is deceptive and charming. Although Satan is frequently imaged as a devil creature with horns or blood, or large teeth... he's actually quite... nice in appearance. Why? Because Satan is smart. He knows that nobody would choose his side if he were honest with them. Therefore he knows to be very smart, eloquent and charming. He has a short amount of time to convince people and he does is sufficiently.
Because God is all-knowing, He foresees that anti-christ will convince many, many, almost all, people to follow him. Satan is so successful in fact, that God had to shorten his amount of time here. Think about that. Satan is so convincing, God had to shorten his leash. Satan is a deceiver and he's good at what he does. He wants power, control and wealth and to get it, he flatters people into working with him. The humble (students of the TRUE God) do not need to be flattered and will recognize his tactics immediately.
The "elect" in this verse are the aforementioned, humble students of the true God. They are not deceived by Satan, they recognize him and reject him. Those who are elect will go through those tribulations of having to convince people that the false god is indeed false. This will be difficult. Will God at your side, it will happen no matter how difficult the work is. Nevertheless, Satan is so convincing that God shortens his time here for the elect -- they have a hard job against a really convincing entity.
The "elect" could be you. God loves everyone equally but He knows who helps Him, who loves Him and who works for Him and He pours love and courage into them because of their dedication.
24:23 Jesus really wants you to be vigilant. People who do not know the word of God will be continually swaying back and forth from one religion or religious figure or spiritual idea to another. They will not have the stability that you have. Jesus does not want you to choose the wrong God --therefore, learn about Him. Recognize Him so that you can reject all others who try to stand in His name for selfish reasons.
Someone might seem good but use your observational skills, taught by Jesus, to recognize authentic people and separate them from the selfish deceivers.
24:24 Deceptive people are very convincing. Satan will be difficult to deny. He will have wonders and actions that amaze people. He will perform miracles. No one will understand why he is being rejected by you. But you were taught. You know that any miracles he performs are only to capture people. Satan does not help people... he controls them for his benefit.
It's important to God that you know about the anti-christ so that you can recognize and deny him. God does not want you under Satan's trap, so let's figure out what he's like! To learn more about Satan, I'll take you temporarily to: Ezekiel 28. Briefly, here are some things we learn about him:
Ezekiel 28:1 The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and spoke of Satan.
Ezekiel 28:2 Satan desires to be a god, but God debases him as the regular man he is.
Ezekiel 28:3 God declares (for us to pay attention to) that Satan is VERY wise. He is intelligent; and therefore his plans to control and take power are well developed and well executed.
Ezekiel 28: 4 With his abilities of wisdom and understanding, Satan has been able to twist the word of God to gain selfish desires for himself -- he will do this on Earth.
Ezekiel 28:5 Satan is able to negotiate trades and deals to gain wealth and power. Riches and control make Satan happy.
Ezekiel 28:6-7 God will work through the elect to bring him down and to save all of the people from his deception.
God uses the words "the beauty of your wisdom" when speaking to Satan. We cannot read over this. Satan is beautiful. That might sound shocking to a lot of people but it is the truth and the word of God. Satan is able to procure followers because he is so impressive. Are you impressed by external beauty, power and wealth? I hope not!
Ezekiel 28:12 When Satan was created, God was very generous and fair. He gave many gifts to Satan -- but Satan abused them and will abuse them again here on Earth to try to take many people down with him. Satan, according to this verse, is beautiful, wise, and has an appearance of being perfect.
24:20 This verse needs to be broken down a bit to be understood. Our lives now, in the present, are the time to be harvested by God. God wants us to represent His wonderful house so that right now, we can inspire others to join it. When God comes, you do not want to be found as a person who troubled His children, or a person who kept them from learning or finding Him. Your flight, in "winter", would be too late. Nothing can be harvested in winter; nothing can be gathered in winter, the harvest time will have passed.
On, The Sabbath, God will be here and you want to find yourself already made a part of His family. Waiting until He gets here will not really count. Why? Well, when God is standing before you, tangible and proven, everyone will believe in God. God wants you to believe in Him and trust Him before He shows himself to you so that He knows your love is true and also so that you were able to live and make decisions in complete freedom.
