Gospel Of Grace Through Jesus Christ
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It is important to know the attributes of God. God is 100% perfectly Holy and 100% Just and He must punish sin. And the wages of sin are death; that is eternal death in a place of torment. But God is also 100% Merciful so He sent His only begotten Son as a human. Jesus is the ‘God-Man’. He was sent in human form so that He could take the punishment for the sins of the whole world. On the cross, Jesus Christ (God in human flesh) took upon Himself the punishment that we deserved even though He NEVER sinned. Not even once. This was a satisfactory punishment for our sins. Jesus took our place and our sins were nailed to that cross. When we believe this, we are at that very moment forgiven all our sins (past/present/future) and MADE RIGHTEOUS and are saved for all eternity and we can never lose our Salvation. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit indwelling within us as a new created being.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-16 KJV)
At the moment of belief in the atonement Christ provided on the cross, we were changed positionally. Positionally we are now 100% righteous before God because all the sins we committed, or will commit after Salvation, were all penalty paid on the cross in Jesus. And now this is what God says about those who believe on the atonement of sins through what Christ did on the cross,
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12 KJV)
That is the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We are saved 100% by the GRACE of God. Salvation is NOT based on our good works in ANY MANNER, neither before or after Salvation. Paul repeatedly wrote to not mix The Law (10 Commandments) with Grace. It is a false Gospel. There are many Scriptures from Paul that make this very clear.
The Holy Spirit is our proof of inheritance and shows that we were purchased by Christ and are Heaven bound from the very moment of our Salvation through belief in the atonement provided by Christ. Once sealed nothing can separate us from the love of God and our Salvation cannot be lost.
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30 KJV)
“Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.”
(2 Corinthians 5:5 KJV)
It is true that the doctrine of justification that Paul and James taught are very clear that Salvation is not of works. That is a person’s justification and being made righteous is NOT something a person can accomplish trough their own efforts nor good works. No one is justified by following the Ten Commandments nor by just being a ‘good person’ in comparison to other people.
The ONLY way a person is justified and made righteous enough to be able to enter Heaven is to be 100% PERFECT as Jesus is perfect. Can you do that? No, you cannot! Not by your own effort. We are all SINFUL except Jesus who was born of a Virgin and is the Son Of God. Jesus who was God in the flesh.
Who then can be saved? How can we be allowed to enter Heaven for all eternity? Jesus said,
“… Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26 KJV)
You see, Jesus paid a ransom for our Salvation. We all owe a HUGE enormous debt of sin against God. When you understand that God NEVER CHANGES things become clearer.
“For I am the Lord, I change not…”
(Malachi 3:6 KJV)
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
(Hebrews 13:8 KJV)“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
(James 1:17 KJV)
It is important to know the attributes of God. God is 100% perfectly Holy and 100% Just and He must punish sin. And the wages of sin are death; that is eternal death in a place of torment. But God is also 100% Merciful so He sent His only begotten Son as a human. Jesus is the ‘God-Man’. He was sent in human form so that He could take the punishment for the sins of the whole world. On the cross, Jesus Christ (God in human flesh) took upon Himself the punishment that we deserved even though He NEVER sinned. Not even once. This was a satisfactory punishment for our sins. Jesus took our place and our sins were nailed to that cross. When we believe this, we are at that very moment forgiven all our sins (past/present/future) and MADE RIGHTEOUS and are saved for all eternity and we can never lose our Salvation. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit indwelling within us as a new created being.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-16 KJV)
At the moment of belief in the atonement Christ provided on the cross, we were changed positionally. Positionally we are now 100% righteous before God because all the sins we committed, or will commit after Salvation, were all penalty paid on the cross in Jesus. And now this is what God says about those who believe on the atonement of sins through what Christ did on the cross,
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12 KJV)
That is the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We are saved 100% by the GRACE of God. Salvation is NOT based on our good works in ANY MANNER, neither before or after Salvation. Paul repeatedly wrote to not mix The Law (10 Commandments) with Grace. It is a false Gospel. There are many Scriptures from Paul that make this very clear.
