MY VEIWS ON ESCATOLOGY By Bobby Long Th.D.

INTRODUCTION: I have to admit that I started this paper as a rebuttal of a certain eschatological view. In doing so I found no peace and no organized thought as to the content of the material. Although my pursuit is still to render null what I feel is a false teaching, my heart was turned by God to 1Timothy 4:16 which says,

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
I found myself being drawn more to a presentation of what I see as true doctrine, and not to solely set out to humiliate what I believe is a dangerous precept. I intend to set forth a sound defense as to what I feel are sound principles concerning the topic. In doing so, I will have accomplished my goal of teaching sound doctrine by

rightly dividing the Word of God and combating the falsity of this doctrine that has been presented to me; namely Preterism. I will take time at the beginning to lay forth the classic issues with preterism (full or partial as we will see, there is only preterist), which I see are severe hurdles to that point of view. Then I will lay out for considerations the most predominate issues with the belief which have to do with the resurrection.

I remember a wise teacher once said to show just how crooked a stick was, all you have to do is lay a straight one beside it. This is what I will attempt to do in this paper. In laying out what I believe is the clear teaching of scripture within the realm of certain aspects of eschatology, the crooked sticks will be seen as they are; crooked. Titus 1:9 says,

9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. A certain amount of time must be given to the false to show its error.

A Few Words Concerning Preterism The Date of the Revelation Of utmost concern and importance is the date the Apocalypse was written. The futurist does not have to change their eschatological view if Revelation was written prior to 70AD. In contrast, the preterist position is consequentially annulled from being a viable option if a late date of Revelation is established. Those preterist writers such as Gentry (writer of Before Jerusalem Fell pg. 342) acknowledge this in their own writings. With the preterist holding that the Revelation and the Second

Coming of Christ happened in 70 AD, they have no other choice but to date the Revelation prior to 70 AD in order to coincide with the beliefs of that system. A late date of the book of Revelation would then be predicting events that are still yet to come, which the preterist will deny.

One of the main buttresses of the preterist view is dating the apocalypse of John prior to 70Ad and some date it at around 54 to 60 AD. This is erroneous and

founded in error as E.B. Elliots (Horae Apocalypicae vol.4) so eloquently takes each case and unravels it putting forth a most solid case for a late date of the Revelation as being 95 to 96 AD which was, as Irenaeus states, the tradition of the early church fathers, and of which date, Eusebius states he, knew of none other tradition.

As Dr. Richard Mayhue, Sr. Vice President and Dean of Pastoral Ministries and Theology of The Masters Seminary of Ohio State University noted in paper to delivered at the Evangelical Theological Society Meeting in 1999 notes, From the 2nd through the 18th centuries, the late date was the essentially the exclusive view. He goes on to note, Though challenged by a few in the late 20th and early 21st century, the vast majority of Christian scholars support the later date, regardless of their eschatological beliefs.

Dr. Mayhue notes 4 DIRECT witnesses in the 2nd to 4th centuries to validate the mid to late 90s writing of Revelation. These will be quoted later. They are:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5.30.3 (Disciple of Polycarp, disciple of John) Victorinus, Common Apocalypse. 7:353 Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3:18.3, 5.8.6 Jerome, Joviniamum 1.26.

Polycarp was a disciple of John. Irenaeus was a student who sat at the feet of Polycarp. Irenaeus places Johns apocalypse at end of Domitians reign on Patmos after being banished there by Domitian himself. It was seen not very long ago, almost in our own generation, at the close of the reign of Domitian (Irenaueus. Against Heresies. 5.30.3 100s) Victorinus (200s) wrote, When John said these things, he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the mines by Caesar Domitian Commentary of Revelation 10:11 Eusebius (300s) says that he, knew of no other tradition speaking of the 95AD date of the apocalypse which confirmed Victorinus 95 AD date in Ecclesiastical History 3:18 and Irenaeus date in Against Heresies. writing in the Domitian time period; It is said that in this persecution the apostle and evangelist John, who was still alive, was condemned to dwell on the island of Patmos in consequence of his testimony to the divine word. Irenaeus, in the fifth book of his work Against Heresies, where he discusses the number of the name of Antichrist which is given in the so-called Apocalypse of John, speaks as follows concerning him: a If it were necessary for his name to be proclaimed openly at the present time, it would have been declared by him who saw the revelation. For it was seen not long ago, but almost in our own generation, at the end of the reign of Domitian.
- Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History III, Chapter 18, The Fathers of the Church

He also squarely puts the

Simeon Metaphrastes notes Atipass death to be in 92 AD. I could find no other tradition or writing that would indicate the death of Antipas as being earlier than 92 AD. Tradition holds that Antipas was the bishop of Pergamos as designated by John. He was later placed inside a brazen bull used to cast demon idols and roasted to death under the orders of a Roman leader during the reign of Domitian for his Christian beliefs and defiance of the pagan gods. When confronted with the

proposition that The whole world is against you Antipas he was responded, Then I am against the whole world. Antipas is mentioned only one time in scripture at Rev. 2:13: I know where you dwell, where Satans throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Rev. 2:13 Although the circumstances of Antipass death are based in tradition, there is no other tradition that would stand to oppose the proposed demise of the martyr who was put to death among the people of Pergamos. If this is true, this would put the date of the Revelation sometime after 92 AD for John speaks of this martyred witness in the past tense as seen in the phrase in the days of.

RC Sproul, a partial preterist, writes this in the introduction of the New Geneva Bible, Most scholars favor a date about A.D. 95" (2004). If 95 A.D. is the correct date, as most scholars believe, then this is a devastating blow to Preterism. It would then be impossible to say that the things predicted in Revelation were fulfilled in 70 A.D. as preterist argue. Added to the list of those supporting the late date are

Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Methodius, Lactantius, Hegesippus, Dio Cassius, and many others who all date the book at 95-96 AD. All the ones I listed were alive between 150 AD and 420 AD. The first that Ive found that had even a possibility of an early date was Arethas in the 900s and Theophylac who was a 9th century writer. Some point to a Syriac text of which the preterist apologist will admit is riddled with errors and, to an extent, the exants of the sometimes secular Platonistic philosophical views of Origen.

Here lies an interesting paradox. The preterist will prefer an obscure teaching by Origen who, by all evidences, mixed the secular pagan philosophical views with his exegesis of sacred text over that of Irenaeus and Eusebius and other primary witnesses. Both Origen and Dionysius held to the Alexandrian school of philosophy

which taught scripture through the lens of symbolism, secular philosophies, and allegories. Dionysius, a student of Origen, in an effort to raise the awareness of his own views, even questioned the authorship of the Revelation as not being by John.

The preponderance of both external and internal evidence from scripture given by the early church fathers and writers leaves little doubt that the book was written after 70 AD; 25-26 years after. The earliest historical evidence attests to a

Revelation that was written in the mid to late 90s. In general, the farther removed from the date, the less accurate the information becomes.

It should also be noted that several have questioned the reliability of these early writers and church fathers. The bases of these arguments are not without review. At the same time, we must remember that to think that the majority of excellent scholars of today and yesterday have not taken these inconsistencies into consideration when determining the validity and impact of the proposed date of Revelation and still found it to be a sound date should be marked. When these

writings were being penned, not many had in view the eschatological significance of their date of the Revelation. Their thrust was on other topics.

Also, one must look at the surety of the statements made concerning the dating of the Revelation. One writer may say with certainty the date of the apocalypse and in other places inject a view that was less than certain or more opinion. The proving of the less than certain doctrinal fact as false does not negate in any way the validity of the more than certain historical fact put forth.

For example, one could put for the doctrinal statement that salvation is by grace after all we can do. The same can also say that it was Domitian that first instituted and demanded Caesar worship or emperor worship. Proving that salvation is by grace through faith alone and not by any work of man in no way harm the more certain statement concerning the fact that is was Domitian that instituted emperor worship. As these writers may have inconsistencies in some areas, the historical

certainty in which they declare the dating of the book of Revelation under Domitians reign to 95 A.D. is not to be overlooked and discarded as invalidating.

The Events of Revelation Since Jesus didnt visibly return (Mt 24:30, Rev. 1:7, Acts 1:10-11) and execute the listed judgments, this makes the events of Revelation an impossibility without severely allegorizing most everything in the Apocalypse and in many other passages in scripture.

[30]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. (Mat 24:30 KJV) [7]Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Rev 1:7 KJV) [10]And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; [11]Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Act 1:10-11 KJV)

The events after Revelation 4 on should be seen as future events. The sun didnt become black, the moon didnt turn red, the stars didnt fall the earth, the sky didnt recede as a scroll and EVERY mountain and EVERY island was not moved out of its place. These should be seen as coming global events. To squeeze it into a city in Judea takes an unprecedented amount of allegorization. These simply didnt happen in 70AD. 12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17 For the preterist to say that it holds a literal view of scripture and then allegorize virtually the entire book of Revelation along with many other passages speaking of the future catastrophes that will, one day, plague this world is a bit inconsistent to say the least.

Historical Evidence Against the Neronian Period Other substantiation is that there is NO historical evidence that Neros persecution reached outside the realm of Rome itself and furthermore, there is NO historical evidence that Nero implored banishment as a means of persecution. He did many other documented atrocities, yet not one instance of banishment is mentioned. There are those that will argue that he did, but there is no evidence to prove such. The burden of proof lies with the preterist who demands a Neronian banishment without one shred of evidence or proof Nero EVER banished anyone.

Domitian, however, did use banishment in his terror against the Christians as many 2nd century church fathers state. Another interesting fact is that it was not until the reign of Domitian that emperor worship as reflected in Revelation was instituted. Early Roman Emperors were seen more as demi- gods. This changed with

Domitian (AD 81-96). He demanded worship as God; he liked the crowd to greet him like a god when he entered the amphitheatre; he began all his edicts, "Domitian, Lord and God, commands".

It is also a historical fact that Taticus as well as others record a tremendous earthquake in the 6th year of Nero or 60AD that destroyed Laodicea and the damaged the surrounding city of Colossae. The Revelation in chapter 3:17 says that the Laodician church is wealthy and are not in need of anything. With this being the case, there are several things wrong that may prove unsurpassable. 1) Johns revelation would have had to be several year prior to 60AD in order for circulation of the book to occur. 2) If Johns banishment would have happened during the time that Nero was still emperor then that would means that Nero would have set free the same man he supposedly banished in order for the letter to circulate. 3) Laodicea would have had to rebuilt the city, gained back the wealth, and had to be in a state of in need of nothing within a period of 2-3 years which took not 2-3 but 10 12 years as history indicates.

Although the Laodicians were proud of the quickness they could rebuild, to say that an entire clean up effort, transportation of materials, and the completion of building an entire city could happen in 2-3 years is over zealous to say the least. Could it have happened that quickly; yes, it is probable it happened that quickly; no.

1 & 2 Thessalonians was written in about 51 52 AD. Yet in 51 52 AD, the church at Ephesus wasnt even in existence. Paul stopped off there on his way to Antioch but didnt set up ministry there until a year or so after. This clearly is retracting

from the possible early date of Revelation seeing that within less than 10 years, Ephesus would have had to have been started, established, grown in character, have been tested in hardship, became doctrinally solid and so grounded in scripture that they could test and firmly identify false apostles. Yet, enough time must pass for them to become so ingrained in their learning and work that they left their first love. This is not likely the case.

Many historical writers put John as being an infirmed old man when leaving Patmos and returning to Ephesus. If the Revelation of John was around 54 to 60 AD, then John would have had to be close to 60 years old when he was called to walk with Christ. We know this is not the case from the testimony of Jerome who calls John in the Greek, a young man, when he was called of Christ which would have put his age at under 18 at the call to follow Christ and around 20 at the crucifixion.

Titicus dates 1 & 2 Timothy at 64 67 AD. Timothy was the Bishop of Ephesus. Yet, there is no mention of Johns residence there, no mention of him coming to lead the church there in the time of distress that would come, no greeting, no anything. John, as we know, returned to Ephesus after his release from Patmos. Had the

Revelation occurred prior to the epistles, we would have expected to see some evidence or acknowledgment of his leading presence, yet there is not one shred to indicate that - none.

It is most clear that the historical conditions of the 7 churches in Revelation 2 -3 are significantly different from the early years after Pauls writings which would have been within 3-5 years of AD 70. This leads to the conclusion that the writings of John in the apocalypse represented churches of a much later date than 70 AD. For

example, the church at Ephesus in Revelation had lost its first love in Rev. 2:4 and others like Laodicia who had fallen from the faith Rev. 3:14. This would not be the condition of these churches prior to 70 AD. Polycarp referred to the church at

Smyrna in his writing To the Phillipians 11.3) which reveals that it did not exist in Pauls day (by AD 64) as it did when John wrote Revelation 2:8. The preponderance of historical data from primary sources is fully against the preterist view of the churches in Revelation.

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The Two Witnesses The preterist should note the issue with the witnesses identified in Rev.11:3. They are Christs witnesses, so neither one can be Christ. If they were Christians, then why didnt they flee to the mountains of Pella as Luke warns and which history says happened? (Matt. warns of a different desolation) Who were these noticeable

Christians that were indestructible, had power to shut up the heavens so it would not rain like Elijah, could turn water to blood like Moses, who were once dead, laying in the street not because they COULDNT BE BURIED, but because the people there REFUSED them burial and even gave gifts to one another because they (the Witnesses) were dead. This language indicates an event that could be seen by all (saved and unsaved). Yet during all this time, if the preterist view is correct, when the witnesses were protected by the Lord, and had power to prophecy, and were brought back to life, their efforts were futile. If these witnesses were left after the majority of Christians fled to the hills, then we can deduce that their evangelistic efforts were minimal at best which is not the indication in Revelation.

The time table doesnt match that of the apocalypse either for the Christians do not flee to the hills until AFTER the witnesses rise up and are called to Heaven by God. There is also a great earth quake that destroys a 10th of the city and 7,000 people died as a result of the quake. The Witnesses are called up to heaven by God that very hour. This historically did not happen.

Yet in 70 AD, the Christians fled prior to the ransacking of Jerusalem as directed by Luke in his account and not after the ransacking. Please see the following discourse later in this paper as it relates to the differences in Lukes narrative and Matthews. By the time Rome entered the city, it was too late to run. There is no historical evidence of two witnesses being left behind. None The preterist can only

imagine that all would not be able to escape and that the Jews continue to persecute the faithful witness even today says Davidson. Yet we can see that in fact today it is the Jews that are persecuted and threatened with annihilation.

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The witnesses could not have been the Written Law or the Writing of the Prophets. To say that the testimony of the law and prophets in 70 AD kept it from raining or turned water into blood is not what happened. Nor were they DEAD then came BACK alive again and is even more preposterous. These passages indicate two real witnesses in sack cloth and ashes with powers to harm the people that come against them. The death of these two witnesses caused the earth dwellers to rejoice. If this is referring to the unbelieving Jews, then would that line of thought require them to be the ones rejoicing over the death of their own law? Again, to spiritualize these people or to allegorize the events that are plainly seen by the world and at their resurrection, causes panic and fear, is a travesty. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Rev. 11:11 Scripture says that not one jot or one tidle will ever pass away and that heaven and earth will pass away before His Word will pass away. If the two witnesses should

be seen as the law and prophets then there was a span of 3 1/2 days that the law and the prophets were DEAD; passed away; this did not happen. These two real people will preach; they will be hated by those that dwell on the earth because they will be seen as the cause of the natural disasters that had come upon the earth. Those that oppose them will try to kill them but will them selves be destroyed.

When their ministry is fulfilled, they will be killed and their dead bodies will lay in the street for 3 days and the earth dwellers will rejoice and even exchange gifts with one another. Then after that time, God will resurrect them and they will stand on their feet and terror will strike all who will see them. God will say come up here and they will go. At that time a massive earthquake will destroy 1/10 of the city and kill 7000 people. This is the plain reading of the text. This did not happen in 70 AD. History is an enemy of the preterist view.

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The preterist also views the woman of Rev. 12 as the church.

This puts the

preterist view as making the bride of Christ the Mother of Christ.. NO WHERE in scripture is the church seen as the mother of Christ We are the bride of Christ. Christ gave birth to the Church, not the other way around. In the preterist view, this must be the church, when it is so clearly representative of national Israel by the 12 crowns being the 12 sons of Jacob (Gen. 37:9-11) In that dream, the sun represents Jacob, the moon represents Josephs mother Rachel, and the eleven stars are the sons of Israel which bow down to Joseph. The throne in this section of scripture is the throne the Child is caught up to and sits on to this day. Note the [to] is not in the original text. The text is clearly speaking, as does scripture state, that at this time, Christ is sitting on his FATHERs Throne; Not the throne of David in the spiritual sense. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne. Rev. 12:5

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The Character of the Jews In 70AD Another severe issue with the preterist view is the character of those that were to have suffered during the time of 70 AD. In Revelation 9:20 we see the people portrayed as being actual idol worshiper. To say that a practicing orthodox Jew had also worshipped idols made with their hands is inaccurate to say the least. The preterist will dismiss this saying that the idolatry was happening spiritually and not with actual idols. Yet the clear reading of Rev. 9:20-21 says,

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Rev. 9:20-21 Jamieson-Fausset-Brown confirms this by commenting, of their hands-(De 31:29). Especially the idols made by their hands. Compare Re 13:14, 15, "the image of the beast" Re 19:20. If these are not real idols then neither should those described in Dan. 5:23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified. Nor in Psalms 135:15: The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, The work of man's hands.

