Understanding the End Time Parables of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 and 25 - Great Tribulation, Second Coming, Millennium, and Great White Throne JudgmentThese revelations were orignally shared in my Patreon Bible Study Whatsapp Chat Group. Join us for chapter-by-chapter daily Bible Study when you become a "God Every Morning" tier patron and above and partner with our ministry! Matthew 24: “Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all of these things, don’t you? Most certainly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down.”” (Matthew 24:1-2 WEB) Jesus’ words were fulfilled in AD 70 when the Roman armies destroyed the temple. “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”” (Matthew 24:3 WEB) The disciples asked Jesus three different questions:
“Jesus answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8 WEB) The above are the signs of the end times, before the Great Tribulation — The marking point that shows this is “these things are the beginning of birth pains”. Everything stated in the passage above have been happening already. There have been more earthquakes in recent decades than in all previous decades put together. We are already in the end times. This tells us that the Rapture is very near, right around the corner. ““Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9-14 NKJV) The above is talking about the Great Tribulation. The Tribulation will be a time of great global hatred towards the Jews. The Antichrist will likely blame all the bad things happening around the world on the Jews. “But he who endures to the end will be saved”: During the Great Tribulation, only those who believe in Jesus and don’t accept the Mark of the Beast will be saved at the end of the Great Tribulation when Jesus returns at His Second Coming (Revelation 14:11). The Gospel will only finally be preached in all the world during the Great Tribulation. ““When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house. Let him who is in the field not return back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days! Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath, for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be. Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:15-22 WEB) The abomination of desolation will be something blasphemous set up at the site of God’s temple in Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation — most probably the image of the Antichrist/Beast (Revelation 13:15). At that time, the Jews in Judea are to flee to the mountains to escape the Antichrist’s persecution. The Great Tribulation is shortened thanks to God’s mercy upon those who will believe in Jesus during the Tribulation. They won’t have the Holy Spirit indwelling them at that time — the Holy Spirit will not be on earth (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). No one (without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit) could ever endure that much suffering and not accept the Mark of the Beast — man is not limitlessly faithful, but God is very merciful towards His people. ““Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. “Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:23-27 WEB) During the Great Tribulation, the main false Christ will be the Antichrist and the main false prophet will be the False Prophet (Revelation 13). The signs and wonders that they will do are false ones, done by deception (possibly using advanced human technology to produce convincing illusions and man-made natural phenomenon). The Second Coming of Christ will not be an obscure, secretive event like the Rapture. Everyone on earth at that time will know it because of the glorious way it will happen. “For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together.” (Matthew 24:28 WEB) The battlefield near Jerusalem where Jesus will slay the Antichrist and his wicked armies is where the vultures will gather to. The birds will feast on their corpses (Revelation 19:11-21).
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Learning from Delilah: What the Traitorous Temptress Teaches us about PrayerPassage of the Day: “She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.” When she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, his soul was troubled to death. He told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak, and be like any other man.”” (Judges 16:15-17 WEB) When you saw the title of this devotional, you may have wondered, “What can I possibly learn from that evil, traitorous woman?” If you really meditate on the text, you will realized that she did something worthy for us to emulate, except in a good way. To give you a context about Delilah, she was a Philistine woman whom Samson (a judge who was anointed with great physical strength) fell in love with. The lords (leaders) of the Philistines bribed her to find out the source of Samson’s great power. Fueled by greed, Delilah proceeded to repeatedly ask Samson to tell her his best-kept secret. In the passage of the day, we see Delilah nagging so much that Samson was annoyed to the point of death. This woman knew how to “press-in” and “persist” - something that we need to apply when we pray. What motivated Delilah to be so dedicated to her mission? Her eyes were set on the reward that lay ahead of her. She was promised a generous amount of silver in exchange for her betrayal. “The lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”” (Judges 16:5 WEB) She trusted that the lords of the Philistines would fulfill their end of the bargain so much that she didn’t give up, even