An Integration of Three Gospel Accounts
Introduction, around
32 A.D.
So as Jesus was going out, departing from the temple, some
of His disciples were admiring the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful
stones and donations, and came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. [Mt.
24:1, Mk. 13:1; Lk. 21:5]
But
Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to
you, the days will come upon Jerusalem when her enemies will build an
embankment around her; indeed they will surround her and hem her in on every
side. And they will raze her, and her children within her, to the ground;
absolutely not a single stone here will be left upon another, that will not be
thrown down, because she did not know the time of her visitation." [Mt.
24:2; Mk. 13:2; Lk. 19:43, 44; Lk. 21:6]
Inquiry regarding
timing and signs
Now
as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James,
John and Andrew asked him privately, "Teacher, tell us, when will these
things be? And what will be the sign whenever all these things are about to be
fulfilled? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the completion of
the age?" [Mt. 24:3; Mk. 13:3, 4; Lk. 21:7]
The beginning of birth
pains
Narcissistic New Age
Christian false teachers
So in answer Jesus said to them, "Watch out, so that no
one deceives you. Because many will come in my name, saying that I am the
Christ, or saying:'I am' and 'The time is at hand', and they will deceive many.
Therefore, do not go after them." [Mt. 24:4, 5; Mk. 13:5; Lk. 21:8; cf. 2
Th. 2.3]
Wars, rumors of wars
and insurrections
"Whenever you hear of wars, rumors of wars and
insurrections, don't let it distress you and do not be terrified; because these
things must happen first, but the end is not yet and will not come right
away." [Mt. 24:6; Mk. 13:7; Lk. 21:9]
Agents provocateurs
and racial strife; famines; pestilences; severe earthquakes; noisy confusion
and disorder; fearful events and great signs
"For ethnic group will be raised up against ethnic
group and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and pestilences
and severe earthquakes and tumults in various places; and there will be fearful
events and great signs from heaven, but all these are only a beginning of birth
pains." [Mt. 24:7, 8; Mk. 13:8; Lk. 21:10, 11]
Persecution, betrayal
and martyrdom of Christians
"But before all these things, watch out for yourselves,
because then they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you
up to councils, flogging you in synagogues and prisons, bringing you before
rulers and kings on account of My name. But it will turn out for you as an
occasion for testimony. So whenever they lead you away and deliver you up,
settle it in your hearts not to worry or premeditate or practice giving a
defense beforehand; because I will give you a mouth and wisdom such that all
your adversaries will not be able to contradict or withstand. Whatever is given
to you in that hour, speak that, because it will not be you doing the speaking,
but the Holy Spirit. You will be betrayed even by parents, children, relatives,
friends and 'brothers'; and they will cause some of you to be put to death. And
you will be hated by all ethnic groups because of my name. Not even one hair of
your head will be wasted." [Mt. 24:9; Mk. 13:9,11-13a; Lk. 21:12-18]
Widespread betrayal
and hatred
"And then many will be offended, and they will betray
one another and will hate one another." [Mt. 24:10]
False prophets and
deception
"And many false prophets will be raised up and they
will deceive many." [Mt. 24:11; cf. 2 Th. 2:10-12]
Increase of
lawlessness and pervasive loss of love
"And because of the increase of the lawlessness, the
love of the majority will grow cold. [Mt. 24:12]
Overcomers
"So the one who perseveres to the end, his soul will be
saved." [Mt. 24:13; Mk. 13:13b; Lk. 21:19]
Good news proclaimed
to all ethnic groups
"And
this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth
as a witness to all the ethnic groups, and then the end will come." [Mt.
