Peace and Security, Great Tribulation, Armageddon

[GodlyDevotion]

Oh dear. This could grow into a long text.
 

One of the talks I am currently working on involves the events that happened in 66 C.E. I only recently realized how strongly Matthew draws parallels between those events and Jesus’ prophecy about the “last days.”

 

In Luke 19, Jesus openly weeps over Jerusalem. He sees the future destruction of the city, and in that moment he pronounces a prophecy against it.

However, just a couple of days later, Jesus was back in Jerusalem with his disciples. He noticed the poor widow contributing her two small coins, and the disciples began marveling at the temple and its beauty.

 

It seems clear that they did not fully grasp what Jesus had meant earlier when the crowds tried to make him king. So Jesus repeated the prophecy again; this time in the temple itself. This leads directly into the scene preserved especially vividly in Matthew 24. However, it seems that the occasion is somewhat different from Matthew’s perspective. 

 

To him, he wrote When Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, his disciples approached him privately and asked:

 

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” But Luke says, “When will these things actually be, and what will be the sign when these things are to occur.”

 

Here, “when will these things be?” clearly refers to the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

The disciples seem to be trying to understand why Jesus wept over the city, and why he repeated the warning at the temple. They were curious and confused.

 

But then they asked two more questions:

the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system of things.

 

This is significant.

Jesus’ answer blends the destruction of Jerusalem with the sign of his future presence. Why? Because the disciples asked about both, and Jesus gave an answer that addressed their time and ours.

There are indeed strong parallels between the experience of early Christians and the conditions Jesus said would mark his presence.

 

Here is what I deduced:

 

The “sign” and the “conclusion” appear to be two distinct phases.

 

In Matthew 24:6, Jesus said that “these things” — the signs — must occur, but the end is not yet (Luke 21:9).

If we follow that, then most, if not all, major features of the sign have already appeared.

 

So we are either near the conclusion or in the final part of the sign of Jesus’ presence.

 

Another important detail:

Jesus said that when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies, its desolation was near. That surrounding was the final sealing of the prophecy, marking the beginning of the end for the city.

 

In our time, the proclamation of “peace and security” seems to act as a similar final marker, an event that signals the beginning of the end.

 

My personal opinion — and I acknowledge it could be wrong — is that the proclamation of “peace and security” may overlap with the destruction of Babylon the Great.

 

Here is why:

In 66 C.E., various Jewish factions overthrew the Roman fortresses, killed High Priest Ananias, and drove the Roman governor out of the city.

 

Then the Romans tried to capture Jerusalem not once, but twice. But the days for meting out justice started when they surrounded the nations in 66 C.E. And it triggered the beginning of the end. But the prophecy was fulfilled in 70 C.E.
 

So I think the cry of “peace and security” may be tied to the removal of false religion. And I think the cry of peace could happen in intervals too. I believe a series of peace and security could trigger a final assault on False Religion, which will lead the mission to be finally fulfilled. 

 

Since Jesus’ presence in 1914, we have seen the peace accord with the League of Nations, and the United Nations and countless peace accords. Maybe the finale of that peace and security is the end of the mother of the disgusting things (Babylon the Great) 

 

Again, I know I may be wrong, but I found this comparison interesting and worth exploring as part of my research.
 

Wow. I didn’t know this would be too long 

Edited 3 hours ago by GodlyDevotion

[JennyM]

4 hours ago, stargazer said:

The talk about giving "more teeth".

No war no talk about peace... Theyre both relevant ..