AM Feb 5th Matt 24

February 5^th       Signs in the heaven

29: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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. 31: 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.

The fig tree lesson

32: Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The time unknown

36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40: Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Watchfulness at his coming

45: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47: Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48: But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49: And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50: The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51: And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Right at the end of the Tribulation a number of fearful and dramatic events will occur. The sun will be darkened. The moon will not give her light. The stars will fall from heaven. The powers of the heaven will be shaken. We do not quite know what these things will really be. But we know that Christ will come to this world in power and great glory. He says also that Christ will send angels to gather his elect (Israel) from the four winds. Christ then says this generation will not pass until everything comes to pass. (Christ is not speaking here of those alive when he was speaking but those alive in the time of which he is speaking.) Then says that these days will be like the days of Noah. But in what way? In the time of Noah they didn’t believe that the flood would happen and the men of that day will not believe that Christ is coming. Now in this passage we have a similarity but also a contrast. Two will be in the field and one will be taken. Christ is describing here a taking away or a rapture to judgment. But at the end of the church age there will be a rapture to blessing. Both are raptures but the outcome could not be more different. Those taken here are taken to face the judgment of the living nations.