You want to take flight with God's flock and to do that, you need to be instrumental to Him during the end times. You need to love Him and love others.
24:21 A great tribulation that has never happened before -- Well, those living during the end times, and during this tribulation will indeed face a situation never faced by humans before. They will have to decide between the true God and the false- but convincing anti-God. Your tribulation is named as such because people will not understand why you are denying the supposed god (anti-christ). You will have identified him as the liar and evil entity that he is, but others will not yet have done so. Therefore, your life will require effort to maintain and support your beliefs.
24:22 Here is a bit of information about the anti-christ. He's going to be really, truly convincing. Satan is deceptive and charming. Although Satan is frequently imaged as a devil creature with horns or blood, or large teeth... he's actually quite... nice in appearance. Why? Because Satan is smart. He knows that nobody would choose his side if he were honest with them. Therefore he knows to be very smart, eloquent and charming. He has a short amount of time to convince people and he does is sufficiently.
Because God is all-knowing, He foresees that anti-christ will convince many, many, almost all, people to follow him. Satan is so successful in fact, that God had to shorten his amount of time here. Think about that. Satan is so convincing, God had to shorten his leash. Satan is a deceiver and he's good at what he does. He wants power, control and wealth and to get it, he flatters people into working with him. The humble (students of the TRUE God) do not need to be flattered and will recognize his tactics immediately.
The "elect" in this verse are the aforementioned, humble students of the true God. They are not deceived by Satan, they recognize him and reject him. Those who are elect will go through those tribulations of having to convince people that the false god is indeed false. This will be difficult. Will God at your side, it will happen no matter how difficult the work is. Nevertheless, Satan is so convincing that God shortens his time here for the elect -- they have a hard job against a really convincing entity.
The "elect" could be you. God loves everyone equally but He knows who helps Him, who loves Him and who works for Him and He pours love and courage into them because of their dedication.
24:23 Jesus really wants you to be vigilant. People who do not know the word of God will be continually swaying back and forth from one religion or religious figure or spiritual idea to another. They will not have the stability that you have. Jesus does not want you to choose the wrong God --therefore, learn about Him. Recognize Him so that you can reject all others who try to stand in His name for selfish reasons.
Someone might seem good but use your observational skills, taught by Jesus, to recognize authentic people and separate them from the selfish deceivers.
24:24 Deceptive people are very convincing. Satan will be difficult to deny. He will have wonders and actions that amaze people. He will perform miracles. No one will understand why he is being rejected by you. But you were taught. You know that any miracles he performs are only to capture people. Satan does not help people... he controls them for his benefit.
It's important to God that you know about the anti-christ so that you can recognize and deny him. God does not want you under Satan's trap, so let's figure out what he's like! To learn more about Satan, I'll take you temporarily to: Ezekiel 28. Briefly, here are some things we learn about him:
Ezekiel 28:1 The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel and spoke of Satan.
Ezekiel 28:2 Satan desires to be a god, but God debases him as the regular man he is.
Ezekiel 28:3 God declares (for us to pay attention to) that Satan is VERY wise. He is intelligent; and therefore his plans to control and take power are well developed and well executed.
Ezekiel 28: 4 With his abilities of wisdom and understanding, Satan has been able to twist the word of God to gain selfish desires for himself -- he will do this on Earth.
Ezekiel 28:5 Satan is able to negotiate trades and deals to gain wealth and power. Riches and control make Satan happy.
Ezekiel 28:6-7 God will work through the elect to bring him down and to save all of the people from his deception.
God uses the words "the beauty of your wisdom" when speaking to Satan. We cannot read over this. Satan is beautiful. That might sound shocking to a lot of people but it is the truth and the word of God. Satan is able to procure followers because he is so impressive. Are you impressed by external beauty, power and wealth? I hope not!
Ezekiel 28:12 When Satan was created, God was very generous and fair. He gave many gifts to Satan -- but Satan abused them and will abuse them again here on Earth to try to take many people down with him. Satan, according to this verse, is beautiful, wise, and has an appearance of being perfect.
Ezekiel 28:14 God gave Satan many gifts and also gave him important jobs, which he took advantage of. God gave him protection and a place in His house.
