The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Psalm 25:14

The Olivet Discourse

In the Gospel of

Matthew

Giuseppe Guarino

Published by VISION SCHOOL PRESS

A Division of Vision Seminary and School of Ministry

Millington, TN, USA

www.giuseppeguarino.com

guarinous@yahoo.com

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.

Graphics : About Books by Giuseppe Guarino

Cover Picture : Pixabay

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

An Outline of the Gospel of Matthew

The Olivet Discourse – KJV text with notes

SELECTED TOPICS

A Closer Look

1. Key verses

2. Many shall come in my name…

3. The Destruction of the City and of the Temple

4. The End of the World

5. The Present Age

6. The Gospel of the Kingdom

7. The Abomination of Desolation

8. Except those Days will be Shortened…

9. The Rapture of the Church

10. The Messianic Kingdom

APPENDICES

Patristic Evidence

“Time” in Biblical Greek

103

How Near is the Time?

116

The Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven

121

Introduction

Why are there so many prophecies in the Bible? What is their purpose?

I find no better words to explain this than quoting the words of Jesus himself, when he spoke to his disciples in the solemn night before his arrest and crucifixion.

“Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” (John 13:19)

God tells us everything in advance, so that our heart may not be troubled, but that we may grow in confidence that he is God, he is in control. All that happens has a meaning and the final victory is ours, in Christ Jesus.

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends…” (John 15:15)

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…” (Revelation 1:1)

We find peace and assurance in the prophetic word. It is not there to make us prophets or that we may prophesy.

As one would expect, Matthew has a Jewish perspective of the events, but the Church is seen too in the Rapture, described in the last part of Matthew 24, introduced as a parable, as it often is in Matthew when the times of the Church are described.

“Do we live in prophetic days?”

I was asked this question during a church meeting. Of course the question made a reference to end-time prophecies. But, though every generation wants to believe they are special, all the generations, past, present, and future, have lived, are living and will live prophetic days. We must remember what God said to Amos.

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)

Adam was given a prophetic word by God himself. First he told them what they should stay away from – for their own good.

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:16-17)

Then he gave them the prophetic word as a warning and an explanation of the reason why He gave His commandment.

“For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)

Even Cain was not left without a prophetic word and there being no prophet at that time, God himself spoke to him.

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (Genesis 4:6-7)

The same happened in the days of Abraham.

“And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” (Genesis 18:17-18)

Even in the book of Revelation, it openly states that God reveals us what will happen during the Church age and in the days before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Revelation 1:1)

And then we have the beautiful words of the Lord, tenderly spoken to us, which show His immense love and mercy for us.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:13-15)

The Lord’s incarnation was foretold in many Old Testament passages. Hundreds of wonderful accurate prophecies came true when Jesus of Nazareth gave evidence that he was the promised Messiah.

Just to remember a few.

The village where he would be born, Bethlehem, the same birthplace of David, was foretold by Micah.

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2)

When king Herod asked the scribes and the chief priests where the Messiah would have been born, they reply quoting this Old Testament passage.

How could the wise men from the east know about the time when the king of Israel would be born, unless they knew about the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel, Daniel 9:24-27, where the years are counted “unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” which are 483 years, from the “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” which took place in 445 BC.

Even the Passover is prophetic and not simply historical.

“The Passover, a sacrifice; the Passover, a feast; the Passover, a memorial; all became the Passover, a prophecy. “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV). […] For us, the memorial of deliverance is celebrated at His table. […] We look forward, by His grace, to the time when we all eat with Him in His kingdom. The past, the present, and the future are filled with our Passover Lamb.” Daniel Fuchs, Israel’s Holy Days, p.20.

At his return, in fact, his prophetic words will be fulfilled,

“But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29)

With this in mind we will dive into one of the most significant prophetic passages in Scripture is the Olivet Discourse.

In it, Jesus Himself foretells the destruction of the Second Temple, which would occur just a few years after His death. He also prophesies about the last days and the rise of evil forces that will ultimately lead to the appearance of the Antichrist. Jesus refers to the prophet Daniel and confirms that the Son of Man (Daniel 7) will soon appear, gather His people, and establish His kingdom.

The regathering of Israel in her land is mentioned, as well as the Rapture of the Church.

The warning is unmistakable: Watch! Keep your lamps filled with oil. Use your God-given talents. Be ready for the coming King.

I Thank Dr. Laura Christopher for giving me the opportunity to teach at Vision Seminary on this wonderful topic. This book was written after the lesson I gave, because I had much, much more to say about this topic.

Please, bear with me, English is my second language and I know it is far from being perfect. Thank you.

Giuseppe Guarino

An outline of the Gospel of Matthew

CHAPTER	TOPIC		VERSE
1	Birth of Jesus
		Genealogy of Jesus	1-17
		Birth of Jesus	18-25
2		Wise men coming from the east	1-12
		Flight into Egypt	13-18
		Return to Israel in Nazareth	19-23
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
3	Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom
		John the Baptist	1-12
		Jesus is baptized	13-17
JESUS PREACHES THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
4	Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry
		Jesus is tempted	1-11
		His ministry begins	12-16
		His Gospel	17
		The first disciples	18-22
		His ministry	23-25
5, 6, 7	The Sermon on the Mount
8, 9	Jesus heals and teaches
9	Jesus’ Ministry		35-38
10	The Twelve Apostles
		Their authority	1-4
		Their mission	5-42
11	Keypoint in the Ministry of Jesus
		The Question of John. Jesus reveals himself as the Messiah	1-15
		People’s unbelief	16-24
		Jesus rejected	25-28
		Jesus invites to follow him	29-30
12	Arguments with Jewish religious leaders
		The Sabbath	1-8
		Healing on the Sabbath	9-21
		Healing of a demoniac, reaction of the Jews and warnings of Jesus	22-37
		The sign of Jonah	38-45
		Jesus’ family	46-50
ISRAEL REJECTS THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
13	Jesus speaks in parables
14	Death of John the Baptist
		Circumstances of John’s death	1-12
		5,000 fed	13-21
		Jesus walks on the water	22-33
		Jesus in Gennesaret	34-36
15	The Jewish tradition
		Tradition vs God’s Word	1-10
		Parable	11-20
		The canaanite woman	21-28
		4,000 fed	29-39
JESUS OPENLY STATES TO BE THE MESSIAH. HE ANNOUNCES HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
16	Conflicts with the Jews
		A sign is asked	1-4
		Pharisees and Sadducees	5-12
		Jesus says he is the Messiah	13-20
		Jesus speaks of his death	21
		Jesus speaks to his followers	22-26
		Jesus speaks of his return	27-28
17	The transfiguration of Jesus
		Jesus with Moses and Elias	1-10
		Questions about Elias	11-13
		Jesus frees a demon-possessed	14-21
		Jesus announces his death	22-23
		Jesus payses the taxes	24-27
18	Jesus teaches
		Jesus teaches on various topics	1-22
		A Parable	23
19	Jesus is asked some questions
		On divorce	1-12
		The little children	13-15
		A rich young man	16-26
		The disciples’ ambitions	27-30
20	On the way to Jerusalem
		A Parable	1-16
		Jesus foretells his death and resurrection	17-19
		The mother of John and James	20-28
		Jesus heals two blind men	29-34
JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM AS KING HE IS REJECTED
21	Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem
		Jesus welcomed as king	1-11
		Jesus cleanses the temple	12-17
		Finds a barren fig tree and curses it	18-22
		The elders ask him a question	23-32
		A Parable	33-46
22	Jesus in Jerusalem
		A Parable	1-14
		About the tribute to Ceasar	15-22
		Jesus asked about resurrection	23-33
		The great commandaments	34-40
		Jesus asks about the Christ	41-46
23	Jesus exposes Scribes and Pharisees
		Jesus openly condemns the religious leaders	1-36
	Prophetical Olivet Discourse by Jesus
		Jesus speaks of Jerusalem’s judgment and of his return	37-39
24		Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple	1-2
		Jesus answers questions with prophecies	3-31
		A Parable	32-35
		Jesus says that no-one knows when he is coming back	36-51
25		11^th Parable of the kingdom	1-13
		12^th Parable of the Kingdom	14-30
		The judgment of the Nations	31-46
26	Things begin to move fast
		Jesus announces his imminent death	1-2
		The Jews plan to kill him	3-5
		Jesus is anointed by Mary	6-13
		Judas agrees on the price to betray Jesus	14-16
		Jesus exposes Judas being the traitor	17-25
		The Lord eats the Passover with his disciples	26-30
		Jesus foretells what will happen shortly	31-35
		Jesus in the Ghetsemani	36-46
		Judas and his company arrive	47-56
		Jesus is taken in front of the Sanhedrin	57-68
		Peter denies Jesus	69-75
27		Jesus in front of Pilate	1-2
		Judas’ end	3-10
		Jesus and Pilate	11-25
		The people want Barabbas free	26
THE CRUCIFIXION
		Jesus’ crucifixion	27-56
		Jesus is buried	57-66
THE RESURRECTION
28	The Great Mandate
		The Tomb is Empty	1-8
		Jesus lives	9-10
		The Jews pay the soldiers	11-15
		The disciples see Jesus in Galilee	16-17
		Jesus entrusts the preaching of the Gospel to His disciples	18-20

THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

KJV Text with Notes

Prelude

Matthew 23:37-24:2

The Olivet Discourse

Matthew 24:3 – 25:46

THE PRELUDE

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem

Matthew 23

³⁷O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! ³⁸Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. ³⁹For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 24

¹And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. ²And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

The destruction of the temple occurred in 70 AD by the Roman army led by the future emperor Titus, fulfills the prophecy given to Daniel.

