This symbolic interpretation of His coming or return is confirmed by Christ's own words. Christ repeatedly resorts unequivocally to the twofold description of HIS SECOND COMING. Sometimes he speaks of his own return, and sometimes he speaks of his coming
1 . That He will return Himself: I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. I told you that I am coming from you and will come to you. Soon you will not see Me, and soon you will see Me again.. and then I will go and I will prepare a place for you, I will come again.
2. That another other than Him will return: But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go, for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you. And if I go, I will send Him to you. And He will come and convict the world of sin. There is much more I have to tell you, but now you cannot contain it. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. When the Comforter comes, whom I will send from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.
Further, Christ explains that both He and the One Who will return in His name WILL BE PEOPLE carrying the SAME HOLY SPIRIT. Of HIMSELF Christ says this: The Word which you hear is not mine, but the Father who sent me. The words that I speak to you, I do not speak of Myself.
Christ speaks of the One Who, as He promises, will come after His departure, Christ: For he will not speak of himself, but will speak what he hears.
The fact that the new Messiah will come in His name, Christ, and bring the same power of the Holy Spirit, follows from the words of Christ to the disciples: The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I said to you..
Christ sternly warns and warns the people, saying that since they rejected Him in due time, they are not destined to believe in Him again upon their return. Christ with one phrase binds Himself and the One who will come for him. You will not see Me from now on until you exclaim: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
There is a huge amount of evidence that, speaking of His second coming, Christ means the coming of CHRIST - THE SPIRIT, the Holy Spirit in Him, which must appear again .. And speaking of the coming of the Other, Christ means ANOTHER HYPOSTASIS: A MAN IN ANOTHER FLESH AND A BODY WHICH WILL HAVE A NEW, DIFFERENT NAME, but will be filled with the same HOLY SPIRIT. Christ expresses the same truth but in a different way - saying THAT IT IS NOT THE NAME AND THE FLESH, BUT THE SPIRIT THAT CARRIES IN THE MISSION:
God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in the SPIRIT AND TRUTH, and not as falsely and feignedly worshiping God today the entire sinful world of people. IN Holy Scripture many such prophecies about the second coming of the Prophet in the SPIRIT, and not in the flesh, as well as in other ancient religions.
ShRI Krishna, the holy herald of Hinduism, who today has hundreds of millions of followers united in the "Society for Krishna Consciousness" around the world, in ancient times affirmed the same main truth. He said that the Holy Spirit, according to God's command,
The return of the Spirit is also in GAUTAMA BUDDHA:"I am not the first Buddha who came to Earth, and I will not be the last. At the appointed time, another Buddha will appear in the world, a saint, supremely Enlightened ... The incomparable Leader of man .... And He will reveal to you the same eternal truths that I taught you."
All this confirms the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, which happened already, but not in the FLESH, but in the SPIRIT. This is undeniable evidence that the second advent has already really happened, although blind and spiritually a dead world people never noticed anything, as in the case of the first coming of Christ 2000 years ago.
Revelation about the second coming of Christ.
For a better representation of this event, the prophecies about it must be placed in
temporary order. Each prophecy should be considered in totality
overall picture. The prophecies about the second coming of Christ are divided into three periods. All of them are directly related toactivities of the church on earth.
The first period begins with the reign of Christ in the second heaven(Rev. 12:10) .
From the earth the retainer is taken now. There is a great tribulation on earth. These are the judgments of God
over his people. This is the opening of the fifth seal and the resurrection of the dead.
Great the tribulation will last about 9 months and will end after the 6th seal is opened and thesigns in the sun and moon. Before the opening of the 5th seal, the preaching of the Gospel will endwith rebirth.
Further, the wise among the people and the followers of the woman willadmonish people not to worship the antichrist(Dan. 11:33-34) . Only after completeunification of churches into one union local churches the wife will be able to escape into the desert(Micah 4:10) .
The end of the prophecy of the two prophets coincides with the opening of the 6th seal(earthquake). At this time, there will be a complete overthrow of the forces of the holy people(Dan. 12:7) . The birth of the wind is necessary to save life on earth in 1000- summer kingdom.