Nor in Deut. 4:28: "There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. Nor in Acts 7:41: "At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.

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This description of the Jews as they should have been in the preterist world during the time of the abomination is utterly without validation on any account as it pertains to the character of the Jews during Neros time. A noted preterist Eichhorn explain Rev. 9:20-21 like this, " It means that they persevered in that same obstinate mind, which once showed itself in the worship of idols " In the Old Testament Jews that acted in a heathenish way were called heathens: and moreover in the New Testament covetousness is called idolatry : and moreover in the time of Herod theatres, and other such like heathen customs, had become common in -Judea." Again, as is the case time and time again, the plain reading of scripture is sacrificed on the altar of allegorism and poeticism in order to save a falling system of eschatology. The preterist view seems to be an attempt to grasp at anything to allegorize and poeticize so blatant of facts that would otherwise render their position impotent. To ascribe these acts to such specific objects of worship by the works of their hands that would have made idols of gold, stone, wood which could not walk or speak, to allegory or a symbolism is utter denial of the text at hand and denies the clear teaching of several passages that speak to the same. These can only be seen as a testimony of actual carved idols which were worshiped in place of GOD. The vast majority of noted scholars in biblical texts will agree with the fact that these were ACTUAL objects of worship made with the hands of the idol worshiper and should NOT be seen as a state of mind as the preterist puts forth.

These same preterist writers even seem to argue against themselves when, as one writes, that the Jews were ready, one and all, rather to submit their necks to the Roman soldiers' swords, than to admit an image that was to be worshipped within their city. Stewart pg. 225 on Josephus.

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It seems to me that the preterist view of the character of the Jewish people at this time is unequivocally inconsistent with the character of the people they attribute it to and even they themselves deny. Yes They were prideful, arrogant, and failed to accept Christ. They saw their righteousness in keeping the Law. Yet the very ones that gave the money to Judas would not take it back to the treasury because it was blood money. Read this passage again and look at what does it say, And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Rev. 9:20-21 Those during this time will worship gods they make with their own hands. They will refuse to repent for their desires will be toward the gods they themselves make; gods of gold, silver, brass, and wood. These idols do not see or hear or walk. This clearly speaks of physical objects made with hand not an allegorical symbol. Historic fact and scripture seem to be the enemy of the preterist view in this case.

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The Beast Neros REAL name is Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus which has no Hebraic significance at all. The anti-Christ has a multitude of names scripture, but NERO is not one of them. Eusebius states that to make such a connection between the numerical value of 666 to Caesar Nero from the Hebrew would demand that titles be dropped and the use of the first name be used so it just dont work the way the preterist wants it to work.

Further damage to the preterist view comes when realizing that, in their view, the woman is chased by the beast into the wilderness which is suppose to have happened in 70 AD or prior to as the Christians fled Jerusalem. Yet Nero was DEAD and chased no one. Neros persecution occurred prior to 70 AD not after. Yet in Revelation 13:3 we read that,

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. Rev. 13:3 To my knowledge, Nero is still dead- and stayed dead after taking his own life. He committed suicide in 68AD no where near the Jerusalem. If Nero is the beast, then

we should expect him to have died and been resurrected. This, of course, did not happen in 68 AD. This brings up another interesting point. At the second coming of Christ (not before) this is to occur:

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8

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It is the splendor of HIS COMING that destroys the beast. Nero died from a selfinflicted wound. All in all, Nero is a type and shadow of one who will come, but unfortunately for the preterist, he is not the beast of the apocalypse of John. There is no historic evidence (None) to suggest the Christians in Neros time understood him to be the Beast of Revelation as they must in the preterist view; mainly because it hadnt been written yet. There is not a trace of testimony that exists to the fact of such an understanding; although Stewart says it was general knowledge among the learned at that time, if find no historical evidence to suggest that as the case.

On the contrary, the early testimony of Irenaeus, indicates a totally different view of the Beast in Revelation as if the only view ever known to have been received or ever to had been tradition: a view referring it not to previous persecution by Nero, but to an Antichrist which was, even then, a future person that would appear AFTER a reunified Roman Empire emerged; one that was to arise and persecute the Jews and the Christian converts at that time. Commondianus (200s) speaks of this in (Instructions. Pg. 44) Ephraem of Syria (300s) writes of this future anti-Christ in (On The Last Times, pg.2). Hegesippus, who wrote in the timeframe of 165-175AD, addresses the questions of when and where the Kingdom of Christ was going to appear. He states that this Kingdom would not be contrived or birthed of men but would be of heavenly origin when Christ would come again at the end of the age (or the culmination of all things): Speaking of the kingdom of Heaven, He writes, that it " would make its appearance at the end of time, when He shall come in glory, and judge living and dead, and render to every one according to the course of his life."
- Hegesippus. Fragments from his Five Books on the Acts of the Church

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As we continue, some preterists maintain a fatal assumption that the beasts heads in Revelation refer to the kings of the fallen Roman empire of the 1st century. If this is true and it speaks of past kings, it can then be quite easily ascertained that it is the 8th head that is spoken of in Revelation 13: vs. 3, 12, and 14 which is said to have had a fatal wound to the head via the sword and revived. It is this beast that concerns the prophecies of chapter 13 and it is this beast that is ridden by the woman whom is said to be the Roman empire of the 1st century which is identified in Revelation 17:11. This beast is not only to represent the 7 hills of Rome but the kings that ruled (8 in the apocalypse of whom 5 had fallen according to the Revelation). This must be in reference, according to the preterist, as the 1st five emperors; 1) Julius, 2) Augustus, 3) Tiberius, 4) Caligula, 5) Claudius. The next in order is the SIXTH which HADNT FALLEN: NERO.

Thus this statement by John seems to be contrary to the holdings of Preterism. Nero was the 6th emperor of Rome; not the 8th. Nero cannot be the Beast of the apocalypse.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Rev. 13:3 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Rev. 13:12 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Rev. 13:14 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Rev. 17:8

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. Rev. 17:11

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Explanations by some of the best of preterist apologist (Eichhorn, Davidson, and Stewart) of the beast getting a fatal head wound and coming back to life are all grounded and solidified in a false 1st century rumor of an imaginary revived Nero. It was said that the people danced in the streets at the news that Nero was dead. But soon a rumor swept the city and the country. Nero was not dead. It was said that he had gone to Parthia to wait there and that he was soon to descend on Rome from Parthia with their armies. This belief came to be known as the Nero Redivivus, the legend of the Resurrected Nero. It was so powerful a legend that in AD 69, more than 88 pretenders claiming to be the Nero Redivivus arose in Parthia.

If this urban legend found its way into the prophecies of John, this can only lead to an even greater more heretical and incendiary conclusion. John the Revelator is a liar. Not only a liar, but one that attaches such poetry and vibrant life as one can muster under a solemn prophecy from heaven and in total disobedience to the Lord Himself.

If this is so then by all means the cannon of scripture is compromised, and the one whom Jesus loved is a heretic of the worst sorts. The canon is compromised in that, as Johns Revelation was accepted into cannon of Holy Scripture, then the deception that must have occurred to let such a book into the most sacred of all writings, could have easily occurred with the others as well. If this one instance of legend is passed on as divine truth then the cannon is compromised. If this is the case, then Gods canon of scripture was not recognized by men, but organized by them. We can all say that this is not the case and thereby the resurrected Nero story getting into the narrative of John is here say and not an option. Yet, if it is not an option, the preterist still must wrestle with somehow making the 8th head the 6th emperor Nero.

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Some preterist maintain that the beast was not Nero but the Roman Empire. If this is the case then if the beast is to be destroyed at the second coming of Christ, why did the empire last for almost 2 centuries AFTER AD 70? Whether Nero or the empire, the preterist is faced with a beast that was not destroyed by the appearance of Christ.

I hold that John is not a liar and when he wrote the apocalypse it was the 8th beast, then it was the 8th beast and not an insert of his own desire based on an urban legend. The truth is; it was the 8th beast, Nero was the 6th. If John is telling the truth the preterist view of Nero as the anti-Christ of Revelation and Daniel 9 is false. These passages in Revelation 13 speak of a deception that will encompass the entire world. Those whose home is here (earth dwellers or those that dwell on the earth). To again force those who dwell on the earth into one city is straining.

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Reviewing the Preterist Time Texts Matt. 10:23 The preterist, in an attempt to be the savior of the integrity of scripture from the scoffers, site Matthew 10:23 as a literal time-text to validate immediacy = eminency. Let us look at the text in context:

[16] Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. [17] But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; [18] And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. [19] But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. [20] For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. [21] And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against [their] parents, and cause them to be put to death. [22] And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. [23] But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. (Mat 10:16-23 KJV) A more literal translation is You will not finish (complete) the cities of Israel until/before the Son of Man comes. It has no equal in any of the other gospels and has no translation problems, yet many scholars note that this is among the most difficult passages in the NT to interpret. One such passage should not be a pinnacle feature of any doctrine of major significance.

In any instance, let us consider the passage before us in context. Christ is sending out his disciples to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is at hand to the house of Israel (vs 6 & 7) which Christ states will NOT be accomplished UNTIL He comes again. What coming is Jesus referring to? It cant mean that he will come again prior to death because the persecutions listed were not realized until after Christs death. It cant mean Himself coming in the person of the Holy Spirit for this would not fulfill the promise of a personal coming.

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Christs say that it is good for Him to go away so He can send the Comforter. The Holy Spirit is a separate person of the Trinity and Christs absence from this earth is a prerequisite for the presences of the Spirit at this time. Jesus meaning that his 2nd coming would be within their lifetime presents a problem for the preterist in that the Son of Man (Christ as a Man) would have to come back. The problem with the 70AD attempt is that Christ, as the Son of Man, didnt come back.

Had the Parousia occurred in conjunction with the fall of Jerusalem, one could expect such a climatic event to penetrate Johns later writings and the writings of the early fathers. In the preterist view, this represents The Second Coming of Christ. Yet the absence of reference to it is again one of the most vocal retractors to it. Not a word about the 70 AD return of Christ in Johns post 70 AD writings, nor a peep of evidence in the late 1st and 2nd century writings of the early church fathers.

The final the most plausible view is that Jesus referred to His future coming in the sense that Gods mission to the Jews would not cease or be completed prior to His promised bodily return which would culminate in the completion of Gods plan of redemption among the Jewish nation. This view accounts for the apparent distancing of the tone of vs. 16 23. It also allows for the Son of Man to be seen in a more literal sense in that the Son of Man (Christ incarnate) will return again which complements Daniel 7:13.

[13]I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. (Dan 7:13 KJV)

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Scholars agree that the word, complete is in the aortist subjunctive sense meaning it should be rendered in a more ultimate redemptive context. We can see this in the commissioning of the disciples. Their mission was to preach the gospel beginning in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, to the utter parts of the world. Are we to understand that Jesus wanted THOSE particular men to reach every man, woman, boy, and girl, with the sound of their own voice in the remaining years of their life? No... If that was the mission, they failed. Yet we can see, as they could, that was not the case. As with the text at hand, Christ is saying that what you will start will not be completely finished until I come back a 2nd time and finish it. This goes well with the teaching of Paul in Romans 11:1-2 and 25-32 speaking of the future redemption of Israel.

Another reason for this understanding of the text is that it doesnt strain theological gnats. In other words, it does not require a 70 AD non-coming to be a coming. The point is that Christ will come as He went. He was the Son of Man / Son of God. He was incarnate, crucified, dead, and buried. He rose again in a physical body of flesh and bone. He was touched, hugged, poked and prodded. He broke bread with the men from the Emmaus road and Thomas felt the side of Christ after doubting. He made breakfast on the banks of the sea. All this was after the resurrection; and yes. Jesus did leave footprints when he walked. If we do not share in a resurrection of this nature then we are subject to a different resurrection. If we are to undergo a different resurrection other than what Jesus did, then He was not the first fruits of the resurrection; he was the ONLY fruit of that nature of resurrection.

The angel promised that He would return in like manner, meaning the same Jesus that is leave will come again in the same way He left. He walked up on the mountain as the glorified Son of God and he ascended into the heavens. When He returns, He will descend from heaven and step foot on the mountains. A spiritual return of Christ is 70 AD does not hold true to this in any way.

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F.F. Bruce says, the evangelization of Israel will not be completed before the end of the present age, which comes with the advent of the Son of Man. Paul, from his own perspective, expresses much the same hope when he foresees the salvation of all Israel, the sequel of the ingathering of the full take of Gentile believers, being consummated at the time when the Deliverer will come from Zion (Rom. 11:25-27) Bruce, Hard Sayings, pg. 109. This interpretation of the scripture also allows for the Gospel to reach the Gentiles as Matt 28:19 and Mark 13:10 indicate without forsaking Israel. In summary, a

futurist approach to this text is grammatically, hermeneutically, and theologically superior to the strains of the preterist view.

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The next proof text of the preterist is found in Matt. 16:28

[28] Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Mat 16:28 KJV) This text has 2 synoptic parallels in Mark and Luke. C.E.B Cranfield calls wonders, why a text of this interpretive difficulty would be included as a critical feature to defend/support a major theological position. (The Gospel According to Saint Mark. Cambridge: University Press 1972) To get a contextual feel for the text in 16:21, Jesus was expanding the disciples view to include His death, then He moves to the unthinkable thought of the death of Christ to the more transcendent idea of His second coming (16:27). Then He makes the statement that there would be some there that would not die until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. The question is what event does Jesus have in mind? Hendrickson, Archer, Hagner Carson, and Bloomberg all have made assumptions. These range from meaning that Christ was talking about his resurrection, or His ascension, or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The preterist hold that it points to an invisible coming in 70 AD while some say it speaks of the advancement of His kingdom through the church. And some subscribe that Jesus had the transfiguration in mind.

There are multiple reasons why I feel the later is the more solid and superior view. First, this was the majority view of the early church fathers; 2nd, it does require immediacy, and the some of 16:28 is fulfilled in Peter, James, and John in 17:1. Other events such as Pentecost, the resurrection, and the ascension were viewed by all the disciples not just some. 3rd, and most significant, the chapter and verse break in this passage is unfortunate and does not appear in Mark or in Luke where the immediate event that follows is the Mt. of Transfiguration.

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To make a separation due to a chapter and verse distinction that didnt appear until the 1800s is not appropriate. Both John and Peter write about this preview of the Kingdom. As Dr. Mayhue states, Only John survived to see Christ in His later glory (Rev. 1:12-20), but Peter, James, and John, i.e., some of the disciples (three of the twelve) actually saw Christ in His kingdom glory and power on the Mount of Transfiguration, plus they heard the glorious, powerful voice of God the Father. Additionally, they saw kingdom power manifest by the appearance on earth of Moses who died about 1405 BC and Elijah who was coaught up alive by Gods chariots to heaven about 850BC. Matthew 16:28 refers to a preview on the Mount of Transfiguration of Christs future 2nd coming because of its textual substantial superiority in keeping with the flow of the text absent chapter breaks and its historical authenticity as seen in the accomplishment at the Mt. of Transfiguration. Charles Holman in The Idea of an Immenent Parousia Studia Biblica Et Theologica III (1973):23 states the following, Judging from the above factors and the places of the narrative in the Gospels, it seems safe to affirm that the transfiguration event was a kind of preview, and thus anticipation, of kingdom power and glory which would come permanently at the Parousia. This text in essence, simply does not sustain a preterist view but a futurist view given the implications of the preview given by Christ to Peter, James, and John and its textual location. One thing is sure; it does NOT teach the purely conjectural premise that Christ would come back in 70 AD.

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Matt. 24:34 Next, let us turn our attention to the following text: [34] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Mat 24:34 KJV) This passage is suppose to be indisputably clear and absolutely demanding that the preterist contention that Christs Parousia occurred in 70AD when Rome sacked Jerusalem. This passages has 2 synoptic companions found in Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:22 yet according the New Testament scholar J. Fitzmeyer states in his book, The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV, this is one of the most difficult phrases to interpret in this complicated eschatological discourse. Fitzmeyer notes at least 7 possible views concerning this Matt. 24:34.
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Christ was mistaken, He was speaking of the human race in general, Christ was referring to preterist view of 70 AD, This refers to faithful Christians in general, Christ was referring to the futurist view of the Jewish race generically, Christ had a future evil generation in mind, or Christ was indicating the generation which would be alive at His future parousia.

There are very convincing reasons as to why the futurist views (6 & 7) are preferred and undoubtedly more superior that the preterist view put forth in 3. The first main reason is that fact that Matthew 24 and 25 must be taken as a whole. When the content theme of the coming of the Son of Man is taken throughout the entirety at its first onset in 24:3, 27, and 30 continuing on through 24:37 through 25:30, Dr. Norman Geisler states, the preterist view cannot handle it if the meanings of the phrases are the same.

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The coming of 24:30-31 is the same coming of 25:31 which cannot under any stretch of the imagination possibly be accounted for or fulfilled in the 70 AD event. 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. Matt. 24:30- 31 Second would be the fact that the church AFTER 70 AD was still looking for the 2 nd coming. As stated earlier, John lived decades after the event and in not one shape, form, or fashion is there a mention of Christs coming as was foretold in any of Johns later writings; not one shred of apostolic utterance to the parousia of Christ. NOT ONE. The silence concerning the 2nd coming happening in 70 AD is not at all the case with the hope still alive AFTER the 70 AD event. This holds true in the Didache and Justins Dialogue with Trypho, both of which were written decades AFTER 70AD.