Daniel 9:26, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

THE OLIVET PROPHETIC DISCOURSE

The questions of the disciples

³And 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?

“Privately” is a very important word, a relevant detail. Biblical prophecies are not for everyone. End-time prophecies are for the Church, as we read in Revelation 1:1. Are we in a state of privilege? Yes, we are. But at the same time, no-one is excluded a priori – anyone can be. The disciples went to Jesus and asked him questions. They wanted to know more. So, they went to the source of knowledge. But, where were the rest of the people? So, today, yes prophecies are only for the Church, because the Church is interested and asks the Spirit to enlighten and reveal knowledge. Potentially every human being could learn, since the door of salvation is open, and the Holy Spirit is available to all who ask. If many ignore God’s Word it is not God’s fault, but it must be ascribed to their unbelief and, inside the Church, it is hard to say but it is true, it must be ascribed to the laziness of many believers.

The two questions asked by the disciples will be dealt with by Jesus in his discourse.

“The end of the world” is a phrase that could be misunderstood, so we’d better have a look at the original language of the Gospel to fully grasp its meaning. The Greek word for “world” is here “αἰών”, aion, which Strong’s explains as “an age, a cycle (of time), one of a series of ages stretching to infinity”.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4 it is in its singular form, used to describe this present age: “In whom the god of this world (aion) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

In Hebrew 1:2 the same word is used in the plural form to describe the work of creation: “by whom also he made the worlds (aion in the plural form)”.

The disciples also mention the “sign” of Jesus’ coming, his second coming. The original Greek word translated here with “coming” is παρουσία (parusia). This word is derived from the Greek verb “pareimi,” meaning “to be present” or “to arrive.” Bible Hub adds concerning the meaning of this term: “In the Greco-Roman world, “parousia” was often used to describe the visit of a king or dignitary to a city, which was a significant event marked by celebration and preparation. This cultural understanding enriches the New Testament usage, as it emphasizes the majesty and importance of Christ’s return.”

There is another wonderful Greek word connected to the return of Jesus, ἀποκάλυψις, which is usually translated as Revelation – as in Revelation 1:1.

We find it in the writings of Paul and of Peter, both as a noun and as the verb from which it is derived.

2 Thessalonians 1:7, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.”

1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”

Other passages, where the original is necessary to see the occurrence are, Romans 2:5, Romans 8:19, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:7, 4:13, Revelation 1:1.

The answer of Jesus

The beginning of Sorrows

⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁶And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Jesus starts with a warning: “Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” After Jesus’ death many showed up pretending to be the Messiah. False prophets have come into the scene showing themselves as a manifestation of God’s intervention in the physical world, divine ambassadors. Too many to count. But the Word is clear.

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,

whom he hath appointed heir of all things,

by whom also he made the worlds.”

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God in the physical realm, he is God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Through Him God created everything (John 1) and He is the reason why all things exist, because “all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

We cannot be deceived. All the self-proclaimed prophets and religion founders have died and remained dead. Jesus rose from the dead. God put his seal of approval on him, as the one and only perfect revealer and the revelation itself of the invisible one and only true God.

Then the Lord gives a description of the times we are living in. Today more than ever. Jesus’ language is so plain, we just need to read and look around to see how all these things are coming to pass. Jesus says it openly: “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

⁹Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. ¹⁰And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. ¹²And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. ¹³But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The promise of the kingdom was given in Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” John the Baptist and Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom, the time being at hand of the manifestation of the Messiah. Matthew 3:12, 4:17,23. The good news of the imminent coming of the king, the return of the Son of Man, Daniel 7:13-14, is being preached to all the nations today, along with the Gospel of Grace and salvation in Jesus, as we all see the day of his return approaching. Besides all the other signs, this one adds, today the Gospel has been preached virtually to every human being and in every language of the world.

The manifestation of the Antichrist in Israel

¹⁵When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

The abomination of desolation is not the destruction of the temple or of the city of Jerusalem. It does not refer to the 70 AD desolation, which Jesus spoke of earlier.

Reference to the “abomination of desolation” is found in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Paul further describes this event: “…and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

Verse 15 describes what will happen in the middle of the 70^th Week of Daniel, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.” (Daniel 9:27)

With this event the last 3 years and a half of the history of mankind begin, before King Jesus comes back to reign.

¹⁶Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: ¹⁷Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: ¹⁸Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. ¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: ²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²²And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

The Antichrist sitting in the temple of Jerusalem, claiming to be God, will mark the beginning of a new persecution for those who will not submit to his diabolical authority. During the Great Tribulation, the second part of the last week (seven years) prophesied by Daniel, Israel will experience God’s special protection. See Revelation 12.

²³Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. ²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. ²⁵Behold, I have told you before. ²⁶Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. ²⁷For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ²⁸For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

The warning is serious. The Messiah should not be expected to show up like he did when the eternal Word of the Father became a man, Jesus. His future manifestation will be according to the prophecies spoken concerning the Son of Man in Daniel, glorious and seen by all at his manifestation.

The Return of Jesus to reign

²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: ³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Daniel 7:13, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven…”

Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him…”

Everyone on the planet will know that the promised Messiah preached by the Church, rejected by the Jews, “the Lord Jesus Christ …will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:1)

³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This is not the Rapture of the Church, but the fulfillment of a promise of the Messianic times made through the Old Testament prophets. Ezekiel 36:24, “For I will take you from among the heathen (nations) and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”

A Parable

³²Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: ³³So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

These words are for us. In the first gospel, parables are spoken by Jesus when referring to the age of the church. As one would expect from Matthew, this expression shows the Jewish perspective. For us Gentiles, the words found in Luke are clearer and better fit the concept of the Rapture. Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

³⁴Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

These words remind me of my limitations. What was Jesus referring to? Was he speaking of the forty years that passed from the time when he spoke until 70 AD? Was he speaking of the time after the birth of the state of Israel until his Second Coming? I must be honest, I consider both theories possible and trust the Lord for what he was saying. Upon the fulfillment of this prophecy we will have total assurance of the correct interpretation.

Arno C. Gaebelein interprets this passage in the following way, “Verse 34 has been a difficulty with many. The word generation does not mean the people who were then living; it has the meaning of “this race.” It is the same as 1 Pet. 2:9, “a chosen generation,” i.e., class of peoples. The Jewish race cannot pass away till these things be fulfilled.” Gaebelein’s Concice Commentary On the Whole Bible, Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey, Revised Edition, July 1985, p.785.

³⁵Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Verse 35 must always be in the mind of the believer. It must be a constant thought as we study His Word.

Jesus coming back for His Church

³⁶But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

³⁷But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ³⁸For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, ³⁹And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ⁴⁰Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. ⁴¹Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

⁴²Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

⁴³But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

⁴⁴Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Here the Rapture of the Church is in view, when Jesus will be coming back for his own bride. It will be a private encounter between us and Jesus in the clouds.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

We do not know and there is no way we can exactly know when Jesus will come back. So, he tells us to watch, to be ready.

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

These words and the parable that follows need little or no comment. We are warned. The Lord told us in advance. Yet, we understand that not everyone will be ready when he comes back. In Revelation we have Philadelphia, spared from the judgment to come in the Great Tribulation and Laodicea, that the Lord will spue out of his mouth – such a terrible description of how lukewarm Christianity appears in the Lord’s eyes. Compromising Christianity may look acceptable according to the syncretistic world standards of today, but the Word of God clearly describes God’s feelings about it – not a death sentence, but again a prophetic warning for all to hear. See Revelation 3:7-22.

The words of Jesus tell us of those who try to take advantage of what they consider “a delay” in the promise. In their heart they think the Lord will not come back at all. Peter spoke about this and somehow his words are consistent with Jesus’ words – v.37ff.

2 Peter 3:3-10, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

11^th Parable of the Kingdom

Matthew 25

¹Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ²And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹²But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

What is necessary to take part in the marriage of the Lamb with His Bride is the personal anointing of the Holy Spirit, Revelation 19:7.

The last verse, 13, makes it clear because this parable is spoken, for us to Watch.

12^th Parable of the Kingdom

¹⁴For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ¹⁵And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. ¹⁶Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. ¹⁷And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. ¹⁸But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. ²⁰And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. ²¹His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²²He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. ²³His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²⁴Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ²⁵And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. ²⁶His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: ²⁷Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. ²⁸Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. ²⁹For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ³⁰And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The King rules at last

³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Some people mistake this first act of the King, Jesus ruling as the promised Messiah, as the final judgment, the so-called Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. They are not the same event.

Here the Scriptures clearly say: “And before him shall be gathered all nations”. But in Revelation we read: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God” (Revelation 20:12). Revelation speaks of the final act, the last, ultimate judgment to take place after the millennial kingdom of the Son of Man. The criteria for the two judgments are different. In fact, in Revelation it says: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

Besides these considerations and details, the greatest news about judgment is found in the Gospel of John. There we read: ““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (NKJV).

The King James Version has here “condemnation” instead of “judgment”. The Greek word is κρίσις, which can be translated in both ways. But for the sake of this study, we must consider its meaning connected to the act of judging more than to the final result of it, which is condemnation. Those who have put their trust in Jesus will not be judged, so they will not be condemned.

SELECTED TOPICS

A Closer Look

1. Key verses

As it often happens with many Bible passages, there is a key verse, or better, in this particular instance, at least two key verses which are quite significant for us Christians today.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:42)

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44)

The words of Jesus sound like a warning: watch and be ready.

In the history of Christianity many have attempted to predict or calculate the day when Jesus would come back to rapture his Church. Such behavior is obviously contrary to the teaching of the above verses. The language of Jesus is clear.

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36)

We will see in detail when we interpret the last verses of Matthew 24 what it implies not to be found ready and watching at his return.

