ALMOST 2000 YEARS AND STILL COUNTING – BLOG 4
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
April 9, 2011
Matthew 24:3 – And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world
?
JESUS ANSWERED 3 QUESTIONS BUT NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER! THEY ARE LINGUISTICALLY SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY THE FOLLOWING EXPRESSIONS IN LUKE’S OLIVET DISCOURSE:
(1) “BUT THE END IS NOT BY AND BY’ – LUKE 21:9
(2) “THEN SAID HE UNTO THEM” – LUKE 21: 10
(3) “BUT BEFORE ALL THESE” – LUKE 21:12
(4) “UNTIL THE TIMES OF” – LUKE 21:24
(5) “AND THERE SHALL BE” – LUKE 21:25
The Olivet Discourse by Jesus is found in Luke, Mark, and Matthew. I have read hundreds of expositions of the discourse by many different men. I can truthfully say, without reservations or hesitation, that many positions are held on the discourse and wide differences do indeed exist between them. Some believe it was all fulfilled by 73 A.D., some say most of it was fulfilled by 73 A.D., and some say most of it is yet to be fulfilled. Some say it only applies to the Jews, and some say it applies to both Jew and Gentile.
In Blog 1, an exposition of Matthew 24:1-6, Mark 13:7, and Luke 21:9 was given. In Part 2, a thorough exposition of Luke 21:10 was given as it related to its disassociation from 21:9, because by the use of “tote elegen” for “then said he,” it indicated that a new subject was being introduced, so that the “wars” of verse 9 are not related to “nation shall rise against nation” in verse 10.
Luke 21:9,10 – But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. [10] Then said he (tote elegen) unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
In Blog 2, a case was made to show the root word “egeiro,” translated as “rise” in verse 10, means to “come to life, to rise from sleep, or to come into existence.” And I showed numerous Scriptures where it was used in order to make that po
int. A case was also made to show that the word “against” is “epi,” and that its basic meaning is “on” or “upon.” So the claim was made that “Nation shall rise (egeiro) against (epi) does not in any way refer to war, but rather the ever increasing number of nations that have come to life in the last 56 years, rising one upon another from the 51 charter members of the United Nations in 1945 to 160 by 1989, and now at 200 in 2003. Nothing like this has ever happened in history. But I promised, at the close of Blog 2, to provide additional proof that “Nation shall rise against nation” does not refer to increasing wars, but rather to an increasing rise in the number of new nations every coming to life, and raising one upon another. And I will proceed to present additional proof at this time.
Immediately after Matthew and Mark list the signs that give the answer to the second question they asked him, which was, “And what shall be the sign of thy coming,” Jesus gives the general name for the four things he has listed in the expression, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Matthew 24:7,8 – For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes, in divers places. [8] All these are the beginning of SORROWS (ODIN).
The God-Breathed word for SORROWS is ODIN. You may look in any Greek Lexicon from any time period, and you will always find this listed centrally as the definition for ODIN – “The pains a woman suffers in the travail of childbirth, a woman’s birth pains.” The disciples knew quite well what ODIN meant.
When the Olivet Discourse was written, they had no hospitals, no painkillers, and midwives delivered the babies. If a baby was lodged sideways in the womb, no one knew how to remove the baby through the stomach, and the mother and child died. The pain of normal childbirth is painful enough, but these men had listened to the shrill dying cries of women that traveled for great distances. They knew what ODIN meant. When true labor pains begin, the first pain hurts, but the next hurts a little more, the next more and closer to its precedent, and harder and closer, and harder and closer, and harder and closer, until finally the baby arrives.
This is the manner the occurrence of the four things he listed as SORROWS would follow
as signs his second coming was drawing near.
The four things he associated with the “sorrows” that are to be signs that his coming is drawing near are: (1) Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, (2) Earthquakes, (3) Pestilences, and (4) Famines.
Luke 21:10,11 – Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: [11] And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luke did not refer to them as the “beginning of sorrows” because he added “fearful sights and great signs,” which are not a part of the time of sorrows, but rather a part of Christ’s answer to the third question. They will mark the end of the world (the Gentile Age), and are associated with the 2nd Advent of Christ at Armageddon. I will be showing why this is the case in future expositions of the Olivet Discourse.
The number of new nations coming to life, and rising one upon another, started to increase like a woman’s birth pains at the end of World War II. Earthquakes started to follow the birth pains pattern in 1967. The pestilences began to follow the pattern in 1980. Famines began to follow the pattern in the early eighties, and dramatically increased after 1993.
I will deal with each one of these separately, Lord willing, in future parts of this BLOG series, but Part 4 will deal with Luke 21:12 to 17, and I promise you will find it interesting.
In Blogs 1 through 3, an exposition was given that covered Mark 13:1-8, Matthew 24:1-8, and Luke 21:5-11. It was established that Luke 21:10,11 referred to the second question that the disciples had asked Jesus about coming events in Matthew 24:3, that being “and what shall be the sign of thy coming?”
Matthew 24:3 – And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Luke 21:10,11 – Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: [11] And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
It was established in Blogs 1 through 3 that this verse contains four signs that will be occurring before Christ returns for the saved.
Now, please note carefully the first four words in the verse that follows Luke 21:11.
Luke 21:12 – BUT BEFORE ALL THESE, they shall lay their hands on YOU, and persecute YOU, delivering YOU up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
Jesus returns to answering the disciple’s first question, “when shall these things be,” that is to say, when will the temple be leveled?” He had given them two things already that would be occurring in Luke 21:8,9 during their lifetimes before the temple was finally leveled. Then he changed the discourse in Luke 21:10 by using TOTE ELEGON (Then said he), and gave them the answer to their second question regarding his coming. But in verse 12 he goes back to answering their first question, and begins to tell them what is going to happen to them personally before the temple is leveled. He literally tells them, BUT BEFORE ALL THESE, that is to say, BEFORE THESE THINGS I JUST TOLD YOU WOULD BE OCCURRING AS SIGNS TO LET YOU KNOW MY COMING IS NEAR, HERE IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU AS MY DISCIPLES.
And what he states in Luke 21:12 to 17 is precisely what did happen to them to fulfill this prophecy, and thereby answer their first question. This is not the first time Jesus had warned them what would be happening to
them after his departure. He had warned them before he ever sent them out alone on their first assignment in Matthew 10:17-22. Let’s compare this with Luke 21:12 to 17.
Matthew 10:17-22 – But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their SYNAGOGUES; [18] And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. [19] But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
[20] For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. [21] And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
[22] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake:
Luke 21:12-17 – But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the SYNAGOGUES, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. [13] And it sh all turn to you for
a testimony. [14] Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: [15] For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
[16] And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. [17] And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
Luke 21:12-17 was fulfilled during the lives of the disciples, right up to the leveling of Herod’s temple in 70 A.D. The account of their persecution is vividly portrayed in the book of Acts.
It is precisely what Jesus foretold would happen to them long before the increase of the number of nations, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences. To those who believe Luke 21:12-17 has yet to be fulfilled, please note that the subjects of these verses are delivered up to SYNAGOGUES, and I have yet to read a commentary indicating that today’s believers are going to be carried by Jews to be tried in their synagogues. Jews will be under more persecution than true believers in the coming tribulation period. So the Jews will hardly have time to persecute us, as the following two Scriptures attest.
The answer to question number 1 has already been fulfilled, and I will continue to elaborate on it, and on question 2, in Blog 5