Grammatically, Greek scholars note that all these things (panta tauta) give direction to help determine the meaning of the text. They go on to say, Whether one looks back or ahead in the passages, these things are the features which both precede and accompany Christ at His second coming keeping with the direct answer to the question, What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age? This direct question will be looked at in greater detail later in the paper.

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A quite substantial case is made then contextually, historically, and grammatically that Christs second coming is a yet future event and not fulfilled in 70AD. With this, we can now deal with this generation. The categorical view understands this to be a group or section of people who are rebellions, sinful people who reject Gods truth and righteousness for the lie. This attitude can be seen in Matt. 12:45; 23:35-36 of which is found in OT precedence passages of Deut. 32:5, 20 and Proverbs 30:11-14.

[45] Then goeth he, and taketh 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. (Mat 12:45 KJV) [35] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. [36] Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. (Mat 23:35-36 KJV) [5] They have corrupted themselves, their spot [is] not [the spot] of his children: [they are] a perverse and crooked generation. [20] And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end [shall be]: for they [are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith. (Deu 32:5, 20 KJV) [11] [There is] a generation [that] curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. [12] [There is] a generation [that are] pure in their own eyes, and [yet] is not washed from their filthiness. [13] [There is] a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. [14] [There is] a generation, whose teeth [are as] swords, and their jaw teeth [as] knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from [among] men. (Pro 30:11-14 KJV) There is also the temporal view which sees this generation as the group of contemporaries alive at the time extending from the birth pangs of 24:3 through the coming of the Son of Man in 24:44. Whether one opts for an evil generation or an eschatological generation, both of these views, when understood within the context of a future Second Coming foundation beyond 70 AD, are both valid and are both futurist based.

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Matthew 23:37-39 [37]O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! [38]Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39]For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Mat 23:37-39 KJV) This passage looks ahead to Israel's repentance. Preterists will agree with dispensationalists that the second person plural you in this context points to Israel. Preterist also believe that the Jews (Israel) saw the Lord coming in Judgment in 70 AD. If this is the case, then this passage is quite morbid to say the least in that the Jews will see the destruction of their city as being a blessed event. While verse 38 does refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, it cannot be the same event as verse 39. Jews would hardly call the atrocious decimation of life at that earth-shattering event a blessed coming of the Messiah.

Israel's future repentance is described in vs. 39 when as Zechariah 12:10 say they shall mourn for their great sin and they shall LOOK upon the one they have pierced. They shall mourn for the one they will recognize as being the first born or preeminent one.

[10]And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn. (Zec 12:10 KJV)

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This becomes important because the clear deduction is Israel's repentance precedes His coming. Certainly there was no repentance on the part of Israel before A. D. 70. The preterists describe in detail the apostasy and false teachers that were present in Jerusalem proceeding A. D. 70. The Lord's point in Matthew 23:37-39 is without doubt: As Dr. Stanley Toussaint states, Israel had rejected its Messiah; therefore, judgement was to come. Israel would be left without the presence of its Messiah from that time (ap' arti) until (heos an with the subjunctive to indicate an indefinite future time) it would welcome the Lord Jesus. When Israel repents the kingdom will come; that is what Christ is saying here. Preterists say Israel saw the Lord in His coming in the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70. However, the Lord Jesus said Israel would not see Him again until that nation affirmed that He was the Messiah. Critique of the Preterist View of the Olivet Discourse.

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The Parousia of Matthew 24: 3, 27, 27, 39

[3]And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? [27]For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [37]But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [39]And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Mat 24:3, 27, 39 KJV)

The preterist writer Gentry explains these passages as have a chronology change at vs. 36; With these words the Lord turns to look beyond the signs just given for "this generation" (near demonstrative, Matt. 24:34) to "that day" (far demonstrative) (24:36). Thus, the Lord's attention turns to His Second Advent at the end of history. Although He gave signs regarding the events coming upon His own "generation," He carefully distinguishes His eschatological coming by denying signs."

The problem with this that the meaning of parousia changes from what it meant before vs. 36 than what it means from vs. 36 and beyond. In other words, if the clause, coming of the Son of Man means the Second Advent in vs. 37 and 39, it should be a continuation of that same meaning from the prior uses in vs. 3 and 27. If it is not, then the preterist view seems to be inconsistent in their hermeneutic as they ascribe meanings to phrases arbitrarily to fit the view. Gentry states that the Lord turns his view to the far demonstrative view to the end of history. This would, in essence, create a need for a Third Coming in which the scripture does not contend for.

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Partial or Full Or The Same? In the book The Last Disciple by Hank Hanergraff, he states that John was told not to seal up the prophecy because its fulfillment was for the future, not in the far future as Daniel was told his was (Dan. 8:26; 12:4pg. 395). Here, although Mr. Hanergraff is consistent in holding to the preterist view, his precepts drive him to a view which he and others view as heretical. Dr. Norman Geisler states that at the same time, if Revelation 6-18 refers to the 1st century, then why not the hole book since John was told, according to Last Days, that all of Revelation was to be unveiled for the near future? And if this refers to the 1st century, then one is driven to full Preterism which both sides admit is a heresy since it says the resurrection is past (2 Tim. 18). There is no consistent hermeneutical way to separate Rev. 19-22 from 6-18 on preterist grounds. Indeed, the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15) which is during the Tribulation announces the coming of Christ. And the verses speaking of a soon coming, as Last Days interprets them, refer to the whole book of Revelation from beginning to end (Rev. 1:1, 3: 22:10) Dr. Norman Geisler The place of rest is the heretical doctrine of full Preterism if Johns repeated use of such words and phrases as soon and the time is near demonstrate a 1st century audience and did not have a future audience in mind. There is no way around it. With this being the case, the use of these words and phrases, the honest preterist is driven to accept that the entire book of Revelation can only be seen as historical in nature; thus heretical full Preterism follows. The preterists own methodology and hermeneutic condemns it to the heretical view of full Preterism.

These timing words indicate more of a swift event rather than a soon event. Meaning that when these things start happening they will happen quickly or speedily. This is view upheld in Arndt and Gingrich (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, pg 814, Thayers Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament pg. 616 and Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, pg. 913. Thus these

words do not mean soon as in a chronological immediacy after being spoken but in reference that means when they do start, it will be a quick finish.

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Truly, the generation that does see these things begin will be the generation that sees their end. This starting point is the peace treaty with Israel brought by the rider of the white horse of Revelation; the man of sin; this coming world leader that will deceive many.

If the preterist view is correct, Rev. 6-18 as well as Rev. 19-22 must be placed at 70 AD. This becomes a very sticky issue in that one cannot, with all conscience, hermeneutically separate Rev. 6-18 and 19-22. This distinction if made is not

founded on any basic principle of interpretation. There are not many Revelations in the book; there is ONE Revelation of Christ; ONE unveiling. To the preterist, this unveiling had its fulfillment in 70 AD, therefore, the entirety of the book should be seen as historical in nature in their view. This interpretation put the preterist in a most uncomfortable position of possibly denying the heretical full preterist view which, as Paul puts it, destroys their faith with words yet, having no other choice but to agree with it based on consistent hermeneutic application of having to taking Rev. 6-22 as a whole.

The Apocalypse has 3 division; 1) those things which have been, 2) those which are, and 3) those which will occur METATOUTA or after these things. There are only 3. Chapters 6-22 fall into the METATOUTA section which is yet to come. If

Revelation 19-22 is still yet to come, then the preterist must redefine their definition of soon and this generation and quickly and all those other phrases that the preterist uses to denote immediacy and not eminency.

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To prove this, we can review just the passages in Revelation that deal with the word, quickly. We find it in Rev. 2:5, 2:16, 3:11, 11:14, 22:7, 22:12, and 22:20. In EVERY instance in the mentioned text, the word in Greek is tachy. The word tachy is where we get our word tachometer. In order for the preterist to have a consistent hermeneutic, the application the meaning of the word must be consistent throughout. With this being the case, the preterist correctly defines quickly as without delay. Though this word holds the concept of without delay, it is without delay at the point the events begin. As the preterist will hold that the beginning was the overthrow of Jerusalem in 70AD, this event should fulfill not only the Rev. 6-18 but the entire book for the promise of the coming quickly, if held in the same definition would not cease until ALL things are fulfilled; even Rev. 19-22. This is denied by some preterists in word, yet to do so would mean that they are extremely INCONSISTENT in their HERMENUETICAL definition of words.

[5] Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Rev 2:5 KJV) [16] Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Rev 2:16 KJV) [11] Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Rev 3:11 KJV) [14] The second woe is past; [and], behold, the third woe cometh quickly. (Rev 11:14 KJV) [7] Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (Rev 22:7 KJV) [12] And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:12 KJV) [20] He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20 KJV)

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When these events start to take place, there will be no delay in their consummation. As a matter of fact, the generation that sees these events start will not pass away until they are completed for it will only take 7 years to see the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel, then the Millennial Reign, the final battle and the Great White Throne Judgment when DEATH AND HELL are thrown into the outer darkness never to torment men again. If all of Revelation has been fulfilled at 70 AD, then

there should be no more death, no more sickness, no more pain. Christ would have already judged the death and has cast it along with Hades or Sheol in outer darkness. We have already been trough the 1000 year reign in which Christ is

ruling with a rod of iron. The NEW Jerusalem (a city 1500 miles square) has not appeared and this earth is still here Im STILL HERE. Christ comes back with His bride.. If I am part of that bride then I missed the party. This is not the case.

In all foundational principles of good conscious and consistent hermeneutic, there is no difference is full Preterism or partial Preterism; there is just Preterism. If hyperpreterism is false, then consistency demands that partial Preterism is just as false based on the consistent application of the word quickly and the other time sensitive words. The preterist view demands that quickly mean very soon and

not 1000s of years, thus they point to 70 AD as the culmination of those events.

Partial preterists, though, put the last couple of chapters as an event to still happen in efforts to try and bypass events to which they have no answer to. Yet in doing so, they are in essence admitting to an inconsistent hermeneutic demanding quickly be defined in Matthew as months or years yet deny that very word the same meaning as it is used in Rev. 6 - 22.

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Johns Revelation ends with the plea of come quickly Lord Jesus. If this plea was fulfilled in AD 70, then all the prior events must be placed prior to AD 70. With this being the case, the partial preterist is only giving lip service to the name while their own definitions of words and their own foundational beliefs drive them to the heretical full preterist view. Therefore, there is only Preterism which by using

their own definitions of words, must adhere to the tenet that the book of Revelation from Chapters 6-22 are historical and every event occurred in 70 AD. There is just no way around it.

Time-texting is very dangerous and is consistently held that eminency equals immediacy, then the precarious perils become evident as one looks at passages such as Haggai; 6 "For thus says the LORD of hosts: "Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts. Hag 2:6-7 NKJV

Haggai was written about 500 BC. This little while in which the desire of all nations meaning Jesus, would come would not take place for another 500 years. Quantifying these terms within our timeframe, but rather looking to what God has to say with respect to the specifics of the timing of these events is the best course of action.

Gentry and Demar stated that this language requires an immediate fulfillment. Again; immediacy does not mean eminency. If the partial preterist argues that the resurrection, final judgment, and the new heavens and new earth will not occur until Judgment Day, they are, at that point, logically inconsistent with their own biblical interpretation.

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In Rev. 22:6 we are told of the things which must shortly be done which encompasses EVERYTHING that was said before which includes the resurrection, final judgment, and the new heavens and new earth. Then Rev. 22:10 says, for the time is at hand referring to the final resurrection and so on. Then in Rev. 22:20 Jesus says, surely I come quickly speaking of the culmination of all things.

The unfortunate problem presented here is if the Apostle is talking about an immediate fulfillment in Rev 1:3, then the same hermeneutical principle should rule Revelation 22:6, 10, and 20. If we interpret Rev.22 as a long period of time, then there is no bar to interpret Rev. 1:3 in the same way. If the Partial Preterist is honest and consistent with their interpretations, then there is truly no such thing as a partial preterist for the interpretive guidelines will not allow a stopping point at partial Preterism, but will not stop until the heretical full preteristic doctrine is affirmed.

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The Nature of the Resurrection First, I firmly believe scripture teaches a spiritual resurrection to life at conversion; the new birth if you will. God puts within us Holy Spirit. We have a new nature that is housed in a body that was conceived in corruption. Taking this to an extreme

will lead to the Gnostic teaching that material substances are evil and will eventually lead to a place where one denies the physical resurrection of the body because the body is seen as a material substance and thus evil. This is not biblical but heretical in that it denies the teaching of Christ and was anathematized by Paul.

At death, my body will go to the ground. My new, spirit will go to be with the Lord. At the rapture, my spirit will be reunited with my body; yet at this resurrection, this corruptible body will take on the incorruptible nature it was meant to have prior to the sin of Adam. This incorruptible body will be the perfect house for the new

nature I received at conversion. There will be no struggle with sin at that point. It will be able to see Christ as He is in all His dimensions because I will be raised to operate in the same number of dimension. This incorruptible body will be perfect for an eternal life with Christ and I have truly shared in the same resurrection as Christ. Immortality does not stipulate a non-material body, just imperishability.

As the preterist will say, they believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, yet they will deny that Christ was glorified in that body, but that it was changed to a spiritual body. The effects of this are that there is no longer the man Christ Jesus

interceding for us, but Christ Jesus has ceased to be a man of flesh and bone and exists as a spirit in a spirit body. We will endeavor to refute that teaching.

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We will review Pauls affirmation of the Pharisees teaching of a physical resurrection in a moment, but lets look at the Sadducees belief in no resurrection at all and what we can learn from the apparent trap set for Christ in Mark 12:18-27. [18]Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, [19]Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave [his] wife [behind him], and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. [20]Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. [21]And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. [22]And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. [23]In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. [24]And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? [25]For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. [26]And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I [am] the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? [27]He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. (Mar 12:18-27 KJV) Their basic scenario was of a woman who was unable to raise up heirs in spite of having seven lawful husbands all of whom were brothers as prescribed in the levirate law. From the Sadducees point of view, this attacks the resurrection on two fronts for they reasoned that the resurrection of the dead body is more difficult than regular childbearing and it is not prescribed in the Torah but that levirate marriage was.

Essentially, they tried to make a conflict between the scriptural levirate marriage law and a belief in a bodily resurrection. On a deeper level, the very scenario given of this woman represents an implicit denial of, what they see as the harder concept of a physical raising or resurrection of the body. Any attempt to resolve the

logistical difficulties would lend credence to the scenario and in doing so, lend credence to the rejection of a bodily resurrection.

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Jesus refutes their error in two different categories. He refers to Gods honoring his covenant obligation to Abraham in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt in the Exodus when He quotes from Exo. 3:6. [6]Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exd 3:6 KJV) By referencing this event, Jesus implies that the Torah does prescribe physical resurrection. Although God never promises children through the levirate marriage law, God DOES promise to give the land of Canaan to the patriarchs and their descendants. When God told Abraham to look around him and all that he saw was to be his, God meant it. When he prescribed the boundaries of the tribes, these were real boundaries. When God promises to restore Israel to the land He means those boundaries He Himself established or else He breaks His promise.

What does a passage from the exodus have to do with resurrection? For God to fulfill His unilateral covenant with Abraham, the Exodus was necessary in order to get the remnant of Israel out of Egypt. The complete fulfillment of this promise made by God will require the eventual resurrection of the patriarchs and their descendants. This resurrection is a component of Gods intended plan and must

happen to fulfill His promise. With this being the case, the Sadducees effectively shown their misunderstanding of scripture as it pertains to the resurrection and the levirate marriage and their misunderstanding of Gods power. The exodus is an

example of Gods power to overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles that threatens the fulfillment of HIS promises.

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God says in Exodus 6:6-8 that HE will bring them out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and will redeem Israel with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. He says that He will take national Israel for HIS people and He WILL be THEIR God and they will know that He is the Lord THEIR God. He also promises that HE will bring Israel into the land that HE SWORE TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB and HE will give it to THEM as a possession. [6]Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I [am] the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: [7]And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. [8]And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I [am] the LORD. (Exd 6:6-8 KJV) "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.". Gen. 15:18. You will notice the extensive boundaries found here - from "the river of Egypt" (aka Nile River) to the "Euphrates." In fact, under David's rule the Nation of Israel apparently controlled everything between those two rivers. He affirms this to Israel was

Joshua. The "great sea" is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea. promised this land and God does not lie. will one day be expanded to these.

These are not the boundaries of today but

"From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast." Joshua 1:4.

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The exodus out of Egypt demonstrates the lengths that God is willing to go to keep His promises and the power of God to do so. Jesus is pointing to the Sadducees and saying that the God who sustains life after death, and who delivered Israel from the mighty pharaohs not only can resurrect the physically dead, but MUST resurrect the dead or the promise falters. The Sadducees are thus mistaken for they deny the power of God and they do not understand the resurrection.

All in all, Jesus refutes the Sadducees by demonstrating that their perceived conflict between resurrection and the levirate marriage law rests on the Sadducees misunderstanding of the very scripture they refer to; since the levirate marriage law requires that death annuls the covenantal bond of marriage before the widow can take another brother to marriage, none of the womans prior marital relationships would continue into the resurrected state. We still hold to that today as seen in the reciting of the marriage vow till death do us part. Paul states this concept in

Romans as he uses the unconverted sinner married to the law having to die to that law for sin to have no right and the person if free to marry Christ.