Studying Bible prophecies is good and profitable in many ways. Moreover, it concerns the Church–those who already know the Truth and must be informed about important details concerning the Lord’s return.

Notice, for example, how verse 3 openly states,

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately” (Matthew 24:3)

We have already read Revelation 1:1 and Amos 3:7 which confirm that knowledge of prophecies is something the Lord has given to his Church, not to the world.

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

Understanding prophecy—not merely the details so we can prophesy, but the deeper meaning and the hope the Lord gives us, the blessed assurance—is a ministry of the Holy Spirit within us. Thus, understanding is spiritual, not technical or academic. It brings peace and tranquility to our souls, knowing that our God is in control.

Luke wrote his gospel for the Gentiles—for us non-Jews. When he tells his story, he adds some details that are particularly relevant for us.

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28)

The original Greek is perfectly translated by the word “redemption” in the KJV. Both here and in Romans 8:23 it is one and the same word, “ἀπολύτρωσις.”

“even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23)

What this “redemption” is, what it implies, is found in the epistles written by Paul—in particular in 1 Corinthians 15 and in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. I encourage you to read those passages if you have never done so before.

I believe it is helpful to appreciate the different words Luke uses to call us to be vigilant and alert.

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36)

2. Many shall come in my name…

“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5)

Must we be surprised that Jesus’ prophecy actually came to pass? I don’t think so. In another place in the Gospels it is recorded that he said,

“I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” (John 5:43)

This last saying of Jesus bears somehow a bit of sadness.

With all due respect to my Muslim friends, Jesus was speaking about their prophet as well.

Jesus was the ultimate revelation of the Father, of God, who in His interaction with the visible, being He invisible, how else should he be called but the Son of God—his Word, his perfect revelation, God manifest in the flesh?

“¹God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ²Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; ³Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Here the Bible is so clear: Prophets spoke in time past but then God sent his Son to fulfill everything and give humanity the ultimate revelation about himself. Personally. Bodily.

“…He sent him in gentleness and meekness, as a king might send his son who is a king; he sent him as God; he sent him as a man to men.”[1] I like this passage written in the famous Epistle to Diognetus, which is all a wonderful, consistent, treatise of Christian doctrine as old as the second century.

Jesus himself explained in a parable what was the eternal counsel.

“Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Luke 20:9-18)

The stone, Jesus, is today the head of the corner of the building which is His Church – Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:4-8.

Jesus was the perfect and ultimate revelation of God.

He could not lie. So he boldly proclaimed,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

As he predicted many claimed in history to be the Christ. Time proved their pretenses to be false. Jesus is the only man who fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the first advent of the Messiah. One which is quite remarkable, and impossible to happen again is the destruction of the temple and the city foreseen to take please some time after the death of the Messiah.

“…Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” (Daniel 9:26 – NKJV)

This took place in 70 AD. A generation (40 years) after the death of Jesus, as he had predicted. No other will ever be able to fulfill this messianic prophecy! Jesus was the Messiah!

I bought a very nice book by Simon Schama, Belonging. He tells the story of a Jew named Sabbatai Zevi in detail. In 1648 he proclaimed himself to be the Messiah. Jews from everywhere believed him, even prominent rabbis. Schama wonderfully speaks of the rise of this quite peculiar character and of how his movement grew rapidly. Until one thing happened. Jesus was brought before the authorities of his time, the Romans, and for our sake he silently suffered a punishment that was ours – fulfilling prophecy, namely Isaiah 53. But Sabbatai appeared before the Sultan and – the way Schama writes it is pretty funny – quickly, without hesitation, he cast off his Jewish garb and put on a turban on his head, suddenly becoming a Muslim in order to have his life spared.

This is what makes the difference between the Good Shepherd and a thief – See Jesus’ words in John 10 about this vital topic.

Also, Jesus was a true witness – paid with his life his witness to the Truth.

Stephen was a true witness, too – he could not deny the truth of the resurrection of the Savior of which he had been an eye-witness.

Paul was a true witness – did not deny Jesus to save his life.

Peter was a true witness – paid with his life being a Christian.

Many died not to deny the truth of the resurrection of Jesus in the early Church. Their witness is worthy of being believed, it is reliable, they signed it in their blood. Who would dare die for a lie? May be one, two fools. But so many, so consistently. The blood of the saints is evidence of the historical reliability of their witness to the resurrection of Jesus.

“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there was borne such a voice to him by the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (2 Peter 1:16-17)

John adds his vivid testimony to Peter’s.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” (1 John 1:1-4)

I do not wish to advertise fake messiahs of today, so I am not going to mention them by name, but there are some today claiming to be, in one way or another, a kind of Messiah or Savior. “History repeats itself” is not a mere saying, but a sad observation of the events occurring in the history of mankind. The Bible says it a bit differently, but it is the same observation of evidence leading to the same conclusions.

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Not only Jesus warned us against false christs, he also told us to beware of false prophets – men who claim to speak God’s Word.

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11)

How do we know if a man is a false prophet? It is simple. Whoever does not align with God’s written Word is a false prophet, because he is denying the authentic doctrine of the Apostles. The early Church was called to choose between the teachings of true from false apostles. And it succeeded.

“Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars” (Revelation 2:2)

The New Testament has handed down to future generations the pure doctrine of the apostles. It is a sample of the water taken right out of the spring, pure, unadulterated by men’s inventions and traditions. It is the only safe place where the apostolic doctrine is preserved intact. Teachings that don’t match with it are fables, inventions, traditions, lies, heresies.

And that is when Jesus words become relevant.

“²³Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. ²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. ²⁵Behold, I have told you before. ²⁶Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. ²⁷For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:23-27)

3. The Destruction of the City and of the Temple

The Second Jewish Temple. Model in the Israel Museum

Jesus foretells the destruction of the second Temple openly. The Jews were very proud of the magnificent Temple of Jerusalem, so they must have been shocked by his words.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.[2]” (Matthew 23:37-39)

“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2)

Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple and of the city of Jerusalem. This actually came to pass in 70 AD. It was one of the saddest moments in the history of Israel.

The same had been seen in the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel, sometime after the death of the Messiah.

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” (Daniel 9:26)

In 70 AD the Romans actually destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple for the second time, after its first destruction which had occurred in 586 BC by the hands of the Babylonians. In the Mishnah, it is remembered that the temple was destroyed both times on the very same day of the year, the 9^th day of the Jewish month of Av. In our calendar it should correspond to September 2.

The Jewish historian Josephus relates about this horrible event. He says: “…the wall…was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.” —Josephus, Jewish War[3].

The words of Jesus came true.

Yet, something wonderful happened in that same tragic circumstance. It is rarely mentioned when speaking of this passage of the Bible. It is recorded in the Ecclesiastical History written by Eusebius Pamphilus in the fourth century.

“The whole body, however, of the church at Jerusalem, having been commanded by a divine revelation, given to men of approved piety there before the war, removed from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan, called Pella.” Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History.[4]

This is how the early Church was spared from the savage fury of the Roman army against the holy City.

Impossible to underestimate this catastrophe for the evident consequences it had in many areas of Christian theology, personal study, Bible meditation and even considerations connected to the relationship of the early Church with Judaism and the composition of the books of the New Testament.

We must remember that the early Church began as a Jewish movement, within the Jewish community.

Even at Pentecost, Peter spoke and men from every nation understood what he was saying in their native language – but they were all Jews.

“And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 2:5-11)

The destruction of the temple had an impact on the Christian community as much as on the Jewish.

“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:46-47)

When the temple was destroyed the Church came to realize even more the meaning of the words of Jesus,

“…the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21-24)

The Church began to see the number of Gentiles grow, and the Jewish members who were part of it lost the Temple as a reference. Before that, the Temple was a place both Jews and Jewish Christians shared. After its destruction, the elements in common between Judaism and Christianity became increasingly less relevant. It was the beginning of the journey in the world which gave birth to the Church as we know it today.

Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (1850 painting by David Roberts).

4. The End of the World

Sometimes biblical expressions understood in light of daily language may lead readers astray and hinder us from a correct interpretation of the Scriptures. When the KJV speaks of “the end of the world”, it translates the Greek “τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος,” which is literally “the end of the ages” – ages being in the plural form. It is a correct translation, also in light of the Hebrew frame of mind and terminology that the New Testament tries to convey here in Greek. But it gives today’s reader the idea of the end, the destruction of our planet or universe. It is not what is intended. Matthew speaks of the end of the time of God’s patience, when he will finally establish His kingdom on earth, the end of the present age.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the Greek word “age” (Gr. aion) is singular. It is the present age, after Pentecost and before the return of the king to reign.

“In whom the god of this world (ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, the god of this age) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The epistle to the Hebrews uses the plural form “ages” (Gr. aionion) for the work of Creation,

“…Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (τοὺς αἰῶνας).” (Hebrews 1:2)

Another interesting passage is Acts 3:21.

Mark 10:29-30, “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, (νῦν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ) houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ ζωὴν αἰώνιον)”

So when Mark speaks of “the world to come” (ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ – in the age to come) as following “the end of the world” mentioned in Matthew (τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος – the end of the ages) it speaks of the age following the present age, the days of the Messiah reigning.

I know I am repeating myself, but I believe it is more important to be clear than elegant and one-hundred percent grammatically correct.

Some time ago, I began to read books about physics – a subject that has always been very attractive to me. I read Stephen Hawking and a very good Italian renowned physicist, Carlo Rovelli. I was so surprised to learn that as far as science is concerned, time is connected to matter. Basically, time began to run when the universe was created. I was excited to discover this sort of agreement between scientific and biblical terminology: creation of the world implied the creation of time.

