A layman's commentary on Matthew 24. This generation will by no means pass away. Matthew 24:32-35

We are in Matthew 24 and now looking at the parable of the Fig Tree.

Let’s open this with a broad mental attitude. 

Finis Jennings Dake tells us that this parable is the “First of five parables in Matthew 24-25: the fig tree, illustrating the nearness of His return.”

The parable has everything to do with Jesus returning as the Messiah. This has nothing to do with the church.

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!”
Matthew 24:32-33 NKJV

Because I have heard questions like this, doesn't this apply to the church? It is particularly pointed at Israel and the Jewish people who are looking for a warring Messiah. The passage speaks to the generation that witnessed the birth of the nation of Israel. Wouldn't this imply that the baby, born that day, would be included? Doesn't this imply that the global population that would eventually pay attention would be included? Of course, it does, with the exception that the nations can never be the nation of Israel. We can, however, be adopted into the family, and, therefore, we look and wait intently first for the Father to collect His bride, knowing that only moments later, the Father will pour His wrath upon a world that refuses to see or acknowledge Him.

“So you also, when you see all these things,”

Now, back to the context of the conversations, which is directed at the Jewish mindset, as they look for Jesus to come as the warring Messiah.

Parable is the Greek word parabolē. It is “the placing of one thing by the side of another for the purpose of comparing, or comparison.” (We need to find out what Jesus compares the fig tree to.) It is also an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated. (If the fig tree demonstrates a precept, what is the precept?)

Jesus told them (the Jewish disciples and those Jews that followed closely.)

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;” 
Matthew 24:32 NAS95

Not that it matters, but was there an actual fig tree? 

I ask because I am a visual learner and understand that fig trees are relatively common around Jerusalem. One commentator seemed to think that they were purposely grown on the Mount of Olives, and because of environmental factors and the season of the year, they all came into bud and then fruit at about the same time.

Pay attention to this statement: “When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.” I can imagine Him pointing to a fig tree that must have been nearby and mentioning things that they could see and relate to. 

So, what do I gather from this concerning Israel? 

That spring has come, the trees have already come into bud, and in no time, we should be able to pick and eat the fruit. But this is NOT about figs, and eating them is it. It is about Israel and the conditions by which they rule their lives. These wars, governmental affairs, and rabbinical teachings are parallels to the factors hindering growth or advancement, as the Rabbis instruct the congregants to stay away from Isaiah 53 and the prophet Daniel's writings. Other factors that define the fruit are streets filled with protests and terrorist attacks; all this makes it difficult to see Israel growing. 

Matthew 24 opens with this, “What shall be the sign of the end of the age?”

What could Matthew have meant by the end of the age? It is the end of the seven years of God's wrath and the transition into the millennial reign of Christ. 

But what signifies that this is about to happen?

• Israel became a nation in 1948.

  “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?" says the LORD. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?" says your God. "Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;”
  Isaiah 66:8-10 NKJV

• Matthew 24:4 NIV  Jesus, in response to their questions, answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.”

  What is my takeaway from this? That many will be deceived.

  Matthew 24:5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many.”

• Matthew 24:7a NIV  “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

  I can barely remember a time when there has not been at least a skirmish.

• Matthew 24:7b NIV “There will be famines.”

  The majority of famines are created by ruling authorities in an effort to gain total control.

• Matthew 24:7c NIV “and earthquakes in various places.”

  Earthquakes are associated with tectonic plate shifts and volcanic activity.

Jesus told them all these things.

• Matthew 24:10 NIV  “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”

  When you see the word faith in this context, they are talking about church folk. Try making a peaceful comment in a chat room or on a post. In just a matter of minutes, you will be denounced for what you believe or communicate.

• Matthew 24:11 NIV  “and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”

  This shouldn't be new news to you, as this type of person has been popping up for years. People will be deceived.

• Matthew 24:12 NIV  “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”

  Just try watching the evening news; in a matter of minutes, hatred and rage will rise within you. At this point, your love is growing cold.

We should know by now that the focus of these things is part of what will happen during the seven years of wrath that comes after the catching away of the church; however, it becomes obvious, since evil people are involved, that what we are seeing today 04/30/24 are merely a warm-up to the global, cataclysmic events that will take place during the seven years of God's wrath.

