Ask, I Will Answer . . .

[Samie]

KJV Matthew 24:14-15

 

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 

This is the ONLY instance where our Savior specifically referred to the book of Daniel to where He linked the main events shortly before His Second Coming:

 

1. Preaching of the Gospel to the whole world (v14)

2. Setting up of the abomination of desolation (v15)

3. Start of the great tribulation or time of trouble (v21)

4. Unusual celestial phenomena (v29)

5. Second Coming (v30)

 

Had the gospel Jesus wanted preached to the world just before He comes again been proclaimed? What gospel did Christ preach?

 

Mark 1:14-15   14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,  15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

 

His gospel concerns the kingdom of God. In that coming kingdom, Isaiah saw in vision (Isa 11:6-9) little children playing with lambs, leopards, lions, snakes, etc., harmful animals now, but there, all are harmless.  The fact that there will be little children in that coming kingdom tells us that these little ones will be allowed entry into the heavenly portals. In Revelation, only those whose names are in the book of life will be allowed to enter there (Rev 21:27). It necessarily follows that the names of the little children in the kingdom of God are in the book of life, in harmony with the words of Jesus that the kingdom of heaven is for the little children and those like them (Matt 18:4; 19:14).

 

But the gospel popularly being preached teaches people that only those who had believed will be saved, indirectly telling people that the writing of a person's name in the book of life can only happen after the person believes. And so, the names of little children who died before the age of reason, having not yet believed, are indirectly taught as not yet written in the book of life.

 

It's about time that people need to be told the Gospel that Jesus wanted preached to the world before He comes again.

 

Since we all - Christians and non-Christians - had been little children, all our names were written in the book of life, all because of God's grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Tim 1:9). With our names in the book of life - the registry of the citizens of heaven, we are heaven-bound. We don't work our way to heaven, we are already headed there, unless a name is blotted out at death for not overcoming evil while alive (Rev 3:5).

 

Following the proclamation of the Gospel into all the world, the abomination of desolation (AoD) will be set up. The setting up of the AoD will trigger the start of the great tribulation, so great that unless God intervenes to cut it short, no flesh shall remain alive. But for the sake of the elect who are to remain alive till He comes, the great tribulation will be cut short. And immediately after the great tribulation, the unusual celestial phenomena of a solar eclipse by day and a lunar eclipse at night will transpire. There never was an account that a combined solar and lunar eclipses on the same day had occurred since the creation of this earth.

 

And following the meteoric swarms and the shaking of the powers of heaven, Jesus will come.

[Samie]

The great tribulation in Matt 24:21 is called the time of trouble in Dan 12:1.

 

KJV Matthew 24:21   For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

 

KJV Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

 

Deliverance of God's people occurs at the time of trouble or great tribulation. And then comes the resurrection of the dead:

 

Daniel 12:2   And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt

 

In Matt 24, the great tribulation is immediately followed by unusual celestial phenomena which will be capped by the Second Coming. In Dan 12, the time of trouble or great tribulation is when those written in the book of life will have their deliverance, and resurrection occurs. In Rev 1:7, all eyes will see Jesus coming in the clouds, including the wicked Roman soldiers who pierced Him on the cross. This just tells us that just before Christ comes, the resurrection of both the just and unjust depicted in Dan 12:2 will occur, because those wicked Roman soldiers long dead by now, will see Him coming in the clouds of heaven.

 

KJV Revelation 1:7   Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 

That all in the graves, both just and unjust, will be resurrected is described in these words of the Master Himself:

 

NKJ John 5:28-29  

28 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 

29 "and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

 

Because the setting up of the AoD triggers the great tribulation or time of trouble, the occurrence of which is just before the Second Coming, the natural conclusion would be, all prophetic events related with the setting up of the AoD will occur shortly before the Second Coming.

 

Let's go to Daniel and take a look at prophecies that tell of events related with the setting up of the AoD.