With right then we learn of a new creation, the time when the Messiah will reign,

“And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)

Here the KJV translates “in the regeneration.” The Greek has “ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ.” Strong’s explains it as follows: “paliggenesía (from 3825 /pálin, “again” and 1078 /génesis, “birth, beginning”” […] /paliggenesía (“renewal, rebirth”) is used twice in the NT referring to: a) the re-birth of physical creation at Christ’s return (Advent), which inaugurates His millennial kingdom (Mt 19:28; cf. Ro 8:18-25); and b) the re-birth all believers experience at conversion (Tit 3:5).

5. The Present Age

Matthew 24:13-18 describes the years we are living, and it perfectly speaks of the last two thousand years.

Jesus opens His discourse with a significant statement: “take heed that no man deceive you”. If He said so, we must expect that many will try to deceive mankind in many ways concerning the Truth. This is exactly the case with past and present history. The way the tribulations of this world are presented is worth our attention.

First, Jesus warns of false Christs and false prophets.

Then he mentions war and rumours of war.

Then famines come, and pestilences. And earthquakes, in divers places.

I believe it is no coincidence that in Revelation 6, verses from 1 to 8, the same order of “sorrows” is mentioned, though with quite a meaningful detail: in Revelation it is no more the “beginning of sorrows” but the time of the Great Tribulation, a time “such as was not since the beginning of the world”. The so called Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse represent: The Antichrist, war, famine and death.

Yes, it is true. The world is in turmoil today. We see wars and rumors of wars. And we can all be witnesses that verses 4 to 13 are consistent with the history of mankind up until today.

It is meaningful then that Paul wrote,

“¹But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. ²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. ³For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

“Peace and safety” will be the cry when the end will be near, and the Day of the Lord imminent. The Day of the Lord is not Jesus’ return, but the judgments described in Revelation from chapters 4 to 18, prior to that glorious event.

Consistently with the parable of the ten virgins and the words of Jesus Paul continues to say to the Thessalonians,

“⁴But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 )

Again “to watch” is imperative. To be sober implies to be in a condition to be able to watch, since one who is drunk will not be able to stay awake.

Concerning the Day of the Lord, I quote from my own book commenting in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, “The Day of Christ[5], his coming to reign, was then – as it is today – a future event. The Day of Christ, of reckoning, is the Day of the Lord described in the prophets and in Revelation 4 to 19. See in the Old Testament: Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obdiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5. In the New: Acts 2:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10. References are found in Revelation 6:17; 16:14.” ANTICHRIST and The Rapture of the Church, page 13.

The characteristics of the Present Age become more and more evident as the end time approaches. I believe it is evident for everyone to see. Never has there been so little peace on the planet, for example. The Church is persecuted in many countries. We live in the western world, and we too are starting to experience limitations in the way we can spread the Gospel freely.

The reason why Jesus goes into the details of the present age is to warn us, to invite us to watch. But at the same time to keep our hope alive:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28)

I believe our generation, more than any other before, is called to carefully evaluate the reality that surrounds us. Because our salvation may depend on the fact that we fail to recognize or we correctly understand the signs of the times – see Matthew 16:3.

6. The Gospel of the Kingdom

John the Baptist and Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of the promised Messiah, the time being at hand, near (Matthew 3:12, 4:17,23)

The live expectations of the days when Jesus was born and walked on this planet were due to the prophecy of the Times of the Gentiles found in Daniel 2.

Daniel 2:44, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

This is why it was also so difficult for the disciples to fully understand what was going on and Peter carried a sword with him on the night when Jesus was arrested. Even the disciples on the way to Emmaus still had doubts after his resurrection,

“…we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” (Luke 24:21)

Later on, at Pentecost, Peter, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaimed,

“²²Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: ²³Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: ²⁴Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.” (Acts 2:22-24)

Here Peter announces the Gospel—the good news of the resurrected Christ. The Church was born that day, when three thousand were added in one day to the Church, the Assembly of the called-out.[6]

As we read, the prophecy in Daniel 2 spoke of four kingdoms. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. Living in the days of the Roman empire it was logical that the Jews expected the kingdom of God to show up at any time. Little did they know that the Messianic kingdom would be delayed for 2000 years – so far – because, as Jesus said crying over Jerusalem, “thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” (Luke 19:44)

The early Church existed in the times when the Roman Empire was in power. It was a common belief among believers that, at a certain time, the empire would have been divided in ten kingdoms, as Daniel 2 (the toes) and 7 foretell. Then, the antichrist would manifest himself as the last enemy of Christ, before his return to judge and reign as Messiah.

Before the end of this age comes, this Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached again and to the whole world. Even today we see that, being the expectation of the Church so strong, along the preaching of the Gospel of Grace and Salvation in Jesus, we warn people that all the signs tell us that the return of the Lord is near.

7. The Abomination of Desolation

“It is clear at least that ‘the abomination of desolation’ cannot itself refer to the destruction of the sanctuary in August 70 or to its desecration by Titus’ soldiers in sacrificing to their standards. By that time it was far too late for anyone in Judaea to take to the hills, which had been in enemy hands since the end of 67”, John A.T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament.

Those who read Matthew 24:15 as a reference to the destruction that occurred in 70 AD make a mistake. As we read, Jesus openly referred to the destruction of the City and the Temple before the Olivet Discourse, in Matthew 23:37 – 24:2.

In Matthew 24:15 Jesus speaks of Daniel, calling him a prophet. In times past, many have questioned the authority of the book of Daniel in various possible ways—historically, prophetically. Time has proved the case for the reliability of Daniel as a historical document. And the early date of the manuscripts found at Qumran has frustrated the suppositions of those who thought Daniel was only a collection of post-eventum prophecies – a delicate way to call it a fraud.[7] Many based their unbelief on false assumptions made by scholars, jeopardizing their eternal destiny. When it could have been so simple to rely on the words of Jesus who put his seal on Daniel and his book just by calling him a prophet. Are today’s skeptics learning from their predecessors’ mistakes? I hope so.

Let us go back to our text.

Daniel speaks of the Abomination of Desolation connected to the Antichrist in Daniel 9:27, 12:11 and to the Antichrist of the Old Testament, Antiochus Epiphanes in 11:31. As history relates, Antiochus put a statue resembling his appearance in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem temple. He did not destroy the city nor the temple. So the expression used by Jesus and recorded in Matthew 24:15 does not recall the idea of destruction for the Jews but rather desecration.

Let us consider the expressions in Greek and Hebrew both in Matthew and Daniel.

Matthew 24:15 – ῞Οταν οὖν ἴδητε τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Δανιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου ἑστὸς ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ – ὁ ἀναγινώσκων νοείτω –

את־שקוץ (et ha-shiqūtz) → the abomination
משמם (m’shōmēm) → that causes desolation

Daniel 9:27 – καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῶν ἐρημώσεων

שׁקוצים (shiqūtzīm) → abominations
משׁמם (m’shōmēm) → that cause desolation

Daniel 11:31 – καὶ σπέρματα ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀναστήσονται καὶ βεβηλώσουσιν τὸ ἁγίασμα τῆς δυναστείας καὶ μεταστήσουσιν τὸν ἐνδελεχισμὸν καὶ δώσουσιν βδέλυγμα ἠφανισμένον.

השׁקוץ (ha-shiqūtz) → the abomination
משׁומם (m’shōmēm) → that causes desolation

Daniel 12:11 – καὶ ἀπὸ καιροῦ παραλλάξεως τοῦ ἐνδελεχισμοῦ καὶ τοῦ δοθῆναι βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως ἡμέραι χίλιαι διακόσιαι ἐνενήκοντα.

שׁקוץ (shiqūtz) → abomination
שׁמם (shōmēm) → that causes desolation

Just like Antiochus did, the future Antichrist, in the middle of the 70^th Week of Daniel, the last 7 years of the history of humanity, will desecrate the temple in Jerusalem.

If we have any doubts, all we need to do is connect the above passages of Daniel and Matthew with the Second epistle to the Thessalonians written by Paul. Remember, Scripture interprets Scripture!

“³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. ⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? ⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. ⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: ⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: ¹²That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

This passage is of paramount importance and deserves to be examined in detail, as it sheds more light on what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24.

Is it a coincidence that both Paul and Jesus begin by using a similar expression?

– Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.”

– 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means.”

Messianic prophecies and prophecies in general, probably because of their complexity, have been used many times to deceive people.

Charles Taze Russell, as a consequence of personal calculations, believed that Jesus would come back in the month of October of the year 1914 AD. The Times of the Gentiles would end then and Jesus would rule as Messiah. His miscalculations where based on the Bible and the Great Pyramid of Giza. And one would wonder, what Bible was he reading? Because, concerning who was inspiring him there is no doubt, it wasn’t God, but the author of confusion and father of lies. Notwithstanding the delusion that should have followed the followers of Russell, today’s Jehovah Witnesses try to find all kinds of excuses and rhetoric arguments to deny the fact that he simply was a false prophet. So was and still is the Watch Tower, which he founded.

“In 1988, former NASA engineer Edgar Whisenant published a book titled “88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988.” In it, he claimed that the Rapture would occur on September 11-13 of that year. His book sold over 4 million copies. When his prediction failed, he republished the book under the title “89 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1989” explaining he had made an error in his calculations. When this prediction failed too, Whisenant went quiet until 1993 when he wrote another book entitled “On Borrowed Time,” predicting 1994. Whisenant continued to make predictions until he eventually faded into obscurity.” [8]

I could continue to list the many predictions that failed miserably to come to pass. The only good thing about those false prophets of the past and those who will follow is that they indirectly confirm that the Word, Jesus and the Apostles were right in warning us: Let no man deceive you.

Let us see how Paul describes the events in 2 Thessalonian 2.