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” 
Matthew 24:33 NKJV

When the seven years have come to an end, Jesus will ride back into the picture on a white horse, wearing a blood-stained robe and a sword proceeding out of His mouth. At this time, He slaughters all those who choose to fight with Him.

When could we even consider that there was a fig tree?

It was not until May of 1948 that Israel became a nation. Israel is moments away from turning 76.

The next clue. 

“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” 
Matthew 24:34 NKJV

Which generation is He talking about?

The youngest of the generations that witnessed the birth of Israel as a nation is today, about 76 years old. 

His final word as He finished this “parable” may have been one of comfort, particularly since it might have become painfully obvious that this would never happen in the lifetime of the disciples. If He had spoken to them about the trials that would befall them, I can see how they might become discouraged and, therefore, need a word like this to hold on to. 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” 
Matthew 24:35 NKJV

“Pass away” is Strong's number G3928. It is the Greek word parerchomai and, in this context, means to come near or aside, to go by (or away), (figuratively) to perish.

“Pass away,” is the speaker verbalizing the same Greek word twice to emphasize a concept.

I want you to consider something. 

When and why would the earth and the heavens pass away?

If you had pointed to the millennial reign as the time this could happen, then I see a problem as God has allowed those from the nations who are still exhibiting their free will to live freely. It is evident that many will NOT accept Jesus as the Lord over their life. If God turned loose the heat necessary to burn and purify the earth, then people would die. Some might not see that as a problem, but God is NOT a murderer.

So, the best time is after the judgment from the great white throne.

Why? 

1. Revelation 19 shows us the devil, at the end of the time of wrath, cast into the lake of fire for a thousand years. The plus side of this is that there has been no deception or temptation coming from Satan for 1000 years, and yet, upon his release, he deceives the nations, and scripture tells us that God kills them with the breath of His mouth – actually, this sounds a lot like Jesus. Nonetheless, they are dead without Christ.

   Do all the persons from the nations gather for this stupidity? We are not told that they do, however, it is quite a number. Since only the dead are judged at the white throne, then one can assume that the remainder are changed and given entrance into the eternal kingdom.

2. The same people who want to reset us and the earth are the ones who have destroyed the earth with their industrial pollution. There is only one way, and that is to burn it completely and start over. The damage, that is part of Adam's handing over the dominion to Satan, was extensive and rarely talked about. Doesn't it seem odd that God would have to burn it to cleanse the earth?

Who, then, are the rest of the dead?

Let's start this interrogation by determining who the dead it is NOT.

Revelation 20:4 tells us that the souls of those who had been martyred during the seven years are reunited with their bodies, and they now sit as judges over Christ's 1,000-year reign. So, the martyred are not included in this crowd of raised dead people.

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” 
Revelation 20:5 NKJV

Revelation 20:6 states that the martyred saints, who will be resurrected, are the first resurrection. I realize that this messes with the theology of many, but we are not in a position to argue against the Scriptures. (This information, explaining that the martyred saints are resurrected at the end of the seven-year period, is monumental in terms of defining when they arise, as it describes when the first resurrection happens and who takes part in that moment of time.)

So it is NOT the martyred saints.

The catching away of the church is not a resurrection, although there are (allegedly) dead folk who will have their souls re-associated with their bodies ( I cannot imagine why it is necessary for us to reconnect with these abused bodies of ours.) The understanding you need to apply here is that those caught up in the rapture are in Christ and, therefore, alive. They are never perceived as being dead. 

And it is NOT those who are part of the church.

How is it possible that the martyred saints are among the dead seen in Revelation 20:5?

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
Revelation 20:5 NKJV

This, quite possibly, is where people become confused. To be honest, I think it is a grammatical and interpretive error. Look at how the NLT translation states this verse.

“This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)”
Revelation 20:5 NLT

The NLT leaves no room for questions or doubts.

In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul tells us that when we (who are in Christ) are absent from the body — death, we are present with the Lord. 

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.” 
2 Corinthians 5:6 NKJV

These dead, who may have existed since the beginnings of humanity and were not raised in the rapture of the Church, are now being brought to stand before Jesus, the judge, who will be seated upon that throne. This is the second resurrection.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” 
Revelation 20:11 NKJV

Revelation 20:15 conveys that anyone not written in the Lamb's Book of Life is cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the end of all judgment. 