when Samson lied to her three times: She had put in the effort to arrange three ambushes for Samson and they all turned out to be failures. Delilah had great faith in her would-be rewarders. When we pray, do we ask with unbelief in our hearts, or are we like Delilah, who had complete faith in the sureness of her reward? The Bible says that we must believe that God will reward us when we seek Him - whether in prayer, in studying God’s word or in service to Him. That kind of faith pleases Him. “Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 WEB) Delilah bugging Samson for the answer she wanted reminds me of Jesus’ “Parable of the Widow and the Unrighteous Judge. “He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” (Luke 18:1-8 WEB) To draw a comparison, Delilah is like the widow and Samson is like the unrighteous judge. By repeatedly coming to him with her request, Samson eventually gave her what she wanted. If you study the parable carefully, Jesus said that God will quickly avenge the saints who are crying out not once a day, but “day and night”! Pray and keep on praying - don’t give up until you see what you’re believing for. 2 September 2018 - Welcome to the Inn - Pastor Judah Smith Sermon Notes - New Creation Church Guest Speaker Sermon NotesPraise and Worship songs performed:
Luke 10:25-37 - The lawyer knew that he could not be earn eternal life by himself so he asked Jesus for the definition of a neighbor, hoping that there might be some loophole to make it possible. You don’t have to look for a neighbor - be a neighbor. Jesus is a very good storyteller. He uses cultural context in His parables to make them relatable to the listeners. Jesus does not waste words. Everything that was said is crucial. The Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans back then. They looked down on them - it was racism and prejudice. They didn’t believe that Samaritans were capable of such compassion that was shown in the parable. Therefore Jesus’ parable was extremely controversial at that time. Jesus was bringing the listeners to the end of themselves. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus elevated God’s standards to higher than man can ever reach, to bring man to the end of himself. Jesus wants the listeners to say “I can’t”, so that He can say “I can and I will”. Like the “certain man” in this parable, we are travelers (sojourners) on this earth. We don’t belong to this earth - we are just passing through. Life is not about chasing goals in order to be happy. When you reach your goal, you will find that it doesn’t fulfill you and the cycle just perpetuates again. The priest who passed by and didn’t help represents the Law. The Law will not help you to meet its demands. The levite represents a distinguished person. Our good works and accomplishments cannot save us either. The Good Samaritan is a picture of Jesus. Like the samaritans, Jesus was rejected by His own people. God comes close to you. He doesn’t withdraw from you. Like how the samaritan put the injured man on his animal, we have traded places with Jesus. At the cross, Jesus received our sins and we received His righteousness so that today we can be the righteousness of God in Christ. Like how the samaritan said “when I come again”, Jesus is coming back again. The innkeeper represents believers like you and I. We will be repaid by Jesus when He comes back. Travelers (unbelievers) are hurting from the elements of this world. There is an inn to give them refuge. The inn represents the church. These inns used to be located near to these dangerous highways. God wants to be near the broken and hurting people in the world. We worship passionately in church today because we were broken like Humpty Dumpty, and Jesus put all our broken pieces back together. May we stay close to the pain of the people who have yet to feel the refuge and comfort of the inn. “Take care of him” - our Heavenly Father desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. May we be willing to spend all our resources to love and comfort all the hurting people around the world. Jesus will repay us. “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? ” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”” (Luke 10:25-37 NKJV) The Bible is a story and the main character is Jesus. Sometimes it’s possible to be reading the Bible and not realize that the main point is Jesus. It’s simple: The answer is always Jesus. Instead of reading the Bible and seeing Jesus, we tend to make it about us and our performance. Wherever you are at in the Bible, read it to look for Jesus. Prophetic word from Pastor Judah Smith: We (New Creation Church) have seen blessing, but what is coming ahead is blessing that will blow us away. Did Jesus descend to hell after His death on the cross? (5 commonly misunderstood verses explained)8/6/2018 Did Jesus descend to hell after His death on the cross? (5 commonly misunderstood verses explained) This is an original Bible study - Gain access to more powerful revelations from the Holy Spirit in the form of eBooks, sermon notes, devotionals and more when you become our patron on Patreon. Where Jesus went during the time between His death and resurrection is a widely debated topic which has been confusing to me for many years. Now I finally see the truth clearly after studying the topic myself and receiving revelations from the Holy Spirit. The following are the passages which people refer to when trying to prove that Jesus descended to hell after He died on the cross. Let us examine them and offer the correct interpretations of the texts. 