– there come a falling away first

– and that man of sin be revealed

Paul describes who this “man of sin” is and what he will do.

He is,

– the man of sin

– the son of perdition

(“Son of perdition” is the same term used for Judas, the betrayer, John 17:12)

What will he do?

He,

– opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped

(This is a quotation from the book of Daniel. In doing so the apostle motivates the claim that even in chapter 11 from verse 36 on, Daniel speaks of the Antichrist to come before the Lord returns)

– he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God

Scripture interprets Scripture. Those who claim that the “abomination of desolation” in Matthew 24:15 is a way of speaking of the destruction of the Temple and the City of Jerusalem are wrong. Here Paul clearly says that one day Antichrist will physically sit in the temple of God showing that he is God. Spiritualizing this passage of Scripture is impossible. At the time when Paul wrote this epistle the temple in Jerusalem was still there and the recipients of his letter could only understand that the actual temple was meant here.

Paul continues.

⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. ⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

What will be taken out of the way before the Antichrist will show if not the Holy Spirit along with the wise, those who have kept oil in their lamps, the faithful Philadelphia.

⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: ⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Then and only then the Wicked will be revealed. He will be destroyed by the Lord himself when He returns. This perfectly matches with what we read in the last chapters of Revelation and Daniel 7 speaking of the Son of Man coming with the clouds.

The description of how the Antichrist will rise –after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders– is perfectly consistent with what we read in Revelation 13.

The picture drawn by Daniel 2 and 7, Matthew 24 and 25, 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation is so clear that interpretation becomes only a matter of reading and understanding the connections.

And I cannot help but glorify God for His Word: How perfectly “in time past” the same Spirit spoke through the men of God “at sundry times and in divers manners” though they lived separated by centuries, and “in these last days” He spoke to us by His Son Jesus. So that today we stand inexcusable before a wonderful manifestation of His Love through which he wants us to escape judgment and find peace and eternal life.

8. Except those Days will be shortened…

When Jesus explains that “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22) the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8) is already way past. If we think our days are hard days, then we had better pray to God that we would never get a taste of those days, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)

The Great Tribulation is described in the book of Revelation, from chapters 4 to 18. Here in Matthew we see the perspective of the Jewish people. They will have to run from Antichrist sitting in the temple of God and even claiming to be God, as stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Matthew 24:15.

In Revelation we read, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12). “What withholdeth” him will “be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6, 7)

“¹⁵When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) ¹⁶Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: ¹⁷Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: ¹⁸Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. ¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: ²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²²And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:15-22)

The Antichrist sitting in the temple, the abomination of desolation, will be the beginning of persecution against faithful Jews who would never accept to worship a man.

God will rescue Israel in a supernatural way.

“¹³And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.[9] ¹⁴And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,[10] from the face of the serpent. ¹⁵And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. ¹⁶And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. ¹⁷And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:14-17)

Frustrated the Devil will go and battle against the saints, and they will be given into his hands.

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” (Revelation 13:7)

Which is in perfect harmony with the words written centuries before in the book of Daniel about that same character.

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” (Daniel 7:25)

In my commentaries on Daniel and on Revelation I showed how these books, along with the other New Testament end-time prophecies considered together paint a good picture of what will happen before the return of Jesus and his kingdom.

Also, Matthew 24:15-22 and the second part of the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel describe the same event.

“in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27b)

The second part of the last week of years of Daniel corresponds to three years and a half, the length of time recalled for the evil career of the Antichrist in Revelation and in Daniel.

If we read the book of Revelation we see that the return of Jesus takes place right before mankind will destroy itself. The days will be shortened and humanity spared because of the elect.

It is no coincidence that no asteroid has destroyed the earth. It is no coincidence that we haven’t started a nuclear war. Because our Jesus is not only the Creator of the world with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He also upholds “all things by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3)

9. The Rapture of the Church

The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for the Jews. It is clear from the very beginning of this gospel, the words used, the Old Testament prophecies explained and seen in the light of the person of Jesus, and the language, so deeply Hebrew, even though the original of Matthew is in Greek.

When speaking of the Church age, the one which began at Pentecost, Matthew uses parables. And even this is explained as a fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy,

“¹⁰And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? ¹¹He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. ¹²For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. ¹³Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. ¹⁴And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: ¹⁵For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (Matthew 13:10-17).

What was the difference between the disciples and those outside their circle? None. The disciples really wanted to know about the things of God and asked the Lord in simplicity and with an open heart so that they might learn. The Scribes and the Pharisees had their own agenda. Their questions were not sincere inquiries for the truth. They loved their position of power and prestige and loved every chance they had to boast and make a scene. Jesus frustrated their vile attempts and, instead of repenting, they began to hate him.

All we need to do to understand God’s Word is ask the Holy Spirit for understanding. I have learned one thing in over forty years of being a Christian and a Bible student. There is no better book about the Bible than the Bible itself, and there is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit. As the Word teaches us, all we need to do is ask Him privately.

After chapter 12, the Gospel of the Kingdom will no longer be preached to Israel. The message has been rejected, and from this moment on Jesus and his disciples would not announce that the kingdom is at hand. In the final verses of chapter twelve, in a symbolic but powerful way, Jesus openly declares that the relationship with Israel is broken off. The new relationship extends to everyone, not the Jews only, but also those outside of the boundaries of the elect people willing to accept God’s invitation.

Then we move to the wonderful chapter 13. Since the national relationship is broken because the Gospel of the Kingdom has been rejected, Jesus begins to teach in parables. In this chapter the whole Church age is seen, Christendom from the day of Pentecost to the final judgment at the end of this age, Matthew 13:47-50 – see paragraph 4 of this book on the meaning of the word “world.”

Jesus openly said to the disciples,

“it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13:11)

This expression has a parallel in Paul’s words.

“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32)

He also explained in the book of Romans,

“²⁵Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, ²⁶But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” (Romans 16:25-26)

He had already said about Israel and the call of the Gentiles what we have seen take place in Matthew 12 and 13.

“For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25)

Knowing this, the introduction “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins…” leaves no doubt about the fact that Jesus is speaking of this present age and that Matthew 25:1-13 must be applied to the Rapture of the Church.

The oil is clearly the “Holy Spirit.” The lamps must have oil in order to be lit. It is no coincidence, I am sure, that the Word tells us elsewhere, “Quence not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

The wise virgins represent the Church in Philadelphia in the book of Revelation.

“Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

“I will keep you from” is in the original Greek “κἀγώ σε τηρήσω ἐκ τῆς ὥρας”. “ἐκ” means “out.” I clearly see here the fact that God will remove the Church so that it won’t have to go through the Great Tribulation.

The foolish virgins are represented in Revelation as the church of Laodicea.

“So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

Very hard words for a very sad spiritual situation. No less hard the words spoken to the foolish virgins: “I know you not.”

As I said at the very beginning of these explicative paragraphs, it is vital for us believers to “watch!”

10. The Messianic Kingdom

“But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory” (Matthew 25:31)

The king reigns at last.

“³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)

This was said to Mary by the Angel Gabriel about Jesus. This prophecy has not yet come to pass. It will one day, when Jesus returns.

In the same Gospel of Matthew we read a very interesting passage that we need to understand in light of the Olivet Discourse.

“And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28)

The word translated here “regeneration” corresponds to the Greek “ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ” which we can translate roughly as “in the new beginning.” It is a new “Genesis”, another beginning. The present age, the present aion in which we live has come to an end and it is time for a new beginning. It is beyond the “end of the world” about which the disciples inquired of the Lord.

The Amplified Bible has,

“Jesus said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, in the renewal [that is, the Messianic restoration and regeneration of all things] when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you [who have followed Me, becoming My disciples] will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

The following truth will be fulfilled,

“¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹Because the creature (creation) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:18-23)

The context in which Paul speaks is similar to that of when the words of Jesus were spoken in Matthew 19:28.

The first act as a King will be to execute judgment. It was promised in many passages, besides the one we read above.

“¹I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick (the living) and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; ²Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

So, as stated in Matthew 19:28, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Acts 10:42, and 1 Peter 4:5, all align with Matthew 25:31ff. and confirm that the first act of the ruling king will be judgment.

Jesus alone is entitled to be the right judge.

“²⁶For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; ²⁷And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” (John 5:26-27)

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22)

At the second coming of the Lord Jesus all the Messianic prophecies will be fulfilled. So far, only those connected to his first appearance have come to pass. They are many and attest unequivocally that he is the promised Messiah to those who believe today. But when he comes back there will be no more doubts about who the Messiah is!

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)

The prophecies about the Son of Man stated in Daniel will all be fulfilled – what a glorious moment!

“¹³I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

If you ever wondered why Jesus would refer to himself as the Son of Man, this Bible passage explains it: he used it as a Messianic title—and his listeners knew what he meant.

There is a Bible passage worth considering in this context.

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4:16-21)

In the Synagogue Jesus reads Isaiah 61. But he stops at a specific point. The reason is simple: that Scripture up to that point was fulfilled, but not the rest, which will be fulfilled at his second coming.

In fact, so reads Isaiah 61,

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Jesus stops right in the middle of the sentence, which continues like this,

“…and the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2)

And Paul clearly explains that the second part of this sentence will be fulfilled,

“when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8)

APPENDICES

Patristic evidence

I am sure the reader noticed that my book is not advocating any novel or sensational interpretation of Bible prophecies in general. This study will not particularly shake the world of biblical interpretation, I know. It wasn’t my intention to do so.

The purpose of all my books is to promote a sound, sober, correct interpretation of the Bible, if possible aligned with the interpretation that has been predominant in the Church since the very beginning.

