ALL These Things!
Rev. Sudha Mehta©
Subscribe: https://onewaystudies.com
Matthew 24: 32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.(BSB)
From pxhere.com
I was invited to present a teaching on THE END TIMES to a group. It was a group that generally doesn’t ask for Biblical training, so I was excited. Peter, my husband was a little surprised and asked “You really are going to present there?”
I said “They have asked for information, and this information is for all that will hear it, so of course, I will!” It excites me when someone genuinely wants information. It says they are searching for the truth.
Some days later a stranger dropped in to check out my class. That was all good, I like that also. It turned out that this stranger was sent to “check out” what I was presenting. The leader of the group susequently gave me a call and with a sincere apology rescinded my invitation. She explained: “We just think it would be too much. This is alarming stuff. Most of our attendees are seniors and we don’t want to scare them.”
Hmm!!
Some years ago the Tsunami Alert went on in Hawaii warning people that a tsunami was heading their way. The beaches all cleared out, and everyone headed to higher ground in a hurry. The wave did come several hours later, it was a grand 3 inches high! Some were relieved, many were unhappy for their day was wasted, not many thanked God for reducing the size of the wave, rather they chose to blame the humans responsible for the erroneous reading.
What if the warning had not been given?
What if the wave turned out to be huge??
Would inaction on the human end have prevented the wave coming???
Would a tsunami not form if the people ignored the warning?
from the Thaiger.com
Would a volcano not erupt, or an earthquake not shake the earth if no siesmologist warned people to evacuate?
volcano from yesofcorsa.com
The answer is obvious!
The warnings in the Bible are given to alert people and make them aware of a choice. Sadly many will deliberately choose to not heed the warning.
Jesus spoke of such a case:
Matthew 7: 24“So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.
photo from Jeffrey T barnes
26“But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!”(BSB)
house on sand from dailymail.co.uk
In Matthew 24: we have thus far covered these signs:
Chart by Dr. Chuck Missler
You may ask how the Rapture fits in and when it might take place. As I stated in my previous post The Prophetic . . . 7b I believe the Rapture will take place prior to the period that is called Tribulation. During that period of exactly seven years God will be pouring out His wrath upon this Earth. His patience will run out, and His righteousness demands it.
What happens here on Earth after the believers are snatched away is what is described in the verses following in Matthew 24. Luke, Mark give details also. As I have noted before this is the hingepoint and other prophecies intertwine with it. More on this is found in the Old Testament Prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah to name a few and of course the Book of Revelation.
People have tried to ascertain date-certain for the Rapture, but the Bible makes it clear we will not know. Let us look again at our Scripture for today:
Matthew 24: 32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. 36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.(BSB)
The fig tree is a symbol of Israel in this passage. Jesus uses this analogy to make His point that we are to know the signs and be ready at all times. Just as when the fig tree sprouts leaves in spring people know that summer is near, so the signs He fortold point to the events unfolding that He spoke of, including the Rapture. Israel did not exist for two thousand years as a Nation prior to 1948, so none of these signs could point to anything tied to end-time prophecies. Only when Israel became a Nation, could the prophetic clock start.
Once Israel became a nation, the final week of what is known as the 70th week of Daniel (Daniel 9) could be on the horizon.
End times chuck missler from Youtube.comfc
This is a chart I have used for my class. The Rapture/Harpadzo is placed at some point as the signs converge and times get bad over all the Earth, before the actual 7 year period (The 70th Week Daniel 9:27) beginning. More later on this.
A key point in Jesus’ words is that this generation, that is, the generation alive, or born around the time of the fig tree budding, will not pass away before all these things have come to be. This should be a WOW point for all, because this narrows down the window of time immensely.
Some questions arise: 1 How long is a generation??
2 Does “all these things” mean “ALL these things???”
The Bible gives various indications as to the length of a generation. A generation could mean 120yrs (Genesis 6:3), 100 yrs(Genesis 15:13), 40 yrs (Numbers 14:33), 70 -80yrs (Psalm 90:10). I will not take time in this post to address each scripture that refers to these numbers, but will say agreement among scholars remains that a generation would be 70-80yrs. I agree.
Israel became a Nation in 1948, but didn’t acquire Jerusalem until 1967. There are many scholars that believe the countdown of a generation began in 1948, but others hold to the countdown beginning in 1967 when Jerusalem was acquired. I agree with the latter.
Everything during the 70th week prophecy centers around Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel. Jerusalem is the heartbeat of Israel.
God’s heart is in Jerusalem.
The temple was and will be again in Jerusalem.
Our Messiah was crucified in Jerusalem.
Jesus was buried and rose again leaving the tomb empty in Jerusalem.
He said He will return to Jerusalem when He returns to Earth.
The place He will rule this Earth from is Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 7: 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.(BSB)
So much so that Jehovah carved His name on the mountains of Jerusalem so no one can erase it!
This link below is for you to check it out:
The second question: Does “all these things” mean “ALL these things???”
Last time I checked, ALL still means ALL! So, yes, that includes ALL the signs, the Rapture, the Tribulation, the second coming (part II) where Jesus returns physically to the Earth with the believers that were raptured up before, the judgment of the wicked, and the setting up of the kingdom here on Earth.
Note that He also says that no one knows the day or the hour, including Himself! (Matthew 24:36) While He was on Earth, even Jesus Himself did not know the date of when He was to return, but now that He is in heaven, I believe He is privy to that information.
Whereas we are not given the exact date and time of the rapture, we are told of the signs that lead up to it all. In addition, for the people of that generation to be able to witness this to completion, it becomes clear that things have to culminate soon.
An event such as the rapture is bound to have catastrophic implications for the planet. A Billion or more people disappearing faster than the twinkling of an eye will surely leave the nations reeling to make sense of it all.
Satan knows this is to be, although he, like us, does not know the time.
Luke 12: 39 But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”(BSB)
Jesus told this story to illustrate His point that we need to be ready when He calls, whenever that may be. It surprises people to learn that the owner of the house in this story is Satan, and the thief is Jesus.😊 It is for this reason that Jesus will never allow us to set dates, nor will He tell us.
It will happen!
Now we have dealt with the signs given in Matthew 24 that lead up to the Rapture and the 70th week. We have more given in the following passage:
2 Timothy 3: 1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. 6 For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (NASB)
We are seeing this fulfilled every single day in our lives.
The apostle Peter says this:
2 Peter 3: 3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” (NASB)
I will have more to say on this in my next post but today, I would only say, read these passages above and meditate on them.
Do you not see this around you?
Stay tuned . . . If you like this let me know. It helps . . .
If you like and want this post to spread, please share it with others. After 2.25 million views worldwide Facebook no longer allows me to advertise, the only way this and every other post goes out is by you sharing and liking. So, please share!
Subscribe on https://onewaystudies.com
This way you get my new posts in your email directly without being dependent on fickle social media.
One Way Studies 