Isaiah 26:17-21 As a pregnant woman is tormented at the onset of childbirth, crying out from her pains, so were we before You, God.They were pregnant, they suffered, - and they gave birth, as it were, to the wind; salvation is notdelivered to the earth, and the rest of the inhabitants of the universe did not fall. Your dead shall live,dead bodies rise! Arise and triumph, cast down in the dust: for
Your dew is the dew of plants, and the earth will vomit up the dead.
Go my peopleenter into thy chambers and shut thy doors behind thee, hide thyself for a moment, untilanger will pass; for, behold, the Lord comes out of his dwelling to punish the inhabitants
earth for their iniquity, and the earth will reveal the blood it has swallowed up and will no longer hide
their dead.
The second period of the coming of the Lord is connected with the folding of the sky as a scroll.
For a while judgments, there will be a rapture of a child who keeps the words of testimony(Rev. 12:5, 17) . This is the breaking of the 7th seal. The judgments are described twice in the revelations and in each cupanger corresponds to the trumpet.
The written judgment will be made by the wife(Ps. 149:5-9) .
IN at the end she will come out of the desert(Rev. 16:12,16) but the destination of her journey will not be Jerusalem.In the third temple the sacrifice will be restored (1290) and the Armageddon will take place.battle. After that, the full return of the Son of Man will take place and His feet will be on the mountain Olivet (Zech. 14:4) .
(MP3 file. Duration 21:28 min. Size 10.4 Mb)My Christ-loving brethren, hear about the Second and terrible coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I remembered that hour and trembled with great fear, thinking what would then be revealed. Who will describe it? What language will express? What kind of hearing will contain what is heard? Then the King of Kings, having risen from the Throne of His glory, will come down to visit all the inhabitants of the universe, to make account with them and, as the Judge should, to give a good reward to those worthy, and also to put to death those who deserve punishment. When I think about this, my members are seized with fear, and I am completely exhausted; my eyes shed tears, my voice disappears, my lips close, my tongue becomes numb, and my thoughts learn to be silent. Oh, what a need for me to speak for our benefit! And fear keeps me quiet.
Such great and terrible miracles have not been from the beginning of creation and will not be in all generations. It often happens now that if lightning flashes stronger than usual, then it terrifies every person, and we all bow to the ground. How, then, shall we endure, as soon as we hear the voice of a trumpet from heaven, surpassing every thunder, calling out and awakening the righteous and the unrighteous who have fallen asleep from time immemorial? Then in hell the human bones, hearing the sound of the trumpet, will run with care, looking for their compounds, then we will see how every human breath will rise from its place in the twinkling of an eye, and all from the four corners of the earth will be gathered for Judgment. For the Great King who has power over all flesh, and immediately with trembling and diligence they will give - the land of their dead, and the sea of theirs. What the beasts tore apart, what the fish crushed, what the birds plundered - all that will appear in the twinkling of an eye. Not a single hair will be lacking. How shall we bear it, brethren, when we see a fiery river flowing with fury, like a fierce sea, eating mountains and wilds, setting fire to the whole earth and business, even on it! Then, beloved, from such a fire the rivers will become impoverished, the springs will disappear, the stars will fall, the sun will fade, the moon will pass by, as it is written, the sky is twisted like a scroll(Isaiah 34:4). Then the sent angels will flow, gathering chosen from the four winds, as the Lord said, from the end of heaven to the end of them(Matthew 24:31); then we shall see that, according to his promise, the sky is new and the earth is new(Isaiah 65:17). How can we endure then, lovers of Christ, when we see the terrible Throne prepared and the sign of the Cross that has appeared, on which Christ was nailed by will for us? Then everyone will see the terrible and holy scepter of the Great King appearing on high, everyone will finally understand and remember the word of the foretold Lord that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven(Matthew 24:30), and it will become known to all that after this the King will appear.
At this hour, my brothers, everyone will think how to meet the terrible Tsar for him, and will begin to believe all his deeds; then he will see that his deeds - both good and bad - stand before him. Then all the merciful and sincerely repentant will rejoice when they see the prayers they have sent; the compassionate will see that the poor and the needy, whom they showed mercy here, plead for them and proclaim their good deeds before angels and people. Others will also see the tears and labors of repentance, and they will appear joyful, bright, glorious, waiting for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ(Tit. 2:13).