24:14; Mk. 13:10; cf. Rom. 11:25, 26; Eph. 3:3-6; Rev. 10:7]
The final birth pains,
i.e., the Great Tribulation
It will start in
Jerusalem
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then
know that her desolation is at hand. So then, when you see the 'abomination of
desolation', the one spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy
place where it should not" (let the reader understand that they shall take
away the daily sacrifice and place the abomination that makes desolation),
"then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let those who are
in the city get out, and let those who are in the country not enter her. Anyone
on the housetop should not go down to take things out of his house, and anyone
in the field should not go back to get his cloak, because these are the days of
vengeance, that all the written things may be fulfilled." [Daniel 11:31;
Mt. 24:15-18; Mk. 13:14-16; Lk. 21:20-22]
The worst time in
history
"But woe to those who are
pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! There will be great
distress in the land, and wrath to this people. Yes, they will fall by the edge
of the sword and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be
trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And pray
that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath, because then there
will be a great tribulation, such as has never been since the beginning of the
creation that God created until now, and never again will be. And unless those
days were cut short no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect,
whom He chose, those days will be cut short." [Mt. 24:19-22; Mk. 13:17-20;
Lk. 21:23, 24]
False christs, false
prophets and the invisible kingdom
"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, the Messiah is
here!' or 'Look, there!' don't believe him, because false christs and false
prophets will be raised up, and they will give great signs and wonders so as to
deceive, if possible, even the elect. So you watch out! See, I have told you
everything in advance. The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor
will they say, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!', because the kingdom of God is
within you. Days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the
Son of Man, and you will not see it. So if they should say to you, 'Look, He is
in the wilderness!' don't go out; 'Look, in the secret rooms!' don't believe it
or go along or follow. Because just as the lightning that lights the whole sky
when it flashes comes from east and shines to west, so also will be the coming
of the Son of the Man in His day; for wherever the carcass may be, there will
be a gathering of vultures. But first He must suffer many things and be
rejected by this generation." [Mt. 24:23-28; Mk. 13:21-23; Lk. 17:20b-25;
cf. 2 Th. 2:9]
The dramatic visible
appearance of King Jesus in the sky
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will
be falling from the heaven, and on the earth distress of ethnic groups, with
perplexity, at the roaring and tossing of the sea, men fainting from fear and
expectation of the things coming on the inhabited earth—because the powers of
the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of the Man will appear
in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn—they will see the
Son of the Man coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory."
[Mt. 24:29, 30; Mk. 13:24-26; Lk. 21:25-27]
The last trump and the
resurrection and/or rapture of the the elect
"Now
when these things begin to happen, straighten up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near. And He will send out His angels with a
great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four
winds, from earth's extreme point to heaven's extreme point." [Mt. 24:31;
Mk. 13:27; Lk. 21:28; cf. Job 19:25; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2; Hos. 13:14; 1 Cor.
15:12-58; 1 Th. 4:13-5:11; 2 Th. 2:1-12; Rev. 10:7; 11:15-19]
More Comments on all
these things
Imminence of the
kingdom of God will be recognizable
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: when its
branch has already become tender and it sprouts leaves, you see and know by
yourselves that the summer is near. So you also, whenever you see all these
things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near, at the doors! Assuredly
I say to you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these
things happen. The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will
certainly never pass away." [Mt. 24:32-35]
Sudden destruction for
the masses as Jesus is revealed in His people
"But no one knows concerning that day and hour, not
even the angels of the heavens, not the Son, but only my Father alone. But just
as were the days of Noah, so also will be the coming of the Son of the Man. For
just as they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, in the
days before the flood until the day that Noah entered the ark, and were not
aware until the flood came and destroyed them all, so also will be the coming
of the Son of Man. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they were
eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building—but on the day Lot went
out from Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them
all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of the Man is revealed."
[Mt. 24:36-39; Lk. 17:26-30]
The need to flee to
safety
"In
that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go
down to get them; and likewise he who is in the field, let him not turn back.
Remember Lot's wife! Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever
'wastes' it will preserve it. I tell you: on that night there will be two men
in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Then two men will be in the
field; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding
together at the mill; one will be taken and the other will be left." They
reacted by saying to Him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where
there is a carcass, there will the vultures also be gathered." [Mt. 24:40,
41; Lk. 17:31-37]
Proper mindset
Always pray and don't
lose heart
And then He told them a parable, the point being that one
needs to always pray and not lose heart, saying: "There was a judge in a
certain town who did not fear God nor regard man. But there was a widow in that
town, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my
adversary'. And for a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even
though I don't fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow keeps bothering
me, I will defend her, so that her endless coming doesn't wear me out!'"
Then the Lord said: "Hear what the unjust judge said. And will not God get
justice for His elect who are crying out to Him day and night, indeed being
patient with them? I tell you that He will get justice for them quickly.