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:18-19 KJV)
The answer is no it is not easy believism. In verses 18-19, James makes a different point. James likely knows there are some in this crowd of believers that may not have real faith IN CHRIST and so he makes a point to them as well. He addresses those who are not saved but think it is their works that save them. What James is saying is that there are different kinds of faith. But there is only one saving faith. There are those who profess that they believe in Jesus and that believe in God. They have faith that God exists. But will that alone save a person from their sin debt against God?
James is not saying that it is the works that save a person. He is talking about the evidence of a truly saved person. You know a person can go to church daily and talk the talk. They can quote doctrine and Scriptures. They have ‘head knowledge’. It is good to have head knowledge but you need more than that to save you. Having head knowledge about Scriptures is not the same as repentance and asking God to forgive you for all your sins because Christ died for you. If a person believes with head knowledge only and thinks they can just keep on living how ever they want, and still be saved, they would be wrong. That is the wrong kind of faith. That is faith only ‘intellectually’. Such faith is DEAD. It is useless for the total life long list of sins committed and useless for remission of a person’s sins.
James makes a strong point that even Satan and his fallen angels.. they have faith that God exists. They know that Jesus is the Son Of God right? The demons Jesus cast out acknowledged Christ as Lord, but are those fallen angels saved or damned to hell? Do you think Satan knows what the Bible says? Yes, he does. And he takes it all as true by faith and what is he doing? He is using it to kill us by jamming the Law down our throats to make us feel guilty before God after Salvation. He is constantly accusing us of our sins before God (Revelation 12:10). Just believing and just knowing the facts with head knowledge DOES NOT SAVE A PERSON.
What kinds of works are the fallen angels doing do you think? The Bible says EVIL WORKS. And so James is saying that ‘I will show you my faith BY my works’ . A true believer, in faith, should have some evidence in Godly works, good works. Evidence that they are actually saved. Not that the works are what saves them. Notice James did not say that ‘my works are required to be saved‘. James says that ‘I will show you my faith BY my works‘. James is talking about good works of God as evidence of Salvation. The evidence is produced by the Holy Spirit within a believer. That is an important distinction to make.
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” (James 2:20-22 KJV)
Here again, if we were to stop reading James 2 at this verse it seems like the meaning is that it is the works that save. But remember James is addressing SAVED/REDEEMED BELIEVERS. That is not what James is saying. He is again talking about the faith that is head knowledge only. He is bring up Abraham who is known as ‘the Father of our faith’ right? If we continue to the very next verse we see,
“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (James 2:23-24 KJV)
Abraham was not justified and saved by the act of the works. It was his FAITH in what God had previously PROMISED HIM that pushed him forward to do the works that God commanded. But God worked on Abraham’s faith for a LONG time before God tested his faith in telling him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham learned what the true God was like and his character. He is a good God amen? A perfectly righteous God. A perfectly JUST God! God had made a promise that “for in Isaac your seed shall be called “ (Genesis 21:12). Long before this when God called Abraham to leave for a new land God made promises to Abraham and BY HIS WORKS we can see the evidence that HE BELIEVED them in the proper saving faith,
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
( Genesis 12:1-3 KJV)
How are all the families of the Earth today blessed because of these promises of God to Abraham and the faith that Abraham had to do what God told him to do? God is promising Abraham that through his seed and blood line he would make a nation which we know today as the nation of Israel. And how do we know that Israel has blessed all the families of the earth? Because of the one that came out of the bloodline of Israel, Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah and the Savior of the world.
In Genesis we see what Abraham says when he decides on going to the place God told him to go to Sacrifice his son Issac,
“And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I AND THE LAD will go yonder and worship, and COME AGAIN TO YOU.” (Genesis 22:5 KJV)
What stands out in this verse? It is one VERY important phrase and it is ‘I and the Lad’. You see God had taught Abraham who He really is. Abraham had complete trust in God to always be good and do the just thing. He learned that God is faithful. He did have a son as promised by God, even though his wife Sarah was in her older years, her baron years. It was not as Abraham expected the promise to be fulfilled by God, but it was fulfilled. It increased his faith in God.