Ezekiel 28:15-19 God explains that Satan turned evil because of how impressed with himself he became. Satan chose wealth, beauty and power over God's love and protection. Satan became filled with violence.
God wants us to know that we should expect this to happen while Satan is with us. He will appear beautiful, charming, intelligent... but is secretly violent, ugly, and deceptive. You're in on Satan's secret! He cannot fool you.
Now, we will return to Matthew 24.
24:25 God has indeed told us before hand. As we just learned, God taught us about Satan even before the New Testament. God repeatedly teaches us about the coming anti-christ so that he cannot fool us.
24:26 Do not follow people's wild ideas about who and where God is. You know because you are studying. God is not lost and therefore does not need to be found by people. You don't need to waste time investigating or believing in false gods because you recognize your True God.
24:27 When God comes, He will immediately be everywhere. There won't be rumor or questions or searching. When God comes the entire universe receives the brilliance and vibration of Him.
It is understandable if you find these concepts concerning Satan and end times intimidating or difficult. I just want to take a few moments to remind you that your work with God is very personal. You have a relationship specifically with God and he knows, understands and loves you. By living your life in a fair, kind, courageous manner, you are doing your work for Him -- and you're doing it wonderfully! One day at a time, you can conquer your adversaries big or small as they are. Do not worry or grow anxious over the future because God is working with you right now, calmly and slowly and He always will.
Every day remember this verse: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Ezekiel 28:15-19 God explains that Satan turned evil because of how impressed with himself he became. Satan chose wealth, beauty and power over God's love and protection. Satan became filled with violence.
God wants us to know that we should expect this to happen while Satan is with us. He will appear beautiful, charming, intelligent... but is secretly violent, ugly, and deceptive. You're in on Satan's secret! He cannot fool you.
Now, we will return to Matthew 24.
24:25 God has indeed told us before hand. As we just learned, God taught us about Satan even before the New Testament. God repeatedly teaches us about the coming anti-christ so that he cannot fool us.
24:26 Do not follow people's wild ideas about who and where God is. You know because you are studying. God is not lost and therefore does not need to be found by people. You don't need to waste time investigating or believing in false gods because you recognize your True God.
24:27 When God comes, He will immediately be everywhere. There won't be rumor or questions or searching. When God comes the entire universe receives the brilliance and vibration of Him.
It is understandable if you find these concepts concerning Satan and end times intimidating or difficult. I just want to take a few moments to remind you that your work with God is very personal. You have a relationship specifically with God and he knows, understands and loves you. By living your life in a fair, kind, courageous manner, you are doing your work for Him -- and you're doing it wonderfully! One day at a time, you can conquer your adversaries big or small as they are. Do not worry or grow anxious over the future because God is working with you right now, calmly and slowly and He always will.
Every day remember this verse: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
God is never going to overwhelm you with work. He cares about you and He knows what you can and cannot handle. He trusts important tasks with strong, humble people: a caring parent, a supportive sibling, an unwavering friend, a teacher... there are so many situations He places us in, specifically, where He knows we can do the most good with our personality and our love and kindness.
24:28 Vultures swoop in during vulnerable situations. You want to trust the true God so that you do not become the easy prey of a vulture. We can understand this "vulture" to be anxiety or sadness during a difficult life circumstance. God really will strengthen you and He will become your courage... in life, we all have difficult times, but God supplies us the gumption and the wisdom to get through them unscathed.
24:29 Jesus speaks of the time when the TRUE God will come. Do not be afraid of this description. We have enough knowledge now to understand what solar and lunar eclipses are and to recognize meteor showers (stars appearing "fall"). Jesus wants us to know that God works with and through the whole universe -- He's that big and brilliant. You should find comfort in the fact that He controls it all. You don't have to fear anything; we and it all rests in His hands.
24.30 Jesus teaches that people are going to be quite ashamed with themselves that they fell for Satan. This leads me to believe that people will immediately know the truth upon the arrival of the True God. People will mourn because they will realize they chose the god who represents the wrong things -- the things that will fail them and leave them hungry. But God loves and forgives all when we are sincere, always remember that.
24:31 God, Jesus and their trusted workers (their angels) will gather together all of children who love and recognize God. These people have distinguished themselves. How? They worked with God throughout their lives, in the end times and even before.
