2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 A word of Warning, continued VERSE 5 “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? Paul was saying, “I told you about these things in the past.” When he was with the Thessalonians, he had discussed end-of-the-age events with them at some length. He did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). But in their overreaching, in their zealous desire for the day of…
2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 A word of Warning, continued “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition… VERSE 4 “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” This verse sounds so appalling that…
2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 A word of Warning, continued Although the warning here comes near the end of this chapter (Verses 9-12 respectively) nevertheless for the sake of those not so familiar with the implications of the text we should begin with Verse 1 in order to get the full picture of events, some of which is in the past, and some of which is yet still future. Another reason for our going into such detail in this particular instance…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSES 23 and 24 “Then (during the period described in verses 15-19) if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false Christ’s and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” The deceivers here described certainly are not the fanatics who from time to time have claimed to be Christ and have deceived but few possessed of any degree…
Matthew Chapter 24 One of the many stumbling blocks we observe in correctly interpreting this prophecy is in establishing the proper sequence of events. Unfortunately many imagine events as one directly following the next just as it is written, but that is not how events are being described. Perhaps before we proceed on to Verse 23 a review of what we had learned earlier on in this study might help. If you recall in Verses 4-8 our Lord had briefly…
Matthew Chapter 24 Once again, Verse 21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” “In the days previous to the flood the fallen angels had materialized and taken human wives, and violence was in the earth. In other words, incidental to and preceding the Flood, there was the prevalence of evil, but all that evil was not the trouble. THE trouble was the…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSE 22 “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” What is the thought of “for the elect’s sake”? “By means of” or “through” the elect, these days will be shortened because the Church glorified and with Jesus at this time, will stop the trouble. The word “sake” is not in the original Greek—it should be italicized in the King James as a spurious…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSE 20 “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” The “Sabbath day” is the 1,000-year period of the Seventh Day, beginning in A.D. 1874. It is the “Seventh Day” since the fall of Adam. The usual literal Sabbath is 24 hours long, however a Sabbath can also be seven days long or 1,000 years long (as it is here) or even 7,000 years long as in the case of God’s…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSE 20-22 “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” This gathering of the Church occurs in what is called a “harvest” time, at…
Matthew Chapter 24 VERSE 17 and 18 “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.” “These statements indicate the propriety of haste in flight out of “Babylon,” as soon as each SEES the abomination of desolation. The Lord’s word is, that all temporizing or parleying or human reasoning will be dangerous: no time must be lost…