Abraham tells his young helpers that we will come back to you. He did not say ‘I will come back to you’. Abraham is showing his faith! That is his complete faith that God would never allow him to actually murder his son unrighteously. And even if he did, he knew that God would have to raise him from the dead because God had already promised Abraham that it is through Issac’s bloodline, ‘I will make you a great nation’. Later we see Issac asking his father Abraham,
“…Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:6-8 KJV)
Again we see Abraham exercising his full faith and assurance that God would provide a Lamb in place of his son for the sacrifice. Abraham knew this must be a test of his faith and trust in God. God has never shown him to be like this.
So was it Abraham’s works that saved him? Or the belief in God’s promises in faith? It was HIS FAITH and the works of carrying out what God said to do was the evidence of his true faith. This is what James is talking about. It is that evidence should exist in those that have saving faith. But not that the evidence is what saves you. We should be walking by the spirit, not the flesh.
.:: THEN LISTEN TO THE SONG. It will bless you!
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“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:40-42 KJV)
There are many people who interpret this passage of Scripture as referring to the Rapture. However, Matthew 24 is not addressing the Bride of Christ. The disciples asked Jesus when would be the time of his Second Coming and what would be the signs it is near?
Verse 29 shows us that from that verse onward Matthew is talking about the time period just after the Tribulation period and what will happen to believers and non believers.
“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:” (Matthew 24:29 KJV)
So that is the context and the context is AFTER THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. Because of this Matthew 24:37-42 cannot be referring to the Rapture.
“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:37-42 KJV)
Because verse 29 is obviously discussing events after the Tribulation Period then the reference to the “days of Noah”, in verse 36 shown above, is also not about the Rapture as many are teaching today. The reference to the Days of Noah is being addressed to the Nation Israel just before the Second Coming.
Many refer to the Rapture by the believers being taken and the unbelievers being left behind on Earth. However, in 1 Thessalonians 4 the word ‘taken’ is not the word used. The word is instead ‘caught up‘.
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17 KJV)
Believers who accepted Christ’s atonement during our present church age will be caught up and off the planet swiftly at the Rapture. The Original Greek for ‘caught up ‘ in 1 Thessalonians 4: 17 is ‘harpázō’ which means ‘properly, seize by force; snatch up, suddenly and decisively – like someone seizing bounty (spoil, a prize); to take by an open display of force (i.e. not covertly or secretly).’
The word for the English word ‘taken’ in the above passages of Matthew 24 is the Greek word ‘paralambanō’. In John 14:3, John is referring to the Rapture and he uses the same word ‘paralambanō from Greek. Because of this, this has some believing that this passage in Matthew 24 is referring to the rapture.
But Wait A Minute. A closer look at this Greek word ‘ paralambanō ‘shows that it can also have a negative meaning and that the context of the passage determines whether it is positive or negative. Let’s look at a few other Scriptures in the Greek that use this same word:
“Then the devil taketh (paralambanō) him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,” (Matthew 4:5-8 KJV)
“Then the soldiers of the governor took (paralambanō) Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.” (Matthew 27:27 KJV)
“Then goeth he, and taketh (paralambanō) with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:45 KJV)
Some Scriptures use this word in a positive manner while other Scriptures in a negative manner. So the Greek word ‘ paralambanō ‘ being the same as in John does not in any way prove Matthew 24:40 is using the word ‘taken’ to describe when the believers are snatched away at the Rapture.
Let’s see who the ‘other left’ will be. The word ‘left’ in the original Greek is the Greek word ‘aphiēmi‘ and has the meaning of ‘to send away, to bid going away or depart of a husband divorcing his wife’.
This is an interesting word! Jesus referred to believers in the church age as ‘The Bride of Christ’ and as being married to Christ from the very moment of a person’s Salvation. Here the ‘left’ are just the opposite and are sent away. Also, note that in the Rapture believers are snatched away off the Earth, but those left behind are just left on Earth to live in the Tribulation Period. There will be people coming to faith in Christ during the Tribulation Period. The left behind are not all sent away in death to judgment. Many from the 7 year Tribulation Period will die in the faith of Christ as we see them arriving in Heaven in Revelation 7:13-14. But here in Matthew 24, those left are sent away in judgement.