However, when the Son of the Man comes, will He actually find the faith on the
earth?" [Lk. 18:1-8]
Watch and pray to be
counted worthy to escape / flee away and to face Jesus
"But keep a watch on yourselves, lest your hearts be
weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and cares of life, and that Day
come upon you suddenly, because you do not know in what hour your Lord is
coming and because it will come like a trap upon all those who dwell on the
surface of the whole earth. So be watchful all the time, praying that you may
be counted worthy to escape all these things that are about to happen and to
stand before the Son of the Man. But know this, that if the master of the house
had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and
not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, because
the Son of the Man is coming at an hour that you do not suppose." [Mt.
24:42-44; Lk. 21:34-36; cf. Isa. 2:12; Joel 1:15, 2:1,11,31, 3:14; Acts 2:20; 1
Th. 5:2,4; 2 Pt. 3:10,12; Rev. 3:3, 6:17, 16:15]
Minister to the
saints; don't join with pagans in bashing them
"Who then is the faithful and prudent servant whom his
lord placed over his corps of servants to give them food on schedule? Blessed
be that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find doing so. Assuredly I
say to you that he will place him over all his possessions. But if that bad
servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delaying his return', and should
begin to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the
lord of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at
an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint his portion
with the hypocrites. There there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
[Mt. 24:45-51]
Be prudent and be a
prepper
"Then the kingdom of the heavens will be like ten
virgins who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of
them were prudent and five foolish. Those who were foolish, taking their lamps,
did not take [extra] oil with them, but the prudent ones took oil in their
vessels along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all
dozed and slept, but at midnight there was a shout: 'Attention! The bridegroom
is coming; go out to meet him.' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their
lamps. And the foolish ones said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil,
because our lamps are going out'. But the prudent ones answered saying, 'No, in
case there not be enough for you and us; instead, go to those who sell and buy
for yourselves'. But while they went to buy, the bridegroom arrived, and the
ones who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast—and the door was
shut! Later the other virgins arrived too saying, 'Lord, lord, open for us!'
But in answer he said, 'Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you'. Therefore,
keep alert, because you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of
the Man is coming." [Mt. 25:1-13]
Invest time, talents
and resources well
"Because the kingdom is also like a man about to go on
a long journey, who called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to
them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each
according to his own ability; and immediately he went on the journey. So the
one who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another
five talents. So also the one who received the two gained another two as well.
But he who received the one went off and dug in the ground and hid his lord's
silver." [Mt. 25:14-18]
Look forward to payday
"Then, after a long time, the lord of those servants
comes and settles accounts with them. So the one who had received the five
talents approached and brought five more talents saying, 'Lord, you entrusted
five talents to me; see, I gained five more talents besides them!' His lord
said to him: 'Super, you good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a
few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your
lord.' So the one who had received the two talents also approached and said,
'Lord, you entrusted two talents to me; see, I gained two more talents besides
them!' His lord said to him: 'Super, you good and faithful servant! You were
faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into
the joy of your lord.'" [Mt. 25:19-23]
Avoid dismissal
without any benefits
"Then
he who had received the one talent also approached and said: 'Lord, I knew that
you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did
not scatter. And being afraid I went off and hid your talent in the ground; here,
take what is yours.' So in answer his lord said to him: 'You wicked and lazy
servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not
scatter. Therefore you were obligated to deposit my money with the bankers, and
at my coming I would have received what is mine with interest. Therefore, take
the talent away from him and give it to the one having the ten talents. For to
everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but the one
who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw out
the useless servant, into the darkness farthest out!' There there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." [Mt. 25:24-30]
The final judgment
Characteristics of the
saints
"When the Son of the Man comes in His glory, and all
the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on His throne of glory. And all the
nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from
another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And the sheep
He will place on His right, but the goats on His left. Then the King will say
to those on His right: 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
that was prepared for you at the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and
you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you
took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I
was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer Him saying:
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? Or
when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' And in answer the King
will say to them, 'Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the
least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" [Mt. 25:31-40]
Characteristics of the
lost
"Then He will also say to those on His left: 'Go away
from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that was prepared for the
devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me food; I was
thirsty and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me
in; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did
not visit me.' Then they also will answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not
minister to you?' Then He will answer them saying, 'Assuredly I say to you,
inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these,6 neither did you do
it to me'. And they will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life." [Mt. 25:41-46]