Jesus then addresses their implied critique, PROVING resurrection of the body through a citation of Exo. 3:6. The fact that death annuls a covenantal bond and the fact that God initiated the Exodus out of Egypt on the basis of his covenant with the patriarchs must imply that they are still alive to God. The Exodus story

demonstrates the power of God and His zeal for His covenantal word in the promise to give the land of Canaan to the patriarchs and their posterity. promise will in due course require a bodily resurrection. This unilateral

This fact proves the

necessity of a bodily resurrection and the irrevocable promise that the original borders given to Abraham will once again be instituted. The Jewish heritage whose faith was in God will be resurrected to inhabit that land or else God breaks His covenant. To over look this aspect is to make the same mistake as the Sadducees.

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Mark 12:24-27 points to a bodily resurrection or else Jesus rebuttal would fail. Although this passage does not explicitly state that a bodily resurrection is necessary, it does not need to because it is necessary in the language of the resurrection and the Sadducees scenario of the woman with seven husbands who are all brothers. The analysis of the passage requires that a rising from among the dead (12:25) is essential in Jesus logic. Follow me; If Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobs

current non-corporeal condition is a representation of the resurrected state and NOT an interim state, they would have already undergone a death that would END the covenant with God therefore Jesus argument would fail.

Resurrection requires death, but death annuls a covenant.

To argue for a

resurrection based on Gods covenantal faithfulness demands a kind of preliminary death that would require a resurrection yet no so final and complete as to annul a covenant. Jesus argument requires a persons continued existence in a non-

physical state after a physical death, yet the future embodiment must be in sight.

With this view, we can make these distinctions;

Although physical death annuls covenants between humans, it cannot annul covenants with God since all people, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, continue living with respect to God EVEN AFTER PHYSICAL DEATH (Luke 20:38). God is the God of the living and not the dead.

With this in mind, resurrection must ALWAYS refer to the restoration and rising of the same physical body. If the body that died is not the body that is

resurrected but is ANOTHER BODY, then there is no resurrection; there is only decomposition of the dead body and the creation of a NEW body. Christ grounds His understanding of the resurrection in Gods faithfulness to the Abrahamic covenant as exhibited in context of Exo. 3:6.

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To infer that the only resurrection we will undergo is only spiritual in nature is making the same mistakes as the Sadducees. To infer that the resurrection does not pertain to the same body that died but another body, is making the same mistake as the Sadducees and is inconsistent with Jesus logic in Mark 12:24-27.

For a resurrection to occur something has to die.

Yet death annuls a covenant.

Abrahams body had the life taken out of it and now it is with God. This life is alive and never died to God although the body is in the ground. This spirit of Abraham can not undergo resurrection because it never died. The only part of Abraham that died was his body fell limp at the leaving of the spirit. To place Abrahams spirit in a newly created body would not meet the definition of a resurrection for nothing that was dead came back to life.

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2 Timothy 2:18 concerning the resurrection. Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. KJV men who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some. ASV Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. What was the RESULT of the teaching of these people? The NIV states, Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus. 2 Tim. 2:17 This teaching overthrows the faith and is contrary to the teachings of Paul and scripture. It is safe to say that this teaching is not only heretical but is also

dangerous and should have no part in any circles of the Christian faith. To welcome this would be to expose the congregation to a flesh eating cancer. What was this

teaching? the resurrection is past already. For the preterists reading this, let me explain. Wesley states that the foundation of this belief was one, Saying the resurrection is already past - Perhaps asserting that it is only the spiritual passing from death unto life. John Wesley Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says this about the heritical teaching: 18. erred-Greek, "missed the aim" (see 1Ti 6:21). is past already-has already taken place. The beginnings of the subsequent Gnostic heresy already existed. They "wrested" (2Pe 3:16) Paul's own words (Ro 6:4; Eph 2:6; Col 2:12) "to their own destruction," as though the resurrection was merely the spiritual raising of souls from the death of sin. Compare 1Co 15:12, where he shows all our hopes of future glory rest on the literal reality of the resurrection. To believe it past (as the Seleucians or Hermians did, according to Augustine [Epistles, 119.55, To Januarius, 4]), is to deny it in its true sense. overthrow-trying to subvert "the foundation" on which alone faith can rest secure (2Ti 2:19; compare Tit 1:11).

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Matthew Henry states that, They did not deny the resurrection, but they corrupted that true doctrine.

Yet the preterist might say, yes, but when Paul wrote this, the resurrection was not past but a future event. This is true, and is still true. However, it is the NATURE of the resurrection that causes the distress with Paul because Paul understood the physical nature of the resurrection the same as Christ did. I say this because, had Paul taught a spiritual resurrection only and not a physical resurrection of the body, then Hymenaeus and Philetus would only have a timing issue alone for the nature of the resurrection would have not been in danger. This would not destroy the faith. We will discuss the preterist response to this shortly.

This resurrection is not the same experienced by Tabitha, Lazarus, or even the dead that came from the grave in Matthew for these were not clothed in the glorified, immortal body at that time. N.T. Wright, one of the worlds foremost scholars on Pauline literature states this concerning Pauls writings on the physical resurrection, St. Paul is very clear that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead already, but that nobody else has yet. Secondly, our physical state. The New Testament says that when Christ does return, the dead will experience a whole new life: not just our soul, but our bodies. This teaching that there would be a spiritual resurrection only cuts to the very hope of the Christian faith as JFB states of a future glory that rests in the literal reality of resurrection upon which is the foundation where faith can rest assured. Hymenaeus and Philetus could have taught two lines of thought in this vein: They could have taught that the resurrection had already occurred in a spiritual form and this would be the only form in which the resurrection would occur. They were teaching the Gnostic doctrine of the Nicholaitans, which in essence was a doctrine similar to the teachings of the Sadducees, which stated that there was no such thing as the resurrection of the body.

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The Nicholaitans taught that we "spiritually" pass from death to life, but because the physical body is "evil" it will not be raised from the dead. This is contrary to what Paul teaches in that he makes the clear connections that just as Christ rose from the dead, so shall we. If this is not the case then our faith is futile. Christ has risen from the dead in a physical body of flesh and bone; so shall we. This new body will be one fit for eternity, not mired by sin; it shall take on incorruptible glory. This

resurrected body will be clothed in glory; the same glory that the angels who sinned disrobed of in the epistle of Jude. It is the same glory that Adam, prior to sin, was clothed in for when they sinned, the glory left the body and they knew they were naked.

The preterist will assert that at the time Paul was writing this, to say the resurrection was in the past was incorrect, but now that it has spiritually happened in 70 AD, it is now not an issue. This is like saying, Im right so you cant say that Im wrong which doesnt speak to the question it only tried to avoid inspection. Nor does it fit the intended physical resurrection Jesus based his logic on in Mark.

The second defense is that Paul didnt object to their idea of a non-physical resurrection, just the timing of the resurrection. First, it is not certain that these men were teaching a non-physical resurrection however that would be the obvious choice taking the Gnostic influences of that time. They could have been teaching that the resurrection that occurred at the time of Christs resurrection as seen in Matt. 27:51-53 was all that their was going to be. This is the second option and one that I think is less superior than the first yet more in line with the times than the preterist view. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

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It is obvious that a condemnation of the timing would implicitly recognize the gross error in the nature or scope of the event and would almost imply the error of the nature of the resurrection. For example, when I say that full Preterism states that the resurrection is in the past, everyone reading that would immediately recognize that such a person must be either oblivious to reality or that a serious redefinition of the nature is necessary to even have an error in timing. Error in timing demands an redefinition of nature. Given the Gnostic teaching at that time that material was evil and that material included the body, it is highly more likely that the very nature of the resurrection was in view.

Paul anathematizes an incorrect view of the resurrection in 1Cor 15:12-19 as there were those that stated that there was no resurrection of the dead then carries it to its logical conclusion that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then we, of all men, should be pitied and our faith is in vain and we are still lost in our sins. Again we see that the denial of the bodily resurrection of the believers would entail the logical denial of the bodily resurrection of Christ and as a result, put them outside the realm of acceptable Christian teaching.

Looking at the verses in question; [12] Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: [14] And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain. [15] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. [16] For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: [17] And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins. [18] Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. [19] If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1Cr 15:12-19 KJV)

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The preterist would say what Christ really meant was that, [12] Now if Christ be preached that he [physically] rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no [spiritual] resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there be no [spiritual] resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not [physically] risen: Besides the fact that this make so sense at all and switching the meanings in mid stream like that would cause more confusion than clarity, in the context of that culture they knew that dead bodies didnt normally come back to life; yet CHRIST DID.

What Paul is saying is that if they deny the physical resurrection of the dead, they must then deny the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If this is denied then we are lost in our sins and our faith is futile. If Christ did not ascend to

heaven as a man, then is Christ really a mediator between God and man? For Christ to be raised in any other capacity would mean He is no longer a proper representative of humanity since having a body of flesh and bone is a requirement. He is not able to open the seven sealed scroll in Heaven because He is no longer a Kinsmen to men. Jesus Christ is a man. Jesus Christ is God. Scripture puts an end to the this debate when it says,

For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 1 Tim. 2:5

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This logic leads to another pair of scriptures namely 1 John 4:2-3 and 2 John 7.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4: 2-3 And For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 2 John 1:7 Though both are phrased similar, the Greek construction is different. Greek

Scholars note that in the first the phrase come in the flesh uses the perfect participle rather that the present participle of the 1st passages. In using the perfect participle, this argues for an existence that is timelessly present which means that Christ not only came in the flesh but is currently abiding in the flesh as Dr. Walter Martin has stated, his future coming in the flesh.

Scripture says that to hold to a view that denies that Christ came in the flesh or that there will be a future coming in the flesh is from the spirit of anti-christ. Thus to hold to a spiritual coming of Christ as the Second Coming of Christ in 70 AD would deny the meaning of the texts and should be place squarely in the realm of the spirit of anti-christ. If the preterist does not deny the physical resurrection of Christ or the current state of Christ as a man interceding on behalf of men, then that puts them in the bizarre opposition with their own proof text of 1 Cor. 15:50 which says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God thus they say that the physical body CANNOT be raised.

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When the scripture says, flesh and blood it is speaking of the propensity of men to sin or our sinful nature. 1st and 2nd John speaks of flesh ONLY which speaks to the fact of a physical resurrection in the redemption of this body whatever that looks like it is physical and not just spiritual. To say that flesh in itself is EVIL is to say adhere to a Gnostic teaching; there is truly nothing new under the sun. Christ came in the flesh, yet He inherited the Kingdom of God and was a sinless man. His flesh ascended to heaven after the resurrection and glorification of it. He rose in the flesh as Luke 24:39 states:

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Luke 24:39 Peter insists that Christs flesh did not see corruption: He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Acts 2:31 The preterist at that point has only a couple of options concerning the nature of Christ; 1) Either Christ is no longer flesh (no longer truly human) or 2) Christ did not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Some preterists would argue that they do not deny a resurrection; they just define it differently as a spiritual raising of the soul out of Hades, which is then fitted with a spiritual body. Perkings: Preterist Views of the Resurrection. Words have meaning. Jesus Christ, God the Father, and Holy Spirit all have a different meaning to a Christian than they do to a Jehovahs Witness or a Mormon. It was the physical resurrection of bodies that was the stumbling block to the Corinthians, the Sadducees, and to Hymeneaus. It was the physical resurrection of Christs body that is at the center of these passages leaving no doubt that there was not a radical redefinition of terms, as the preterist would do, when it comes to the resurrection of believers.

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A review of Pauls own theology confirms that when he spoke of the resurrection of the dead it is not a redefinition of terms to fit a spiritual only resurrection, but a bodily one as well what ever that looks like- it is a bodily resurrection. Being a Pharisee prior to conversion, this sect believed in a literal and physical resurrection of the dead from a literal place of burial. When Paul was brought before Felix, he stated that he held to the doctrines of Fathers, including that doctrine of the physical resurrection of the dead of the just and the unjust.

In Acts 24:14-15 we find: But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. It is clear here that Paul affirms and proclaims his belief in a physical resurrection which they (Pharisees) also allow. This is undeniable and irrefutable. It is what Paul taught. It is what Paul believed. It is a foundation of the Christian faith and to deny it is to put oneself in direct conflict with a clear teaching of scripture.

Paul firmly identifies the nature of the resurrection of Christ as being the same type or nature of resurrection we will undergo. The bodily resurrection of Christ and

our partaking of the same nature of resurrection of Christ are the basis and foundation of our faith (1 Cor. 15). To say that our resurrection was only spiritual in nature and will not occur physically is to ascend to the Gnostic teaching that Christ rose only as a spirit. This is not only false it is heretical and has no basis in the Christian fellowship for it denies the bodily resurrection of Christ as the first fruits of that resurrection and the nature of ALL Christian resurrection as the fruit that follows.

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Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished (1 Corinthians 15:12-18). But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). In the oldest book of the Bible, we have a passages recorded that speaks directly to the nature of the resurrection. Job says, 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in [3] my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. Job 19:26-27 To the preterist, Job, these early church fathers, and early writers were not only mistaken concerning the date of the Revelation but also the nature of the resurrection. Here are some examples of their writings and the hope of a future resurrection when this body will take on an incorruptible body just as Christ did.

Methodius states, "And Paul clearly testifies this, saying, The creation, then, after being restored to a better and more seemly state, remains, rejoicing and exulting over the children of God AT THE RESURRECTION; for whose sake it NOW groans and travails, WAITING itself also for our redemption from the corruption of the body, that, WHEN we have risen and shaken off the mortality of the flesh, according to that which is written, 'Shake off the dust, and arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem,' and have been set free from sin, it also shall be freed from corruption and be subject no longer to vanity, but to righteousness" (Methodius, circa 311 A.D., From the Discourse on the Resurrection, Part I, VIII).

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Justin Martyr 100 165, writes, "But I and others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there WILL BE a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare" (Justin Martyr, 100-165 A.D., Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter LXXX). Tertullian (Father of Latin Theology) also noted that it was Marcion (a major heretic from the 2nd century) who did not except a physical resurrection: For Marcion does not in any wise admit the resurrection of the flesh, and it is only the salvation of the soul which he promises (Tertullian. Against Marcion, Book V, Chapter 10. Titian speaks of a physical resurrection as well as he states, "And on this account we believe that THERE WILL BE a resurrection of bodies after the consummation of all things; not, as the Stoics affirm, according to the return of certain cycles, the same things being produced and destroyed for no useful purpose, but a resurrection once for all, when our periods of existence are completed, and in consequence solely of the constitution of things under which men alone live, for the purpose of passing judgment upon them. Tatian's Address To The Greeks, circa 150 A.D., Chapter VI. Irenaeus says this, "The power and glory of God shine forth in the weakness of human flesh, as he will render our body a participator of the resurrection and of immortality, although He has formed it from the dust of the earth; He WILL ALSO bestow upon it the enjoyment of immortality, just as He grants it this short life in common with the soul" (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, circa 130-202, Adversus haereses, Book V, Chapter 3) Polycarp states, But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, falsewitness; "not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians, Chapter II. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1

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Polycarp goes on to say, I bless you for because you have considered me worthy of this day and hour, that I might receive a place among the number of martyrs in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and of body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 14:2. Theophilus of Antioch (late 2nd Century) writes this concerning rejecting the idea of a past resurrection: But you do not believe that the dead are raised. When the resurrection shall take place, then you will believe, whether you will or no; and your faith shall be reckoned for unbelief, unless you believe now...Moreover, you believe that the images made by men are gods, and do great things; and can you not believe that the God who made you is able also to make you afterwards? (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 1, Chapter VII. Polycrates of Ephesus (2nd Century) For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the last day, at the coming of the Lord, when he shall come with glory from heaven and shall seek out all the saints. Eusebius. Church History, Book III, Chapter 31.

The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve) (Early 100s Century) Ch. 16: The work is cited by Eusebius who lived from 260 - 341 and Athanasius (293-373) It seems to be referenced by Origen who lived from 185-254. 1 "Watch" over your life: "let your lamps" be not quenched "and your loins" be not ungirded, but be "ready," for ye know not "the hour in which our Lord cometh." 2 But be frequently gathered together seeking the things which are profitable for your souls, for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you except ye be found perfect at the last time; 3 for in the last days the false prophets and the corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall change to hate; 4 for as lawlessness increaseth they shall hate one another and persecute and betray, and then shall appear the Deceiver of the world as a Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders and the earth shall be given over into his hands and he shall commit iniquities which have never been since the world began.

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5 Then shall the creation of mankind come to the fiery trial and "many shall be offended" and be lost, but "they who endure" in their faith "shall be saved" by the curse itself. 6 And "then shall appear the signs" of the truth. First the sign spread out in Heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead: 7 but not of all the dead, but as it was said, "The Lord shall come and all his saints with him." 8 Then shall the world "see the Lord coming on the clouds of Heaven."

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Theological Difficulties Resulting in A Spiritual Only Resurrection:

God created this material world and called it good. When He created man He called it very good. Due to sin, man was disrobed of the glory God gave him and the spirit inside of him died. As a result, every man born of the Adamic nature dies. The carbon based flesh of men is not intermittently evil or sinful just as the earth, moon, sun, and stars is not sinful or evil. Due to sin, this flesh is under the bondage of sin which corrupts just as all creation is groaning to for the redemption that awaits it.

[20]For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, [21]Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. [22]For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. [23]And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. [24]For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Rom 8:20-24 KJV) Redemption requires a redeeming of that which was lost; a taking back of that which was lost. In the case of creation, since a material world was lost, Gods redemption will not be frustrated, therefore, what must be created is a material universe. With mankind, our redemption must include our physical bodies else what is redeemed is not what is restored. This flesh that is subject bondage under sin will be freed from that bondage and will be clothed again in the glory and structure that Adams body experienced prior to sin.

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Guntry points out that, "Anything less than that undercuts Paul's ultimate intention that redeemed man possess physical means of concrete activity for eternal service and worship of God in a restored creation." He goes on to say "to dematerialize resurrection, by any means, is to emasculate the sovereignty of God in both creative purpose and redemptive grace."
-Robert Gundry, Soma in Biblical Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976), 176,181-82.

1 John 4:2 Neodocitism is a denial that Jesus rose in human flesh. There is much that is wrong with this but to keep with the context of the paper, a denial that Jesus rose in the flesh denies that what had died on the cross was resurrected. As we discussed earlier, resurrection demands death as a prerequisite. The denial that Jesus life

and post resurrection body was indeed flesh diminishes his humanity and thus his ability to die for sinful men. In essence, He is no longer a kinsmen and is ineligible to fulfill the role of a kinsmen redeemer.

John warns of people that will come that deny Jesus has come in the flesh yet to read this on the front does not do justice to the actual Greek text in 1 John 4:2 when it reads, [2]Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (1Jo 4:2 KJV) Norman Geisler comments on this verse when he writes [emphasis added], Jesus Christ has come [and remains] in the flesh' (1 John 4:2). The use of the perfect participle ("has come") implies that Jesus came in the flesh in the past and He remained in the flesh when John penned these words after the Resurrection. In the parallel passage (2 John 7) John used the present tense, warning against those "who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh." This makes it even clearer that John considered it wrong to deny flesh of Christ either _before_ or _after_ His resurrection. The reason is obvious: human flesh is part of our true human nature as God created it. Hence, to deny that Christ was resurrected in human flesh is to deprive Him of full humanity.

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God created us body, soul, and spirit. A part of that human nature is flesh. If God redeems our soul and spirit and does not redeem our flesh, then the redemption is incomplete. As we have discussed earlier, Jesus logic in dealing with the

Sadducees in the levirate marriage issue, when a believer dies, his soul goes to the Lord yet the body is in the ground. At the rapture, (not 70AD) my soul will be reunited with my body that will be resurrected incorruptible and rejoined to my spirit for an eternity with Christ. My body will be resurrected incorruptible no longer to be ravaged by sin or the effects of death for it will have overcome the effects of death by the power of Christs resurrection. It will be a glorified body well suited for heaven. One that will not perish for there will be no sin. Jesus was the first to attain such a permanent, imperishable, glorified, resurrected body. He was the first fruits. Though this body be glorified and more that corporeal it is not less than physical.

Just because a substance is material doesnt necessitate decomposition. Adam was flesh and bone and it was sin that caused the decay not his material state. It was not the nature of substance. So, for the eternal body to be immortal, it does not demand immateriality but imperishability.

[42]So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: (1Cr 15:42 KJV) As Christ rose from the dead, so shall I. Some go so far as to say that Christs appearances to the disciples and others were just materializations. These

appearances were designed to convince the disciples of Jesus reality and but should not be taken as to speak to His actual bodily presence. Dr. Chuck Missler notes that modern physics has proven that the universe exists in AT LEAST 10 dimensions. Humanity lives post-curse in only four: length / width / height / and time. When a 4 dimensional human comes in contact with a being of possibly 10 or more dimensions, all it can grasp is 4; it cannot comprehend the others for it has no capacity to do so.

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When Jesus appeared to the disciples post resurrection, He appeared to them as flesh, but this resurrected flesh was operating in > 10 dimensions. Thus Jesus

seems to appear out of thin air when in reality, He may have been there all the time. If Jesus appearances were only designed to speak to His reality and not physicality, then He was being deceptive in that He allowed His body to be touched, poked, prodded, felt, etc. All of which gave forth the presumption that what was in front of them was the same Jesus that rose from the dead. "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" (Luke 24:27) As the disciples look upon the scars that were produced by the nails, there is no other impression that could have been deduced other than Jesus rose in the same material, physical body and remained in a physical body at that time and continues to exist in that body today. If Jesus put forth the impression that He rose from the dead in the same body he was buried in yet really didnt, He intentionally deceived His disciples.

Not only is redemption incomplete but salvation has failed. Death is a result of sin. Salvation is victory over sin and the results of sin in the believers life. This death not only takes the soul of men but also the material make up of men. Thus victory over death must include not only the spiritual soul of man but also the material body of men. If this is not the case the salvation over the effects of sin are incomplete and salvation has failed. One of the main proofs that are commonly pointed to by Christians is the empty tomb. In doing so we are stating that Jesus rose from the grave, not just spiritually but physically. This attribute is a cornerstone of the faith. If Jesus did not rise in the same body then the conclusions based on that evidence is useless. Jesus offered His resurrection as His proof of who He was (John 2:19) and the Apostles were fearless in their preaching because of it (Acts 2: 22-36, 4:2,10).

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To say that our physical bodies are changed to spiritual bodies and that these bodies are no less real than physical bodies is a negation and avoidance of the issue. Scripture makes a distinct differentiation between those that exist as spirit and those that exist as flesh. If Jesus is no longer in the flesh then humanity no longer has a kinsman as an intercessor. He is ineligible to open the scrolls in Revelation. Yet Jesus says,

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Luke 24:39

Being a berean, I have found the preterist position lacking at best. Its basis rests upon weak arguments for an early date of the Revelation of John, an inconsistent exegesis of time-texting Matt 10:23; 16:28; and 24:34, misunderstanding of the resurrection and the power of God, a illogical view of the Abrahamic covenant and of the Jewish people as a whole, and inconsistent hermeneutic leading to very uncomfortable positions.

The preterist would have people believe that the evidence is clear cut and indisputable, however, as was shown, their exegesis is inconsistent and history is their worst enemy. Only the preterist view demand that all three time texts review here point to 70 AD when in fact, these have better more superior interpretations which fit more rightly with grammar, history, and context. Yet, the preterist cannot deny the 70 AD date for any, for such a denial would destroy the view. The

preterist will demand that one definition be used in one place, the some will defy that very definition in another. Not to mention the fact that the preterist view is a

jumbled mess concerning the nature of the resurrection when viewed in light of Jesus teaching and Pauls writing and the implications that those assertions lead.

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This is not a view that should be seen as a mere squabble among Christians. The nature of the resurrection is a dividing point. I say that because core doctrines of the Christian church has been 1) the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, 2) Our resurrection will follow in the same suit (pardon the pun) as Christs resurrection, 3) the future bodily return of Jesus Christ, 4) the future bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, 5) and the future final judgment. All of which the hyper preterist deny saying they have already happened. The partial-preterist may deny in word, yet for their hermeneutic to be consistent, find themselves in a place of putting Rev 6-22 in the past placing the partial preterist in the camp of the hyper preterist. The denial of such basic foundational doctrines of scripture AND of the faith, are paramount and not some trivial issue.

Attempting to combat and refute all the different views of the end times would be wearisome at best, yet to not answer when presented to me as a teaching to be considered, would not be my character, nor would it be a true discharge of the office of elder in the church I serve. I feel it best to concern myself with teaching what I

believe as true doctrine based on scriptural analysis of the clear teaching of the passage taking into consideration cultural, historical, and linguistics of the time both in the OT and the NT; never loosing sight of the timelessness of the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
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MOVING ON Taking the scripture seriously, we avoid the pitfalls of a strict literal interpretation or the diametrical opposite mystically allegorical quagmire that some find themselves marred. One view would lead us to a God that has feathers and a Christ

of wood and hinges, and the other could loose the clear teaching that sin leads to death. Therefore we press on toward the goal of taking the Bible seriously, in This is by no

context of history, culture, and what the text says in the original. means an exhaustive narrative.

This, in all essence, is my personal way of

organizing my own thought and beliefs. Be a Berean and study it out for yourself.

We then begin with Scripture. One of the most pivotal New Testament Scriptures dealing with the end times is Matthew 24. Connecting Daniel 9 and the Book of

Revelation, Matthews focus is on the nation after the rapture has taken place and they have found themselves in a time of persecution like never before. Before we get started too far into Matthew 24, and without delving into the UNILATTERAL

promises given to Israel by God which in themselves destroys replacement theology, lets look lets look at some distinctions between Israel and the Church:

The Church or Ecclesia, simply means a gathering of people. This word is used of wondering Israel (Acts 7:38), heathens (Acts 19:41), and the body of Christ. The word Body is used both in a physical (local) sense and in totality (1Cor. 12:27). The Physical Church consists of those who are called out believers in a certain location and are admonished to fellowship with other churches (1Cor. 1:1-2).

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Then there is the Spiritual Church. The Church is called lamp-stands in Revelation in which the spirit of the Lord moves in and among. All who believe and have faith in the Messiah the Christ to the Rapture are the church. Those from Pentecost to the rapture we will loosely call the bride of Christ; pure and holy because the work of Christ on the cross paid for her sin; paid for mine and all sin. Paul revealed the mystery of the church that was hidden in the OT. (Eph 3:3-6). 2:32. Isa. 49:6 and Lk.

The Church or the Bride of Christ is not ISRAEL (yet believing Hebrews are in the Body of Christ and ISRAEL is not The Church. Israel is distinctly Jewish. Time and time again they are seen in scripture as those, of the circumcision. Israels mark was the circumcision of the flesh. (Gen. 17:10). Being of Israel is a natural feature. A person is born a Hebrew or Jew. They are quite proud of their heritage as they should be for they were the race who God calls His own and were placed in a land that God calls His land. Israel is also the first born among the Nations. (Ex. 4:22) Now, of course, Israel was not the first nation of the world. The word firstborn can mean (and does mean in this instance) preeminent.

The call of the first Hebrew was Abram who was called out of a pagan land. (Deut. 14:2) (Gen. 12:1-2). It can be put forth that Abrams family were idol worshippers from the land of Ur of the Chaldees. Abram was called by God to be the first of a

race of people that He would covenant with; some being unilateral and others being conditional. Those unilateral covenants are still in place and are still unique to

National Israel as a people even though we as Gentiles share in the blessings of those covenants as we repent and believe in Christ.

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Israel shows the praises of God and serves Him in His temple (Isa. 43:21) (Isa. 62:7) (Rom. 9:4) (Isa. 61:6). Her hope is meeting the Lord on the Earth at the 2 nd Advent and serving under Him in the Millennial Reign. During this time, Israel will have

earthly joy and be 1st among the nations through the covenants with God. Israel will see Christ as Messiah the KING, as they will be His servants. God has not forgotten Israel and will once again turn His attention to Israel at the end of the age.

Israel is also seen as the adulterous wife of Jehovah as typified by Hosea and Gomer. (Isa. 54:5) (Jer. 3:6-8) Even though Israel does fail God many times in scripture and the judgment of God does come her way, Jehovah in, any way, in scripture, spiritually divorces himself from Israel. For God HATES divorce and

the only reason it was allowed was because of the hardness of the heart of the one betrayed.

In contrast, the Church started on the Day of Pentecost by a corporate baptism (1 Cor. 12:13). She is marked by absolute absence of racial, gender, or national

heritage. (Gal. 3:28) (Eph.:14-16). Being a part of the Church requires a spiritual birth. Natural birth is irrelevant. (Gal. 6:15) (Eph. 1:3) The Church is Not of this World. It is not an earthly Nation. Our inheritance is grounded in a risen Savior (Eph. 1:11). We are blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph 1:3) Positionally, the Church sits in heavenly places IN Christ (Eph 2:4-7). We truly are citizens of a Kingdom not of this world: (Phil. 3:20) even though that Kingdom will come to this world; ambassadors of a Kingdom forged not with hands, but whose builder and architect is God.

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The Church is the Wife of the Lamb(Rev. 21:9); A chase virgin (2 Cor. 11:2). The church is eternally pure in Christ and will never be adulterous. The church is

spotless not by what it has done but by what Christ has done. (Eph. 5:25-27) The marriage will be in heaven after the rapture. The Church declares the manifold

wisdom of God. (Eph. 2:16; 3:10) All who are a part has undergone a circumcision of the heart (Col 2:11). The Church will meet the Lord in the air (Jhn 14 and 1 Thess. 4) (Rev. 19:7) and The Church will reign WITH Christ (2 Tim. 2:12) (Tit. 2:13) (Rev. 20:6). Christ is never seen in scripture as being KING over the Church yet He is the HEAD of the Church as in a family. (Col 1:18) We are in a place of intimacy as we are IN Him as His Body.

So it is easily to distinguish the major differences between the Church and Israel and to replace Israel with the Church is calling God both a liar and a breaker of covenants which He Himself is responsible to keep irregardless of mens actions. Every believers security is founded on the basis of God keeping His Word, our assurance lies in the assessment of our lives by Biblical precedent. save us because we are good, He saves us because HE is good. God doesnt

Torah law was not initiated at Mt. Sinai. The law was in place long before that event. Although it may not have been written down, it was passed down. God instituted animal sacrifice for the covering of sin for He rejected the work of their hands in the formation of the fig leaves for the skins of animals. The sinless had to die. We find that God instructed Noah to gather 2 of

the unclean animals and 7 of the clean animals onto the ark for preservation. How did Noah know the distinction of clean and unclean?

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The decision of the council at Jerusalem concerning the Gentiles and what they should refrain from is based on the Noahid law. According to Rabbinical literature one can understand the 613 by an understanding of the 10. One can understand the 10 by understanding the first 2. If there is a struggle in understanding the 2, one can know God by the onoki or God saying, I give myself to you.

The purpose of Sinai was not a proposition of a Kingdom, but a proposal of Marriage. In Jewish customs, a slave or a widow could not marry for a time of 3 months after the death of their former husband or their freedom from bondage. In communication, one must understand the significance of actions, deeds, and words upon those being communicated to in order to properly confer the message in a way that the hearer will not get confused. God does this with Israel.

Exodus 19:1-5 states that on that very day after Israel came out of Egypt, they camped at the foot of the mountain. God brought the Jews out of Egypt for the

intent purpose of proposing marriage; this is far more intimate that just a Kingdom. Moses goes to God and God speaks to him and says,

Proposal of Marriage

4Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: 6And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Ex.19:5-6.
This word, priests is the word kohen . The Pa-al root is or kahan.

Gesenius Hebrew Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament states that this word
means, any one who undertakes anyones cause, his deputy, delegate.. They

were to be priests and prophets in so much as they would stand between God and men in a way that they, being the wife of Jehovah, was to be the light of the world and God would move through Israel and draw the world through them.

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Moes then acts as a messenger and delivers the proposal to Israel:

And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. Ex. 19:7
Acceptance:

And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. Ex. 19:8
Israel then was betrothed to Jehovah. To say that Israel rejected the proposition at Mt. Sinai is unequivocally false. Exodus 19:8 says they did. To say that Israel

sinned as a means of telling God they reject his proposal is dizzying. They sinned. People sin. When the cloud came over the mountain and the glory of the Lord was over the place, God was creating a huppa or a marriage chamber in which to consummate the marriage. When Moses when back up on the mountain to gather the law in Ex. 32, God sees that Israel has made a golden calf to lead them to lead them when Moses didnt return on the specific day they had prescribed for him to return. When Moses drew near, he saw the dancing and cast the tablets and broke them. He was angry no doubt, but had Moses delivered the tablets (the marriage document) they would have been responsible for the terms of the document, they would have been found in breach and God would have killed them all.

Moses act was an act of mercy and protection for his people. It was not to signify the covenant was broken for the covenant had not been ratified with blood yet. It wasnt until Exodus 24:8 that the Word says,

And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words. Ex. 24:8

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This correlates with Hebrews 9:20, 1 Cor. 11:25, Matt. 26:28, and Hebrews 13:21. The conditional marriage covenant (or any covenant for that matter) which is unilateral as in the Abrahamic covenant or multilateral as in a marriage covenant, must be inaugurated with blood.

Israels rejection of the covenant couldnt have been further seen in the golden calf

fiasco, as some have written because there had been no shedding of blood. To put
forth an argument that Israel rejected any covenant at Mt. Sinai is rejecting the clear words of Exodus 19:8 and denying the acceptance of the marriage covenant. It is also dening the ratification described in the scriptures listed in the paragraph as to the clear inception event of the shedding of blood (Ex. 24:8). With this as the

cornerstone and the starting place of the preterist view, it would seem that someone needs to inform Nero that he has no clothes.

Returning to the offer of a Jewish covenant marriage, when a wife is found in adultery, the husband has two options: 1) killer her. 2) Put her away, at which time, he can re-write the terms of the marriage document if he wishes. At this point with the case of Israel, the 2 cups instituted (1) the cup of we will hear and (2) the cup of we will do was down to only one; we will do. This cup was rendered to Israel as a double portion; thus the Levitical system of obedience to the law was instituted. Israel remains in adultery to this day denying the Messiah, yet she will repent. This repentance will usher in the Second Advent of Christ as Zach 12:10 describes.

God did re-write the terms of the marriage agreement through Jesus Christ in the New Covenant which is a new marriage proposal. This covenant states that all who will come in faith in the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross (the perfect Lamb), will be a part of the bride of Christ. This bride will have the Spirit of God dwelling in them and will be the light of the world. Yet our light will not be our own. We will reflect and diffuse that light within us.