Matthew 24:40-41 is a perfect picture of what will happen to people who survive the Great Tribulation. Those that came to faith in Christ during the Tribulation that were not martyred by beheading from the Antichrist system will be taken (paralambanō) into the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ to repopulate the Earth. While the unbeliever survivors will be killed and left/sent away (aphiēmi) in judgement to one day be resurrected at the Great White Throne judgment of non believers at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ.
The context is clear that Matthew 24, beyond verse 29, is speaking about a time period just after the Great Tribulation Period. That is, the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period. It is a warning of judgement for those who have not accepted Christ in faith at the Second Coming.
“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:49-51 KJV)
The Second Coming is known to be at a certain day from the time the signing of the covenant with many in Daniel 9:27. Doesn’t that mean the people in the Tribulation will know the day Christ will return at the Second Coming? And if so, how can Matthew 24 be talking about anything but the Rapture?
It is true what Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 12:11-12 says,
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27 KJV)
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” (Daniel 12:11-12 KJV)
Remember though that in the Tribulation Period the Antichrist had deceived even Jews into thinking he was the Messiah already come. A great deception will happen after the Rapture to explain what happened when millions of people disappeared from the Earth.
Those who come to faith in Christ during the Tribulation Period (because of the 144,00 Jews Evangelizing and because of the Two Witnesses God sends) will know Christ will return. They will look toward it with anticipation. However, Matthew 24:40-41 is a WARNING to the unbelievers. To them they think the Antichrist is the Messiah already come and they will not be looking for the Second Coming of Christ and it will take them by total surprise.
Matthew 24:40-41 is not referring to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church. Again, this is not to say that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is not Biblical. It is VERY Biblical and not in debate in this article. Just that, Matthew 24: 40-41 is not referring to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, yet many others Scriptures do.
Matthew 24:1-9, is addressed to those just before the Tribulation Period starts. It is not directly about the Rapture but we know believers are Raptured prior to the Tribulation Period so it contains signs for us today. It describes our current world time period very well in fact! And verses 10-28 are talking about what will happen once the Tribulation Period starts and has specific warnings for Israel.
But from beyond verse 29, too many believers are using Matthew 24 in reference to the Rapture when this particular book of Scripture is mainly addressing Tribulation believers and unbelievers and is a WARNING to the unbelievers of coming judgment unless they repent and accept Christ.
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.“ (Matthew 24:36-37 KJV)
These two verse of Scripture are used by many Christians to describe the Rapture of the Church, The Bride Of Christ. Am I saying there is no Pre-Tribulation Period Rapture? I am NOT saying that! In fact, The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is FULLY SUPPORTED in Scripture. I am saying that the passage of Scripture in Matthew 24:35-37 is not about the Rapture. This may come as a surprise to many because many pulpits teach Matthew 24 completely out of context and fail to understand that in Matthew 24 Jesus is talking to the Jewish peoples, the nation of Israel. You see, the church did not even exist when he told this to His disciples.
The first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period may be hard times but the last 3 1/2 years is called The GREAT Tribulation. All hell will break lose on the Earth. In Matthew 24:29 is reads,
“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:” (Matthew 24:29 KJV)
Because verse 29 is obviously discussing events after the Tribulation Period then the reference to the “days of Noah”, later in verse 36, is also not about the Rapture as many are teaching today. The reference to the Days of Noah is being addressed to the Nation Israel just before the Second Coming. Jesus continues telling the Disciples about what will happen AFTER the Great Tribulation and just before Christ returns at the Second Coming – not the Rapture in verses 30-31 saying,
“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. 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.” (Matthew 24:30-31 KJV)
Jesus says “AND THEN” as in after these things He just spoke about happening. That is pretty clear right? Matthew 24 is NOT about the Rapture. It is addressing those alive after the 7 Year Tribulation Period and is addressing the Nation of Israel.
