- Oct 8, 2019
- 239
- 82
- 71
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
I wrote some information on this that I shared with a social media site owner on another site. It will take a few minutes to read.“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:” Revelation 1:1 (KJV 1900)
“And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.” Revelation 22:6 (KJV 1900)
Why is it most still look for the visions of Revelation to be fulfilled in the distant future? When Jesus said they would soon come to pass - nearly 2000 years ago?
Could it be we are like a person who misses his turn and still looks for it 2000 miles down the road? Someone too stubborn to take another look at the map?
THE LAST DAYS
Article’s author: messenger aka Woke
In Matthew chapters 24 and 25 Christ spoke of circumstances that occur preceding the world’s end. He didn’t explain how long those last. He didn’t use the phrase “last days,” but he called some of those circumstances “the beginning of birth pains,” while answering the question, “what will be the sign of your coming and end of the age?" (See Matthew 24:3) That question centered on Christ’s return, which is associated with the end of an age. Compare Matthew 13:39-40 to Matthew 24:3 and note that “end of the age,” in those scriptures, means when the world ends. Almost everything he said in Matthew chapters 24 & 25 was in response to that one question, not his apostles’ first question about Jerusalem’s temple stones getting knocked down. Christ’s response primarily consisted of circumstances on Earth before he comes rather than when. Those circumstances could be interpreted collectively as a sign, but only if viewed collectively. Leave one of them out, and the sign is not present per Christ’s words. Part of that sign is a worldwide great tribulation- See Matthew 24:32-34. In those scriptures Christ tells Christians the sign points to his return only once it is complete, totally complete to be redundant.
He started by describing wars, reports of wars, earthquakes and food shortages occurring in various places, and he said some Christians would find those notable, take them as the sign of his return, start teaching the end is imminent, and by doing that mislead themselves and other Christians. See Luke 21:8,9. Christ called those events, “the beginning of birth pains.” But those type of events occur in every historical period. So do you see a couple of reasons why some Christians misinterpret Christ’s answer to his apostles’ question? That phrase, “the beginning of birth pains,” might be one. Some Christians assume the birth must come soon after the birth pains begin, or soon after a part of them begin, without holding Christ to his word that all the things he said must occur before his return. Watchtower is one group that makes that assumption, as it looks to a sign of “the last days,” instead of the sign of Christ’s return. In doing so WT failed to include major circumstances Christ said must occur to form the sign he spoke of, e.g. a worldwide great tribulation, and signs in heaven. The nature of Christ’s answer to the question is a reason some read it incorrectly. Christ incorporated so much information in his answer many people can’t see the tree he spoke about, because of the forest surrounding it, or the forest for the trees, whichever way you want to look at it. They look for a sign of the last days and do not realize Christ was telling us what circumstances will exist in this world from the time he left it, until he comes back. Thus his use of the phrase, “the beginning of birth pains.” Last days to God is different than how some Christians view that term as it was actually used by the apostles in their writings.
{As WT and other religious groups misinterpret Christ’s response as a sign pointing to the “Last Days” of this world, other Christians misinterpret Christ’s response claiming it was a sign pointing to the “Last Days” of the Jewish system in AD 70. Therefore, as I continue, I’ll address both beliefs.}
Christ went on to list how the world would treat his disciples, saying they would live lives of difficulty. Trying circumstances for Christians did not stop when Jerusalem was destroyed. They continue to this day. And they do not start and then stop and then start again, as if they occur during two or more time periods separated by breaks. Christian persecutions and betrayals occur during one time period. And it’s a long one. It’s from the time Christ died, until he returns. In another descriptor Christ said the good news will first be preached among all the nations, and then the end will come. The good news continues to be preached in all the nations. Again he did not cite preaching as a signal of Jerusalem’s end-see my 1st paragraph. Like Christian persecution, the preaching didn’t start and stop only to start again. It continues over one long time period. Preaching and trying circumstances were just part of the sign. Many of the circumstances Christ spoke of while answering that question take place over one long unbroken stream of time. However, not all. But at Luke chapter 21 Christ said the Jewish people would be scattered among the nations until “the appointed times of the nations” are fulfilled. And the “appointed time of the nations” is also a long period of time.
Now, how did New Testament writers use the actual term “last days’, and is it related to “the beginning of birth pains,” or “the appointed times of the nations?” First the term “last days” is not found in the books Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Second the apostles wrote they were living in the last days-See Acts chapter 2 and many other references in New Testament scripture stating that. Third, there is not one scripture written by any New Testament writer that defines the phrase, “last days” that they wrote about, as being limited to those days preceding the end of the Jewish system. Did their “last days” include the days before Jerusalem’s destruction? Certainly, but the apostles’ use of the term extends far beyond it. That is proven by my next point (#4). Fourth, there are scriptures written by Peter, which speak of the “last days” as explicitly referring to days that precede the end of this whole worldly system. See 2Peter chapter 3. The “last days” in those scriptures end when this world is destroyed. No other reference to “last days” in the New Testament tells us when they end. And no scripture in the New Testament claims the phrase last days applies to two separate time periods-there is no last days #1 and last days #2 in the New Testament.
