The Second Coming of Christ Pt. 4

Getting back to Matthew 24, in verse 37 it gives us more information to allow us to understand that the end is near. We have studied Genesis, now we see why knowing the Bible right from the first book is important.

As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be on the Day Christ returns. Before the flood people were living their lives with no thought to imminent destruction. They were eating and drinking, marrying and carrying on as usual right up to the day Noah entered the ark. All of his preaching was completely ignored and they were totally oblivious to what was about to overtake them. They didn’t realize anything was amiss until the flood came and killed them all. So it will be on the day the Lord returns. There may be things happening (the Day of the Lord signs are pretty dramatic), there may be people having warned them, but they are deaf and blind to the signs and the warnings that they have received, just as the people in Noah’s day were.

Possibly more things, that are similar to Noah’s day and are not so readily apparent, can be extrapolated from knowing the story in Genesis In Noah’s day wickedness was at an all time high. Violence filled the earth. We have that today. Children kill children. Parents abuse and kill children. People kill for the most trivial of reasons. People lie, steal, and cheat. Immorality is a way of life for the majority of people. People call evil good, and good evil. (Is. 5:20) In these ways we are like Noah’s day. And there is more. Fallen angels were openly interacting with, in fact cohabitating with humans. I believe we are paralleling Noah’s day in this way too. While fallen angels and their offspring nephilim do not pose as gods in the same way they did back then (this is where some of the myths of the Roman and Greek gods and the stories of the offspring of the gods like Hercules (men of renown) came from - stories of the nephilim were no doubt handed down by Noah’s sons having been remembered from before the flood, as well as the stories of the nephilim who lived after the flood), they are interacting with us on another level. Today fallen angels, nephilim, and demons pose as aliens and spirit guides for people to channel. They use whatever is the prevalent thing of the moment, and today it is belief in evolution and life in outer space as well as belief in evolved beings who guide us. Mythology and/or Babylonian (occult) history also says that Atlantis (the land that was sunk under the sea - or the antediluvian world) was highly technologically advanced. This is not totally reliable information, but quite probably true given that angels would have knowledge well beyond man. This would explain some of the archaeological paradoxes- the gigantic stone monuments and cities, the incredible building techniques. These massive stone ruins may have survived the flood. Why are there ruins of a port city high up in the mountains in South America nowhere near a sea? Egyptian and Mayan ruins show drawings of flying ships and even small toy models of them have been found in the ruins. It is not impossible to believe that if we have them today, that they, with their demonic help had them back then. It is believed that some of our technology today is in fact coming from demons, who are showing people things through channeling, dreams, and visions, at least that is how people are saying they are getting these ideas. People were probably much smarter back then too. We have deteriorated, not improved. That’s the curse at work. So, when it says as it was in the days of Noah, there is more to it than just eating and drinking and being oblivious to God’s judgment being about to fall. They were probably highly technologically evolved. They may have had a space program just as we do. Ancient drawings show supposed “astronauts”. If we can go to the moon, and our technology can't begin to figure out theirs, why couldn’t they? Although only myths survive to give us the speculation (and remember it is speculation) that these things may be true, it is logical to believe that people who were probably much smarter than we are, and openly had demonic help, had a space program too. In fact, since we know that either fallen angels or nephilim came back to cohabit after the flood, maybe it explains why God was so angry about the tower to take them to the stars that Nimrod was building at Babel. We assume it was just a building of religious worship, and that is the usual interpretation, but we have skyscrapers today that God allows us to have. And plenty of people believe in astrology. Why was it so imperative to make them be unable to communicate and continue the project? Could it be that they were building a launching pad to literally take them to the stars, not just a tower of worship? If Satan could get us off this planet colonizing other planets or moons, God could not fulfill the prophecies in the Bible. His return wouldn’t be for everyone, and all of mankind couldn’t be punished. So Satan would really want us out there in space literally, not just spiritually worshiping the heavenly bodies, in order to make God a liar. God has to keep us on this planet. Granted this is tremendous (although I find it interesting) speculation, but it would explain far better why God would say that anything that they could even imagine, they could do, much better than just believing they were building a tall building. But I digress. As it was in the days of Noah, so it is today. Wickedness will abound and they will be oblivious to what is about to hit them.

Going back to the next verses in Matthew, two people can be side by side and one will be taken and the other won’t. Some people try to make this mean that the one taken will be thrown in the fire and the other is left behind safe, but this is not what Christ just said. Even though he has just referenced Noah, he was making that comparison for the effect of the wicked not expecting judgment. In speaking of the two side by side, He says that when the Son of Man comes two will be side by side and one will be taken and the other left. We have to reference back to where He spoke of His coming and gathering His elect. He takes the elect, not the wicked. This time he is not taking away the wicked and leaving the righteous, he is taking away the righteous and leaving the wicked to endure the flames. To make it mean anything other than what He said is to twist His words around to suit a pre-conceived theory. We need to stay true to what the scriptures say, not make them fit a created theory. We have to always compare ideas or interpretations to scripture. Scripture interprets scripture. Christ said that the elect are taken. Here people are taken away. Therefore it is the elect of whom he speaks.

The warning comes to watch for you know not what hour your Lord will return. Notice the word your, meaning we are the ones being warned, not the unbeliever. This is aimed directly at us, not unbelieving Jews. Christ is not their Lord at the moment. He is ours. This is speaking of the 2nd coming, where he comes for us, as that is what the previous passage was describing. It only reinforces that this is exactly how that passage must be interpreted, as the 2nd coming where Christ gathers the elect (us). We are warned to watch for His coming, His visible 2nd coming, as that is what is being spoken about. How can we watch for something if we aren’t going to be here? We can’t. Therefore He expected His people (those who haven’t been killed by antichrist) to still be here when He returns and to be watching so that they may be gathered. This cannot be made to mean the unbelieving Jews. It simply won't work. It cannot be believing Jews after a pre-trib rapture, as the scriptures clearly teach that they will believe when they see Him whom they have pierced, at His 2nd very visible coming. If a pre-trib rapture is secret, they have no reason to believe that Jesus is the Christ, their Messiah. They would not see Him. It's totally illogical. It cannot be believing Gentiles who have come to Christ after a pre-trib rapture, as we are told that those who have refused the truth will be deluded and won't believe the truth. Nothing works here except for the gathering of us when Christ visibly returns.

Now the warning is made more clear for us through parables. If the Goodman of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched and his house would not have been broken up. So we are to be ready in the same way, as in an hour that we don’t think He will come (some will have given up hope), He will finally make His appearance. And many will be unprepared for it (having given up hope and starting to live as the world does, figuring it was all a lie). We are talking Christians here, not unbelievers. If the Christian has some idea of when the thief (the Lord) is coming, he will be watching and his house (he himself) will not be lost. Some Christians will have given up when He doesn’t make His appearance to rapture them when they think He should. This will destroy their faith. Only by intense study of scripture can we see what the signs are and what to expect before He comes, so that the thief can’t break into our house.

The wise and faithful servant is that one whom the Lord finds doing what he is supposed to be doing when He returns. Again, this is speaking of His 2nd coming. That is the context. For those who think the Lord isn’t coming after all (have given up because of a false belief perhaps) and don’t care anymore and start to live as the world lives; he won’t be expecting the Lord anymore and when the Lord does come that servant (Christian - servant, not unbeliever) will find his place is with the hypocrites where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (let’s just say it isn’t heaven).

Now Christ gives the parable of the ten virgins. All of the virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All of them are virgins, i.e. all of them are Christians. All of them go out to meet him. Five are wise, and five are foolish. Those that were foolish took their lamps, but no oil. The wise took oil along with their lamps. Christians who think that just accepting the Lord and leaving it at that point is fine, are sadly mistaken. We must keep oil in our lamps. We need to be walking with the Lord and studying his word. Salvation is not a final thing until we have passed from this life. The bridegroom (Christ) tarries. He didn’t come back in time for the disciples. He didn’t come back for two millennia, and He still hasn’t come back. The virgins all fall asleep. When the bridegroom suddenly makes his appearance, the virgins with oil are prepared, but those without aren’t. They don’t have time to get oil as time has run out. When they try to get oil and catch up, it is too late. They get shut out of the marriage. When they are asked to be let in, Christ says he doesn’t know them. These are people who believe they are Christians, who don’t make it to the marriage. It isn’t enough to say that these are just people who go by the name Christian, but have never known the Lord for real. These are virgins. This implies Christians. They did know the Lord, but they weren’t prepared. Then we are given another warning to watch. This is speaking of the 2nd coming. It cannot be used to speak of a pre-trib rapture simply because pre-trib says that the rapture is not here. That it is a mystery. Again, I believe the scriptures say it is here, because I put it where Christ put it, at the 2nd coming.

Then there is the parable of the talent. The servant, [yes he is a servant (Christian)] doesn’t use his talents for the Lord. What is the outcome? He is cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is not being left for the tribulation or Day of the Lord. Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth is associated with eternal damnation in the scriptures. Again, this is a servant (a Christian) that ends up in the very wrong place, because he is not doing the works he was given to do, investing in a heavenly reward.

In the last parable we are told that when the Son of Man comes with His angels, He will sit upon the throne and gather all the nations for judgment. He will separate them as sheep and goats. The normal way of interpreting this passage is that the sheep are the ones who haven’t taken the mark of the beast, (we’ll learn about that in Rev.) and while not being Christians may have been good to Christians under persecution. (Remember how in Daniel it said that when the saints fell they would be helped, but not by people who are doing it out of a sincere belief?). The ones who have taken the mark and have persecuted Christians (the goats) will be thrown into the everlasting fire which was prepared for Satan and his demons. Lately I have begun to wonder if that is what this is really saying. The other parables are about Christians, not Christians and unbelievers. In the temple sacrifices, both sheep and goat kids were interchangeable for sacrifice. Is this another parable about Christians? If it is, then Christians had better beware, as a Christian who has not been doing the good works he was supposed to be doing is in serious trouble.