Why not tell me briefly about the most important? When we hear this great voice and terrible cry, which from the heights of heaven will say: Behold, the Bridegroom is coming(Matthew 25:6), - lo, the Judge approaches, lo, the King appears, lo, the Judge of judges opens, lo, the God of all is coming to judge the living and the dead! - then, lovers of Christ, from that cry the foundations and the womb of the earth will tremble from its limits and to its limits, and the sea, and all the abysses, then every person, brothers, will come oppression and fear, and frenzy from the cry and the sound of the trumpet, from fear and aspirations of what is to come upon the world, for, according to what is written, The powers of heaven will move(Matthew 24:29). Then the Angels will flow, the faces of the Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim will gather, and all the many-eyed will exclaim with strength and strength: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who is and is and who is to come(Rev. 4:8). Then every creature in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth will cry out with trembling and strength: blessed is he who comes(Matthew 21:9) King in the name of the Lord. Then the heavens will be torn apart, and the King of kings, our most pure and glorious God, will be revealed, like a terrible lightning, with great power and incomparable glory, as he preached and John the Evangelist, saying: Behold, come from the cloud heavenly, and every eye will see him, and those who have broken him, and all the tribes of the earth will weep for him(Rev. 1:7).
What soul can then find so much strength in itself to endure this? For heaven and earth will flee, as the Theologian says again: Videh The Throne is great white, and He who sits on it, Heaven and earth flee from Him, and the place was not found by him.(Rev. 20:11). Have you ever seen such fear? Have you seen such extraordinary and terrible things? Heaven and earth will flee: after that, who will be able to stand? Where will we, sinners, flee when we see Thrones set and the Lord of all ages seated, when we see countless hosts standing in fear around the Throne? Then the prophecy of Daniel will be fulfilled. in vain,- said - until the Thrones are set, and the Old Denmi is gray, and His clothes are white like snow, and the hair of His head is like a wave clean, His Throne is a fiery flame, his wheels are scorching fire. A river of fire flowing out before Him: a thousand thousand serving Him, and we are standing by Him: Judgment is gray, and books are opened(Dan. 7:9-10). Great will be fear, and trembling, and frenzy in that hour, brothers, when He gathers an impartial judgment, and those terrible books will be opened where our deeds and words are written, and everything that we have said and done in this life, and that thought, as it is written, to hide from God, testing hearts and wombs(Rev. 2:23), for the power of your head and all the essence(Luke 12:7), that is, the reasoning and thoughts have been read, in which we will give an account to the Judge.
Oh, how many tears we need for this hour! And we are in disarray. Oh, how much we will weep and groan for ourselves when we see those great gifts that those who strive for good will receive from the King of glory! Then with our own eyes we will see the ineffable Kingdom of Heaven, and, on the other hand, we will also see terrible torments opening, in the middle - every knee and every human breath from the progenitor Adam to the one who was born after all, and all with trembling kneel and bow down, as it is written: I live, the Lord says: for every knee will bow to me(Rom. 14:11). Then, lovers of Christ, all mankind will be placed in the midst of the Kingdom and condemnation, life and death, security and need. Everyone will be in anticipation of the terrible Judgment Hour, and no one will be able to help anyone. Then it will be required from each confession of faith, the obligation of Baptism, a faith pure from all heresy, an unbroken seal, and an undefiled chiton, according to what is written: All those around him will bring gifts(Ps.75:12) to the terrible King. Because everyone who has entered citizenship in the Holy Church will be required to report on the strength of each: the stronger the tortures will be(Wisdom 6:6), - according to what is written. To everyone, much will be given to him, much will be required from him(Luke 12:48). Measure as low as possible every, measure him(Mark 4:24).
