We’ve been over it before in this column. However, things are shaping so rapidly it again needs our attention. Prophecy watchmen on the wall should pay close attention.
The seminaries consistently ignore this prophetic indicator altogether. Or they steadfastly say it is to be applied to Jews alive during the Tribulation. It is not for the Church.
I say–and have done so for years–that the prophecy is specifically for our time–that is, the Age of Grace. I’m referring to Jesus’ foretelling of the time of His next intervention into the affairs of mankind. He described those days being like the days of Noah and the days of Lot.
‘m convinced the prophecy involved is so important for us to consider as this new year begins that we will include it here it in its entirety.
In the Matthew Olivet Discourse account, the Lord says that no one can know the day or hour of His coming. He next informs of what this time will be like and what to look for in being watchmen.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe 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 24:36-42)
Jesus further expands in the Luke account:
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (Luke 17:26-30)
We have looked numerous times at these words of Christ. We have noted that the time of which He spoke in prophesying these matters could not be the time of His Second Advent. The world will be almost totally destroyed when Armageddon is raging. perhaps as much as three-fourths of the earth’s population will have died as a result of God’s wrath and Satan’s evil through the Antichrist’s reign. it will not be business as usual.
This prophecy about Christ’s “revealing” indicates plainly that it will be a time of buying, selling, marrying, planting–all of the activities that indicate business as usual. I maintain that because Christ doesn’t emphasize things that are mundane; he was talking here about a time when business was much better than usual.
As long as five years ago, we expressed in this Nearing Midnight column our belief that it would be a time of economic boom, not bust, that would mark when the Rapture of the Church would occur. It would be the think not time because the world, economically speaking, would be doing quite well.
Of course, not all the world is doing well at present, economically or in any other way. This has always been the case. The poor will always be with us, the Lord, Himself, told us.
However, for the part of the world where economies have the capability to thrive, the world, Jesus said in this prophecy, will be doing quite well at the time He is next “revealed.”
Almost every economic indicator is moving upward in America at this moment. This nation is the economic engine for the rest of the world. The better the U.S. does, economically speaking, the better the other nations who have the capability to thrive will do.
I’m dumbfounded at the fact that the true, Bible-teaching seminaries of America see this prophecy as being only for the Jews of the Tribulation. It seems to be a blindness they suffer.
However, I do know why the tremendous economic potential that has burst onto the scene is unheralded by the mainstream news media. They hate Donald Trump, plain and simple.
Now, I’m not so foolish as to think that the economic upswing is one built on sound economic principles. We are in a tremendous financial bubble that continues to grow by the hour. At some point it is going to burst. It simply defies the fiscal laws for it to continue without imploding.
However, it will not come to that point of implosion, I’m of the belief, until the Lord Says so. He is allowing it to move exactly toward the prophetic point the Lord Jesus foretold in the above scriptural accounts.
As I’ve expressed many times, this president is God’s chosen man for this hour, a builder, an entrepreneur extraordinaire. But, the mainstream news prevaricators refuse to report the tremendous economic growth the nation is experiencing. To do so would move in the opposite direction of trying to bring America down so that the globalists can usurp its wealth and power to construct the world order they wish to establish. They want desperately to destroy this president’s efforts to restore the United States to its former, leading status.
Antichrist’s global platform will be constructed, I believe, when the Rapture occurs and this phenomenal economic bubble explodes and comes down around the ears of an unsuspecting world.
The year 2018 could be the time. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
6 comments:
I am not sure I agree with Terry. I just read his article that Jan Markell posted on her site. I used to believe the passage was for the church. My main disagreement is that he was answering the disciples questions about his returning to earth to set up His kingdom. The Apostle Paul revealed the mystery of the rapture. As to no one knowing the day or hour, I think of the scripture that says if the days were not shortened no one would survive. I have read of some who say there were hints of the rapture in the Olivet Discourse. I am not sure how to look at this. Mainly, I think he didn't really explain the part that deals with Christ being revealed. To me, Christ is not revealed until his 2nd coming when he comes back to earth. I don't see the breaking apart economically of the world after the rapture with the rise of thevAntichrist as the revealing of Christ. If anything it will be a time of deception and the difficulty in keeping faith during this time in the tribulation and in keeping His commands (keeping the clothes of righteousness on) if alive versus now - the age of grace.
I also thought there was an undertone of defense in his argument.