First, when you look at the Rapture verses in 1 Thessalonians 4, no where is it showing angels gathering the elect from the the four winds of HEAVEN. Instead it says that Jesus Himself will give a SHOUT and believers will be raised from the dead, and those still alive who are believers will be changed and that we will meet Him in the air. It also shows that only believers will see Christ and that it will happen in a ‘twinkling of an eye’ (faster than a blink) . But here in Matthew 24, we see something different. We see angels gathering the elect. We see that the whole world will see Him coming. So this event is NOT the Rapture. It is about the Second coming as Jesus stated clearly in verse 29.
Who are ‘the elect’ mentioned here then?Well, in Daniel 12:1-2 we see a prophecy that is not about those Raptured. It is specifically for the time AFTER the Tribulation Period. It is the same time as spoken about by Jesus in Matthew 24.
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:1-2 KJV)
Notice the Elect are collected from the four winds (The Earth) , from one end of HEAVEN to the other. This is speaking about the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 12. Old Testament Saints will be resurrected at this time and reunited with their new glorified bodies, as will those martyred believers from the Tribulation period.
These are those in Old Testament times and who were martyred in the Tribulation Period for their testimony, who have come to faith and belief in Christ.
Not all people will be saved in the Tribulation Period. Lots will! But most in fact will believe the Antichrist is the Messiah returned to Earth in the Tribulation. Many will fall for the great deception of the Tribulation period. This deception is likely some kind of explanation for what happened to those raptured previously. Yet there will also be a great number of people who will heed the 144,00 evangelized Jews and the 2 witnesses from the Tribulation period and will believe that Christ is Lord and will return. Most will be killed for their belief on Christ by the Antichrist (who will be Adolf Hitler on steroids). These are the ‘elect’ spoken of in this verse.
God will have His angels gather these believers saved in the Tribulation Period and relocate them to Israel in preparation for the 1000 year reign of Christ on the Earth. He has His angels gather them from where they are currently scattered all over the Earth and in Heaven. In contrast, Angels do not gather the believers at the Rapture. At the Rapture we are quickly snatched up into the cloud to meet Christ in the air. The gathering by angels and relocating them to Israel here is not about the rapture.
It is important to not just read Matthew verse 36 without reading the verse just before it. Again context is everything. Up until verse 34, Jesus is answering the question the disciples had of when will the Second Coming happen. At the time Jesus was telling His disciples this, they had no knowledge of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Information about the Rapture came later through the Apostle Paul and was revealed AFTER Jesus Ascended. Again, this answer of Jesus was for the Nation of Israel and Jewish peoples – not for the church which did not even exist at the time of Jesus answering them.
This phrase of ‘not knowing the day nor the hour’ was well known to the disciples and they knew exactly what Jesus meant by it’s use in answering their question of when the Second Coming of Christ will be.
The Jewish people have a feast called Rosh Hashanah and this feast is celebrated in our calendar month of September. The Jews used the Hebrew calendar and this Jewish feast was celebrated on the new moon. But the day nor hour was not known when that would be and they waited until the new moon appeared and then celebrated the feast. So they knew the month but not the day nor hour. And so, Rosh Hashanah is the feast where “no man knows the day or hour”! And if we watch the context in Matthew 24:29, “…the moon shall not give her light…”; the day nor hour for this will not be known. Also notice, Jesus did not say they would not know the month nor the year. It is not knowing the day nor hour only.
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25 KJV)
We are living in the church age; a time period after the Jews rejected Christ and where God turned to the Gentiles. This is the dispensation of grace as Apostle Paul taught. During the dispensation (Church Age) we now live in, Israel is blind in part to the truth. Both Jews and Gentiles can come to belief on Christ and become part of the Bride of Christ. However, Israel as a whole still does not believe Jesus’ is the Messiah foretold and they are still looking for the Messiah to come. But once the ‘fulness of the Gentiles’ happens (once every person to accept Christ does), the Rapture will happen and God will turn back to Israel, to keep His promises to them yet unfulfilled and to remove their blindness during the Tribulation Period.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is an ever imminent event. Once the last person who will accept Christ for salvation has been reached, it will trigger the Rapture. God foreknew all who will accept the free gift of salvation through belief on Christ and when that appointed time comes, the Rapture will happen and the Tribulation Period on Earth will begin. Daniel’s 70th week of his prophecy will begin. The church is taken to heaven and God turns back his focus to restore and save Israel who rejected Him 2000 years ago.