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Under the heading of One Kingdom or Two? a writer states that dispensationalist

will admit that the Church is a spiritual form of the kingdom of God, but absolutely not the heirs of the Old Testament promises, covenants, and prophecies. I think a
clarification of this is in order. Everything I hold dear I have because of the

unilateral covenant made with Abraham by God. Through that covenant, the entire world is blessed and can enjoy salvation. As stated earlier, there are promises that God has made that deals with Israels destiny and the Churches. These contrasts have been well document in prior pages.

However, sharing the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant does not lead to the Church replacing Israel as some have alluded to but will not come out and admit. For they say, The earthly nation of Israel once was a material and earthly representation

of the Kingdom of God, but since the advent of Christ, the typical and earthly has been rendered obsolete.
Yet Paul says,

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn. Zach. 12:10
As we have discussed earlier, the typical and earthly will be redeemed. All

creation cries for redemption. If redemption does pertain to that which was lost, then there is no redemption and Christ failed. Israel will be redeemed, creation will be redeemed, and all who believe will be redeemed.

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This same author says this as well,

Christ has become the perfect sacrifice and priest, rendering the Old Testament types and shadows obsolete and worthless.

To some of his statements I will agree. Christ is our forever High Priest who will never see decay and who is never in need of purification prior to executing his priestly duties. These types and shadows help in understanding New Testament

text. They give us a sense of awe and wonder as we see New Testament realities hidden in OT text. It would give me personally a chill to compare in any way shape form or fashion ANY section of the Word of God as obsolete and worthless.

Christ came to fulfill the law or to rightly interpret the law. As He did so without sin He did what men could not do; continually keep the law. Our righteousness is not based on an obsolete law, but rather a completely kept law. As Paul write to the Galatians, it is the law that is our Tudor that leads us to Christ. If the law is

useless, then someone either needs to inform Paul or the book of Galatians is no longer relevant. The law is not obsolete for it is that law that illumines sin for sin is disobedience of the law. When Paul realized this, he stated that sin came alive and he died.

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The scope of prophecy is Jesus Christ. All that is spoken of in prophecy reveals the nature and attributes of Christ. At the same time, we must see clearly that some prophecy is for a people and for time past, some is for the future, and some has dual meaning. To say that the church is the heir of much of the Old Testament

prophecies dealing with Zion, the restoration of Israel, and the Messianic blessings is again subscribing to, without admitting to, a replacement theology that is both dangerous and heretical because God Himself said without any action on Abrahams part,

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. Gen. 12:3.

I believe it is the plain teaching of scripture as was laid out in this paper, that Israel is not forgotten of God and will once again be / or is already the focus of Gods attention now, or in the coming years or months.

As with each of the Gospels, they were written in a specific culture, within a historical and social economic and political environment. They are also each very

geared toward a specific group and portray Jesus in different aspects of His nature. Luke portrays Christ as the perfect man or the Son of Man and is written primarily with a Gentile or Greek mindset. Matthew portrays Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and whose focus is Israel. It is these two in which we will compare and contrast in the following chapters in regard to their eschatological value. However,

just for completeness, Mark portrays Christ as the suffering servant as seen by the absence of a genealogy and John reveals Christ as the Son of God whose genealogy begins with the Word and that Word becoming flesh and dwelling among men.

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The parallel passages To Matthew 24 are Mark 13 and Luke 22:

Why is the

account not in John? The writing of John is primarily geared toward the Church. It is virtually universal in its context. We always suppose that everything in the Bible is

written to the Church; that may not always be the case. Although we can learn and glean from all scripture, and can be for our learning, doctrine, understanding, but it does not have to necessarily address only the churches concerns as we will see as we compare Olivet Discourses later and see the difference ONE word can make between the two (Matt. 24 and Luke 22)

Matthew 24 continued Previously, In Matthew 5, 6 and 7 Christ lays out eight B attitudes from the sermon on the mount; then He followed by pronouncing 8 woes in chapter 23. The first below is the B attitude followed by the corresponding woe from Chapter 23.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The language here indicates that his person is void of everything. Vs 13: 13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Here, we see the contrast being humility vs. pride & arrogance and the reward: kingdom of Heaven vs. hell. Notice here that the kingdom of heaven is speaking of a relational aspect. There in lies the difference between the Kingdom of God (personal involvement) The Kingdom of God requires involvement. The Kingdom of Heaven is a relationship. One is dependent on the other, for one cannot work as an ambassador for the kingdom of God without first being a part of the kingdom of heaven via a relationship with the King.

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In the B-Attitudes Jesus pronounces this woe to the Pharisees that keep people from the kingdom of heaven having not even been there them selves. In other words, they keep them a relationship with God by weighting them down with requirements. Here seems to be a good time to reiterate the fact that there is ONE

KING and ONE HIGH PRIEST and that person is Jesus Christ. Any authority we have comes from the King. As we saw in the earlier pages we are a delegate or princes of a kingdom of God which is breaking forth which puts for the rabbinical idea of a breach maker.

Being a part of the Kingdom of God requires an active role. Our job is to be breach

expanders for those that would come to Christ as He was the breach maker. This
term is derived from idea that to keep sheep safe at night, a wall was build by the shepherd facing a mountain causing the sheep to be penned. When the shepherd would come he would make a breach in the wall and call the sheep. His sheep would come and as each would go through the breach, they would knock down more of the wall.

: 'I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. I will surely gather the Remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold' (Bozrah); 'like a flock in the midst of its pasture. They shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.' v. 13'The Breaker goes up before them. They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. So their King goes on before them and Yahveh is at their head.' Micah 2:12
This is a Messianic prophesy of what Christ would be. He would be the shepherd that breaches the wall and the sheep would continue to run through the breached wall as they barrel through the gate made by the good shepherd. Today, Christ

stands on the other side and calls to His lambs and sheep on the Earth, both Jew and Gentile (Isaiah 42:6, John 10:1-18, etc.). We hear His voice and seek to follow Him into our eternal inheritance.

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Because the Church left its Hebraic roots 1900 years ago, it doesn't properly understand the verse which it translates as:

'From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.'
A wise man once said, 'The only thing Greek about the New Testament are the words. The concepts behind the words are all Hebraic as is the structure of many sentences. In most instances, one can get a good understanding from the Greek as to what God wants us to know. But in cases like this, we must translate the Greek back into Hebrew in order to understand what Christ said and the concept that is communicated. Once that happens it becomes clear that Jesus was pointing to Micah 2:13. The sentence should read like this:

'And from the days of John the Immerser until now, the Kingdom of Heaven is being breached and the breachers are possessing it.'
2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore, you will receive greater

condemnation. The contrast between the two is compassion vs. selfishness leading to the reward: comfort vs. greater condemnation

3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." The contrast here is controlled power vs. desire for Power over others. The Reward: Inherit the earth vs. hell.

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4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, `Whoever, swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever, swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.' 17 You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? The contrast: desire for the Godly spiritual vs. craving for the man made material. Reward: lust for material goods. filled to never thirst again vs. unquenchable

5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! The contrast: freedom in mercy vs. bondage in legalism. The respective reward: Not getting what we deserve vs. trial by the law.

6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Contrast: purity from the inside out vs. fancy faades over rotting corpses. Reward: Heaven vs. HELL

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7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (or living as if there

were never a law given). Contrast:

Word guided decisions vs. selfish decision

(as if there was never a law given) The reward: leads to peace vs. leads to death.

8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven 29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, `If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? The contrast: Gospel based persecution for not doing wrong vs. no persecution for being guilty. The respective reward: Born in the Kingdom of Heaven vs. Sentence of HELL. Again, we have a relationship in view.

Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. concerning this passage,

Wesley states this

A word of permission, not of command: as if he had said, I contend with you no longer: I leave you to yourselves: you have conquered: now ye may follow the devices of your own hearts. The measure of your fathers - Wickedness: ye may now be as wicked as they. Wesley

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These scribes and Pharisees adorn the tombs of the prophets and said they would not have done such things, yet they deny the very one that the prophets spoke of. Therefore, the measure of guilt of their fathers will be no less for them. As their fathers denied the words of the prophets and that lead to death and bondage, so will their denial lead to death and bondage. they didnt understand it. Although they were zealous for the law,

Jesus has just decimated the hypocritical Pharisees eight times; and ends with this reminder:

Vs 39 of 23 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Did Jesus speak an untruth? Over the course of the following days, they would see him all over the place. They put him to trial. He doesnt disappear. So how can this be? He is speaking to them nationally; until they ask HIM Back. They are not going to see Him as the Christ until the remnant asks Him back. Seeing they will not see and hearing they will not hear.

Notice last 3 verses of Matt 23. Within these verses we see the summary of all human history as Dr. Chuck Missler states: 1. Purpose: a. vs 37- how often would I have gather my children together God gathering his children to Him.. 2. Tragedy: a. vs 37 last 3 words.. and you would not.. Israel and individually through our unbelief. 3. Triumph: a. vs. 39: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Rejection nationally by

Ye shall

not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

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MATTHEW 24: Be sensitive The Jewishness of Matt. 24 which is the secret to understanding REVELATION. The context is the rejection of Israel, the indictment of Israel, and the return to Israel. This is the link from the Old Testament specifically the book of Daniel to the book of Revelation. To understand end time prophecy, and this

bridge book you have to get a handle on where you are coming from, where you are going and the height, width, and depth of the gulf the bridge spans.

Mat 24:1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. Luke 21 and 22 and Mark 13 and 14 are the parallel accounts. They are not exactly the same. They were highlighting the physical characteristics of the Temple.. Which Temple? Herods Temple. This highlighting of the temple gave opportunity for Jesus to go on to vs. 2.

2 And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down." 38 years later, Titus Vespasian and 4 Roman legions ransacked the city kill 1.6 million inhabitants of the city (which does not compare to the 6 million Jews murdered by Hitler). By a misunderstanding, the Temple was set fire to and the gold melted (Josephus). To retrieve the gold they had to disassemble the temple brick by brick to remove the gold.

3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, privately not all the disciples were with him. This is not a regular sermon that many would be listening. This is PRIVATE. This was not a teaching to the multitude. In Mark we learn there were 4 in this private briefing... Peter, James, John, and Andrew.

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saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what {will be} the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" What things; His comments about the temple being destroyed. This is one of the first instances that we see the disciples

realizing that Jesus is going away. They may not have understood or realized the events of the crucifixion. But finally, they understand he is somehow going away.

The word, END- synteleia the culmination or consummation of the present age.. Not the end of the world. This word end is a different word used in following places later in the book. Its the consummation of THAT PRESENT AGE. Later the word end will be used as meaning conclusion or completion.

Look at the questions asked, the sign of your coming AND the end of this present age? This question is very practical. How we relate to this question effects our very lives. Is the church going through the tribulation or not? This is not an academic chapter, it has major perspective builder that effects how you look at everything. Something to consider at this point:

HAS THE CHURCH BEEN INTRODUCED YET? The Church AINT there yet. The Church wont get introduced until Act 2 which is when we normally think of the birth of the church. The Church hasnt made its splash or it hasnt been revealed.

WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE, WOULD IT HAVE BEEN A CONCERN OF THE DISCIPLES? NO.. If this passage is silent to the circumstances both historically and prophetically of the future of the church, should that concern us, and should it take us by surprise if the CHURCH is not as intimately related to in this chapter? NO. Now, keep in mind this is the Matthew 24. Luke will take a divergence.

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4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. In the

Mark and Luke passages, he just says, For many will come in My name, saying, I am and will mislead many. The words, THE CHRIST was added to the original text for clarity. Mark 13:6 - For many shall come in my name, saying, I am

[Christ]; and shall deceive many. Luke 21:8 - And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

What He is saying is that there will those that will come CLAIMING TO BE THE Messiah.. The mashiyach nagiyd Messiah the King of Israel. They will deceive many. Dont misunderstand, there have been false Christs in the ages and there

will be others. False Christs are not a unique thing. The following list of signs to come should not get you excited because he says, The end is not here yet. He is saying be prepared because those things will happen between then and the end.

6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for {those things} must take place, but {that} is not yet the end. There is nothing unique about wars.

7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Nations against nations is not unique. Kingdom against Kingdoms has the hit that some scholars believe is a prophetic hint of world wars. We could go through all those and talk about books, but there have been those things in the beginning and they are getting more intense all the time.

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8 "But all these things are {merely} the beginning of birth pangs. The word use is

odin or labor pains experienced in child birth. If you wife has pains and they are 12
hours apart you warm up the car. Get 6 hours apart you probably make sure you have a full tank of gas. When they are 5 minutes apart you probably get on the phone. What is the characteristic of labor pains? They start in long frequencies and get shorter and shorter until the climax. They also get increasingly intense. TWO words:

FREQUENCE AND INTESITY.

Statistically we can see a trend of Chronicles of wars we

increasing frequency and intensity of earthquakes. Wars:

see the frequency an intensity of wars. We get more cleaver with our weapons that do more damage. He is talking about things that will happen such as famine, political, disease, and they will start small and get worse. All these are the BEGINNING of sorrows.

9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 "Many false prophets will arise and will

mislead many. 12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who endures to the end, [ telos the termination in which all

things cease ] he will be saved. 14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The word END here is telos- termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be

(always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time) Then
vs. 15

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15 "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), The Abomination That makes Desolate is more precise. The very fact that Christ is speaking give validates the book of Daniel and Daniels authority as a prophet. Not just some guy named Daniel; Daniel the PROPHET. There are those that wonder who wrote Daniel. Well Jesus said Daniel wrote Daniel. There is some THING that Daniel references that stands in the holy place. When Daniel asks questions about

this the angel tells Daniel dont try to understand it because it is sealed up until the time of the end.. One of the bizarre things about Daniel and Revelation are their
striking similarities between their idioms, images, etc. They are opposite in that

Daniel is SEALED and Revelation is OPEN. Revelation has a promise to the reader that those that read that book will be blessed. Read me Im special. Jesus said, let the reader understand This was not intended to be hidden or secret or sealed up. Jesus wants them and us to understand what the ABOMINATION THAT MAKES DESOLATE was all about.

Let the reader understand I think it is interesting that Luke has no admonishment that they understand yet Matthew and Mark do. Mathew and Mark also include the phrase So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors!. There is a church in Revelation in which Jesus is standing at the door and knocking. It is Laodicia the luke warm church. The church at Philadelphia is

promised this, 10Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. Rev. 3:10 (church of Philadelphia).

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OK Now What? Lets set Matthew aside for the Moment and go to Daniel Chapter 9.

Daniel 9: 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city,

This vision is given by Gabriel to Daniel. The scope of the prophecy: To whom? YOUR PEOPLE Who was Daniels people: Israel. JEWS To where? YOUR HOLY CITY Jerusalem. The main focus of Matthew 24 is what? The disciples and the city as a representation of ISRAEL as a NATION and the Temple. Clear reading of the text

To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.

We could take many of these and realize that they are not finished yet. We can look at Washington and see there is no end of sin. We can look at the gay rights

movement with all the picketing and see there is not transgression. We can get the sense that this is a larger completion that we have realized on the planet earth. We can then gather that the SEVENTY WEEKS ARE NOT DONE YET. Some would like to say that these were completed at the cross and yes reconciliation for iniquity was done then, but there has not been an end to SIN. As with Noah, God killed sinful men, but didnt destroy sin. Jesus made a way by which we could be free from the penalty of sin, but sin is still with us.

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We are going to have 70 WEEKS of YEARS.

70 weeks of years. There are 7

weeks, 62 weeks (7 + 62), then 1 more which makes 70 weeks. 1 week = 7 years. The 7 weeks and 62 weeks appear to be adjacent to one another which cover the beginning of the clock through the end of the 69th week. The natural division of the 70 weeks also indicates the 1 last remaining week of years (not weeks of days).

25 "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. Dan.9

Starting point (7 weeks and 62 weeks):

going forth of the commandment to restore

and build Jerusalem. Finishing point (7 weeks and 62 weeks): Messiah the Prince. If you take the 360 day lunar solar calendar year that the Babylonians and the Jews used you get (69 x 7 = 483 // 483 x 360 = 173,880 days)

The degree to rebuild JERUSALEM NOT THE TEMPLE to Nehemiah Artaxerxes Longimantus on March 14, 445 BC (historical fact), and count the days, you get April 6th, 32 AD which is the day that Jesus actual set up the events for him to ride into Jerusalem as Messiah the King. The only time in his ministry which he not only ALLOWED himself to hailed as Messiah but arranged his entrance.

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26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;

This verse introduces an idea of a gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. AFTER THE 62 they are implying that the 7 weeks had come and the 62 other weeks have passed. They are assuming the understanding that the first 7 weeks had been completed and then the 62 weeks are done making 69 weeks.

Vs 25 describes the time of the 69 weeks. Verse 26 describes events that are AFTER the 69th week BUT BEFORE the 70th week. Verse 27describes the events from of the 70th week.

After Messiah presents himself as King, He shall be cut off: The word is karath; to eliminate or kill. This same work means execution specifically for a capital crime. We see this in Leviticus and Psalms. Here in Daniel we have a proxy in the Old Testament that is going to be executed that would be alive during that day. but not for himself. You see, he would be a stand in; a proxy for sin. Executed for crimes he didnt commit. There are not many Jews today that would admit that their own scriptures required that their Messiahs execution.

And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Question: Who does the text say destroys the city and the sanctuary? The PEOPLE of the prince who is to come.. Not the prince(anti-christ) but his People. 38 years after Christ was crucified, the 4 Roman legions of Titus Vespasian encamped the city. There are very detailed records of the siege and the whole time that was recorded by a very well known historian who was an eye witness to the events named JOSEPHUS.

