Your Life, God's Word

Jesus really seemed to go out of His way to make the discourse in Matthew 24 crystal clear, yet many seem to be as confused as ever. Could it be that the plain and simple statements are just too mundane, and boring for moderns, and so we don't want to take Him at His word?

One day Jesus is going to come down to earth, on a cloud, and every eye in the face of the planet will behold this phenomenon. In the United States, this sounds like a boring truism based on well-founded church dogma, but is it scriptural? More importantly, is this something Jesus taught in His discourse found in Matthew 24?

Many people read futuristic wars, cataclysmic weather phenomena, and nuclear explosions into the text of Matthew 24. Are these beliefs warranted given the Biblical evidence?

An ominous figure looming in the shadows until the LAST DAYS, when he will launch an epic battle against the forces of good, which will culminate in a global, nuclear holocaust....This must be the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION!!! Or is it.....

The first few verses of Matthew 24 establish an interpretive rubric for the rest of the chapter. It's important to look at time indicators, audience, and other factors that allow the scriptures to interpret themselves. Instead of the sensational fearmongering found in many deceptive "Christian" books and articles, listen to Jesus explain what this chapter is really about, and allow Him to tell us what to look for, and what to ignore...

Before we get to Matthew 24, we must understand the immediate context, found in chapters 21 through 23. This is where Jesus pronounces judgment and destruction on the temple, the rulers, and the city over and over again. He ends with a seven-fold set of woes and a final mic drop and promise of desolation. This is the context of Matthew 24.

We're slowly moving into our eschatology series, but first.....

Many people believe eschatology is a topic reserved for those who've exhausted the rest of the Bible, have grown bored, and now want something else to do. Maybe they think Revelation is just in the Bible because God wanted 66 books instead of 65. Of course, many believe they're alive now, so the world can't possibly last much longer. After all, if they are going through something dreadful, it must be the time of the end.

The Olympics go full demonic, but what is the Christian response?