We who remain after this final judgment are all immortals, and our lives are hidden in Christ. So, we cannot be harmed in any manner, including the fire that burns up the earth and the heavens – if you can imagine that. 

There will no longer be any curse upon the earth. Revelation 22: 3-6.

 Revelation 22 begins to repaint the picture of the Holy City because we have moved into the era of the millennial reign of Christ.

The Holy City is where a river begins to flow from under the throne of God and the Lamb. This river splits and grows in width and strength, flowing to the western and eastern seas. We see men fishing with their nets along the banks of these rivers, and we also find the trees of life. It is the leaves of these trees that bring healing to the nations. The street, or perhaps streets; Yes, it seems odd to hear terminology like this, but Scripture speaks of this street in the singular. How could a city 1500 miles square only have one street? The street(s) of the City are made of the purest gold, so much so that the gold seems to be translucent.

Revelation 22 verse 3 tells us there will no longer be any curse upon the earth.

What does that mean? 

Because of the purposeful events that transpired between the cross to the throne, the curse was demolished.

If you cannot grasp the extent of the curse due to Adam's treasonous act, then I suggest you take a moment and read what God said the effects would be.

"Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly, you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." To the woman, He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain, you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." Then to Adam, He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil, you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
(Genesis 3:13-19 NASB)

Here are some highlights of the passage above.

• “I will put enmity (a perpetual hostility and animosity,) between you and the woman.”

  A perpetual battle between humans and Satan

• “between your seed and her seed.”

  Her seed eventually became three things: all the descendants of the woman, as they would all be made in the image of Jesus; Israel – the Jews; and the Followers of Christ.

• “He shall bruise you on the head,”

  No one with common sense sees us walking through this earth without taking at least a bit of a beating from Satan and his cohorts. So let's pretend that the sweet little old lady down the street who prays always does not go through battles; I can guarantee that she has been in pitched battles, but she is not going tell you, as you would not understand.

• “ I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children.”

  This statement would make no sense unless you have had children and it was pain-free.

• “ Cursed is the ground because of you.”

  You shall work it in toil, all the days of your life, and everyone after you. Some would say, Ah, but here is where you stumbled in your logic and explanation for we have machinery. Oh, you think. Have you ever worked in a production nursery or pig farm? Machinery only promotes mass production and waste products that someone else has to process. Nope, we are under a curse, and it is obvious.

• “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

  And then you die and are forgotten. Of course, some relatives will have fleeting moments of remembrance, but maybe you will be lucky, and others will forget how rude, crass, and angry you were.

Welcome to the curse and the disgusting evil, such as murdering babies in the name of false gods, that blossomed out of it, and this was merely the beginning of evil.

Demolished is an overwhelming and all-encompassing word, but we followers of Christ still go through tribulations. (When I say tribulations, I am NOT talking about the improperly labeled period we call the tribulation, but the things we must go through in our daily lives.)

But if that's the case, why have we continued to live with sin, disease, and mental anguish?

Because Satan's influence on earth extends to the end of the seven years of God's wrath when Jesus comes back as the warring Messiah, and Satan gets locked away for a thousand years. Until the day he gets locked away, he is on a rampage to kill anything that looks like Christ.

It is easily assumed that the fallen angels are also locked away; that implies that the evil actions any human carries out would be solely based upon their memories, lusts, and desires, all of which are an aspect of their broken nature.

Why wouldn't the curse's damage be undone in everybody if there is no longer any curse?

Initially, the only thing that popped into my brain was that the church (those humans that make up the church) gets changed in the process of being caught up to Jesus. Without that Holy alteration, people approaching the millennial kingdom will be unchanged.

A second possible explanation may come from the many generalizations we find throughout the scriptures. An example of a broad-spectrum generalization happens when the "three Hebrew children" are about to be thrown into the fiery furnace because they refused to bow before Nebuchadnezzar's statue. This command to bow was put forth for everyone, yet Daniel was nowhere to be found. Many have explained that this is a symbolic picture of how God saves us from the wrath that is to come, such as He did with Noah.