However, whether someone is great or small, we all the same confessed the faith and accepted the holy seal. All equally renounced the devil, blowing on him, and all equally made a promise to Christ, bowing to Him - if only you comprehended the power of the Sacrament of the font and the renunciation of the alien (the demon). For the renunciation, which we undertake to make at holy Baptism, apparently is expressed not in many words, but according to the thought contained in it, and it is very important. Whoever was able to keep it is blessed. For in a few words we renounce everything that is called bad, that only God hates; we renounce not one, not two, not ten bad deeds, but everything called bad, everything that God hates. For example, it says: I renounce Satan and all his works. What business? - Hear: fornication, adultery, impurity, lies, tatba (robbery), envy, poisoning, fortune-telling, divination, irritability, anger, blasphemy, enmity, quarrels, jealousy, I renounce drunkenness, idle talk, pride, idleness, I renounce mockery, slander ( playing the flute), demonic songs, child corruption, divination by the flight of birds, evocation of spirits, divinatory writing on leaves, I renounce idolatry, blood, strangled and carrion. But why talk too much? There is no time to list everything. Let's leave a lot and say simply: I renounce everything that happens in the sun, moon and stars, in springs and trees, at crossroads, in liquids and bowls, many disorderly deeds, which are shameful to even talk about. All this and like that, - everything that everyone knows about, that these are the works and teachings of the devil, - we renounce through renunciation at holy baptism. We learned many evil things when we were formerly in darkness under the power of the devil, until the light touched us, until sold we were under sin(Rom. 7:14). When the philanthropic and merciful God was pleased to deliver us from such a delusion, the East visited us from above, the grace of God saving appeared, the Lord gave Himself up for us, redeemed us from idol flattery and deigned to renew us with water and spirit. That's why we renounced all this, put off the old man with his deeds(Col. 3:9), put on the new Adam. So, whoever, after receiving grace, does the evil deeds mentioned above, he has fallen away from grace, and Christ will not in the least benefit (will not help) him, who is in sin.
Have you heard, lovers of Christ, how many evil deeds you have renounced in a few words? This renunciation and good confession will be demanded of each of us in that hour and day, for it is written: Justify yourself from your words(Matthew 12:37). And the Lord says: from your mouth I judge you, crafty servant(Luke 19:22).
So it is clear that our words will either condemn or justify us at that hour. How will everyone be interrogated? Shepherds, that is, bishops, will be questioned both about their own life and about their flock; from each one will be required (good) verbal sheep, which he received from the Chief Shepherd Christ. But if, through the negligence of the bishop, a sheep perishes, then its blood will be exacted at his hands. Similarly, the priests will give an answer for their Church, and together the deacons, and all believers will give an answer for their house, for their wife, for children, for slaves and slaves: did he bring up them in the punishment and teaching of the Lord,- as commanded by the apostle (Eph.6:4). Then kings and princes, rich and poor, great and small, will be questioned about all the deeds they have done. For it is written that let us all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ(Rom. 14:10); Yes, everyone will accept, even with the body he has done, either good or evil(2 Corinthians 5:10). And elsewhere it says: carry others from my hand(Deut. 32:39).
“We ask you to tell us what will happen after that,” they ask me. With a disease of my heart I will say that you will not be able to hear what will happen after this. Let's stop talking, Christ-lovers.
The Christ-loving ones again said: “Is this really more terrible than what was said before, what we have already heard from you?” The teacher, crying again, said: “I tell you with tears, without tears it is impossible to tell everything, because that will be the last. But since we have a commandment from the apostle to betray this faithful person(2 Timothy 2:2) - and you are faithful, then I pass this on to you, and you tell others also. If I am sick of heart, telling about that, then be compassionate to me, blessed brothers.
Then, O Christ-lovers, after the deeds of all have been examined and declared before angels and men, and put all enemies under his feet(1 Corinthians 15:25), abolish all principality and all authority and power(1 Corinthians 15:24) and every knee will bow God (Rom. 14:11), - according to what is written. Then the Lord will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Those who have good deeds and good fruits will be separated from the barren and sinful. And they will shine like the sun; it is those who have kept the commandments of the Lord, who are merciful, poor-loving, orphans-loving, hospitable, clothe the naked, visit prisoners in prison, intercede for the oppressed, visit the sick, weep now, as the Lord said (Matt. 5: 4), have now become poor for the sake of wealth kept in heaven, forgive the sins of the brothers, kept the seal of faith unconquered and pure from all heresy. The Lord will put them on the right hand, and the goats on the left, that is, precisely those who are barren, angered the good Shepherd, do not heed the words of the Shepherd, are arrogant, ignorant, who at the present time of repentance, like goats, play and bask, who depend on them all the time of their lives in overeating, drunkenness and hardness of heart, like that rich man who never showed pity to poor Lazarus. Therefore, they are condemned to stand on the left side, as merciless, uncompassionate, having absolutely no fruits of repentance, no oil in their lamps. And those who bought themselves oil from the poor and filled their vessels with it, they will stand at the right hand in glory and joy, holding light-burning lamps, and will hear this blessed and compassionate voice: come blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world(Matthew 25:34). Those who stand on the left side will hear this formidable and stern sentence: go from me cursed into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his aggel(Matthew 25:41). Just as you did not show mercy, so you yourself will not now have mercy, just as you did not listen to My voice, so I will not now heed your lamentations, because you did not serve Me: you did not feed the hungry, you did not drink the thirsty, you did not receive the strange You didn't clothe the naked, you didn't visit the sick, you didn't come to Me when I was in prison. You have become workers and servants of another master, that is, the devil. Therefore depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Then these go into eternal punishment: the righteous women into eternal life(Matthew 25:46).
