A layman's commentary on Matthew 24, verses 36 -38. As it was in the days of Noah.

 Previously, I covered Matthew 24:36, where Jesus, in speaking to His disciples, said, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” I spoke about how this directive to the Jewish people had nothing to do with the church.

The question they asked was this.

“..., and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

You can take the time to study this out by reading Matthew 24:2,3.

For the Jews, the sign of His coming speaks specifically to Revelation 19:11-16. We know this, for they have always been looking for a warring Messiah.

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Revelation 19:11-16 NIV

Jesus spoke of many things related to eschatology—end-time events that happen to affect the church. Most of those things fall under the category of Jacob's troubles.

Jacob's troubles come specifically out of Jeremiah chapter 30.

“Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.”
Jeremiah 30:6-7 NKJV

What would cause people to act like they are in so much pain that they are in labor like a woman?

Fear and distress, beyond human comprehension, is the only reasonable answer.

On that note, we move into Jesus' defining comment, in which He paints a picture of what it will look like when this time comes.

WE ARE ALMOST THERE!

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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; 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.”
Matthew 24:37-39 NIV

Let's stop here for a moment to consider what life might have been like in Noah's day.

1. “The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” 

Try to imagine living in an atmosphere like this.

How did Noah and His family manage to come through this onslaught meant to disable people and disallow them the ability to obtain life and salvation through sacrifice and still be considered righteous?

Having spent a good deal of time listening to Dr. Chuck Missler, I came to the understanding that the fouled integration of fallen angels into the human strain through some form of deviant sexuality played a massive role in this pervasive and ever-present mental attitude.

One of the answers to my question lies in the repeated method of revealing a narrative that, to some degree, exaggerates the numbers. If you think that this makes God a liar, then let me remind you that virtually everything we know about God and His methods has been related to damaged humans – by the way, we are all damaged; with knowledge like that, you should be able to see that you cannot keep the tainted humanity out of the delivery. The Book of Jonah might be an excellent example of this.

2. “So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

I have two ways of looking at a statement like this.

The first and safest thing to do is to figure out the context.

Here, Jesus is answering their questions pertaining to when He would come back as the warring Messiah (although they did not specifically ask Him that. Lacking specifics, we need to remind ourselves that, at this time, there was NO church. History demonstrates the Jewish resistance to the idea of church, primarily because of what they will refer to as the Gentile Jesus.) One way to think about “the coming of the Son of Man,” would be to put it in the context of the church. Since I just covered that subject, then you should realize that the catching away of the church (the rapture,) is NOT the answer.

The second and most Jewish way of comprehending this statement is to imagine it as the time when Jesus comes back to finally rescue the Jewish people. (At least what is left of them, as two-thirds pf them will soon be killed. Something almost every one of us broken humans do when thinking about this scenario is to see the dead as permanently removed from the picture, but that is not the case. Those martyred during the time of God's wrath will be resurrected and will reign with Christ for a thousand years. Those from among the Jews that survive will have their hearts turned to God. All the rest of the dead, including most Jews, will be brought before the throne of God at the end of the thousand years; there, God will separate the dead into two groups, and those deemed the sheep will be given entrance to a changed and righteous life. The others will go off to eternal punishment as they follow their leader into his hell.)

3. “ 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.”

   Right off the bat, let's set something straight. Living your life is NOT, as a rule, a bad thing. As I type these words, I am reminded that the fallen angels were taking whomever they wanted and, by their interactions, changing the genetics of the offspring to one that had NO hope for salvation, like themselves. These changelings were also, in time, propagating their own damaged offspring. Now, that should begin to change the atmosphere around Noah.

   The verse tells us that this attempt at living a “normal” life continued until the day Noah entered the ark, which is quite telling.

   What do we know?

   Noah was a preacher of righteousness. The last known “normal” human outside of Noah's family may have been Methuselah, and his death allowed God to pour out His wrath upon the earth. You don't hear much about the others, like Noah's kinfolk, but none of them came to get on the ark.

   Does that mean that they were all tainted and un-salvageable?

   Apparently.

   Genesis 6 is where this conversation between God and Noah began. However, chapter six does not tell us how long it took to build the ark and then stock it with animals and food; yet, Genesis 6:18 says something remarkable.

   "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.” Genesis 6:18 NASB

   It is fairly clear that God knew no one else would come (we do not see the evidence of that until we get to Genesis 7:7,) and yet Noah preached.

No one told these people that they would not be permitted on the boat, but God knew that something prevented them. We are likely to give it any number of titles, such as arrogance or self-will, but few are willing to admit that the fallen angels polluted the majority of humanity on earth. Most will not accept that these people were now like the fallen angels and unsalvageable.