That change, associated with the rapture, removes the curse's effects from our bodies and "seems" to remove the drive to sin. No one is being forced to accept the price that Jesus paid for us, but the change that will eventually free us from the curse only comes through an acceptance of Jesus Christ. Sadly, I do not see everyone entering the millennial kingdom, whether by transitioning from the time of wrath or those born during the thousand years, coming to accept Jesus, which will be a problem for them.

But how and why did that change, that alleviates the curse, happen? 

1. When you accepted Jesus Christ, the change initiated and signed you up for the wildest ride you could ever imagine.

2. The change happens during the transition as we ascend into the clouds to meet Jesus. (Those arguing against this point believe we will stand before an angry God in judgment, known to many as the Bema seat.)

Both Revelations 21 and 22 tell us that no evil will be allowed into the kingdom, so it is clear that we cannot bring our brokenness and sin into the Holy City. That tells me that the change of the brokenness, which has tormented our souls, must happen between the earth and our meeting Christ in the air.

Are you beginning to grasp the power of the cross and the obedience of Jesus Christ? 

Only those who are His are going up in the rapture; that will leave an incredible number of people who think they know Jesus behind. Many others will come to acknowledge Christ's rule over their lives, but they will have to pay the violent price of martyrdom. Then, God will gather the martyred to Himself and brings them back to life at the beginning of the millennial reign, where they will rule over the earth with Christ. These people have been changed at some point, and I suspect this change occurred when they were martyred.

Now, what of the nations that are allowed to enter the millennial kingdom? 

Know this, unchanged; they will NOT gain entrance into the Holy City.

Let's continue with Revelation 22:6.

Revelation 22:6 NASB And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.”

As I have migrated through the Revelation, a couple of voices have been echoing in my head; 1,) I look for you every day, and 2,) how much longer, Lord?

The realization that He said this to the Apostle John, these words I am telling you are (pistos and alēthinos) trustworthy and in complete opposition to any fictitious gods and the stories associated with them, stuns me.

Why would He have to say this?

Perhaps it is because, after even short periods, it becomes easy to drift away and lose hope?

I vividly remember the "brother" in Christ who tried to humiliate me and shut me up because I spoke freely of the coming of the Lord with enthusiasm and anticipation. This "brother" said, "you are just a firebrand, trying to stir things up. We have been waiting for the Lord for over two thousand years, and He is NOT coming back for at least forty more years." Around this time frame, one of my pastors said something similar to me. I chose to keep my distance from these two, as they were trying to strip my hope away from me.

How would you perceive God telling you, “these things are faithful and true, and, they are things that must soon take place”?

Faithful – pistos = trustworthy, trusting, and sure.

True – alēthinos = Although it also means trustworthy, Thayer's dictionary conveys that this is the complete “opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended.”

Show – deiknuō = to expose to the eyes; to give evidence or proof of a thing; to show by words or teach.

Bond-servants – doulos = A slave, bondman, man of servile condition. Metaphorically, one who gives himself up to the will of another.

Bond-servant was a term that the Apostle Paul used of himself.

To be honest, this gap between what God calls soon, and how I perceive the soon makes it difficult at times to explain. Just know that He is coming for those who are waiting for Him.

“keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”
(Jude 1:21 NASB)

The gospel of Mark 15:43 records that Joseph of Arimathea was waiting for the kingdom of God. Luke's gospel tells us this.

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”
(Luke 12:35-36 NASB)

If you search for the word waiting, you will find at least ten references, within context, that compel us to wait patiently. My dear Mother was waiting for Him. In her case, the Lord took her home through cancer. It is not my place to challenge how or when He will take us home, but I must tell you, I know in my spirit that I will soon hear the blast of the shofar.

Consider this idea of being a bond-servant (doulos.) God spoke to John in terms that not only John could understand, but so could anybody else. The fact that God speaks like this tells me that God is talking to the commoner. It is NOT that God excludes the proud; they do that to themselves.

Another thing about this verse that catches my attention is the word "must.” Look at what the verse says, “ to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.”

When did the countdown timer start running?