18 June 2017 - The Role of a Father - Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes OnlinePastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes begins here: Fathers are called to sacrifice, serve and lay aside their own desires. Fathers are here to serve, not to be served. If anyone in the family needs to give in, it has to be the father. Sometimes your children's 'love tank' will get low - let you as their father be the one to fill it. When you have no love left of your own, still be the one to fill it. A holiday with the family is really fathering - you have to juggle looking out for your children's safety and giving them your attention at the same time. When your eyes are on the Lord, your fathering and performance as a husband will be better than usual. 30 April 2017 - How to Have a Clear Conscience Before God - Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes Online
The Bible is the 'Manufacturer's Handbook' - all the answers in life are in this handbook. It is God-breathed. Proverbs 4:20-22 - There is a physical effect on our bodies when we read the Bible - Life and health to all our flesh! “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22 NKJV) Pastor Prince recommends us to have a wide-margin Bible, so that we can jot down notes as God speaks to us through His word. Generally speaking, the Old Covenant is the Law and the New Covenant is grace. In the Old Covenant, the new is concealed, and in the New Covenant, the old is revealed. Proverbs 25:2 - God knows our nature of wanting to seek things that are hidden. As believers, we are kings and priests to God. It is the glory of kings to search out a matter. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2 NKJV) The Hebrew word for "Complain" is "Lun" which means "to stay the night". If you complain, you will remain. If you praise, you will get a raise! When the children of Israel complained, the hedge of protection around them departed and they were bitten by the fiery serpents in the wilderness. God told the children of Israel to look at the bronze serpent on the pole, and they would live and not die. Looking is the easiest thing to do. The bronze serpent on the pole represents Jesus on the cross Who was judged for all our sins. By partaking of Holy Communion, we are looking to Jesus at the cross and we will live and not die! 22 Feb 2017 – The Rapture is Your Blessed Hope in Dark Times – Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online – New Creation Church Midweek Service Sermon Notes OnlineTaste and see that the Lord is good. It is for us to experience and enjoy. It’s not just a concept, it’s a reality. God’s goodness will lead us to repentance. His goodness, if experienced first, will bring us to victory. Under the Old Covenant you have to repent before you see God’s goodness. Today, God says “Take as much as you can”. Even the capacity to receive His goodness, is goodness itself. Take God’s goodness first and you will repent without realizing it. The devil is outplaying his hand – By causing the focus to be on Israel in these last days, he is actually fulfilling Bible prophecy. Jesus said “your house is left to you desolate”. About 40 years after that, the Romans came in, destroyed the temple, and the Jews were scattered to the four corners of the earth. The Bible says that the Jews will come back again as a nation. We have seen Israel come back as a nation in our generation. God wants us to realize and to be alerted to the fact that we are in the last days. The Lord is our Bridegroom and He is coming back for us (His bride). Before the worst happens, the Lord will come back for us. The Great Tribulation is coming. It is also called the time of Jacob’s trouble. Many people are confused as to whether the Rapture will happen pre-Trib, mid-Trib or post-Trib. Some people say that they are “pan-Trib” – what does that mean? It means it will all pan out. That shows ignorance. The Lord doesn’t want us to be ignorant about His coming. After Jesus died, Mary Magdalene didn’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead, but she loved Him. Like Mary, we got to have a heart of love for Jesus. It’s better to have a heart full of love without having perfectly correct doctrine, than a mind full of Bible knowledge but with a heart as cold as ice. King Herod asked the Chief Priests and the Scribes where the Messiah will be born. They told the king that the Prophet Nahum said that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem Ephratah. They used Bible knowledge to come against the Lord. Why do we want Bible knowledge? To tell our friends that we have more information than them? That’s pride. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. The Lord can teach those with a heart of love and take care of their doctrine. 