John F. MacArthur
Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come under my name and say, 'I am the Christ,' and they will deceive many. Also hear about wars and war rumors. Look, do not be horrified, for all this must be, but this is not the end yet: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in places; yet it is the beginning of disease. Then they will hand you over to torture and kill you; and you will be hated by all nations because of my name; and then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another; and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many; and because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold. He who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" Matt. 24:4-14)
From verse 4 begins the actual Sermon of Olives, which Jesus delivered in response to the question of the disciples: “Tell us, when will this be? And what is the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Article 3). As stated in the previous chapter, the Twelve "thought that the kingdom of God was about to open" (Luke 19:11), and the events of the past few days have made this thought even more firmly fixed in their minds. They had long believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that John the Baptist was His prophesied forerunner. The cheering of the crowd during Jesus' solemn entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, the condemnation of the religious leaders, as well as His prediction of the destruction of the temple - all this made them think that the Lord would soon reveal His messianic glory, subdue the nations that rebelled against Him, and establish His eternal Kingdom . They were unable to accept Jesus' many predictions that He would first have to suffer, die, and be resurrected.
The disciples thought that Jesus' preaching, His healing, consolation, judgment, and restoration of Israel would happen in the same period of time. Like the Old Testament prophets who spoke of the Messiah, the disciples imagined only one Coming, which included a number of events (see, for example, Isaiah 61:1-11).
Perhaps the first key to understanding that the Coming of Christ will take place in two stages was the reading by Jesus of this passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah during a service in the synagogue of Nazareth. Jesus stopped short of reading verse 2 to the end, leaving out the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God.” Then He explained, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus emphasized that at that time He did not come to judge, but to preach the gospel and heal the sick.
But since the disciples did not understand His promptings, as well as many other specific teachings that He came to die for the sins of the people, they expected that Jesus would then complete His messianic mission, perhaps in the next few days or weeks. The students were expecting something dramatic. They felt that the Son in Isa. 9:6 was ready to take the government of the kingdom of God on His shoulders, and that the stone that was torn from the mountain without the help of hands (Dan. 2:34) was ready to destroy the power of wicked people. The Messiah, the Prince, was ready to end sin, stop iniquity, grant eternal righteousness, and become the anointed King, the most holy of all kings. They looked forward to how the Son of Man would soon be given an eternal kingdom and glory. They were convinced that very soon Israel would turn to the Lord and call on His name, and that the Lord would say, "These are My people," and they would say, "The Lord is my God!" (Zech. 13:9).
But in the Sermon of Olives, Jesus makes it clear that all this will happen in the future. 24-25 chapters of the Gospel of Matthew is a prophetic sermon that tells the twelve disciples about a time that has not yet come, about a time in which they themselves will not live.
There are at least six indications in the sermon itself that it refers to the distant future and that it cannot be applied to events related to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, as many interpreters believe, or to the era Churches, as others suggest.
The first such sign is birth pangs, where false Christs (Matt. 24:5), wars between nations (vv. 6-7a), famine and earthquakes (v. 7 b) are only the “beginning” (v. 8). The figurative expression "birth pain" was often used by ancient Jewish writers, especially in connection with the end times. The great modern Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim writes: "The Jewish writings very often speak of the pangs of the birth of the Messiah."
Birth pains do not occur at the time of conception and not during pregnancy, but just before birth. Therefore, the figurative expression "birth pain" could not personify either the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred at the beginning of the era of the Church, or the very era of the Church as a whole.