When Israel became a nation. So the fig tree has fully leafed out, and Jesus said that when you see these things come to pass, know the time is at hand. Dear Lord, we get so stupid as we scream at each other, "NO MAN KNOWS THE DAY OR THE HOUR," and yet Jesus tells us that when these signs come to pass, you know. The Apostle Paul informed us that we are NOT in the dark that we should not know, so obviously, we can know, AT LEAST THE SEASON, and folks, we are in the season.

Let me ask you a question, assuming you know baseball when the season begins, do you know who will play in the world series? NO, but by about 13 weeks into the season, you have a pretty good idea. Once the world series begins, how many games do they play? As few as four or many as seven. Why only four? Because one team could sweep the series in four games – as it is a best of seven series. The series has often gone to three and three, so you know that there will be one last game played. How many innings will they play in each game? A minimum of nine, but in tie games, they have gone on for hours, exhausting every potential pitcher in the dugout. So when the series begins, do we know when it will end? Absolutely and it will be spectacular, guaranteed.

Well, we are in the world series, so to speak, and every day, I am watching the teams (nations) rally for a position at the top as the managers move more players around the playing field.

After these things comes salvation. Revelation 19:1-2.

 Finally, the tide turns and we are now looking at Revelation 19 and Jesus, returning to earth as the Warrior Messiah.

First, I just want to be honest, trying to grasp chapter 18 and its usage of the name Babylon, was tough. I struggled for days and had to walk away from what I desired to share with you, several times.

Many years ago I took on an attitude in which I would make myself vulnerable when it came to God's Word, my relationship with the Father, and how I talk to God. Some, do not see me as being open, but weak and permanently broken. Guess what, I am and I know it. I can do nothing outside of God's grace and mercy. I think I came to this understanding when I put myself in recovery all those years ago.

My approach to teaching allows me to comprehend things in the Word, that most do not or will not. The underlying rule to understanding is to throw away tradition because tradition paints David, the King to be, as a ridiculously small child; and, it buys into the lie that Jonah lived within the belly of that great fish. If you believe that, then you have watched Walt Disney's Pinocchio too many times.

Since I just offended many of you, allow me to silence your arguments, in this case, about Jonah.

Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. (Matthew 12:22 NLT)

Matthew 12 is the primary place where blasphemy is clearly defined. The Pharisees and a few others, having witnessed a miracle in which Jesus cast out demon(s), began to attribute what He had just done to the power of Satan (Beelzebub if you wish).

Don't let your traditions cause an argument to rage inside your head about how many demons were cast out, or if there were any at all. I have encountered so-called “Christian” people who deny the activity of demons.

Notice the word healed. How does one heal a person whose ailment originates from the action of fallen angels?

The word that almost every translation deemed healed, is the Greek word therapeuō. Wow, that has a familiar ring to it; the primary definition of therapeuō is to serve or do service. It also means to cure or restore to health.

So the obvious thing happening in Matthew 12:22 is that Jesus restored the man to health by doing service to and for him. Many see service as some form of work, like building a home in Mexico; it is not and you see this in Jesus' actions. He frequently responded to the requests of “will you” with a yes and an associated, life-changing response.

Jesus responded to their blasphemous statements by calling them a brood of vipers and trees with rotten fruit.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you who are evil say anything good? For from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:33-34 TLV)

These things made them uncomfortable, and so they come back with this,

Then some of the Torah scholars and Pharisees answered Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” (Matthew 12:38 TLV)

What do you think you just saw?

It's a rhetorical question and you don't have to answer. They did not understand what happened when he delivered the man from the demons, because there is no doubt that someone being freed from possession was uncommon at best.

Now, here is where Jonah comes into the conversation.

But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:39-40 NASB)

If any of these naysayers were skillful with the Word of God (the Old Testament) then they would have been immediately familiar with the fascinating story of Jonah and this massive fish.

In the Mediterranean sea, there is really only one that comes close to being able to inhale a human. The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark and fish,[4] after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach 7.9 m (26 ft) in length. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking_shark

It would have been highly capable of inhaling a human.

This is not about Jonah, it is about our traditions and how they move us away from the truth.

Jesus compared His upcoming DEATH to Jonah, who had already spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish.

Why is three days and nights significant?