24:32 Jesus wants you to learn The Parable of the Fig Tree so that you can recognize the beginning of the end times. The Parable of the Fig Tree is an involved parable and is worthy of its own lecture. For now, we will interpret this verse in it's purest, simplest form (and will return to Parable of the Fig tree in it's own lecture).
Summer is representative of the time of God coming to Earth. When these signs of the end times begin to happen, we can understand that we are in spring. These events are a symbol of "budding" and preparing for the summer.
24:33 We have learned from scripture in this chapter that we are likely at least in the beginning stages of the end times --Based on Jesus' examples of what to watch for. So, Jesus reminds us, specifically, that God will return to us soon.
24:34 Everything God and Jesus teach and prepare you for will be accomplished. You can be sure that they've included everything you need to know. How can you be sure? Jump back to Matthew 24:25 I have told you beforehand. Jesus is thorough.
24:35 God will recreate our home, He can reorganize the entire universe if He wants to; He can and will rid the world of all evil... but one thing He wants you to know that will never go away, can never go away, is Himself. God is reliable, stable and constant. His message of Love exists in an eternity.
24:36 God prepares us for the relative time of His coming but only He knows the specific day, date and time. The information of when God will return is His -- therefore you do not need to fear when false-teachers pretend to predict an end times date. You never need to fear, God clears up the truth for you and when He comes... you're going home to home. That's beautiful, not frightening.
24:37 Noah, of Genesis, is referenced here. Jesus is explaining that history will repeat itself.
24:38-39 God lets us know that on Earth, before the flood, people were behaving poorly and were caught off guard by God's presence (which subsequently caused the flood). By "behaving poorly" I mean that they were awful. They were vengeful, unmerciful, greedy, selfish, and unjust. They engaged themselves in Satan's qualities; they mixed in with him so much that God had a difficult time finding a person who was not even a little bit corrupted by him.
Sadly, the same can be said for the end times. People will, and many already have, abandoned God and traded their souls over for money and fame. Few people love their neighbors (their fellow humans) as they love themselves and so selfishness abounds.
Side note: if the Flood is a difficult concept for you to understand, I understand -- it was for me to. When something seems difficult to comprehend in the Bible, you can usually work to understand it through metaphor. The metaphor is that God cleaned the Earth. God is a scientist; He's The Scientist... He created science! He has plenty of methods of rejuvenating the Earth but the important message is that God wanted to flush the evil out of the world. And He will return to do it again.
To return: people will be so entangled in their usual, routine affairs that they will be caught of guard by God's appearance. (But you will not because you study!) They realize too late Who and What the truth is.
24:40 We begin a new metaphor and we must read this carefully so that we do not misinterpret it. *Then* there will be two men in the field, and one will be taken. Jesus is showing us the sequence of events that happen at God's appearance. First, let's recap. God is going to work with and through His true students to do as much good as they can throughout the end times. He relies on them as beloved instruments in accomplishing the teaching and spreading of His word. So, on Earth, when God appears one man will be taken and the other left.
Guess who is taken? The evil, ignorant man. This man has been taken by his corrupt desires. They are taken away (such as the evil men were taken away by the flood).
The good, honest man is left to remain with God.
24:41 Likewise two woman will be living on Earth: one of the women lives a good life and the other a corrupt life. The corrupt woman is taken away (such as the evil were taken away by the flood.)
So we know that nobody is "taken" anywhere until God returns. Some people believe that God will procure His good children up out of the world but this is an incorrect interpretation. It is not written in the Bible. God works WITH His children on Earth in the end times so that they can reveal and deny the anti-christ. We all complete our trial and our journey here.
24:42 Stay alert. Jesus wants you to be aware of your surroundings. He wants you to be aware of the environment you are living in. You know what to look for around the time of God's coming... but you do not know specifically when; therefore, you must keep on your toes so that falsity or greed does not distract you.
24:43 Jesus teaches us a bit of common sense. If we knew exactly when God was coming, everyone would be on their best behavior in order to be approved by Him. This would be fake. God wants to know how we behave when His presence is not overt. He wants to know if we love Him, trust Him and believe in Him but He also wants to see how we treat others when we don't think we're being watched.
