SPECIAL NOTE: I miss counted the episodes it is not 5 it is 6 of them.. sorry for the confusion .

Intro

This is Dreamwalker1960, and welcome to another podcast.

Today we will continue our look into the Olivet Discourse. Fair warning this particular broadcast will be a bit long due to all the information I am going to present.

Discussion

Signs of the Great Tribulation

As Jesus spoke to His apostles on the Mount of Olives. To answer the two questions, they had posed to Him. He began by describing the signs of the world and human behavior before the coming judgment. These signs were addressed in the previous parts of this series. Now Jesus tells His disciples of the tribulation itself.

Now it must be noted that he mentions the defilement of the holy area in a temple. At this present time there is no Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The fact that there will be is another sign that the coming tribulation is near or in effect. It must also be noted who the audience of the discourse is. They are all Jewish. At this time there is no one that is truly “Christian” in existence at this time.

Matthew 24:15-25 – “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. 23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

When this third temple is defiled those within Israel are told to flee from there immediately not even bothering to gather anything. For that moment to hesitate will be enough to mean their death. He says that this time will be far more arduous than at any other time in recorded history, and the only thing that will save the human race itself will be that God puts an end to it.

Then he shows that the anti-christ, the false messiah well have powers and abilities, as well as his prophet that will cause even those true to God to have cause to wonder and ponder. However, they will see the truth and overcome, for they will know the teachings of the Bible or the Tanakh and know that these humans are liars and are of the devil. Now as noted before this is directed to the Jewish people. There is evidence that at this time there will be no “Christians” presents during this time.

It is also important to note that at this point this is all He says about the tribulation period. He instead goes right to the point of answering the question probed by the twelve. His return.

The Second coming of Christ

Matthew 24:26-31 – “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.

29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Now there are those that see the events in verse 31 as the Rapture. However, this is not the case.

Revelation 3:10-12 – “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

It is this promise that shows that the rapture, or as I refer to it as the first rapture, and the events that occur at the return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation are two separate events.

As we look at verse 31 from Matthew in the KJV:

“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.”

We see that the term chosen ones goes to elect

Elect – G1588 – eklektos – chosen out, elect, choice, select: of those chosen out by God for the rendering of special service to Him (of the Hebrew race, particular Hebrews, the Messiah, and the Christians)

In this case though since the Christians are removed before the Tribulation, and finally at the midpoint of the Tribulation as is promised in Revelation 3:10, and completed in Revelation chapter 7. This must mean the Hebrews or Jewish people.

So, this is the third Rapture and is of the Jewish people. The First Rapture takes place before the Tribulation begins and is as shown above for those Christians that have been loyal unto to God through His Son Jesus Christ. The Second Rapture occurs at the midpoint of the Tribulation at which time the third temple is desecrated. It is here that those that are martyred in the name of Christ will be called up before the Throne of God. It is also at this time that 144,000 will receive the mark of God and will bear witness through the last half of the tribulation. Since it is clearly shown that the 144,000 are all Jewish adds more evidence that the third Rapture which happens as Christ returns is solely for the Jewish people. The chosen are the promised nation of God unto Abraham.

The Second coming will be an event that will be witnessed by the entire globe and will take at least a full day to accomplish as Christ appears at a fixed point in the sky above and the earth which rotates below Him and all will see that Christ is real and He has returned. None will be able to question this.

The parable

Now it is important that we understand the import of the parable. Jesus when He started His ministry to the Jewish people He would talk plainly and openly. However they rejected Him. His sole purpose was to be the true Messiah, the true King to Israel. Yet they turned their backs upon Him. When this rejection became all too clear to all involved Jesus stopped speaking plainly. Instead He started to speak in parables.

Now he is talking exclusively to his apostles, yet he gives them a parable. This is twofold. The main reason is due to the fact that even though they are His chosen twelve they too are blind to the full truth. The other is that when it is time that the gospels be written that this parable be included so that those with the eyes will see and the ears hear.

Matthew 24:32-33 – “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.