Remember that God is treating and fulfilling promises to Israel as well as to the Church Bride. We cannot mix this together as some do today with ‘Replacement Theology’. Replacement theology is a teaching that states the church has replaced Israel. That is false and a very wrong teaching not taking into account dispensations. In Matthew 24, Jesus is talking strictly to the Jewish peoples and the Nation of Israel. In the end times, Israel will become a nation again and that has already happened and been fulfilled on May 14, 1948. The BIG sign that the end times have begun. That is how close we are to the Rapture folks. Very close!
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.“ (Matthew 24:36-37 KJV)
First, Jesus says here that at the time of His telling the disciples this, no man knoweth, no angels knoweth, but the Father only knoweth the time of Christ’s Second Coming back to Earth. Jesus Himself at the time of telling this does not seem to know the exact date either. Jesus was still in human form and His knowledge was limited. We see this in many Scriptures. Jesus only did what the Father told Him to do and say. Remember that Christ is both God and human; the God-Man. However, NOW Jesus does know the exact day and hour. He is risen and with the Father. The very start of the book of Revelation tells us this.
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.” (Revelation 1:-2 KJV)
So Jesus knows now! He has been preparing a place for believers for 2000 years now! (John 14)
Some are teaching that Matthew 24 must be about the Rapture because it references the ‘Days of Noah’ and that the Ark was a foreshadowing of the Rapture. Well, that is true. But here it does not reference the Ark as the Rapture. The Second Coming is the focus of attention and the the focus is surely on those left behind, not those saved in the flood. Some also say this must be about the Rapture because after just going through the horrific Tribulation period, people will not be just going about as ‘business as usual’.
But just a minute here. Let’s look at what happened in Noah’s day. Noah was warning people that when his grandfather died that a flood will come. Noah knew the time the flood would come. God told him. Did Noah go about as business as usual or did that make him work at building the Ark and preach this truth to the people, while everyone else scoffed at him? You see, the day the flood came did not surprise Noah. It surprised everyone else! In the same way, during and after the Tribulation Period, the believers WILL BE looking for Christ’s return in belief. Yet those who chose to worship the Antichrist and who took the Mark of the Beast, think they already found the Christ returned and will not be looking for Jesus’ return.
We know today that when a specific event happens in the Tribulation Period, we have the time frame of the Second Coming. We do not know this today because the Rapture must take place before the Tribulation Period begins. It is what triggers the Tribulation Period beginning. But once the Tribulation Period starts, the 144,000 Jewish Evangelist for Christ will know the time frame of Christ’s return. We know that the Second Coming will occur and it occurs after the Abomination of Desolation during the Tribulation Period and after the Antichrist issues the decree to stop the Jewish sacrifices at the Temple. That is a very time specific prophecy from Daniel. So for the believing survivors of the Tribulation Period, they are anticipating the Lord’s coming!
But what about the unsaved survivors who were worshiping the Antichrist and his beast system of Government? They think the Antichrist; IS CHRIST already come. They are not looking for the Second Coming. The day of Christ’s Second Coming will come as a shock to them. After The Tribulation, the unbelieving world will be trying to get back to business as usual. The Tribulation hell they went through, which they will think were natural disasters almost destroying the entire world, are seemingly over. But then they will see Jesus coming. He is not returning in a flash like the Rapture. The whole world will see Him coming! Verse 30 shows this,
““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.“
This is another proof that Matthew 24 is about the Second Coming and NOT the Rapture. The Rapture happens fast; faster than an eye blink! The Second Coming is something the world sees coming. It will take them off guard just like it took those in Noah’s day off guard that did not believe Noah or God. Once the rain started, no one panicked initially until the waters started rising over the 40 days and nights. It was a progressive panic and judgement finally came.
It took a while for the waters to rise enough for their panic to set it didn’t it? But as the Lord approaches Earth from space, they will know that they were wrong. They accepted the Mark Of The Beast and there is no way of escape now. They will no doubt think that ‘the Christians were right, and we were wrong!’