24:44 Be ready. How can you be ready? Be a good person. Be an observant person. Distinguish truth from lies with God's help. Nothing can sneak up on you if you're alert and guilt-free.
24:45 Be a faithful and wise servant by spreading the messages and love of God. Do not go out forcing people to convert to a religion or ideology. Instead, be a person of God. Be fair with everyone, be kind, be honest and your actions will do all of the teaching. When someone wants to learn, be there and be ready and able to help them delve into the word. People need food. This is a metaphor: people need the word of God, whether they realize or not. God teaches us how to live a peaceful and productive life and His love carries us through all adversity. His love and teaching is our fruit. God wants you to feed in due season. Well, it's due season. So many people need feeding. Let your godly actions feed them. You can be the example that changes a heart.
24:46 You are so blessed by God when He comes and finds you working diligently to help others.
24:47 God will bless you abundantly because of your good work. There is nothing you will lack. He will immerse you in love and courage.
24:48 Some people choose to behave horribly because they convince themselves that there will not be an repercussions (and mainly because they do not have good, kind hearts). God recognizes these people. They think no one is watching and therefore they give in to wicked actions and thoughts.
24:49 These wicked people spend their lives hurting others, partying aimlessly through life and accomplishing no good work (instead they work very hard to destroy good humans).
24:50-51 God will come and catch them in the act. They will be guilty. They will be eliminated by Him -- and they will be angry at themselves for giving up their place in God's loving eternity.
24:28 Vultures swoop in during vulnerable situations. You want to trust the true God so that you do not become the easy prey of a vulture. We can understand this "vulture" to be anxiety or sadness during a difficult life circumstance. God really will strengthen you and He will become your courage... in life, we all have difficult times, but God supplies us the gumption and the wisdom to get through them unscathed.
24:29 Jesus speaks of the time when the TRUE God will come. Do not be afraid of this description. We have enough knowledge now to understand what solar and lunar eclipses are and to recognize meteor showers (stars appearing "fall"). Jesus wants us to know that God works with and through the whole universe -- He's that big and brilliant. You should find comfort in the fact that He controls it all. You don't have to fear anything; we and it all rests in His hands.
24.30 Jesus teaches that people are going to be quite ashamed with themselves that they fell for Satan. This leads me to believe that people will immediately know the truth upon the arrival of the True God. People will mourn because they will realize they chose the god who represents the wrong things -- the things that will fail them and leave them hungry. But God loves and forgives all when we are sincere, always remember that.
24:31 God, Jesus and their trusted workers (their angels) will gather together all of children who love and recognize God. These people have distinguished themselves. How? They worked with God throughout their lives, in the end times and even before.
24:32 Jesus wants you to learn The Parable of the Fig Tree so that you can recognize the beginning of the end times. The Parable of the Fig Tree is an involved parable and is worthy of its own lecture. For now, we will interpret this verse in it's purest, simplest form (and will return to Parable of the Fig tree in it's own lecture).
Summer is representative of the time of God coming to Earth. When these signs of the end times begin to happen, we can understand that we are in spring. These events are a symbol of "budding" and preparing for the summer.
24:33 We have learned from scripture in this chapter that we are likely at least in the beginning stages of the end times --Based on Jesus' examples of what to watch for. So, Jesus reminds us, specifically, that God will return to us soon.
24:34 Everything God and Jesus teach and prepare you for will be accomplished. You can be sure that they've included everything you need to know. How can you be sure? Jump back to Matthew 24:25 I have told you beforehand. Jesus is thorough.
24:35 God will recreate our home, He can reorganize the entire universe if He wants to; He can and will rid the world of all evil... but one thing He wants you to know that will never go away, can never go away, is Himself. God is reliable, stable and constant. His message of Love exists in an eternity.
24:36 God prepares us for the relative time of His coming but only He knows the specific day, date and time. The information of when God will return is His -- therefore you do not need to fear when false-teachers pretend to predict an end times date. You never need to fear, God clears up the truth for you and when He comes... you're going home to home. That's beautiful, not frightening.
24:37 Noah, of Genesis, is referenced here. Jesus is explaining that history will repeat itself.
24:38-39 God lets us know that on Earth, before the flood, people were behaving poorly and were caught off guard by God's presence (which subsequently caused the flood). By "behaving poorly" I mean that they were awful. They were vengeful, unmerciful, greedy, selfish, and unjust. They engaged themselves in Satan's qualities; they mixed in with him so much that God had a difficult time finding a person who was not even a little bit corrupted by him.
Sadly, the same can be said for the end times. People will, and many already have, abandoned God and traded their souls over for money and fame. Few people love their neighbors (their fellow humans) as they love themselves and so selfishness abounds.
Side note: if the Flood is a difficult concept for you to understand, I understand -- it was for me to. When something seems difficult to comprehend in the Bible, you can usually work to understand it through metaphor. The metaphor is that God cleaned the Earth. God is a scientist; He's The Scientist... He created science! He has plenty of methods of rejuvenating the Earth but the important message is that God wanted to flush the evil out of the world. And He will return to do it again.
To return: people will be so entangled in their usual, routine affairs that they will be caught of guard by God's appearance. (But you will not because you study!) They realize too late Who and What the truth is.
24:40 We begin a new metaphor and we must read this carefully so that we do not misinterpret it. *Then* there will be two men in the field, and one will be taken. Jesus is showing us the sequence of events that happen at God's appearance. First, let's recap. God is going to work with and through His true students to do as much good as they can throughout the end times. He relies on them as beloved instruments in accomplishing the teaching and spreading of His word. So, on Earth, when God appears one man will be taken and the other left.
Guess who is taken? The evil, ignorant man. This man has been taken by his corrupt desires. They are taken away (such as the evil men were taken away by the flood).
The good, honest man is left to remain with God.
24:41 Likewise two woman will be living on Earth: one of the women lives a good life and the other a corrupt life. The corrupt woman is taken away (such as the evil were taken away by the flood.)
So we know that nobody is "taken" anywhere until God returns. Some people believe that God will procure His good children up out of the world but this is an incorrect interpretation. It is not written in the Bible. God works WITH His children on Earth in the end times so that they can reveal and deny the anti-christ. We all complete our trial and our journey here.
24:42 Stay alert. Jesus wants you to be aware of your surroundings. He wants you to be aware of the environment you are living in. You know what to look for around the time of God's coming... but you do not know specifically when; therefore, you must keep on your toes so that falsity or greed does not distract you.
24:43 Jesus teaches us a bit of common sense. If we knew exactly when God was coming, everyone would be on their best behavior in order to be approved by Him. This would be fake. God wants to know how we behave when His presence is not overt. He wants to know if we love Him, trust Him and believe in Him but He also wants to see how we treat others when we don't think we're being watched.
24:44 Be ready. How can you be ready? Be a good person. Be an observant person. Distinguish truth from lies with God's help. Nothing can sneak up on you if you're alert and guilt-free.
24:45 Be a faithful and wise servant by spreading the messages and love of God. Do not go out forcing people to convert to a religion or ideology. Instead, be a person of God. Be fair with everyone, be kind, be honest and your actions will do all of the teaching. When someone wants to learn, be there and be ready and able to help them delve into the word. People need food. This is a metaphor: people need the word of God, whether they realize or not. God teaches us how to live a peaceful and productive life and His love carries us through all adversity. His love and teaching is our fruit. God wants you to feed in due season. Well, it's due season. So many people need feeding. Let your godly actions feed them. You can be the example that changes a heart.
24:46 You are so blessed by God when He comes and finds you working diligently to help others.
24:47 God will bless you abundantly because of your good work. There is nothing you will lack. He will immerse you in love and courage.
24:48 Some people choose to behave horribly because they convince themselves that there will not be an repercussions (and mainly because they do not have good, kind hearts). God recognizes these people. They think no one is watching and therefore they give in to wicked actions and thoughts.
24:49 These wicked people spend their lives hurting others, partying aimlessly through life and accomplishing no good work (instead they work very hard to destroy good humans).
24:50-51 God will come and catch them in the act. They will be guilty. They will be eliminated by Him -- and they will be angry at themselves for giving up their place in God's loving eternity.