Paul reminded the Thessalonians that Christ would come as a thief comes at night—suddenly, silently, and suddenly. Using the same figurative expression that Jesus used in the Sermon of Olives, the Apostle said, “When they say, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them, as birth pain upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3).
The labor pains begin just before the birth, and the contractions gradually become more frequent until the baby is born. In the same way, the events associated with the return of the Lord will begin just before His Coming and will rapidly escalate and intensify until they turn into a series of catastrophes. The same period is depicted in the book of Revelation, when the seals of the judgments are broken and events unfold, probably over several years (see 6:1-8:6). Then the trumpet judgments occur on a much shorter timescale, probably weeks (see 8:7-9:21; 11:15-19), and the bowls God's Wrath are poured out on the earth, most likely for several days or even hours (see 16:1-21).
The second indication that these events are in the future is found in Matt. 24:13-14 where Jesus speaks of believers who will endure birth pangs to the end. Since the disciples apparently did not live to see the end of the age, the events of chapters 24-25 could not have applied to them or to other believers, including those living today. All believers who will live at that time will be raptured just before the Great Tribulation (1 Thess. 4:17), so all these events will not affect them. These events can only apply to those who believe in Christ during the Great Tribulation, whose true faith will be confirmed by enduring everything to the end (Matt. 24:13).
The third sign is the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world (Matt. 24:14). This event completely excludes the apostolic age, when even the Roman Empire was not entirely evangelized. This event cannot be applied to our time, when, despite the spread of the gospel through modern media throughout the world, there are still billions of people who have never heard the gospel. In Matt. 24:14 is implied, and in Rev. 14:6-7 explains that the future proclamation of the gospel around the world that Jesus speaks of will happen miraculously and in an instant.
The fourth sign is “the abomination of desolation [spoken] through the prophet Daniel” (Mat. 24:15). Daniel predicted that just before the Messiah would establish His kingdom and judge the world, the Antichrist would “[stop] sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of the sanctuary there will be an abomination of desolation, and final predestined destruction will come upon the desolator” (Dan. 9:27). This is yet to happen.
The fifth sign that Jesus is talking about future events is "the great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be" (Matt. 24:21). The terrible events that Christ describes in this sermon will be the most tragic in the history of mankind, and they will occur at the end of the age, when the full and final judgment of God will be poured out on wicked people. Jesus speaks of the time foretold by Daniel, when "there will come a time of peril such as has not happened since there were men until now," which will be accompanied by the resurrection of the righteous to eternal life, and of sinners to eternal damnation (Dan. 12: 1-2).
The sixth sign is “after the tribulation of those days, the sun will grow dim, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (Mat. 24:29-30). These supernatural events have obviously not happened yet.
The seventh and final sign that Jesus was talking about the distant future is illustrated by the fig tree (Matt. 24:32-35). As the blossoming leaves of the fig tree indicate the approach of summer, so the events that Christ mentions here will be a sign of His near Coming. “This generation will not pass away,” that is, the generation that will live at the time of the end of the age, “as all this will be” (v. 34). The signs described in Matt. 24-25 will take place before the eyes of one generation - the generation that will witness the coming of Jesus Christ.
Thus, everything that Christ said in the Olivet sermon will be fulfilled in the future. This does not mean that most of the circumstances and events mentioned here have never happened before. There have been wars and rumors of war practically since the time of the Flood; throughout history, mankind has suffered famine, and at all times earthquakes have occurred on earth. But the events recorded in Matt. 24-25, will be unique and unique only to the last time, both in description and in sequence, scale and strength. Some of them, such as the destruction of the physical universe (24:29), will be completely unique.
The fact that Jesus spoke in the second person, especially in chapter 24, is not proof that He was speaking to the disciples about their generation. Old Testament prophets just as often turned their words to distant descendants. God miraculously carried the prophet to the time he was to prophesy. And the prophet, as it were, directly addressed the people of future generations (see, for example, Is. 33:17-24; 66:10-14; Zech. 9:9). Jesus was essentially saying, "You who will live at that time..."