“38For 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.”
Now it is clear from verse 39 this is the case. Jesus says they KNEW NOT UNTIL THE FLOOD CAME. And what happened? God ‘took them all away’. The Rapture is God taking believers to Heaven. Here at the Second Coming God will ‘take them away’ in judgement and death as He did in the days of Noah. This is talking about the the Sheep and Goats Judgment explained in more detail in Matthew 25:31-46.
While answering the question about when the Second Coming would occur, Jesus answers them and then tells them that this will happen with CERTAINTY and tells the disciples,
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
Some teach this verse is telling us we cannot know the time of the Rapture. However, is that what is really being said here in proper context? I ask you this, ‘when’ will Heaven and Earth PASS AWAY? Is that to happen at the rapture? Not according to the Scriptures. There is still the Tribulation period and another 1000 years with Christ ruling on Earth right? That event was described by Peter as a time the people on Earth will not know.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10 KJV)
This event happens at the END of the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth. The Great White Throne judgement of non believers happens and the believers in Christ see the NEW heavens and the New Earth God creates for us. This current Earth and Heavens will burn!
Jesus is just telling the disciples that my answer to your question about WHEN the Second Coming will happen is as true as His Words NEVER passing away. Heavens and Earth will pass away (there’s a major event!) but not Jesus words. Not the Word of God! Every word of God will be fulfilled to the exactness that only God can orchestrate.
What is that all about if this is not about Israel becoming a nation and the pre-tribulation rapture as many are teaching today? First let’s compare two different Gospels of the same event when Jesus was asking the disciples about when the Second Coming would happen:
“Now learn a parable of THE FIG TREE; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24: 32-34 KJV)
“And he spake to them a parable; BEHOLD THE FIG TREE, AND ALL THE TREES; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:29-32 KJV)
There are no contradictions in the Bible, only misinterpretations. Here we see that both Matthew and Luke are writing about the same event, yet Luke does not just mention the FIG TREE and he also mentions ‘ALL THE TREES’. So this makes it clear that these verses in Matthew 24 are not only about Israel becoming a nation in 1948. Both describe the FIG TREE and that is also used in describing Israel in Scripture. That does certainly give this interpretation merit to be about Israel becoming a nation again in the Last Days time period. However, even without this interpretation of it describing Israel becoming a nation again, there are in fact other Scriptures that foretold of Israel becoming a nation again and they were fulfilled in our generation. (Amos 9:14-15,Ezekiel 37:10-14,Isaiah 66:7-8,Jeremiah 16:14-15 and others.) So understand that Israel becoming a nation is most certainly foretold for the End Times, and it exists again today! We are in the End times, make no mistake about that!
It seems a double meaning in this passage; (i) Israel will blossom as a nation (ii) all these things will happen before the generation of that time is complete. But here in Matthew 24, Jesus is just telling them in plain language that you see signs before summer comes right? Trees start to bud and leaves start showing and you KNOW “Here comes summer!” Right? Because Luke reads “all the trees” , Jesus is saying the same thing. When you see these signs I just told you about, know that the Second Coming is near. Again, this is talking to the Nation of Israel and the Jewish peoples after the Tribulation Period because of the context Jesus provided in Matthew 24:29 and just before Christ Returns to Earth. So although there is merit in this verse being about Israel’s rebirth as a nation, we need to keep sharp focus on who this is addressed to specifically and that is not the Church age believers, but the Tribulation believers. It is not a prophecy for the Bride of Christ and those already Raptured. After all, we will be the ones returning WITH Christ at His Second Coming.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who HATH BLESSED US with all spiritual blessings in HEAVENLY PLACES in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him BEFORE the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having PREDESTINATED us unto the adoption of children BY Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of HIS will, To the praise of the glory of HIS GRACE, wherein he hath MADE US accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6 KJV)
God created time and space so He exists outside of time and space as well. What name did God tell Moses to say to the Hebrew slaves as to who sent him?
Why Does God Tell Moses His Name?
Our God lives in the forever present. By that I mean that God sees our past, present and future all at the same time. Hard for us to comprehend because we are IN TIME. God knew before he created you and me, who would accept Christ and who would reject Christ.