I need to warn the readers against those who come up with new doctrines, teachings, sensational interpretation of biblical prophecy, etc. All we have to know has been written in the Bible. And the teaching of the early Church is so important because the purest water is that which is found closer to the spring.

The so called “fathers of the Church” are usually overestimated by the Catholic Church. But at the same time are neglected by the majority of Protestants. A balanced view would be the best attitude.

The teachings of the Christian writers of the first four centuries of our era are a precious witness to the Truth. While they are not the Bible, they can be a powerful witness to the authentic beliefs in the Church.

Let us examine what the “fathers” have to say about the topics mentioned in this book.

1 Clement (95/96 AD), is a letter written by the church of Rome to that in Corinth. Therein, we find the expectation for the coming of the Lord Jesus: “For he forewarns us ‘Behold, the Lord comes, and his reward is with him, to pay each one according to his works.’”

The Didache, this work is of an uncertain date, while some have proposed an extremely early date of 50 AD, it seems far more likely to have originated in the first century, or, in its present form, around 150 AD. It states:

“For in the last days the false prophets and corrupters will abound, and the sheep will be turned into wolves, and love will be turned into hate. For as lawlessness increases, they will hate and persecute and betray one another. And then the deceiver of the world will appear as a son of God and ‘will perform signs and wonders,’ and the earth will be delivered into his hands, and will commit abominations the likes of which have never happened before. Then all humankind will come to the fiery test, and ‘many will fall away’ and perish; but ‘those who endure’ in their faith ‘will be saved’ by the accursed one himself. And ‘then will appear the signs’ of the truth: first the sign of an opening in heaven, then the sign of the sound of a trumpet, and third, the resurrection of the dead – but not of all; rather, as it has been said, ‘the Lord will come, and all his saints with him.’ Then the world ‘will see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.’”

The interpretation of biblical prophecies in the first centuries of the Church was very scriptural. It focused on the expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus, but also in the inevitability of the manifestation of the Antichrist before that glorious event.

The Epistle of Barnabas (written between 70 AD and 135 AD), a treatise of extraordinary beauty, states: “The day is near when everything will perish together with the evil one. ‘The Lord, and his reward, is near.’”

The above information and quotations were taken from The Apostolic Fathers – Second Edition – Translated by J.B. Lightfoot and J.R. Harmer, Edited and Re-vised by Michael W. Holmes, Baker Book House, Second printing, August 1990.

Justin, who died a martyr’s death, lived between 110 and 165 AD. The following is found in his First Apology: “Since, then, we prove that all things which have already happened had been predicted by the prophets before they came to pass, we must necessarily believe also that those things which are in like manner predicted, but are yet to come to pass, shall certainly happen … For the prophets have prophesied two advents of His: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonored and suffering Man; but the second, when, according to prophecy, He shall come from Heaven with glory, accompanied by His angelic host, when also He shall raise the bodies of all men who have lived, and shall clothe those of the worthy with immortality …”

Hippolytus (170-236 AD) is a Christian who lived in Rome, though of Greek origin. He wrote a treatise on the Antichrist. His interpretation of the prophetical events described in Daniel and in the New Testament is consistent with the interpretation I have given in this book.

In his Treatise on the Antichrist, while commenting on the dream of the Babylonian king described in Daniel Chapter Two and the vision of Chapter Seven, he writes: “The golden head of the image and the lioness denoted the Babylonians; the shoulders and arms of silver, and the bear, represented the Persians and the Medes; the belly and the thighs of brass, and the leopard, meant the Greeks, who held the sovereignty from Alexander’s time; the legs of iron, and the beast dreadful and terrible, expressed the Romans, who hold the sovereignty at present; the toes and the feet which were part clay and part iron, and the ten horns, were emblems of the kingdoms that are yet to rise; the other little horn that grows up among them meant the Antichrist in their midst; the stone that smites the earth and brings judgment upon the world was Christ.”

I suggest the reading of his treatise to anyone seriously interested in Bible prophecy. It is easily found online.

Hippolytus agrees that the last of the seventy weeks of Daniel Chapter 9 still belongs to the future: “… the last week which is to be at the end of the whole world.”

Not only is his writing useful, if not even precious; it is also very beautiful. This is what he has to say about our Savior: “For as two advents of our Lord and Savior are indicated in the Scriptures, the one being His first advent in the flesh, which took place without honor by reason of his being set at naught, as Isaiah spoke of Him aforetime… But His second advent is announced as glorious, when He shall come from heaven with the host of angels, and the glory of His Father, as the prophet said, ‘you shall see the King in glory;’ and ‘I saw one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Hippolytus quotes here from Isaiah 53:2-5, 33:17 and Daniel 7:13-14.

Irenaeus was bishop of Lyons and lived between 120-202 AD. His magnificent five books Against Heresies is an apology written against the Gnostic heresies. Though prophecy is not the main topic it was impossible in such a gigantic endeavor not to find anything about the vital subject of the return of the Lord and the prophecies connected to that event.

In book five we read: “Daniel too, looking forward to the end of the last kingdom, i.e., the ten last kings, amongst whom the kingdom of those men shall be portioned, and upon whom the son of perdition shall come, declares that ten horns shall spring from the beast, and that another little horn shall arise in the midst of them … for three years and six months, during which time, when he comes, he shall reign over the earth … Now three years and six months constitute the half-week.”

The quotations from the works of Justin, Hippolytus and Irenaeus are from the ten volumes of the Ante-Nicene fathers, Hendrickson Publishers, first printing 1994.

As you can see, the interpretation given in this book is perfectly consistent with that of the early Church. Secondary, minor details here and there may differ, as there is some variance even among the above mentioned Christian writers. But honestly we are far from the fancy interpretations of some, as well as from the cold skepticism of others.

Jerome was born in 347 and died in 420 AD. His most famous work was the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. It was the first Latin translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew text.

He wrote a whole commentary of the book of Daniel, which I have read and studied in the translation of Gleason L. Archer (1916-2004), originally published in 1958 by Baker Book House. Jerome’s is by far one of the most comprehensive and authoritative commentaries on Daniel that I have ever read.

He mentions Porphyry and how he “wrote his twelfth book against the prophecy of Daniel, denying that it was composed by the person to whom it is ascribed …He furthermore alleged that ‘Daniel’ did not foretell the future so much as he related the past …” Doesn’t it ring a bell? (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Jerome’s reply was not criticism, but an affirmation of the Truth of the Gospel: “ … none of the prophets has so clearly spoken concerning Christ as has this prophet Daniel. For not only did he assert that he would come, a prediction common to the other prophets as well, but also he set forth the very time at which he would come.” This latest statement is a clear reference to the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks.

His comments on Daniel Chapter 2 and Chapter 7 confirm the traditional view on the four kingdoms.

“We should therefore concur with the traditional interpretation of all the commentators of the Christian Church, that at the end of the world, when the Roman Empire is to be destroyed, there shall be ten kings who will partition the Roman world amongst themselves. Then an insignificant eleventh king will arise … this is the man of sin, the son of perdition, and that too to such a degree that he dares to sit in the temple of God, making himself out to be like God.”

Jerome also comments another very important detail of Daniel’s prophecies: “… and they shall be delivered into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time. ‘Time’ is equivalent to ‘year.’ The word ‘times’, according to the idiom of the Hebrews (who also possess the dual number) represents ‘two years’. The half a year signifies ‘six months’. During this period the saints are to be handed over to the power of the Antichrist…”

It is noteworthy how Jerome lists the various opinions of the early “fathers” of the Church before him concerning the Seventy Weeks’ prophecy: while there is variance in the interpretation of some details, the messianic aspect and the open reference to Christ were never questioned.

The reliability of the book of Daniel, its inspiration by the Holy Spirit, its right to be considered among the Holy Scriptures, and its authentic prophecies (both past and future) were all accepted facts for the early Church. The resulting interpretation aligns perfectly with the New Testament words of Jesus and His apostles.

The correct interpretation of prophecies in the Bible concerning the second advent of the Lord, today as it was in the past, will lead to the certainty of the Lord’s first advent and the hope of His return.

“Time” in Biblical Greek

Introduction

This article was inspired by a phrase taken from the works of Anaximander, a Greek philosopher who lived around the sixth century BC: κατὰ τὴν τοῦ χρόνου τάξιν (katà ten tu chronu tacsin), which the physicist Carlo Rovelli quotes in one of his books, “L’ordine del tempo”. Reading Rovelli’s book I pondered Anaximander’s statement. And considering what I have learned of the Greek language of the Bible, I thought I could write something about this.

Greek offers some great linguistic opportunities this time too. What for us is simply “time”, in Greek can be

Chronos[11] – time

Kairos – time

Aion – aeon

Chronos is objective. It is measurable time that flows unstoppably.

Kairos is subjective. It is our time, made of parts of chronos that concern us, that are lived subjectively. Kairos is a set of points, or segments that we live, that are ours, part of our daily experience.

How do you measure kairos? You can’t objectively quantify it. You can identify how much time has passed within the chronos thanks to the means we have today to measure it – even if our attempt to measure it is a vain attempt to imprison it. But in reality time passes subjectively from individual to individual, from circumstance to circumstance. We are there having fun and it seems to us that only a few minutes have passed – and this is our kairos. But then we look at the clocks, to refer to the chronos, and we realize that over an hour has passed.

Finally there is the Aion , the eternity that is sovereign over all, outside of time, yet defined by it, for that which is not limited by time, that which is above and outside of it, is eternal. Chronos and kairos are enveloped and overshadowed by eternity. To the extent that both may exist, they will be less than a parenthesis in the infinite absence of time.