When these signs that He has mentioned, especially those spoken by Him in verse 4 through 14 then we will know that the return of Jesus Christ to this planet is near.

The sign of Noah

Matthew 24:34-39 – I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

He makes it very clear that life will be going on as usual, just as it was before the flood which destroyed the civilization in which Noah lived in before the deluge. Christ has given us signs to look for and they are now being fulfilled worldwide. Time is running out and too many don’t know nor care, for all that is important to them is themselves. It must also be noted that Christ is also speaking in a more direct matter as to how the people of the time of Noah and how the people at Christ return will be acting. The people in Noah’s time lived in an extremely sinful and selfish manner. Caring only for their own pleasures and desires having forgotten about God and His wants for humanity.

You must be ready and alert

Matthew 24:40-51 – “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. 42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. 45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now I wish to show you this from 1 Thessalonians then we will discuss these passages:

5:1-11 – Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. 4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Just so you understand once again. There were two questions asked by the apostles to Jesus. There are two answers given, but in a way that gives details that has left many confused and mislead. From verse 4 through 31 of Matthew 24, Jesus described the end of the known world at this time. Verses 32 through 51 describe His return.

Now note that in the first part there is mentioning of signs and wonders. The darkening of the sun no light from the moon. The stars hidden. Those of evil perform signs and wonders. These are all things that none can deny for all will see them. So how can the return of Christ be like a thief in the night? A surprise. It cannot.

So even though the return is spoken of by Christ. It actually occurs before the events he has just spoken of in the previous section. Yet there is mention of a type of rapture in the first part which people will say and question at this point. Yes that is true, but the wording is very clear here as was shown earlier.

There will be three raptures. The first is what is being referred to by Jesus at this time. The second will occurs at the midpoint of the Tribulation period when the third temple is desecrated by the anti-christ. The third will occur as described in verse 31 and will deal only with the Jewish people.

How else can Jesus come as a thief in the night?

It must be at a time when no one is looking or expecting him. It is as like the times before the great flood. People will be living their lives as if nothing has changed. Nothing has occurred to give them pause or wonder.

Jesus Himself promised that those that are alert will not partake of the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10), but those of the tribes of Israel that have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah will. Why? Because they denied Him when He walked amongst them nearly two thousand years ago. It is those of the tribes of Israel that are called the elect that He will gather them unto Him upon His return. For further confirmation of this, read the following:

Revelation 7:1-7 – Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” 4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: 5 from Judah 12,000 from Reuben            12,000 from Gad 12,000 6 from Asher 12,000 from Naphtali 12,000 from Manasseh 12,000 7 from Simeon 12,000 from Levi 12,000 from Issachar 12,000 8 from Zebulun 12,000 from Joseph 12,000 from Benjamin 12,000

These are the select, the elect, and the chosen. All from the tribes of Israel. These are those that verse 31 is referring to and no others. For those that left when Christ returned as a thief in the night are already gone. So how can they leave a second time? Then this is prove there will be multiple raptures. One for those that stayed alert. One for those that were martyred during the first half of the Tribulation and the third will be as mentioned earlier.

This is referred to as the Partial Rapture Theory, which I happen to feel is actually true to the teachings of the Bible.

SPECIAL NOTE: There is a need to address those that form the second rapture. First, they are uncountable. (Revelation 7:9). Second, they are from the tribulation itself. (Revelation 7:14) The reason for this is the fault of those that are now here upon this earth as we near the soon return of Jesus Christ for the first rapture. It is the fault of those that removed God from the schools. It is the fault of those that call themselves “Christian” and make no effort to teach those they encounter of God and His Son and what Christ sacrificed for all of humanity. Many though will get their chance to redeem themselves for these errors when they find themselves left behind after the first rapture. That is why there are so many that finally awaken to the truth and turn to the Creator of all things. The Lord God Almighty. The only true down side will be the suffering they must endure in the first half of the tribulation.

In the next part of this series we will look into chapter 25 of Matthew.

God Bless