4. “...up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.”

   Matthew 24:39 tells us this. “...they didn't know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes.”

   “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7 NKJV

   They had never experienced rain and, therefore, could not understand the concept. Do you think it was possible that they had no grasp of great bodies of water – in which a person could drown? The Bible leaves out many of these details; it does, however, tell us of Peleg, a descendant of Noah, and in his day, the earth was severely shaken and split. Again, the Bible leaves us to hunt for answers, but it is probable that this shaking had much to do with the Pangaea – the separation of the continents. If you were based in the plains of Shinar, it might have felt like the center of the earth (it might have been.)

   So, to say that it will be just like that could easily imply tremendous unbelief and distrust. Most of us are just like that.

What did Noah warn of?

A massive flood that will cover the entirety of the earth and kill all breathing things. Now, you can't have a punishment without correction and warnings of things to come.

If these people whom Noah preached to and demonstrated by his own life had no hope due to the corruption of their genetics, then why waste breath warning them and offering them salvation?

Things that make you say, Hmmm. I must admit that I am following some of the statements from the Book of Enoch, which tells us that they (the Nephalim) had lost their hope of salvation, but that makes no sense, and we can see why in Genesis chapter 6.

“the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were attractive, and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Adonai said, "My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore, their life span is to be 120 years." The N'filim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; these were the ancient heroes, men of renown.” Genesis 6:2-4 CJB

Just for the fun of it, who are these characters, and where did their relatives come from?

Genetic testing of one of the skulls indicated that half the ancestry could be traced to the Middle East, while the other half was unknown.

Brian Forester discusses the genetic testing results on his YouTube.
https://youtu.be/PP9B6l_burY?si=aOugQot9XRiT4p6C

Skulls like this have been found all over the world.

Wikipedia conveys that “Elongated skulls of three women have been discovered among Viking-era burials during the eleventh century at Gotland, Sweden.”

Science.org – https://www.science.org/content/article/strange-elongated-skulls-reveal-bulgarian-treaty-brides-ancient-germany. Tells us:

“In a handful of medieval Bavarian farming hamlets populated mostly by blue-eyed blondes, more than a dozen women with dark hair, dark eyes, and unusual elongated skulls would have stood out. A new DNA study suggests that these women, whose striking skulls have been unearthed from nearby grave sites, were high-ranking "treaty brides" from Romania and Bulgaria, married off to cement political alliances.”

Sciencealert.com – https://www.sciencealert.com/mystery-strange-elongated-skulls-finally-solved-deformed-artificial-cranial-bavaria. reveals that:

“In fact, the legacy of artificial cranial deformation across human history is so abnormal and 'other' it's sometimes presented as evidence of extra-terrestrial life. A new genetic analysis reveals otherwise – but also sheds light on cultural practices so distant and forgotten, they're almost alien. If not for their misshapen skulls these otherwise unremarkable skeletons – discovered by researchers in Bavaria during the 20th century – might never have been noticed by scientists.”

"Archaeologically, they are not that different from the rest of the population," geneticist Joachim Burger from the University of Mainz explained to National Geographic. "Genetically, they are totally different."

Is it possible that the extremely large and unknown humanoids (Nephilim) were due to the influence of fallen angels?

Scripture indicates that it happened then and after (the flood) and, therefore, should not be ruled out.

Look at what Genesis 6 tells us.

Genesis 6:4 NAS95  "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward,..."

Scripture does not plainly define what is meant by the term "afterward," and therefore, we have to apply the context, which is the destruction of "all" things that breathe air. With evidence, such as David killing Goliath, who was a descendant of giants, then we can know that the humanoids returned after the flood, by the same methods. Sincc it is rare to see a giant, then it is possible that they returned in other forms, such as Yeti, Sasquatch, or Alien grays.

In the book of Numbers, we find this.

“We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. And that's also how we seemed to them." The children of Anak came from the Nephilim.”
Numbers 13:33 NIrV

An unusual aspect of this narrative is that the spies from Israel stopped and had a conversation with these “giants” that scared them.

L.A. Marzulli has spoken of interviews with people who claimed to have been taken. Those who escaped had one thing in common, they used the name of Jesus against their captors - the alien grays.

You do not have to be a useless victim to the wiles of the devil.

The antichrist. How, then, do we fit the Roman Empire into this mix? Daniel 9:26 and a few other verses.

In the previous post, I referred to Daniel describing the statue, with the head of gold, to Nebuchadnezzar. He tells Nebuchadnezzar that he is the head of gold. Both the silver and the bronze are referred to as inferior kingdoms. Though history lends a hand and identifies the Persian empire (technically the Medo-Persian empire) and the Grecian/Macedonian empire initiated under Alexander the Great, we are not directly given the identity of the fourth empire.

Have you ever wondered why?

Is it possible that Nebuchadnezzar's act of turning his heart toward God played a role in the way God felt about the Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar's rule? We see nothing in the other kingdoms that indicates a leader who followed after God.

Since the first three empires are closely chronicled and in rapid succession, why NOT the fourth empire?

Since legs cannot exist without thighs, it seems ridiculous to assume that there is not a continuous succession. Alexander's reign covered the belly and thighs on this statue.

What happened to cause the transition from bronze to iron?

Again, the scriptures do not tell us, but history does. 

Alexander died. 

So, if you insist on throwing out the argument, I do not believe we should concern ourselves with information outside the Biblical texts, then you should not accept that Alexander the Great even existed.

Wait a minute. Historically, we know that four generals were left contending for control of the empire. An obvious problem is that statues of humans don't have four legs. Daniel chapter 10, in a cryptic fashion, covers a great deal of this intrigue. In the end, only two generals are in charge of what is left of the Grecian empire's control of the Middle East—Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South.

 As I pointed out, all these materials from which the statue is made have strength, but Iron has a brittle fragility. The iron goes all the way to the feet, where we see an unimaginable mix of iron and clay. The antichrist that we know will come on the scene comes out of these ten toes. Mixed, by the way, is the Aramaic word for Arab.

How, then, do we fit the Roman Empire into this mix?

The standard assumption emerges from Daniel 9:26.

“And after the sixty-two weeks 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. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.”
Daniel 9:26 NKJV

Religious tradition makes the association with Titus Vespasian as the prince who came and “his” troops, under the Roman flag, destroyed the temple and the city in 70 AD. 

We arbitrarily assume that troops are “all” Italian Catholics (I am being facetious here) and that Titus gave the orders to destroy the temple. The problem when you choose to use Daniel 9:26 to answer your question is that you are choosing to IGNORE the historical record given by Josephus and Tacitus.

Josephus and Tacitus both recorded that:

• Titus was under a mandate from the Emperor to maintain peace.

  That did not happen.

• The majority of the Roman troops, at this time, were conscripted Assyrian troops.

  Some estimate that troops originating from Rome were 14% of the whole number.

• The Assyrians had an overt hatred of the Jews.

• It was the Assyrians who set fire to the temple and ignored Titus' orders to stop.

• The Assyrians continued with the slaughter of the Jewish people.

Prince is the Hebrew word nâgı̂yd/ nâgid and means a commander or a religious leader (think high priest); chief, governor, leader, noble, prince.

In most cases, Bible translators chose appropriate terms to fit the context of the sentence. Applying the title of prince to Titus because he is a commander makes sense.

The King James concordance only shows 47 uses of the word nâgı̂yd. The word translated as prince only happens 8 times, but none of them apply to this character that we will eventually call the antichrist.

Ezekiel has an indirect reference to the antichrist but refers to him as the prince of Tyre.

"Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas'; Yet you are a man and not God, Although you make your heart like the heart of God--”
Ezekiel 28:2 NASB

Consider these attributes assigned to the antichrist.

• Your heart is lifted up.

• You have said, I am a god.

• I sit in the seat of gods.

• And, you make your heart like the heart of God.

In Daniel 9:25-26, the term prince is used twice: once for the Messiah, the Prince (Jesus), and the other in verse 26, which we already discussed.

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast [Roman Empire]--terrible, powerful and dreadful, and exceedingly strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and crushed and trampled what was left with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns [symbolizing ten kings]. [Dan. 2:40-43; 7:23.] I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.”
Daniel 7:7-8 AMP

There is much ado about ten – empires, kingdoms, regions. 

This little one comes out of the ten horns/empires. 

Three of the horns - kingdoms are plucked up by the roots before this man's kingdom. 

And guess what? 

This little horn has eyes and a mouth speaking blasphemy against God.

If it is not the man himself with the eyes and mouth speaking, then it is a spokesperson.

It was Jesus who defined blasphemy for us when he told the scribes and Pharisees who were attributing His works to the devil that they were committing blasphemy.

So we can expect this man to tell all those that will listen, that God's works are Satan's works, but he may not openly say Satan, he might attribute God's words and actions to Allah.

Have you considered the names and attributes assigned to this man?

• The Antichrist (1,2 John)

  A poignant aspect of this conversation is the time frame in which John spoke these words. The entirety of the church was to have been on rapture watch since.

  1 John 2:22 NKJV  "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son."

  1 John 4:2-3 CJB  "Here is how you recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges that Yeshua the Messiah came as a human being is from God,  3  and every spirit which does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God—in fact, this is the spirit of the Anti-Messiah. You have heard that he is coming. Well, he's here now, in the world already!"

  2 John 1:7 CJB  "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not acknowledge Yeshua the Messiah's coming as a human being. Such a person is a deceiver and an anti-Messiah."

• The insolent king; of Daniel 8.

  Daniel 8:23 NAS95:  "In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue."

  INSOLENT, a. Proud and haughty, with contempt of others; overbearing; domineering in power;

• the Beast of Revelation 13;

  Revelation 13:1-8 NAS95:  “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.  2  And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.  3  I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;  4  they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"  5  There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.  6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.  7  It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.  8  All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

  • Since the antichrist is also referred to as the beast, and Revelation 13:1 describes “a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads,” then it is describing an overarching ruling body that has covered aspects of the earth since about 600 AD.

  • Who is the dragon? Satan.

  • What does the sand of the seashore speak of? First, all eschatology has Israel, or the land promised to Abraham, as the center of its focus. Since these sands have to do with the region of the Middle East with Israel at the center, then the sands represent the lands of the coastal regions of the Mediterranean and the people in general, or the Gentiles, but more specifically, the Islamic nations.

  • "Ten horns, seven heads... and on his heads were blasphemous names." Since we covered Jesus's explanation of blasphemy, then these kingdoms are such that they blaspheme God by their beliefs, teachings, and actions; in particular – an intense, undefinable hatred of the Jews merely because they are Jews.

  • Many will take this portion of Revelation 13,” I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast,” and apply it to the antichrist, it is NOT, it is a powerful ruling body. In 1924, such a powerful voice, the Ottoman Empire, had so angered the Mideastern world with its Islamic pirates that roamed the Mediterranean Ocean, capturing anybody who sailed those seas, taking them captive, and selling them as slaves on the Ivory Coast. Well, the wealthy shipping vessels and yacht owners shouted loudly enough for the saner world to take notice and take up arms against the Islamic Ottoman empire. In 1924, the empire was crushed, disbanded, and deemed illegal, or so the world thought. In a sense, “one of his heads was as if it had been slain.” The world, for about 20 years, thought that Islam, as a global threat, had been slain; in theory, the head had been slain.

  •  “And his (a kingdom or ruling body) fatal wound was healed. The healing came through the Muslim Brotherhood, which emerged primarily from Egypt in the 1940s and made a covenant with the Nazis. We, in modern history, also witnessed the resurrection of the Islamic Empire in 1979 with the capture of the American Embassy in Iran. After this 444-day event, the Caliphate was restored along with the Mullahs as leaders. “And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast.”Keep in mind in Revelation that this beast is not yet the man so many are looking for. Currently, “the whole earth” is following Islam, but in time, there will be a man to supposedly lead all of Islam in a particular direction; one of those directions will be a unified hatred of the Jews and their God.

  Revelation 13 shows us the same things that Daniel saw, and Daniel pleaded for an explanation. Perhaps we should pay attention to what Daniel was shown.

  Daniel 7:19-20 NKJV  "Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;  20  and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

  Daniel 7:21 NKJV  "I was watching, and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,

  This is the little horn, the antichrist, making war against the saints. Clarity moment: The church—followers of Jesus Christ—have already been caught up to meet Christ in the air. This is exactly what 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9 is talking about. So then, all the saints at this point are those who have accepted Jesus Christ since the church's snatching away.

  Those, coming to Jesus during this nightmarish time, will most likely lose their heads.

  Daniel 7:23 NKJV  "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces."

  The question you should be asking is, in what ways is it different?

  I will leave you to ponder that question on your own, but don't most kingdoms go to war to collapse conflicting kingdoms to obtain the benefits of more land, monetary gain, and titles that come from victories.

  Daniel 7:24 AMP “And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall subdue and put down three kings.”

  Here, in Daniel 7:23 – 25, we see an explanation that points to kingdoms.

  Why do Islamic nations go to war?

  To bring the citizenry of that land into ideological submission, where they bow to Allah and no other; oh sure, people will die, but that is a minor detail and the path for infidels.

  Daniel 7:25 AMP And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law; and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [three and one-half years]. [Rev. 13:1-6.]

  “And he shall speak words against the Most High.” Who is being referred to as the Most High in this passage?

  Since everything we are studying is Israel-centric, the answer is the “Jewish” God. We believers know Him as Yahshua, the Messiah.

  “ and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law,” Who is doing that as we speak?

  It is happening in the UK, and cities like Dearborn Michigan, where they have supplanted the population, slowly taken over the governing bodies, and initiated “lawful changes. They have also changed the laws to Sharia laws and inserted their own law-keepers.

  “ and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time.”

  The Amplified Bible explains this time period as three and a half years. That means that the antichrist will act like a moderate peacekeeper for the first three and a half years of this seven-year covenant of peace.

  But there is a problem, as Daniel 9:24 clearly states that 70 weeks, equaling 490 years, are decreed upon Israel and the Jewish people, in general.

  “Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish and put an end to transgression, to seal up and make full the measure of sin, to purge away and make expiation and reconciliation for sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness (permanent moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies.” Daniel 9:24 AMP

  Verse 24, without question, brings us to the end of all things outside of the eternal kingdom. As you can see in Daniel 9:26, there is a reference to the Messiah being cut off. Well, that happened, and yet the brakes, it would seem, got slammed down hard, for we have surpassed the 69^th week as we have waited for the 70^th week to begin. That final, somewhat missing week consists of seven years, give or take a few days.

  Daniel 9:26-27 NKJV  "And after the sixty-two weeks 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. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.  27  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

  The assumptions are that he makes this covenant, but scripture never says that he does; he merely affirms an existing covenant, and the UN has stated, on multiple occasions, that they are affirming seven-year agreements.

  Another assumption is that he confirms this covenant with Israel; the problem with that thinking is that Israel is not mentioned; however, it seems as if there is a chronology here in Daniel 9:26 that indicates that his people (and they may only be his people because they are Islamic,) who are coming will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and therefore, this destruction, which can happen at any minute and may be happening as we speak. However, it is difficult to destroy something that is not built yet. My suggestion is that you keep your eyes on the Holy Land.

  What is the sanctuary?

  It is the final (the third) temple in Jerusalem.

  Look at Revelation 13: “And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.”

  Now compare this to

Daniel 7:4-6 NAS95: "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.  5  "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'  6  "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.”

Very similar.

• the Man of Sin, or Man of Lawlessness, of 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12;

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 NAS95  “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,  4  who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.  5  Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?  6  And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.  7  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.  8  Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;  9  that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,  10  and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.  11  For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,  12  in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

• What is the “it” we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:3?

  “It” is the coming of Jesus to collect His bride, removing them from the earth and allowing for the antichrist to be released upon the earth, and the unleashing of God's wrath upon the residents still left upon the earth. Yes, the saints will still be impacted by God's wrath.

  If one only gives 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 a cursory read, they will encounter verse three, think that the apostasy, of the church in general, must still come first, and possibly believe that will never happen. Many people I have talked with still cannot see a problem with churches. We are performing homosexual marriages, aborting babies without regard, and having transgender reading hour performed by men dressed as women prepared to do a striptease act.

  Several years ago, a brother in Christ, in doing his doctoral thesis, found that the state church, the Catholic church of the 1500s, demanded that King James do a rewrite of the popular Geneva Bible and make it say apostasy instead of a departure, as so many people were leaving the Catholic church for Protestantism. The Geneva Bible reads like this: “Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition.”

  If you paid attention to what you read in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, you would find that verses 7,8 clarifies any confusion by declaring that a departure of the church is necessary, as the church restrains the antichrist ( he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed,) and it will do so until he (the church) is taken out of the way, and then the wicked one will step forward. Until this happens, we will not know who this man is.

• Other titles for the antichrist, several of which we have covered:

  (1) "the king of Babylon" (Isa_14:4);

  (2) "the Assyrian" (Isa_14:25; +**Mic_5:5 note);

  (3) "Lucifer, son of the morning," in opposition to "the bright and morning star" (Isa_14:12);

  (4) "the Prince that shall come" (Dan_9:26);

  (5) "the king of fierce countenance" (Dan_8:23);

  (6) "the vile person" (Dan_11:21);

  (7) "the willful king" (Dan_11:36);

  (8) "the man of sin" (2Th_2:3);

  (9) "the son of perdition" (2Th_2:3);

  (10) "that wicked (or lawless) one" (2Th_2:3; Rev_13:18);

  (11) "the beast with ten horns" (Rev_13:1);

  (12) "the little horn" (Dan_8:8) [CB]. =1Ki_22:11, =Psa_75:10; =Psa_132:17, Isa_27:1, =Zec_1:18, **Mat_24:5; **Mat_24:15, 2Th_2:3-4, 1Jn_2:18; 1Jn_4:3. (The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury)

For many, by the time you read this, Jesus will have come back for His bride, the followers of Christ. He still holds out His arms for you. All you have to do is give Him your life and accept Him into yours.