The Last Days in the New Testament are spoken of as:
- Existing in the first century.
- The only scripture that references their end says they end when the world ends.
- No New Testament scripture claims they ended with Jerusalem’s destruction.
- New Testament Bible writers did not claim that term applies to more than one period of time.
The New Testament Bible writers did not write the “last days” were coming. What they wrote was coming were certain circumstances while the last days exist. Christ had already referred to many of those circumstances that were coming (during the last days) in their discussion with him on the Mount of Olives. That’s what they were referring to. During his response on the Mount of Olives Christ warned them of their persecutions, the betrayal of individual Christians by others, and the love of the greater number of people in the world cooling off. Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John wrote about those things in their letters.
In an effort to promote its view of the last days Watchtower teaches there are distinctly different types of events described at Matthew 24:6, and Matthew 24:7-claiming that a different type of war (world war) was spoken of in vs 7, thus identifying world wars as a sign of the last days. Christ wasn’t speaking of different events but the same wars in vss 6 &7. In vs seven Christ was merely repeating what he had already described in vs six. Read those verses here:
vs 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. vs7“FOR nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
The words in vs 7 represent “those things” Christ spoke of in vs 6. Also, the events in vs 6 are attached to the events in vs 7 by the word “For,” used as a conjunction in this case (a connecting word), and a substitute for the word ‘because,’ found at the beginning of vs 7. Also, in biblical days the word nation often meant a conglomerate of just a few cities, sometimes just one city. The apostles already knew of nations rising against nations as they understood how that phrase was used their day. That was nothing new to them. It was as much a part of man’s history at that time as the earthquakes and food shortages Christ spoke of.
Since Christ was asked for a sign of his coming and the end of the world those circumstances I covered at some length were just part of the sign. According to vss 32-35 we can say everything that Christ said would happen in Matthew chapter 24 up to vss 32-35 is that sign. That’s according to Christ’s words, not mine, “When you see all these things”. Though all Christians would read those words only one generation of Christians is represented by the pronoun YOU, that sees “all these things.” That pronoun YOU, if taken out of context, could have referred to his immediate audience. But it didn’t. In context it referred to a future audience. And that future audience is the generation that will see his coming, and all the things he spoke of. It will be those he referred to as “this generation,” seeing, “all these things.” That means part of his church will be on Earth to see, at least part of this world’s end. Because that generation sees all the things he mentioned, including the end. Christ’s long answer essentially meant, you’ll know it’s happening when you’ll see it happen. In other words, all these other things will happen first, but when I come, it will be obvious to you.
FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS TOPIC:
At Matthew chapter 24:
Vs 36 reads, “Concerning THAT day and hour.” (What day?) In Vs 37 the answer given is,”the presence of the Son of man.” So Christ there was answering their question concerning his return. He previously addressed Jerusalem’s stones getting knocked down in vs 15
He was also speaking of his return in Vs 33, “when you see all these thing, know that he is near at the doors.” (Who is HE?) The answer given is Christ in vss 37,39. Yes in vs 33 he was also answering their question concerning his return. Note that he also said they would see, “ALL THESE THINGS, “ in vs 33.
Vs 34 reads, “this generation will by no means pass away until ALL THESE THINGS OCCUR.” What precisely was spoken of as “all these things,” in vss 33 & 34? Read Matthew 24:4-31. Because ALL means ALL or it doesn’t. All does not mean just part of something. “All these things,” were the things Christ said must happen before his return. Christ spoke of a great tribulation, and miraculous signs in the heavens, as well as the many other events WT believes are a sign of the “last days,” before he said, “when you see ALL THESE THINGS,” in verse 33. Then right after that he referred to ALL THESE THINGS again, in vs 34, and it is in that vs that he mentions “this generation.” Just as he used the pronoun you in vs 33 to mean a future generation, not the generation of his present audience, likewise he used that phrase, “this generation,” to mean a future audience, not that generation of his present audience.
Vs 34 “Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until ALL THESE THINGS occur.”
If WT was any good at interpreting scripture they would realize Christ was not giving a sign of any last days for two reason. First, the apostles never asked for a sign of the last days. They asked instead for a sign of Christ’s actual return and the end of the world. And second, and more profoundly, after giving the sign they asked for Christ spent the rest of his speech telling that Christians would not know when he would return, or when the world would end, until they saw those two things taking place. And that speech continues with Christ giving examples of Christians not knowing, being totally unaware of what was about to take place, through the rest of chapter 24, and all of chapter 25
Upvote
0