Eternity is the infinite aion in which the chronos, the cold, implacable passing of hours, days, months and years, and all the individual kairos, the sum of moments and circumstances that determine it, are added. In short, the aion contains within itself the chronos which is composed of countless individual kairos. If the chronos is a straight line, the kairos are the points that compose it.

Let’s see what nuances we can observe for these three terms within biblical literature.

Chronos, kairos, aion.

I have my own idea about Greek philosophy. I developed it by studying the history of the ancient East and Egypt. It is very beautiful and fascinating, but it does not come from nothing – as usually happens in the history of human progress. It does not invent but reelaborates, takes up, much older “philosophies”, but which did not have at their disposal a language as beautiful, sophisticated and instrument of the most theoretical abstractions as ancient Greek.

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot that which is planted…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

Let us see the Greek version of this passage.

“For everything there is a season (χρόνος, chronos ), a time (καιρὸς, kairos ) for every purpose under heaven: a time (καιρὸς, kairos ) to be born, and a time (καιρὸς, kairos ) to die; a time (καιρὸς, kairos ) to plant, and a time (καιρὸς, kairos ) to uproot what is planted…”

Greek remedies the limitations of our language and gives us nuances that, in this case, we would not otherwise perceive.

There is an example in John that jumped out at me.

John 7:1-6, “After these things Jesus walked about in Galilee, not wanting to go into Judea like this, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you do. For no one does anything in secret when he seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, manifest yourself to the world.” For even his brothers did not believe in him. Then Jesus said to them, “My time (καιρὸς, kairos ) has not yet come, but your time (καιρὸς, kairos ) is always ready.”

Back to the Old Testament, we know that its original language was Hebrew, but when it was translated into Greek, the foundation was laid for what would be the language of the New Testament.

Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God has made everything beautiful in its time (καιρὸς, kairos ) ; he has also put eternity (αἰῶν, aion ) in their hearts , though man cannot find out the work that God has done from beginning to end.”

The word “eternity” which is here in the Greek version aion – αἰῶν translates the Hebrew olam – עוֹלָם , which is often translated “forever”, obviously preceded by the preposition ל .

I have noticed that our Western minds in general have a tendency to favor the schematization of ideas, concepts and even the use of words. But just as reality is difficult, if not impossible, to schematize in a rigid way, the same and even more can be said of the language that tries to define and represent it – in a very specific moment, context and circumstances.

For this reason, my years of study, the various jobs I have done both in translation and interpretation, have taught me how dangerous it can be to depend too much on the etymology of words. These are so malleable in the hands of those who are forced to find new ways to express concepts and ideas…

Often, when translating from English to Italian – my native language – I find myself embarrassed by the lack of appropriate words, of points of reference to help someone who only knows the other language understand one language. Sometimes, between the starting point, the original word or expression, and the point of arrival, the language into which I am translating, there is such a deep gulf and such an unbridgeable distance, that the starting point remains indistinct and indistinguishable.

Imagine when Hebrew had to be translated into Greek. A language characterized by action and pragmatism, into one that sublimates the abstract potential of human language. This happened when the original Hebrew of the Old Testament was translated into the Greek version commonly called LXX, Septuagint.

Once the Hebrew “religious” language was stopped in the Greek of the LXX, it was available to the authors of the New Testament. Here it became autonomous, it came to life, although inseparable from its Hebrew roots. In the hands of Paul, John, Luke, it took on increasingly defined connotations, perfectly universalizing the entirely Hebrew reality of faith in the one God.

“For God spake in various and divers manners in time past unto the fathers by the prophets; but in these last days hath he spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the ages (τοὺς αἰῶνας – tus aionas – aion in the plural, preceded by the article and declined in the accusative)” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

The New Revised Translation translates “the worlds”. Here comes the translator’s embarrassment I spoke of earlier, when there is no real right choice – and therefore a right translation – and a wrong choice – and therefore a wrong translation – but only a compromise, in trying to make the sentence as comprehensible as possible to the recipients of the translation, even if it cannot express all the force and meaning of the original.

In Matthew 12:32 we read, “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age (ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, aioni) or in the age to come” (NKJV).

Why is this passage important? Because we understand that we live in an αιών, aion, and that after ours there will be another.

This same concept is confirmed by the Gospel of Mark.

“Then Jesus answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age (ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ, en to kairo tuto), houses and brothers and sisters and mother and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age (ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι) to come eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον, zoen aionion)” (Mark 10:29-30).

How accurate Mark’s language is is unfortunately lost in his translation. He speaks of this time, our kairos, the one we live in. He mentions the aion to come, the century to come, in harmony with Matthew’s language in the passage cited above. He closes by defining the life we will have forever with the Lord with the adjective aionion, which derives precisely from aion. This is used by John.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (αἰώνιον, aionion )” (John 3:16).

To describe the life that has no end, the life we lost when we were expelled from Eden, John uses the adjective αἰώνιον, aionion, which, as I said, comes from αιών, aion. In the Hebrew version of the New Testament the word that is used to render aion, αιών, is olam, עוֹלָם . And it could not have been otherwise, because this would certainly have been the word in a possible Hebrew original of John, to describe how by the intervention of the Son of God the sentence of Genesis 3:22 is revoked.

In regards to the aion in which we live, Paul highlights the sad reality of who put this generation on the throne.

“the god of this age (τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, tu aionos tutu) has blinded the minds of those who do not believe” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

At the end of our αιών, aion, two passages from Matthew refer to it, which use the same expression in Greek.

“And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age (τοῦ αἰῶνος, tu aionos)?” (Matthew 24:3 – New Living Translation).

“And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (τοῦ αἰῶνος, tu aionos)” (Matthew 28:20).

The end of the present aion will mark the beginning of the next. This is why Hebrews 1:1-2 says that God created the ages through the Son (τοὺς αἰῶνας – tus aionas – aion in the plural, preceded by the article and declined in the accusative).

The kronos, or better the kronoi, make up the aion.

“When the fullness of time had come (τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, tu pleroma tu chronu), God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4).

God’s timing is perfect. At the right time he sent his Son.

The same concept is reiterated in the Epistle to the Ephesians, but, significantly, with different terminology.

“making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself for the administration of the fullness of times (εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν, tu pleromatos ton kairon)” (Ephesians 1:10).

In Ephesians kairos (τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν) is used , referring to the qualitative aspect of time; while in Galatians, the similar expression (τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου) emphasizes the quantitative aspect of time through the use of chronos.

It was part of the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom:

“the time is fulfilled ” (Mark 1:15).

Kairos is also used in Romans 5:6, precisely to show the perfection of divine timing in the economy of salvation.

“For while we were still sinners, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly (κατὰ καιρὸν, kata kairon).”

κατὰ καιρὸν, katà kairòn, implies “at the right time”, “in due time”. It conveys the idea of God’s perfect timing in his intervention in the human history.

The New Testament language, as we have also seen, is inspired by the use of Greek in the Septuagint version. There is a passage of extraordinary poetic beauty in the book of Isaiah where the language of Mark 1:15 or Romans 5:6 finds a perfect continuation, linguistically but also theologically.

“Violence shall no more be heard in your land, destruction and destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall no more be your light by day, nor the moon for light; but the LORD shall be your everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon be darkened anymore; for the LORD will be your everlasting light; the days of your mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be a righteous people; they shall possess the land forever; they are the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. The least of them shall become a thousand, and the least of them a mighty nation. I the LORD will hasten it in its time. ” (Isaiah 60:18-22)

“In due time,” which we could also define as “at the appointed time,” is rendered in the Septuagint as “κατὰ καιρὸν, kata kairon,” an expression that Paul will take up again literally in Romans 5:6.

Remaining in the qualitative use of time, let us consider two important eschatological statements.

“Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the nations until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (πληρωθῶσι καιροὶ ἐθνῶν)” (Luke 21:24).

Jesus’ prophetic reference to the times of the Gentiles, (καιροὶ ἐθνῶν, kairoi etnon) is particularly significant. It is found in all studies of eschatology and, in particular, it is used to describe the succession of kingdoms described in Daniel 2 that will give way to the kingdom of God.

“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time (καιρὸς , kairos) is near” (Revelation 22:10).

Considering this last passage, it is necessary to point out that, beyond linguistic observations and in-depth study of the Word of God, in these days in particular, when we find ourselves immersed in a kairos that leads us to no other conclusion than that we are close to the end of this aion, what really matters is how far-sighted we are and whether we are ready on the day of our Lord’s return to reign.

Conclusion

The initial sentence of our reflection now takes on a truer meaning in the light of these two verses of the Bible.

κατὰ τὴν τοῦ χρόνου τάξιν, according to the order of time .

God himself created time, God himself has perfect mastery and control over it, he knows what is the right moment for the aion to manifest itself in the chronos and above all in the kairos in which we mortals are immersed – I was about to write “we mortals are trapped”.

And that is why from our position of absolute impossibility of exact perception of the aion, which is also the Jewish olam, the only wise thing that man can do is to submit the Greek extraction, an end in itself, to the ineluctable superiority of Jewish pragmatism. Paraphrasing Isaiah 40:31 I would say, “ But those who wait for the time appointed by the Lord, hoping in Him, certain that He will do what He has promised in due time, will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint .”

Among writers, language aims to give prestige to oneself or to the work that is being composed. Nothing wrong with that. I also love writing and literature and in my own small way, more for passion than for ability, I consider myself a writer.

But what happens in the Bible, as well as in those who write about the Bible, constitutes a phenomenon apart.

Paul, the evangelists, and the other sacred authors have put their linguistic knowledge at the total service of the meaning of what they were trying to convey to the reader, the Gospel of our salvation and the authentic teachings of the Lord and his holy apostles. In their search for precision, in the refinement of their vocabulary, I see love for God, for the Truth and for those who will approach those sacred pages to reach salvation or to grow in the faith of the Lord Jesus.