The Bible says there is the ‘wicked’ and ‘the righteous’. To us living in time, we all start out in the ‘wicked’ group from the age of accountability, headed for judgment for our sins (John 3:18). And “whosoever” BELIEVES on Christ alone for Salvation, God predestined to conform to His image and become the Righteousness of God, IN CHRIST (2 Corinthians 5:21).
To God, we are already in Heaven and the New Jerusalem with Him because God exists in all times. He is the great “I AM”. The ONE and ONLY.
Hard for us to grasp right? So when you fail, when you fall into sin, when you stumble, remember that NOTHING you do takes God by surprise. He has it all worked out before you were even born.
“And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
(John 6:28-35 KJV)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having PREDESTINATED US unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath MADE US ACCEPTED in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of HIS OWN WILL: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE, Which is the earnest of OUR INHERITANCE until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:3-14 KJV)
Are we perfect in this life? NO. Not even after our Salvation. We still have this corrupted sinful Flesh. But our Spirit, the real you and me now, has been recreated NEW and it is Holy Righteous and Redeemed now and forever. We are COMPLETE IN CHRIST (Colossians 2)! And one day, maybe very soon, at the Rapture we will receive our new incorruptible and immortal bodies and we will be as Christ is.
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.” (Matthew 17:1-6 KJV)
What is this all about? Was it just to show the disciples that Jesus was who He said He was? Or is there something more to this passage of Scripture?
First, who appeared with Jesus? It was Moses and Elijah. Elijah was a prophet found in the Old Testament and it is through Moses that God gave the Law written on stones.
So here is Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Basically here is ‘The Law’, ‘The Prophets’ and ‘Grace’. Now we are seeing it right?
Peter said lets make some tents for each of you. By doing this Peter either knowingly or unknowingly was making the three equal because they were all shining and transfigured before him.
And then God the FATHER weighed in quite sternly actually. We know this because after God The Father spoke the disciples were very fearful and covered their faces.
God said… “THIS is my BELOVED SON, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM!”
Some people take what the prophets wrote and did in the Old testament and some take the law and try to put them on equal plateaus as Jesus and the grace of God. God the Father steps in and puts an end to that idea in quite a remarkable and stunning manner in Matthew 17.
Jesus is FAR ABOVE Moses and the prophets! Listen to JESUS and the Gospel HE taught which is Salvation by believing Jesus is the Son of God who bore our sin punishment and forgave the sins of the whole world. ALL the sins of ALL time – even future sins in your life. REST in your Salvation!
“For by GRACE are ye saved THOROUGH FAITH; and that NOT of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should BOAST.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
“For there is ONE God,and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself A RANSOM for all, to be testified in due time. ” (1 Timothy 2: 5-6 KJV)
“Now to the one who WORKS, his wage is NOT RECKONED on the basis of GRACE, but as what is DUE. But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but BELIEVES in Him (Jesus) WHO JUSTIFIES the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
(Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
“Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, but BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have BELIEVED in Jesus Christ, that we might BE JUSTIFIED by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and NOT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.. But if, while we seek to be justified BY CHRIST, we ourselves also are FOUND SINNERS, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make MYSELF a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY THE LAW, THEN CHRIST DIED IN VAIN.” (Galatians 2:16-21 KJV)
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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.“ (John 3:14-18 KJV)
Just as the Hebrews bitten by deadly snakes in the desert in Moses time had only to look up and upon the lifted up serpent in the desert and were healed instantly, so are we saved by beholding Jesus on the cross which took our sin penalty against us, away. We were MADE clean, Holy, Righteous and Redeemed by the New Covenant. From the day we believe and accept the atonement Christ provided fro our sins we became the very righteousness of God, in Christ. The New Covenant of GRACE is FAR above the Law and the Prophets!
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.“ (Hebrews 10:16-17 KJV)
THE GRACE OF GOD is the ONLY thing that can save us from our sins against a Holy God. It is not by our own works in self righteousness. It is not by following the Ten Commandments. It is not by penance or by being a good person. It is only through God’s amazing grace and grace is a person and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ.