This three-part article is a journey into End Times Eschatology and discovering our responsibility.
Editor’s Note: The practical-tangible preparedness portion of the article will be in Part 3.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.»
Matthew 24: 45-47
Ezekiel 33 – Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me
November 6th, 2023
I am now starting my journey of writing a book on Eschatology. ThIs article represents an early draft of the core of that book. I have no idea how long this road will be and what I will discover along the way. Every beginning begins this way. So let us begin.
We will start through scripture and will mine its depths with the help of The Holy Spirit. He will teach us all things. That is God’s promise, and I will claim it now in Faith. Who is leading? That is hard to tell because it is my fingers hitting the key board. However, the truth is. Where He leads I will follow. So, in this journey we will have a guide. A guide that wants to lead us into all that He has imagined for us with him, since eternity past – before there was time. Till now in Time, and into eternity future where the Bible states «And thus, we will Always be with the Lord.»
So, what is this journey about? Where am I trying to go?
I am at the time of this writing – 53 years old. I believe that my generation is the generation that will bring the Lord back to His earth and begin his earthly reign. For that to happen, a certain number of events that have been prophesied in the Bible will need to occur. Many of them already have, but several more still need to come to pass. So where are we in time? We’ll look at that. What do we do with our knowlege? And… Is There is a responsibility that He has given to (us) his people?
Yes, there is a responsibility. It is shown through all the Bible. Abraham had a Responsibility. Joseph did too. David. Yes. All the saints in the Old and New Testament did something due to their relationship with God. And now it is our turn. Jesus describes what our End Times responsibility will be during his final and most famous sermon ‘The Olivet Discourse’ starting in Matthew 24.
Before we go there, let me ask a question of you. What do you believe regarding the Return of Jesus? The Rapture? End Times? Tribulation? Judgement?
The disciples asked Jesus these very questions, and he gave them a very detailed answer. So let’s look at his answer exactly as he said it, and then we will discuss what it means. This answer will be the Lens that we look through for everything else regarding Eschology. There are many many scriptures related to end times events (Daniel, Ezekial, Isaiah, Revelation, etc…) However, Matthew 24 is the Main Map. The Baseline. Everything else helps to fill in the gaps, gives greater clarity and detail. Matthew 24 is where we begin.
Matthew 24 – The Olivet Discourse
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b]
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I encourage you to read Matthew 25 on your own. It is just a continuation of the sermon and gives some examples of our responsibility, and also the rewards and punishments for choosing one path over the other.
Eschatology – Charting End Times Events (Ezekiel 38&39) and Daniel 11
Israel has returned to the land (1948)
Israel has restored the land (1948 till now)
The Peace Treaty that causes Israel to remove their walls and gates (Not yet happened)
The Angry King of the North gathers allies and attacks the King of the South
All Nations Rise against Israel
Jesus Returns to Rescue his people, gather his elect and begin Judgement.
With all this on the Horizon, what do we do?
Prepare
Based on world events and how this lines up with scripture, I think we have about five years left to prepare, this I am developing a 5-year work plan and 5-year supply plan.
Chapter 1 – Eschatology
Eschatology is a word we should become familiar with using. It’s kind of a ‘code’ word that makes us sound smart when using it. So get used to it. I am. It is a more important word now than it was let’s say 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, I don’t think most people, even Christians knew what that word meant, or for that matter cared… Why? Because the coming storm was so far off the horizon. We were living our lives, working, having families, debating politics, and discussing why the Clintons were so horrible and…. Why gas prices are getting so high?!
Now, Today, in conversations with regular people, coworkers, there is a sense that something is amiss. Covid to some degree did that. We saw how fragile our complicated world had become. The more complicated something is, the more perfectly it must be maintained, else it could all come crashing down.
Like when a storm comes, a tree downs a powerline, and the city block goes dark.
Those with candles or oil lamps can just strike a match. Or fire up a generator and wait for the repair crew that you know is coming.
Someday, they will not be able to come, because the thing that just broke was… The whole system.
What does the Bible say? It falls in One Hour. How is that possible? Could fall in many ways due to the times we are in. EMP? Cyber Attack? Financial Crash? Nuclear War? All the above? What I find so interesting about this prophecy is that until recent times, I don’t think the readers of the Bible lets say 200 years ago could have made sense of how it could all fall apart in One Hour. There was no global currency, or global communication. If something fell apart lets say in Germany 200 years ago, how would that affect the America’s or the Chinese? Only now in the times we are living it could this all make sense. It will Fall. Hard. Instantly.
Revelation 18 – Lament Over Fallen Babylon
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’[a]
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’[b]
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;[c]
I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
The Finality of Babylon’s Doom
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
“With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world’s important people.
By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Two key things reach out to me, and I have highlighted them.
Come out of her my people
In one hour, her doom has come, and never to rise again.
When will this fall come? I don’t know. We can speculate. It doesn’t happen until Revelation 18, but it is also referenced in Revelation 14. The book of Revelation is a puzzle better solved by scholars that I respect, and they have done the heavy lifting.
The bottom line is that it is coming, and we are told to “Come out of her my people”.
How do we do this? And when do we do this?
Some would say “Sell your house, quit your job, buy some land in the country and start homesteading.”
Others would say “Don’t worry, we are going to be raptured before any of these terrible things happen”.
I am certain that we would go through tribulation. Jesus says we will (in Matt 24). For how long? 3-1/2 years? All 7 of the years of tribulation that Daniel predicts?
I’m pretty sure we are going to go through All of it.
It seems there will be 3-1/2 years of Tribulation leading up to the Antichrist seating himself in the Holy Place (Jerusalem / Temple Mount). Then an additional 1,290 days. What is strange is then it says in verse 12 – Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of 1,335 days. That is an addition 45 days past the Original 1290. Why? There is debate. My guess is this… “Bonus Points”.
Kind of like pushing just that extra juice out of the Olive. Bonus Points…
Faithful to the End. All the Way to the End.
(To be continued tomorrow, in Part 2.)