He seems to center on the economic when to me the days of Noah and Lot had more to do with sexual sin of all kinds, and days filled with violence. Yes, it was business as usual. But, there must be an element of normality (conjecture here as Terry also does, I think) if people send gifts to one another when the two witnesses are killed. And, in spite of the events on earth (plagues), they do not repent of the works of their hands, or worshipping demons,their idols, their murders, their sorceries or their sexual immorality (Revelation 9:20-21).
Even so... Maranatha! Happy New Year, Scott and all! Thanks for continuing to keep us informed, Scott. God bless.
Same to ya Dave - my pleasure - maybe we'll meet up in '18 sure would be nice
Cathi - couple of comments. First of all, with regard to Matthew 24 and the days of Noah reference (I've had this discussion here many times before)...some people want to add additional meaning/context to that scripture and for the life of me, I have never understood why.
Jesus gave us the context - there is no need to search for more. He plainly stated: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."...Thats the set up...Now He gives us the meaning: "For in the days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark."
Thats it, Period. If Jesus had meant it was a reference to sinful activity etc - He would have said so It would have looked like this "For in the days before Noah people were engaged in sin and ignoring God's commandments" or whatever.......But He didn't.. Instead, He specifically gave us a picture of life as normal...eating and drinking and getting married - that won't be happening during the carnage of the Tribulation, but will be happening at the time of the Rapture. Thats the context. Its so simple and straightforward - I just don't understand adding more context or meaning to it - its right there now in plain sight.
Also consider this: If its a reference to the Second Coming - what are the last two judgements of the Tribulation? Total darkness and 100 lb hailstones....At that point, no one will be eating and drinking and getting married - nor will two people be working at the hand mill or working in the fields - it would be impossible at the end of the Tribulation. In my view, taking a literal interpretation - you simply can't place this passage at the end of the Trib (i.e. second coming).
Also at the end of the Tribulation, both the sheep and the goats are gathered before Christ. Why would one group of people be taken and the other group left?
Also the root verb used in Matt 24:40-41 uses the same verb for Taken that we see in John 14 which is clearly a reference to the Rapture.
All of the above are very compelling reasons as to why we are seeing a picture of the rapture here :)
Amen.
Have to respectfully disagree Brother :) Matthew 24 is Jesus clearly speaking to His Jewish Disciples, and the Jewish Believers of the Tribulation. It is also duel, as it speaks to the Church also.
In "context" would have to include everything Jesus says up until the Verse about Noah, and that is all about His Second Coming.He begins with Verse 36, and then gives examples of the swiftness of His Coming & Judgement, Noah's flood, and "two in the field"
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,but My Father only."
He makes it very clear about His Coming, as the rampant evil on Earth will be just as surprised as the evil people were during Noahs time. Genesis 6. clearly clarifies what was going on that caused God to decide to wipe the Earth clean. Again, the Jewish Disciples would understand that, and the future Jewish Believers of the Trib would too.
With the two in the field etc., again, the Jewish Disciples would understand that clearly, as would the Jewish Believers of the Tribulation.
Jesus gives a clear overview of the Tribulation to come, and ends with giving two examples of what His Second Coming will be like. Noah, and the "two in the field", both of which would be understood by both the Jewish of the present He was speaking to, and the Jewish of the future.
But we don't apply that criteria anywhere else (when He was speaking with His apostles or speaking to a group of Jews...Take for instance the Lords Supper. That was in a scenario with only the apostles yet we apply this to the Church...SO we are supposed to dissect everything He stated to one or all of His apostles and say that such discourse ONLY applies to the Nation of Israel or the Jews? Huh? We don't do that anywhere else.
And, if you take that point of view, you are compelled to have answers for my various arguments above...How in the world are two people working in a field at the end of the Tribulation - In total darkness? Dodging 100 lb hailstones? How does that work...Not to mention at the tribulation, there certainly won't be a believer and a non-believer working together, or in bed together. No way. And who is left behind at the end of the Tribulation? Everyone will be gathered before Jesus, no one will be left in the field of left at the grindstone. There is no description of that anywhere.
One has to twist the scriptures IMO to come up with that. Its as plain as day and Jesus stated it as plain as day...The days of Noah were like "normal" days leading up to the flood.
And if its not a rapture reference why was the exact same verb used that we see in John 14 which we all know is a rapture reference?
These questions can't be casually dismissed.
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