Because the Jews believed that the soul stayed in the body for three days. It was only after this time frame that you are officially dead in their minds. This bizarre thinking is one of the reasons He did not go rushing to Lazarus. He wanted to prove to them that He could raise someone from the dead.

Besides all that, what would be the point of telling this bunch of skeptics that what happened to Jonah would happen to Him, unless Jonah had died?

I have intentionally left out a voluminous amount of information in order to stay on point, and in so doing left the door open for more foolish arguments; it is, however, interesting that God effectively slammed the door on stupidity by telling us this.

And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 NASB)

As ridiculous as this might seem, God appointed a fish capable of swallowing a human, and there you have it.

And with that, we open Revelation chapter 19.

Revelation 19:1 NASB After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;

“After these things,” where have we heard this phrase before?

If you guessed Revelation 4:1 you would be correct.

Now, what had God just finished defining in Revelation chapters one through three as they establish the context for chapter four?

The church age. You should not be surprised to learn that we are living in the age of the final church, the Laodicean church.

'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16 NASB)

We are neither hot nor cold and such worthy of nothing less than to be spit out on the ground in disgust.

So, as in the beginnings of chapter four, something has come to a crashing halt and that is what Revelation 18 calls Babylon. I have twice, in recent posts, explained that Babylon is representative of Israel; and, Babylon is symbolic of the godlessness and lust that motivates the globalists and their agenda to dominate this world.

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;”

Since virtually everything in the Revelation is a witness of the prophetic that we find in the Old Testament, then we should be able to find parallel pieces of evidence.

And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 35:10 NASB)

If I did not know and understand God, then I might think that God should have wrapped me up in His gladness and joy, but, much like in Ukraine, sorrow and sighing have not fled away. It is the people that have needed to flee. As I stand here today, it is difficult at best to see a statement such as “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,” belonging to the here and now.

Statements such as,

"I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (Isaiah 49:26 NASB)

For example, the current leader of Russia has been bullying people and nations around for years. Aside from the pushback he has received from the global community, here at the end of February 2022, no one has stood up to this crazed dictator. And yet, God says, in time, I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh.

Words like what we see in Isaiah 60 seem farcical.

"Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders, But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.
(Isaiah 60:18 NASB)

Well, Revelation 19 is where we finally see this happening.

(Revelation 19:2 NASB) “BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.”

“ for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality,”

The harlot is integrated into the Babylon system and is also referred to as a beast. And, though it is analogous to Israel the harlot stands apart from Israel and wants Israel destroyed.

In the NASB translation of Revelation 19:2, the harlot is associated with the idea that there is a long-term corruption of Israel and the populace of the earth taking place, while the majority of translations tell us that the harlot corrupted. So, in trying to grasp who the harlot is and what is her role, we have to ascertain whether the damage done by the harlot has already taken place or is an ongoing process.

The Greek term for corrupt is phtheirō. The explanatory terms derived from this word are varied.

The Word Study Dictionary tells us it is to waste, pine. To corrupt, destroy. Trans. to destroy, punish with destruction, bring to a worse state (1Corinthians_3:17). To corrupt, spoil, vitiate, in a moral or spiritual sense (1Corinthians_15:33; Ephesians_4:22; Judges_1:10; Revelation_19:2). To corrupt, with the meaning of to subvert or corrupt opinions (2Corinthians_7:2; 2Corinthians_11:3.

You probably noticed that it says that the great harlot has already been judged.

Wouldn't that imply the end result would have been imposed as well?

Think about our current justice system.

Don't we have thousands sitting on death row, awaiting the judgment imposed upon them?

We do, but even they continue to have rights. Since our worldly legal system is thought to be based upon God's moral values, then it makes sense that these, associated with the harlot, have a potential chance at mercy; and here is why.

"The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. (Proverbs 8:22 NASB)

At the beginning is in reference to God's work in the creation of the heavens and humanity. Knowing full well that the man would take a destructive path God had a plan, with the purpose of purging Satan and his army of fallen angels, along with the method of redeeming those He has chosen before any of this cataclysmic damage took place.

Possessed is the Hebrew word qānāh and it means to purchase, to acquire, to possess. It is used with God as its subject to mean His buying back His people, redeeming them.