Starting with Matt. 24:4, Jesus answers the disciples' questions: “When will that be? And what is the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Article 3). But He gives the answer in reverse order. Jesus does not address the question of "when" until 24:36, where he states, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but only My Father alone." In 24:4-14, Jesus answers from the second question, naming the first six signs, "birth pains" that will begin just before His Coming: the deception of false Christs (vv. 4-5), enmity between the nations of the world (vv. 6-7a) , widespread catastrophes (vv. 7b-8), the betrayal of believers to suffering (v. 9), the apostasy of ostensible believers (v. 10-13), and the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world (v. 14).
John F. MacArthur, Interpretation of the Books of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, 24-28, Slavic Evangelical Society, 2008
Prophecy given in 1968 by a ninety-year-old Norwegian woman from Valdres about the events that will take place before the Second Coming of Christ. At one time, the evangelist E. Minos wrote down these prophecies and put them aside, considering that it was very unrealistic. More recently, while reviewing his notes, he realized with amazement that what seemed “unreal” has become the norm of our society.
Here are her prophetic messages:
“I saw the times before the coming of Jesus and . I saw the world like a globe and saw Europe, land by land. I saw Scandinavia, I saw Norway. I saw certain things that will happen before the return of Jesus and disasters that we have never seen before.”
She mentioned four waves:
1. “Before the coming of Jesus and before the Third World War there will be a détente like never before. There will be peace between the superpowers in the east and west, and it will be a long peace. (Remember, the prophecy was given in 1968 when cold war gained momentum - note by E. Minos). During this period of peace there will be disarmament in many countries, also in Norway, and we will not be ready when the war comes. will start in a way that no one could have imagined - from an unexpected place.
2. “Warmness will embrace Christians. A falling away from true and living Christianity. Christians will not want to listen to damning sermons. They will not want to hear about sin and grace, law and the gospel, repentance and restoration. There will be a replacement: the Christianity of prosperity (happiness).
It will become important to be successful, to be something, to have wealth, things that God never promised us in this way. Churches and prayer houses will be empty. Instead of the sermons we are used to today to take up our cross and follow Jesus, there will be sermons about entertainment, art and culture. It will increase greatly before the coming of Christ.”3. “There will come a moral corruption that old Norway has never seen before. People will live together as married without marrying. (I don't think it's about the cohabitation that existed in 1968 - note by E. Minos). There will be a lot of impurity before marriage and godlessness will strike the marriage and it will be justified. It will even enter Christian circles and we will accept it, even a sin that is contrary to nature. Before the coming of Jesus, there will be a television that we have not seen (Television only appeared in Norway in 1968 - note by E. Minos).”
“Television will be filled with terrible violence and will teach people to kill and it will not be safe on the streets. People will copy what they see. There will not be only one station on TV, but there will be many stations (She did not know the word “channel” that we use now, therefore she called them stations - note by E. Minos). Television will be like radio, with many stations and filled with violence. People will use it for entertainment. We will see horrific scenes of murder and destruction and it will spread throughout society. Sex scenes will also be on the screen, very explicit things that are in marriage (Then I protested, saying that pornography is prohibited here - note by E. Minos). It will happen and you will see it. Everything that was before will be broken and many events will pass before your eyes. .
4. “People from poor countries will flock to Europe. They will also come to Scandinavia and Norway. There will be so many of them that people will hate them and treat them badly. They will be threatened like the Jews before World War II. Thus, the whole measure of sin will be filled.
Tears rolled down the woman's cheeks. “I won’t see it, but you will. Then suddenly Jesus will come and the third World War will begin. It will be a short war." (She saw it in a vision).
“The war that I saw (World War II) will seem like child's play compared to this one and it will end with the explosion of the atomic bomb. The air will be so contaminated that no one will be able to breathe. This will cover several continents, USA, Japan, Australia and rich countries. The water will be poisoned. The soil will be damaged. As a result, only the remainder will remain. The remnant in the rich countries will try to escape to the poor countries, but they will be bad attitude as we had to them. The one whose sin is forgiven and who has accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord will be safe.”
An elder in the Pentecostal church in Moss, Norway, Martin Anders, heard this prophecy in 1937 in Moss:
"When oil flows from the North Sea along the Norwegian coast, the return of Jesus will draw near."
As these words were spoken, the people in the congregation asked the man not to speak nonsense. In 1937 it was really incredible to talk about oil along the Norwegian coast. Now all the big oil companies are working along the Norwegian coast.