24 August 2016 (Midweek Service) - Powerful Truths From the Book of Revelation - Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes OnlineEven if you don't understand what the word of God is talking about, it is still cleansing you and you can receive healing through it. There's no such thing as the gospel on one side and the message of grace on the other side. There is only one gospel - the gospel of grace! This gospel is as old as the Apostle Paul! Christians don't like mud. A sheep may fall into the mud but it doesn't like to be dirty. A pig on the other hand, will be wallowing in the mud, having a great time. It doesn't mean that believers don't sin anymore, but it's not a believer's nature to sin. The more you identify with your new nature (you are the righteousness of God in Christ), the more you will be victorious over sin, and you will sin less and less. We are not identified with sin but we are identified with righteousness! The world is afraid of contagious diseases. With Jesus, wholeness, life and health are contagious. It doesn't mean we won't fall sick, but it means that we will get sick less and less. Matthew 5:1-2 - Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount while seated down. It's a good idea to do that to prevent fainting or falling down (haha). “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:” (Matthew 5:1-2 NKJV 3 July 2016 - Glorious Gospel of the Happy God - Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes OnlineThe Lord has sanctified Sunday. The Lord Jesus honored this day by appearing to His disciples on a Sunday, and then appearing to them again on a Sunday. Something is given and conferred when we come to the house of God on a Sunday. Where two or more are gathered in Jesus' name, there He is. The smallest majority is two. Jesus is so gracious. I Timothy 1:11 - The word "blessed" here is "makarios" which means happy. Our God is a happy God! The glorious gospel cannot help but manifest God's holiness. “according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.” (I Timothy 1:11 NKJV) It is not the 'message of grace' - it is the gospel of the grace of God. When we are saved, there is no compromise on God's holiness. Jesus Christ pre-existed with God, even before the foundation of the world. People presume to judge the Bible, when actually the Bible judges them. The Bible is the infallible word of the Living God. The Bible tells us that God loves us. Yes God demands righteousness from men because they are His children. But God knew that if He placed the full demand on men, men would be unable to meet up with His standard of righteousness. The greatest knowledge you can have on this side of heaven is the knowledge of God. This knowledge gives birth to all other knowledge. Don't boast in your strength, riches, etc. Instead, boast in the knowledge of God. Jesus knew the love of God. Jesus is the only One who fully knows God's level of righteousness and how great is our offence to God. God's righteousness must be measured at His level - to hate is to kill, to lust is to commit adultery. All of us have offended God. That is why Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount so that men would come to the end of themselves and recognise their need for a Savior. Trespass offering - if anyone commits a sin unknowingly, he still must bring a sin offering. Jesus is our Trespass Offering that paid for all of our sins, known and unknown. Under the Law, every justice must be exacted, every demand must be met. God is the Triune God. Jesus always existed with God, but when He came into the world, He confined Himself to time. For our sins to be cleansed, we need Jesus to die for our sins. Our blood cannot cut it because it is tainted blood. Only Jesus' blood is sinless blood. 19 June 2016 - Be Well-Supplied At God's Great Supper - Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes OnlineFathers tend to blame and condemn themselves when things go wrong at home. They think they have to bear all the burden on their own. If you are a father, you don't have to do that because there is One higher than you - the Lord Jesus Christ. Rest in Him and relax in order to possess your possessions! God's anointing is not limited by distance. The anointing is strongest where there is faith. If you have faith, you will receive it. What fathers say to their children have the most weight on them, as compared to what their friends say to them. Don't underestimate the power in your words. Bring your children to church. Don't worry about them turning rebellious or disliking you. They already are. They are able to sense the presence of God during church. You never hit a child in the face. You hit him/her in the seat of learning (the buttocks). You don't leave a mark. If you discipline your child right, they will become so loving. If you are a father, don't let your children run the house. Take back control! Train up a child in the way he should go, and he will not depart from it. Feed your child with the word of God and he will not depart from it. When you condemn yourself, nothing that you do that is right will work, because your motivation is wrong. We pray from victory, not for victory! We have already been healed, we are not praying to become healed. We are declaring what God says we are! Spend time with God and ask Him what you need. Don't look for generic formulas apart from the Lord. God will teach you based on your own band, your own style, etc. The Lord left our flesh with us as not born again as a reminder that in and of ourselves, no good thing exists. We are still as dependent on Him now as when before we were born again. Luke 14:25-27 - The great multitudes were following Jesus to learn from Him. Jesus means that we cannot place anything above Him if we want to follow Him, and not that we must hate our family members. We have to acknowledge Jesus as Savior before we acknowledge Him as Teacher. “Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:25-27 NKJV) Luke 15:1-4 - Jesus is at home with the sinners because they see Him as Savior. His floodgates of compassion opened up. “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:1-4 NKJV) |
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AuthorHi I’m Milton Goh, I'm 30 years old and i'm a blogger who writes about Christianity, Parenting, Life Lessons that I learn from Movies/Shows, and Lifestyle. |