I myself, when I write about things concerning God’s Revelation, strive to make the most of my linguistic abilities to honor such an important topic and be a blessing to the reader.

I would like you to understand from this perspective how important it is to delve into certain themes, the original language of the Bible; how much it honors those who wrote it – I am referring to the human authors and the Holy Spirit – and how much of a blessing certain studies can be.

How near is the time?

“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.” (Matthew 24:33 – KJV)

“Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand.*” (Revelation 1:3 – KJV)

*Greek: “ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς”

“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.*” (Revelation 22:10 – KJV)

*Greek: “ὁ καιρὸς γὰρ ἐγγύς ἐστιν”

In the book of Acts we read of the ascension of Jesus. The angels declared to those witnessing that event,

“this same Jesus, which is taken up from you in heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Ever since that day, the return of the Lord Jesus has been the hope of Christians.

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)

The King James version reads: “The time is at hand,” which corresponds, in today’s English, to “the time is near.” The time Revelation and Matthew refer to, is that of the returning Messiah, Jesus, and of the final judgment he will execute.

The problem is evident and the question even legitimate: If the time was near two thousand years ago, why has nothing happened yet?

Non-believers use the “delay” of Christ’s return to discredit the expectation for the second coming of Jesus, on the ground that if the time was “at hand” two thousand years ago, why has Jesus not returned then or since then? Is it really true that he would return? Is it not all a forgery, a delusion, in the minds of the apostles and those that followed in their footsteps? Has the promise turned into a delusion?

No. The answer to all these questions is: “No.”

To find out the true meaning of the expression “the time is at hand”, “near”, we must see the picture from a different perspective. Let me try to help you do so by asking some questions.

How else could the Bible have said what it meant to say?

How else would you have said to two thousand years of Christian generations that Christ is coming back?

We don’t know when he is coming back. So we have to be ready for that day. Jesus will surely come back. How would you have said this if you were the author of a Christian doctrine book to be read among Christians? I would have said it this way: “be ready…for the time is at hand.” This is in fact the best way to say it, since I know that Jesus could come the very moment I am writing these words, as well as a thousand years from now. That is the only way the Bible or anyone else could have said it.

The time is at hand, my friend. Two thousand years ago, a thousand years ago, to-day, in this very moment I write, the time is “at hand,” Jesus is coming back, God’s judgment is at the door.

The present tense in this phrase is so relevant. “The time is at hand”: it was for the Bible reader of two thousand years ago, as it is for us today.

I like the words of Paul when speaking of the return of Jesus Christ and the Rapture of the Church.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thessalonians 4:15-18)

Some could object that Paul was deluded in his expectations because Jesus did not come back during his life time. I see it differently. I think Paul felt what every Christian should feel during his life devoted to the service of Christ: that he is coming back any time.

With a simple statement the apostle gave the words that had to be the hope of all Christians: we are not waiting to die. Christians are waiting for the Lord’s return, corporately and individually. Paul could have never said it differently or better. He had no title to write, “those who will be still alive…”, because he did not know when Jesus was coming and had no authority to tell his readers he would have not returned during his generation; also he had no reason to exclude himself from hoping the return of Jesus would occur during his lifetime.

I like it. I like Paul’s words very much. I see a man with a higher hope, anxiously awaiting for his Lord to finally set him free from his mortal condition. The same spirit should be in every Christian!

But one would ask: didn’t even Paul know when Jesus was coming back? The answer is: No. The Bible says that no-one knows the time. Jesus says:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.” (Matthew 24:42, 44)

This is also why the New Testament tells us of Jesus coming as a “thief in the night”, when least expected. Paul writes,

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write to you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)

Many more passages could be cited to support and confirm this truth. But one final Scripture will suffice to reveal the key: the so-called “delay” in Jesus’ return is not failure—it is God’s patience..

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:9-10)

The Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven

The Parables of the Kingdom are peculiar to Matthew and speak of the age of the Church, that mystery hidden in God revealed to us today in the present age, the age of Grace.

PREMISE

John the Baptist paved the way for the Messiah by preaching the gospel – the good news – of the kingdom.

“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2)

Jesus and his disciples also preached the gospel of the Kingdom at some point, after the Baptist was imprisoned – Matthew 4:12.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ” (Matthew 4:17).

If Israel had believed this announcement, the messianic kingdom would have begun then. But it did not. In a dramatic crescendo in the Gospel of Matthew we see how both the person of Jesus and his message are rejected: the Messiah is not accepted.

At a certain point, Jesus’ words become very strong and clear against any bond that is not based on obedience.

“While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50)

The national bond with Israel is broken, Israel has rejected the Messiah, and this will mean that “anyone” will be able to enter the kingdom.

In sending out the twelve, Jesus had initially said:

“Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach and say, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 10:5-7)

The Lord’s words in Matthew 12:46-50 make it clear that belonging to a group or a national identity does not automatically guarantee us access to the kingdom of God. His own people had rejected the message, the good news of the kingdom. So God today addresses anyone who wants to become his child, regardless of their nationality, condition or status.

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13)

This being said, let us look at the parables taught by Jesus, the parables of the kingdom. We find a total of twelve in Matthew that refer to “…the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9), that is, the present age, the church age.

Paul says it clearly,

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Romans 11:25).

The Church age, until the Rapture, is wonderfully depicted in the parables.

THE TWELVE PARABLES

The Parable of the Sower

“The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9)

Why did Jesus speak in parables? An entire book could be written on this topic alone. But making a long story short, the meaning of the parables was hidden only to those who were not actually interested in understanding them. In fact, to those who approached Jesus and asked him to explain the meaning of his words he did. This is the same principle you can apply to the Word in general. I know very well educated people who are so confused when it comes to reading the Bible. Then, when I explained to my fourteen-year-old son that he needed to pray and ask God in order to understand the Bible before reading it, he did and as we spoke about the passage he read I was so surprised he had understood all so well and in such a deep spiritual way. Because, it is not us, but Him who must be glorified in us. It is not our understanding, but His revelation to us.

Jesus explains to his disciples his first parable.

“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

The Parable of the Weeds

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:24-30)

The Mustard Seed

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” (Matthew 13:31)

The Leaven

Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)

The explanation given in Matthew 13:34-35 is in harmony with the passage I quoted earlier, about “…the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9).

“All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13:34:35)”

It must be said again that those things were actually hidden for those who were not humble enough to go to Jesus and ask for an explanation. Pride can build a tall, thick wall between us and God. Failing to see He acts in love too. Trusting He is good and will give us understanding when we ask for it will open the way for us in Christ Jesus to knowing His Truth.

“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:36-43)

The Hidden Treasure

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

The Pearl of Great Value

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

The Net

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47-50)

Outside of chapter 13 of Matthew, Jesus will speak five more parables concerning the kingdom of heaven,

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Matthew 18:23-35)

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20:1-16)

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

“And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14)

Then the last two parables are part of the Olivet Discourse and refer to the Rapture of the Church and judgment.

As we can see, the harmony of the narrative of Matthew is wonderful. The work of the Holy Spirit can be contemplated in the unity of intent, the harmonization of events and the discourses spoken by Jesus.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 25:1-13)

Here we see the rapture of the Church that the apostle Paul speaks of in his epistle to the Thessalonians.

“We do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who sleep, so that you will not sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who sleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words .” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

A note of reproach. The Scripture says here that these words are given to us to “comfort one another”, to give us hope and not to argue! But this is what many do instead.

Philadelphia will enter the wedding, Laodicea will be left out. See Revelation 3:7-22. Whoever has the oil, the Holy Spirit, will enter the wedding. Let us be careful, the Word of God is clear: the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ” (Matthew 24:42-44)

The Parable of the Talents

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:14-30)

Let us be careful. Let us keep our lamps full of oil (Holy Spirit) and use the talents the Lord has given us wisely, because the time is near indeed and the Lord is truly at the door.

“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

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[1] The Epistle of Diognetus 7:4 in The Apostolic Fathers, Second Edition, translated by J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes, Baker Book House, p.301.

[2] Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him”

[3] In Readings from the First-Century World, edited by Walter A. Elwell, Robert W. Yarbrough, Baker Book House, p.51

[4] Ibid, p.51

[5] Other translations read “The Day of the Lord.” It is useless to discuss this matter here, since the interpretation of the text, as the readers will see for themselves, will not be influenced, since both the Day of the Lord and the Day of Christ, in this context, are synonymous.

[6] From Biblehub.com we learn that Church, in the original Greek, ἐκκλησία, derives from a compound of ἐκ – out from, and a derivative of καλέω – called. people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.

[7] I discuss this topic at length in my book on Daniel, Daniel, the Prophet. Historical and Prophetical Commentary.

[8] Source, https://levaire.com/7-historic-examples-of-end-times-error/. Consulted on May 12, 2025.

[9] Jesus.

[10] Three years and a half.

[11] Read, kronos.

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Matteo

Introduction

An outline of the Gospel of Matthew

THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

KJV Text with Notes

Matthew 23:37-24:2

THE PRELUDE

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem

THE OLIVET PROPHETIC DISCOURSE

The questions of the disciples

The answer of Jesus

The beginning of Sorrows

The manifestation of the Antichrist in Israel

1. Key verses

2. Many shall come in my name…

3. The Destruction of the City and of the Temple

4. The End of the World

5. The Present Age

6. The Gospel of the Kingdom

7. The Abomination of Desolation

8. Except those Days will be shortened…

9. The Rapture of the Church

10. The Messianic Kingdom

APPENDICES

Patristic evidence

“Time” in Biblical Greek

How near is the time?

The Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven

Studi Biblici