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He was not a believer, but his books provide great detail of the siege on 69 and 70 AD. After this foreshadow of a greater abomination to come, the Jews were This tells us a couple of things about the incarnate Christ. We know the

dispersed.

Messiahs first appearance would have to be 173,880 days after the decree to rebuild the Temple, If you want a Messiah, youve got to fit someone at that time.

The he in Daniel 9:27 is NOT Christ. Notice in the text that when speaking of Christ, It always references Jesus as Messiah the Prince (mishiyach naygiyd) or Messiah. Yet the translators in talking about the one who will confirm the covenant with the many is lowercase prince and is NEVER referred to as Messiah. This prince is a counterfeit.

It also says that there is a gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. What is the focus? The 69 weeks was focusing on Israel and the 70th week will focus on Israel. Paul deals with this in Romans 11 when he talks of Israel being blinded. God has set Israel aside while he goes out into the highways and bi-ways calling all who would come. This is us. He has not forsaken Israel; He will pick them back up again at the beginning of the 70th week. How long has that gap been? Over 1900 years. so far. The Church has a period of time and Israel has a period of time and they are both mutually exclusive of each other.

The Church started AFTER the 69th week of Daniel and will conclude prior to the beginning of the 70th week. Please dont confuse this with the times of the Gentiles. I believe the times of the Gentiles ended in 1967 when Mt. Sinai was under Jewish control. Who was this prince? Titus maybe Ceasar Maybe It maybe just the people of a coming gentile prince. It doesnt mean you have to be Roman in the sense that the Coming World Leader (Anti-Christ) will be Roman due to the fact that the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, look at the territory Rome encompassed at that time and lay it over the landscape of today.

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There are some other passages in Rev 17 and 13 (2 beasts one from the earth and one from the sea) and elsewhere that would indicate that the Coming World Leader (Anti-Christ) would be Roman. Mounce contends: There is little doubt that for John the beast was the Roman Empire as persecutor of the church. The late J. W. Roberts wrote: It seems clear that the first beast represents Imperial Rome.

And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. Rev.17:9

Seven Hills of Rome: The Seven Hills of Rome east of the Tiber form the heart of
Rome. The Seven Hills of early Rome were the Cermalus, Cispius, Fagutal, Oppius, Palatium, Sucusa, and Velia, figuring prominently into Roman mythology, religion, and politics; the original city was held by tradition to have been founded by Romulus on the Palatine Hill. The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the seven hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts. The other six are now the Aventine ,

the Capitoline, the Quirinal , the Viminal , the Esquiline , and the Caelian .

What we really should infer is that there will be a Western European Confederacy that begins between and among nations and ends up giving its power to a dictator that is OUTSIDE the 10 nation confederacy.. He is an ELEVENTH. He has all the answers and wins leadership by popularity.. He becomes powerful militarily. He has over 50 titles in the scriptures and one of them is the Prince that Shall Come.

What Gabriel is saying to Daniel is that the PEOPLE of this guy shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Thats why they say this guy is Roman or European because

they view this guy as connected with the PEOPLE that destroyed Jerusalem and the sanctuary. Daniel has a lot to say about him. Revelation has a lot to say about him.

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Paul in his 2 letter to the Thessalonians has a lot to say about him. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;

This says, many actually it is the many: Which is Israel. There are those that try to make this Jesus because he was crucified in the middle of the week. But be careful. The word he is a pro-noun that requires and antecedent. Who would that be? The prince (little p) that shall come. They confuse the Messiah the Prince (big P) with the prince that shall come. the temple. He was ZELOUS FOR IT. The Messiah didnt destroy the Jerusalem and

This one week is the 70th week. 69 years has been accounted for. Now Gabriel is giving him the 70th. This world leader makes a treaty or says he will enforce a treaty for 1 week or 7 years.

But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.

Who causes the sacrifices and the offerings to cease? The prince that shall come. This leader has a covenant with Israel for one week and in the middle of the week (3.5 years) he violates that covenant. Jesus would not do that. This coming world leader is going to stop the sacrifice and offering from occurring and set himself in the holy of holies and demand to be worshiped by all. This causes many to believe that the purpose of the treaty was one of peace that had to 2 characteristics: o o Reinstitute sacrifices (what has to be there in order to re-institute sacrifices) Rebuild the Temple

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And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

Abomination Is the worship of an Idol that makes them impure. This is the concept of fornication and spiritual adultery. We think of it as a violation in a sexual sense. This is used as a nation committing fornication to idols. The ultimate extreme of this is the Abomination that makes desolate. It has happened only one time before in Israels history: Antiochus Epiphanies set out to create the worst offense he could toward Israel. He did this by doing a couple of things. He slaughtered a sow on the altar. (look at the value structure) He erected an idol to Zeus in the holy of holies.

Israel was in pretty bad shape and under the rule of this guy which was about 138 135 BC. This event so disturbed the people that they revolted. This is the onset of the Macabeean Revolt.. (Judaus Maccabees) This is recorded in 1 & 2 Maccabees. Not apart of scripture, but serves as historical evidence. They cleansed the Temple and is still celebrated today by Jews in HANNAKUH. It is the celebration of the cleansing of the Temple.

We can get some insight as to what the Abomination of Desolation will look like. Jesus over 100 years later is talking to his disciples to them saying, when you see the abomination of desolation The Antiochus event could not be the one Jesus is talking about. This event happened in the PAST and Jesus is talking about one in the future. The abomination in Daniel 9 is referring to the same one Jesus is referencing. If they are the same [which they are] then BOTH Daniel 9 and Jesus in Matt 24 are talking about an abomination that makes desolate that is YET TO COME. The one Daniel is talking about is the FUTURE one. Antiochus is a shadow.

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As a separate matter, when looking at the events of 70AD as a possibility we find some discrepancies that make this date an impossibility as was discussed in the beginning pages of this document. It cannot be the over throw of Jerusalem in 70AD because there is NO evidence to even remotely suggest that any emperor stood in the holy place and set himself up as God. 2 Thess. 2:4 says,

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

This did not happen in 70 AD nor has it happened since. This is an event still in the future. There will be a time, when a man will cause the sacrifices to cease, do away with all other religions, and present himself in a newly built temple in the holy of holies, and present himself as God.

So what we have here is that there will be a European Confederacy made up of 10 nations (Dan. 2:7 // Rev. 13:17) and out of that will arise a leader. This leader will covenant with Israel. Isaiah 28 refers to this as the covenant with HELL. In the

middle of this covenant he will do away with it by forcing himself to be worshipped.

The general view is, by then, he has become so powerful that he can pull this off. Rev 13 speaks of 2 leaders; 1st) beast is a political leader maybe from western European heritage. 2nd) beast is a false prophet who causes the world to worship the first guys image. The image will speak almost like a droid thing.

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This SEVEN YEAR period is more documented than any other time period in the Bible. Those 7 years is spoken of as A week of years, week, time / times and the dividing of times; 3 years, 42 months, and 1260 days. Revelation 6 -19 is

essentially a handbook for the last half of the tribulation period or 3 years. We speak sloppily of that 7 year time period as the Tribulation Period. That is not entirely correct. The last 3 years is the Great Tribulation Period or the Time of Jacobs Trouble. The entire 7 weeks is more properly termed as the 70th week of Daniel. Some scholars like to call The first the beginning of sorrows.

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands up for the children of thy people:

Michael is always associated with Israel and is a military commander. In Dan. 12 he stands for the people. In Ex., he fights for the body of Moses. The rapture is

mentioned 2 times in these classic passages: 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4: 16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice

of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1st resurrection: The Lord descends with a SHOUT. I personally believe he is going to call me by name. Why do I say that? When he raises people from the dead he calls them by name. Remember Lazarus? He said, Lazarus come forth. If he didnt call him by name then all the dead would have come. So when He calls for you with a SHOUT you will know he is talking to YOU because HE will call YOU by name. Whose voice do we hear after that; the voice of the archangel and a trump. Why /

why the TRUMPET. There were 3 reasons the shofar was blown: 1) A call to worship, 2) A call to war,3) A call to GATHER or ASSEMBLE Israel together. Do not confuse this with the trump of God it is a different trumpet.

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This event ends the church and starts God turning his attention to Israel. I didnt say it begins the 70th week, because that is defined with the treaty. But with the ending of the church, God will turn his attention to Israel. I believe we are seeing this preparation today as droves of Jews are returning to their homeland. Gabriel: He always deals with Jesus Christ, announcing things that deal with The Son of God. In Daniel 9 He announces the coming of the Messiah, and in Luke; the birth and conception of the Christ.

(Dan 12:1 continued 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.

These are Daniels words that Jesus quotes from in Matt. 24. It is through Jesus quotes for this time period that we get the names for this period of time. Jesus is quoting from Daniel 12:1.

And [one] said to the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, How long [shall it be to] the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished. Dan. 12: 6&7.

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Matt 24 continued
15 "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

You cant go into the Holy of Holies unless you are a priest. You might go on the temple grounds, but you wont get too far. Only one person went in there once a year on Yom Kaptur to make atonement and after much ceremony purification. This event occurs in the Holy of Holies. How are YOU or THEM going to SEE this event that takes place in the Holy of Holies? Satellite TV.. CNN Foxmaybe..

16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those who are where? In Judea flee into the mountains. He doesnt say what to do if you are in Rome. He doesnt say what to do if you are in England. He doesnt say what to do if you are in Jonesboro Arkansas. The absence of United States in the book of Revelation doesnt mean its not there, it just may mean that the focus is somewhere else; namely Judea, Jerusalem, and Israel. worldwide, but the FOCUS is ISRAEL. Im not saying its local, its

17 "Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. They are not even to get anything in the house. They are to flee with the

clothes on their backs. WHY? Because there is one that is coming for them to kill them in order to prevent the recognition of Christ as the Messiah from that remnant.

18 "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Why do you think Jesus is telling these people to run and not look back? Do not even go get your cloak. Their ability to flee the country will be impaired.

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20 "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, Judea is virtually impassible in the winter. This is one of the reasons we know that Jesus was not born in December. No Roman administrator would have their people go for a census in the winter.

or on a Sabbath. This indicates that the Sabbath day will be enforce; They will be observing the Sabbath. LETS ASK THE BIG WHY? Why are they in such a big hurry? The cloak was their only means of warmth in the night. They are instructed not even to go into the house from the roof but to flee when they see the abomination of desolation. WHY? WHY? WHY? Are they (Israel) in so much danger? Satan knows that the

remnant of Israel has to petition the Lords return. He will be out to get the remnant pretty aggressively.

21 "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

The Great Tribulation was foreseen all the way back to Deuteronomy.

Deut. 4: 30- Then you are in tribulation and all these things come upon you

even in the later days, if you turn to the Lord your God and shall be obedient unto Him and his voice for the Lord you God is a merciful God, He will not forsake you neither destroy you nor forget the covenant of your fathers which he swore unto them.

For the next 1260 days, (3.5-years, 42 months) a portion of the nation is protected by the Lord, during this time the nation (Israel) comes to terms with their Messiah, concluding at the end of the 1260-days Jesus is Messiah. They then call out to Him, Jesus the rejected messiah, who returns in glory and power.

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Many Christians are surprised to learn that the Second Coming will be a rescue event. Jesus will return to planet Earth in order to rescue the believing Jewish remnant that is on the verge of being destroyed during the Campaign of Armageddon. is what Paul speaks of in Romans 10 when he tell us, I think this

Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:13-14).

In other words, the Jewish people are going to have to be believers in Jesus as their Messiah in order to be rescued by Him at the Second Advent. This is exactly what will happen. Paul also writes: Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one

born out of due time. 1 Corinthians 15:8 Out of due time for what? Who did Paul
desire the most to receive the gospel? Where would you find Paul preaching and to whom? Is there going to be another time when Jewish Believers preach the gospel to unbelieving Jews with power and authority? Could it be that Paul is saying that he felt like he would have better served the Lord being born spiritually in the Tribulation Period so he could be part of that 144,000 Jewish Gospel Force that is part of witnessing to the Jews? believers roaming the Earth? believers witnessing unafraid? Can you imagine 144,000 PAUL CLASS Jewish Can you imagine 144,000 SEALED PAUL CLASS

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The Old and New Testaments teach that before Christ can return to earth for His millennial kingdom, the nation of Israel must be converted to Jesus as Messiah and call on Him to save them. This is taught throughout the Bible:

Leviticus 26:40-42; If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And [that] I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised

hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
Jeremiah 3:14-18; Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. Hosea 5:15 tells us, I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me. Until

tells us that the nation will one day turn to the Lord, as does the following context. Jesus Himself spoke an important until to the nation in Matthew 23:39 when He said, For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, Blessed is He

who comes in the name of the Lord!

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The Apostle Peter tells the Jewish nation that it will not see Jesus again until its people: Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that

times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time (Acts 3:19- 21). This, then, is the twofold basis of the Second
Coming (not the rapture); Israel must 1) confess her national sin, and then plead for Messiah to return, to mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son.

Zech 12:9-10 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
What does this say about the Nazi attempt at extermination of the Jewish Race? If that is true, there is a time yet future that will make that look pale by comparison. You will see these signs, never again. The tragic truth is, there will be.

22 "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. This is a quote from Daniel 12. NO FLESH Worldwide. Who are the elect at this point? Israel and their converts that come out of the Tribulation Period are the elect at this point. Revelation 7 and 14 they cannot be numbered out of every tribe, tongue and nation.

In the near future the 144,000 will be sent out to start churches, spread the gospel, declare the kingdom even to the point of death and martyrdom. The fuse that sets off the whole thing is the image set up for worship in the holy of holies. This was first seen in Exodus 20 (10 commandments). Notice the length of all the commandments but the one that deals with no other God but God is the longest and most detailed.

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REMEMBER:

The church was not formed until Acts 2. Even if the church started

when Jesus breathed on them in John, it is still an event that is POST RESURRECTION.

23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There {He is,}' do not believe {him.} 24 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show

great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 "Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, {or,} 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe {them.} 27 "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

He is talking about false Christs between now and the time we are out of here (The

Rapture).

He IS NOT talking about people who call themselves Christ (false

Christs) prior to the rapture. He says, THEN they will say behold the Christ and they will do signs and wonders to deceive the entire world. There has not been anyone who fits that bill. They are saying that the vast majority of the population of the world will be deceived. In the L.A. Times (4/25/82) there was a full page ad which also appeared in every major newspaper in the world.

28 "Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will gather. Eagles are not scavengers. Vultures go after dead things.

This is a tough one.

In Job 39, they are seen as scavengers-

Job 39:27-30- 27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? 28 On the rock it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. 29 From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. 30 Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is."

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This may be a hint at Armageddon. One of the characteristics of that battle there is a call to the birds to come and feast on the dead.

29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

This should sound familiar:

It is a paraphrase of the 6th seal in Revelation. Powers of the heavens will be

Darkness is mentioned all through the scripture.

shaken. These are often used in an astronomical sense. It is likely that the powers of the heavens may mean something more. SATAN and his clan do. Who has access to heaven now? He accuses the

Remember they come against Job.

brethren. There is a point in which they are cast out.

Colossians 2:16 says that, having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a

shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

We know that when Satan is cast out, He knows he has but a little time.

He no

longer will have access to the throne from that time forward. He is then confined to the planet earth. He knows his only chance at survival is to prevent the remnant from making their petition.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we are alive and remain with them shall be caught up

together with them in the clouds and so shall we meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

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The emphasis in the rapture is WERE we meet Him. We meet him in the AIR. Why does he pick the air? Who is the prince of the power of the Air? SATAN. In

Revelation, we have 7 seals that lead to 7 trumpets that lead to the climax of 7 bowls of wrath, the last of which is poured out onto or into what? Satans realm. He catches us away in HIS domain. THE AIR or

30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

ALL the tribes of the earth, not of Jacob, but of the earth will mourn. There is a common term in the book of Revelation that is given to those that reject the signs, despise and curse God, and give gifts as the witness lay in the street: Earth dwellers. going on. In order for them to mourn, they had to be educated a bit as to what was

Zachariah 12:2-3- Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem. (3)And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

It is also interesting that Zachariah states that this little nation of Israel will be a cup of trembling to all people or the whole world. It has to sea board. Its not even acknowledged to some countries. Who will one day be gathered against Israel? ALL PEOPLE; not just 4 legions of Roman soldiers.

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And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Zach 12:9

God is going to take this quite seriously. Who was gathered against Israel? ALL PEOPLE. Who will God seek to destroy? ALL WHO COME AGAINST ISRAEL. At this time, will the CHURCH (Acts 2 Rapture) be here? NO. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was a tragedy, yet it was not all nations; it was one.

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn. Zach. 12:10

The Holy Spirit is not pulled out of this period, He is SET ASIDE. working, though not in the same sense as He does now. ___________... UPON.. Epi Not in or en but UPON.

He is still

He is poured out

They shall look upon

whom? Me whom they have pierced.. who is this CHRIST.. This is interesting to see in the OT when the method of punishment was not crucifixion but stoning. Crucifixion was invented by Romans in 90 BC; Hundreds of years after this was written.

In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. Zach 12:11

Rev 16:16- And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

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Why are they mourning? Because they recognize who the Messiah was all along. They recognize their blindness and they come to the realization that Christ is Messiah. Their past come flooding to them of how they crucified Him and rejected Him. They recognize that this is not a guy that champions a worth while issue;

Christ is the Messiah and the call on his name as a nation.