While it is true that forgiveness was purchased on the cross. So, everyone has been freed to follow Jesus, the Son of the Father, without regard for the punishment associated with following Satan.

But, do we do that?

Well, since we have free will, most choose to follow many other things besides God.

Now, as for judgment. All judgment will be given to the Son.

John 9:39 tells us distinctly that He came into this world to judge.

And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." (John 9:39 NASB)

But it is not the man Jesus that does the judging right now, it is His word that judges us. If I understand this to be true, and it is, then it would obviously be confusing to hear this next statement.

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17 NASB)

Jesus had more to say about the Word being the judge.

"If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. (John 12:47-48 NASB)

Ah, it is the Word, in the last day, that will judge those that do not keep His Word.

But we do see judgment happening in scripture.

One of those moments is in Revelation 19.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war. (Revelation 19:11 NASB)

Here we see Him judging through waging war. War, of course, to Jesus, happens rather quickly.

From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 19:15 NASB)

Some assume there will be a complete annihilation of every person deemed the nations at this point, but that is not true. He only strikes down those who choose to fight against Him.

Ask yourself a question.

Did Russia send every breathing human to fight against Ukraine?

Of course not, but just because they are not on the front lines, does that mean the entrenched hatred of the foreigner does not burn in their hearts? Don't be foolish, prejudice is learned and may stay with you as long as you breathe and are a broken human. Thankfully, all that will be fixed in the twinkling of an eye.

The second judgment happens at the Bema seat of Christ. When this takes place, seems to be associated with the catching away of the church, just moments before the seven years of wrath begins. I see no fear associated with this judgment as it is primarily a time of rewards for God's saints.

And finally, the final judgment at the great white throne. For many, this will be final and complete separation from God. However, for others, whose names are found in the books of life. Matthew 25 spells this out plainly, but it is evidenced in Revelation 20.

“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”(Revelation 20:12 NASB)

The assumption is that the Book of Life is only there to give those watching a chance to mock and laugh at those being sent off to the lake of fire for a permanent separation from God. Honestly, that is NOT funny, but abnormally cruel if you can think in this manner.

If you invested some time reading about the sheep and goat judgment that you find in Matthew 25, then you will know that God spent

time fervently looking to see if there was any reason to show them mercy. It is because of these actions that He is able to separate the crowd into what He deems sheep and goats, based upon their works. Those works boil down to the simplest of acts; bringing someone that is thirsty a drink of water; visiting Jesus in prison, even when it did not look like Jesus; and, feeding someone who was down on their luck. The reality of this is that you acted as God hoped you would if confronted by someone whose life was destroyed by circumstances beyond their control.

I have never been a good gambler so I have to go with the sure thing, God. God, through His Son, has proven Himself to me to be the sure thing. Because of those toward me I have given my life to Him and thrown myself upon His mercy.

I realize that this next little aspect will come across as facetious, I am telling you this because I did it, as Pastors and evangelists repeatedly chastened us to do so.

Having spent most of my life in the church, and, after repeatedly asking God to forgive me for my sins, I thought about some of the things I had heard in church, such as Jesus died once for all (sins.) Well, I decided to dive into my bible, set aside the traditional things I had shoved down my throat, and learn what the Bible had to say, for myself. I learned that God is NOT angry, that Jesus, His Son, demonstrated who God is and that once having given myself over to Him, there is no more reason to ask Jesus to forgive me. Recovery, all those years later, taught me the reality of what the Apostle Paul later trying to convey when he said, confess your sins to one another. 1. That other person has to be safe or this confession process will bring out the religious zealots and they will destroy you. 2. By confession, you are being open and honest about your own brokenness. This brokenness is a common trait among all of us, however, most will not admit they are messed up. 3. Confessing our sins to one another has nothing to do with your relationship with God; the relationship begins with handing your life over to Him.

Consider the thief on the cross. It would seem that he only had a few seconds of Jesus' time before they would both be dead, and yet in those few seconds, that guy gave his life to Jesus. The ABCs I have included is a path to this relationship with Jesus, and, security knowing that you are now His and have the guarantee of a permanent home with the Father.

A - Admit you're a sinner.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

B - Believe Jesus is Lord.

John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

C - Call upon His name.

Romans 10:13 "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."