2 Thessalonians is actually the third letter to them. The first letter Paul gets them excited about the Rapture, then second letter is a forgery written by someone pretending to be Paul, and the third letter to them, which is actually the REAL 2nd letter from Paul who is dealing with that forgery.. Thats why vs. 2 says, That ye

be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

2 Thessalonians 2:3- Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not

come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

WHAT DAY?

The Second Coming Not the Rapture (see vs. 4) Before the Lord

can come again (not the rapture) this man of sin must be revealed. Son of perdition is only used one other time to talk of who? JUDAS

2 Thessalonians 2:4- Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God,

or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

This guy is going to present himself as being above God. As a matter of fact, he will present himself AS God. What is 2 Thessalonians 2:4 describing? ABOMINATION THAT MAKES DESOLATE. THE

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The reference to Daniel 9 is not a reference to just the destruction of Jerusalem. Jerusalem may be called a holy city, but the reference is clear that the abomination being discussed is one in which a MAN will sit in the temple of God and CALL HIMSELF GOD. This did NOT happen in 70AD. Scripture doesnt say that it did. History doesnt say that it did. Was it a desolation; yes. Was it the abomination that makes desolate NO. THERE WAS NO IDOL SET UP IN THE HOLY OF HOLIES. As a matter of fact, history records that the destruction of the Temple was an accident and Nero had died 2 years earlier.

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 2 Thessalonians 2:5-6

Paul, in his short time there, thought it valuable to teach them of the second coming. you know what withholdeth.. Who is this talking about? HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is the restrainer. In 1 Thessalonians. Paul taught a pre-tribulation rapture eschatology. Had Paul taught a Preterist view, then they should have been

rejoicing. What Paul taught was they were not appointed to WRATH and they would not see this terrible day of the Lord that the world had not seen nor will EVER see. He taught the bride would be gone prior to those events. When many of them

started dying, they were troubled that the harpazo had taken place and they were left do deal with the events of the Tribulation period.

Only Matthew speaks of watching for the Antichrist (Matt. 24:15), but he is speaking to the Jews living in Israel in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt Temple. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,Matt. 24: 15

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The Thessalonians were frightened because they had thought that the Day of the Lord had come or was under way and they missed the rapture. They were living in terrible persecution and some had died. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to comfort them during this time of trouble. The 3 weeks that Paul was with them earlier, he taught them things concerning the End Times. This thought of them missing the catching away or rapture frightened them because it was CONTRARY to what Paul had taught while he was there.

we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ [LORD] had come. 2 Thess 2:2

He is using as an anchor point the teaching that they had already received about the rapture and the Day of the Lord. Some version say that the Day of the Lord is at handThis is not correct. They were not afraid that The Day of the Lord was coming, but that they were IN IT. The term shaken is referencing something is shaking them from the OUTSIDE; like a different teaching in a letter not written by Paul or by someone outside of their church. The idea that they were upset over a teaching that Paul gave them is absurd and does not fit with the interpretation of shaken.

The external outside teaching that spooked them was that the Day of the Lord has ARRIVED and is UPON them. They have the impression that the day of the Lord was upon them. They thought they missed the Rapture. (Paul taught a PreTribulation Rapture) Paul will go on to explain that they were not in the Great Tribulation because if they were, certain signs would be present. These people would only be shaken by the thought of the Great Tribulation only if they had been taught by Paul that they would escape Tribulation which is consistent with the OT types and shadows and NT teaching.

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If Paul would have taught that the Great Tribulation was coming in the Middle or at the end, what would their reaction have been? It would have been one of Joy because the Lords return was SOON and the rapture was coming. Its all going to be ending soon.

[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.2 Thess. 2:9- 10

Paul in the previous verses listed 3 reasons as to why the tribulation period could not have began. Vs. 1-5 deal with the error of what they were thinking. Thinking that the Day of Judgment was UPON them ALREADY. Vs. 6 & 7 Talks about the RESTRAINER. Vs 8-12 Insight to the career of the Anti-Christ.

It is interesting that rationalism says there is no such thing as miracles, yet this guy will show up doing them. The tragic thing about rejecting the gospel is the stupid stuff we put in HIS place. You have the neo-intellectual conversations about does God exist. Then you follow these guys that say he does not and see what they worship. We truly do become like that which we worship.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: 2 Thess 2:11

Your Bible may have a lie but there the original text is the. A definite article THE There is a specific lie this man of sin will get people to believe. What is the ultimate lie? The most famous false hood; That we are gods and Christ wasnt. (my belief) New Age is fine; Judaism and Christianity are not accepted. world religions are. Most other

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Back to Matt 24; 31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 32 "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has

already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;
33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, {right} at the door.

Fig Tree:

Hosea 9:10- He speaks of Israel as grapes and figs.

Jeremiah: 24:

Speaks of 2 baskets of figs good and bad. These are like Israelites.. vs 8 talk of bad Israelites. Joel 1:6&7 Speaks of a nation coming upon his land and against his vine and fig tree. both speak of Israel (Could be Jerusalem as the fig and Israel as the vine). Isaiah 5 and Pslam 80 speaks of the Nation of Israel. Isaiah 5: He is talking about his vineyard.. vs 7 and the vineyard of the Lord is house of Israel and the men of Judah as his pleasant plant. The Fig Tree focuses on the House of Judah.

The parable of the fig tree in Matt and Mark make sure that you know that its a fig tree. When things start turning green, it goes quickly. What things? All these things that he has been talking about. TRIBULATION PERIOD. Know that summer is near?

Is he talking about SUMMER? NO --- The answer to the question that started this whole thing What will be the sign of your COMING? What coming: The 2nd Coming.

Here is what he is saying. Just as the fig tree will put on leaves you know that summer is near, when you see these things, Tribulation Events know that the Coming of the Son of Man is near and will come Just as FAST.. And that this

generation, the generation that sees the signing of the peace treaty will see it all.

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34 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Here is the footnote that throws everybody off. This Generation.

There are 3

views: The generation that sees these signs will see them all.. What is the beginning of these signs? The emergence of the nation of Israel. May 14, 1948? Jerusalem 1967. How long is a generation?

Some mean that the perpetuation of Israel throughout time. Generation = Israel. Trouble is that everything that we speak of implies that Israel will be there. So this statement would be meaningless. The disciples would not die until all these things would come to pass. Well thats not true. WE can speculate. It may mean that the generation that sees the beginning of the TRIBULATION PERIOD.

36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. days of Noah. 37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the

38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and

drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

The day of the Lord means a time period. Peter says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. This went on for 120 years. He tried to let them know but they

would not listen. Is there anything wrong with eating and drinking? NO is there anything wrong with marrying and being given in marriage? NO this is one of three places that the Lord talks of Noah and the end times.

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Matt 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Noah entered the Ark 7 days before the rain started.

Does this mean that after

Noah enter the Ark, things started happening on a global scale such as enormous earthquakes, catastrophic meteors, fires, pestilence, disease, that caused people to stop marrying, stop rejoicing, stop celebrating? Humm..

Noah was sealed in the Ark from all this. Who closed the door of Noahs Ark? God. Could Noah have gotten out if he had wanted to? I dont think so. Did Noah want to? I dont think so.

40 "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 "Two women {will be} grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. In another account there is another added: two men in bed, one will be taken and the other left. This is a picture of the rapture. The GLOBE will be taken by surprise. Women grind at the mill in the morning to make the meal for the day; In the field during the day; A sleep at night. We have morning, noon, and night. This will be a

worldwide event. This also suggests the world was round, but more importantly, this is not a localized event.

42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. This is the doctrine of immanent domain. Be watchful for no one knows the time. What is THEREFORE there for? Because of these things. Rapture and the Tribulation Period. What Things? The

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43 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Be sure of what? That if someone knew when the Lord was coming, he would have sought to prepare.

44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think {He will.} you should be ready? No, YOU MUST BE READY. You do not know when He is coming. Some things to remember when reading the next portion of scripture; 1. Some people try to make this a parable concerning only one servant. 2. There are 2 servants here which are in contrast. 3. If you dont see this then, it will confuse your security of the believer view. 4. Jesus is Master of all and will judge all.

COMPARING ACCOUNTS LUKE (was a Gentile) Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple MATTHEW Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple (Jew) MARK Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

5 Then, as some spoke of 24Then Jesus went out 13Then as He went out of the temple, how it was and adorned with departed from the the temple, one of His said see stones to Him, what and

beautiful temple, and His disciples disciples

stones and donations, He came up to show Him the "Teacher, said, 6 "These things which buildings of the temple. 2 manner you see--the days of

will And Jesus said to them, what buildings are here!" 2 And Jesus

come in which not one "Do you not see all these

stone shall be left upon things? Assuredly, I say to answered and said to him, another that shall not be you, not one stone shall be "Do you see these great thrown down." left here upon another, buildings? Not one stone

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that shall not be thrown shall be left upon another, down." that shall not be thrown down."

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

7 So they asked Him,

3 Now as He sat on

3 Now as He sat on Mount of Olives temple,

saying, "Teacher, but when the Mount of Olives, the the will these things be? And disciples came to

Him opposite

the

what sign will there be privately, saying, "Tell us, Peter, James, John, and when these things are when will these things be? Andrew asked Him

about to take place?"

And what will be the sign privately, 4 "Tell us, when of Your coming, and of the will these things be? And end of the age?" what will be the sign when all these things will be

8 And He said: "Take heed that you not

And and

Jesus fulfilled?" said to 5 And Jesus,

be answered

deceived. For many will them: "Take heed that no answering them, began to come in My name, saying, one deceives you. 5 For say: "Take heed that no 'I am He,' and, 'The time many will come in My one deceives you. 6 For has drawn near.' name, saying, 'I am the many will come in My

Therefore do not go after Christ,' and will deceive name, saying, 'I am He,' them. 9 But when you hear many. 6 And you will hear and will deceive many. 7 of wars and commotions, of wars and rumors of But when you hear of do not be terrified; for wars. See that you are not wars and rumors of wars, these things must come to troubled; for all

these do not be troubled; for

pass first, but the end will things must come to pass, such things must happen,

not come immediately."

but the end is not yet.

but the end is not yet.

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10 Then He said to them, against "Nation will

7 For nation will rise nation,

8 For nation will rise nation, and

rise against

and against

nation,

and kingdom against kingdom. kingdom against kingdom. there in will be

kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, And 11 And there will be great [fn2] earthquakes in pestilences, in

and earthquakes

various

various earthquakes

various places, and there will be [fn1] and

places, and famines and places. 8 All these are the famines pestilences; and there will beginning of sorrows. be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.

[Luke switches gears and [Matthew continues with say, BUT BEFORE ALL things AFTER the

THESE THINGS, or before beginning of sorrows] the beginning of sorrows --- ] 12 But before all these 9

"Then
you

they up

will

9 "But watch out for

things, they will lay their deliver

hands on you

to yourselves, for they will

and tribulation and kill you, and deliver you up to councils,

persecute you, delivering you will be hated by all and you will be beaten in

you up to the synagogues nations

for

My

name's the synagogues. You will

and prisons. You will be sake. 10 And then many [fn2] be brought before brought before kings and will be offended, will rulers and kings for My

rulers for My name's sake. betray one another, and sake, for a testimony to 13 But it will turn out for will hate one another. 11 them. 10 And the gospel you as an occasion for Then many false prophets must first be preached to

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testimony.

14

Therefore will rise up and deceive all the nations. 11 But 12 And because when they arrest you and

settle it in your hearts not many.

to meditate beforehand on lawlessness will abound, deliver you up, do not what you will answer; 15 the love of many will grow worry beforehand, [fn3] for I will give you a mouth cold. 13 But he who or premeditate what you

and wisdom which all your endures to the end shall be will speak. But whatever adversaries will not be able saved. to contradict or resist. 16 You will be betrayed even the is given you in that hour,

14 And this gospel of speak that; for it is not kingdom will be you who speak, but the Spirit. will 12 Now betray

by parents and brothers, preached in all the world Holy relatives and friends; and as a witness to all the brother

they will put some of you nations, and then the end brother to death, and a to death. 17 And you will will come. be hated by all for My name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls. father children

his
will

child; rise

and up

against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the

The

Destruction

of

end shall be saved.

Jerusalem

20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by

armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not

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those

who

are

in

the

country enter her. 22 For these are the days of

vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those babies who in are those

nursing

days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the

Gentiles are fulfilled.

[This happened in 70 AD..]

[Those

heeding

Lukes

advice were saved because they did run for the hills prior to Tituss destruction of Jerusalem.]

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[NOTE:

LUKE

DOESNT THE THAT

MENTION ABOMINATION

MAKES DESOLATE IN HIS ACCOUNT]

1. His account mostly deals with the of

destruction Jerusalem. 2. His audience

was

mostly Gentiles. The Tribulation deals the Israel. 3. The be church raptured would out mostly remnant Period with of

prior to the events of the Tribulation occurring,

Period

so, they would not be concerned with the Abomination of Desolation, when

Matthews audience would be.

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The Great Tribulation 15 "Therefore when The Great Tribulation you see the 'abomination

of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel

the prophet, the

14 "So when you see

'abomination

of

standing in the holy place" desolation,' (whoever reads, let him Daniel understand),

spoken of by prophet,

the

standing where it ought not"

(let the reader

[Different desolation than understand), in Luke]

16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him "then let those who

who is on the housetop are in Judea flee to the not go down to take mountains. 15 Let him

anything out of his house. who is on the housetop 18 And let him who is in not go down into the

the field not go back to house, nor enter to take get his clothes. 19 But anything out of his house. woe to those who are 16 And let him who is in pregnant and to those who the field not go back to are nursing babies in get his clothes. 17 But

those days! 20 And pray woe to those who are

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that your flight may not be pregnant and to those who

in

winter

or

on

the are

nursing

babies

in

Sabbath. 21 For then there those days! 18 And pray

will be great tribulation, that your flight may not be such as has not been since in winter. 19 For in those the beginning of the world days until this time, no, there will be

nor

tribulation, such as has not been since the

ever shall be.

22 And

beginning of the creation unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's

but for the

elect's sake those days will be shortened.

23 "Then if anyone
says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to

sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

21 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He

is there!' do not believe it.

22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show to signs deceive, and if

deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

wonders 26 "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out;

possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

or 'Look, He is in the

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inner

rooms!'

do

not

believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the

coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the

eagles will be gathered together.

The Coming of the Son of The Coming of the Son of Man Man The Coming of the Son of Man 25 "And there will be 29 "Immediately after of those 24 "But in those days,

signs in the sun, in the the tribulation moon, and in the stars; and days the sun

will

be after that tribulation, the

on the earth distress of darkened, and the moon sun will be darkened, and nations, with perplexity, will not give its light; the the moon will not give its 25 the stars of

the sea and the waves stars will fall from heaven, light;

roaring; 26 men's hearts and the powers of the heaven will fall, and the failing them from fear and heavens will be shaken. 30 powers in the heavens the expectation of those Then the sign of the Son will be shaken. 26 Then things which are coming on of Man will appear in they will see the Son of

the earth, for the powers heaven, and then all the Man coming in the clouds of the heavens will be tribes of the earth will with great power and

shaken. 27 Then they will mourn, and they will see glory. 27 And then He will see the Son of Man coming the Son of Man coming on send His angels, and

in a cloud with power and the clouds of heaven with gather together His elect great glory. 28 Now when power and great glory. 31 from the four winds, from

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these

things

begin

to And

He

will

send

His the farthest part of earth

happen, look up and lift up angels with a great sound to the farthest part of your heads, because your of a trumpet, and they will heaven. redemption draws near." gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. The Parable of the Fig Tree The Parable of the Fig (Matt.

24:32-35;

Mark Tree
(Mark

The Parable of the Fig

13:28-31)

13:28-31;

Luke Tree
(Matt.

29 Then He spoke to 21:29-33) them a parable: "Look at

24:32-35;

Luke

32 "Now learn this 21:29-33) 28 "Now learn this

the fig tree, and all the parable from the fig tree: trees. 30 When they are When already budding, you see already its branch

has parable from the fig tree: its branch has

become

tender When

and know for yourselves and puts forth leaves, you already

become

tender,

that summer is now near. know that summer is near. and puts forth leaves, you 31 So you also, when you 33 So you also, when you know that summer is near. see these things see all these things, know 29 So you also, when you

happening, know that the that it is near--at the see

these

things

kingdom of God is near. 32 doors! 34 Assuredly, I say happening, know that it is Assuredly, I say to you, this to you, this generation will near--at the doors! 30 generation will by no means by no means pass away till Assuredly, I say to you, pass away till all things all these things take place. this generation will by no take place. 33 Heaven and 35 Heaven and earth will means pass away till all earth will pass away, but pass away, but My words these things take place. 31 My words will by no means will by no means pass Heaven pass away. (the generation that sees those things happenaway. and earth will

pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

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Here, Jesus is indicating that this desecration will happen again and that this time it will usher in a period that Jesus Himself labels "the Great Tribulation" (quoting from Daniel and which Jeremiah called "the time of Jacob's trouble."5 (Both Matthew's and Mark's renderings also include the parenthetical admonition to the reader for understanding!)

The truth is we have a blessed hope of a resurrection where we will know Him as He is. We that know the Lord were NOT appointed to wrath but will be saved from that time of trouble known as the tribulation period. This is all the more reason to go out and declare the gospel of Christ so as to avoid not only hell, but this terrible time that is coming upon those that do not believe.

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