Matthew 24 AND 25

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
RAPTURE OR DESTRUCTION (Mt. 24:40-42).

These Scriptures are some of misunderstood in Scripture to many people because they interpret them in connection with the rapture instead of the second advent. It is quite clear that the context that the rapture is not referred to at all in Mt. 24-25. Therefore, regardless of how much these verses sound like the rapture of the church they could not refer to that event. They refer to the literal coming of Christ to destroy the ungodly similar to the flood as is made clear by the use of the word "then." Then [at the coming of Christ with the saints to end wickedness as did the flood] shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left . . . Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
Why should we take these verses out of there proper setting which is at the coming of Christ with the saints, and make them refer to the coming of Christ for the saints? Why do we have to use this passage to prove that there will be a rapture or that some will be raptured from different parts of the Earth, and some will be left? There are plenty of Scriptures to prove a rapture of some from the world besides this one. Therefore, why should we base a doctrine upon a passage that does not concern the subject? If then these verses refer to the literal coming of Christ, what do they mean? Where are these persons who will be taken? These questions are fully answered in the following passages which show that these verses refer to the destruction of some and the preservation of others at the Battle of Armageddon.

In Luke 17:34-37 we have a parallel passage to Matt. 24:40-42 which further proves that both refer to the coming of Christ to the Earth, and not to the rapture. The verses in Luke are the conclusion of a discourse concerning "the day when the Son of man is revealed" when two shall be here, and two there, the one shall be taken and the other left. This was a new teaching to the disciples, and they asked, "Where, Lord? that is, they wanted to know where they were to be taken. The answer was, "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." These statement in both Matthew and Luke are fulfilled at the coming of Christ to the Earth, and not at the rapture of the church. The Greek for body is soma meaning a corpse. The Greek for carcase is ptoma meaning a body fallen in death, a dead carcase. Both Matthew and Luke use the same Greek word for eagles, aetoi, meaning the natural birds of the heavens (Rev. 4:7; 12:14). Thus if the passages were dealing with the rapture we would have Christ pictured as a dead carcase or corpse and the saints pictured as living beings caught up to dead carcass. This is beyond human conception for neither Christ nor the saints are pictured in such a manner in the Bible.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
Matt. 24:40-42 refers to the Battle of Armageddon when the angel will stand in the sun crying for the fowls to be gathered to eat the carcass of men who have been slain by Christ and His armies at His coming, and who have previously been gathered to the battle, one from here and one from there (Rev. 19:17-21; Ezek. 39:17-21). This picture of the eagles being gathered to eat the slain on the battlefield was a familiar one to the disciples. It is clearly described in Job 39:27-30. The mobilization of the hosts at Armageddon where they will meet death and make the supper for the fowls and beasts is pictured in Ezek. 38-39; Joel 3; Zech. 14; Rev. 16:13-16; 19:11-21. After this battle the carcasses of the hosts will lie all over the mountains of Palestine (Ezek. 38:16; 39:2-5, 17-21), making a great feast as described in the above passages, "For wheresoever the carcase is there will the eagles be gathered together.

This destruction is compared to the destruction at the time of the flood. Even as the flood came and "took them all away" (destroyed them, Luke 17:27), so shall also the coming of the Son of man take some away and leave others to enter the Millennium (Zech. 14:16-21; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; Jude 14). After stating that this destruction is to be like the flood, Jesus again emphasized the fact that no man would know the day nor the hour of His coming and warned all men at the end of the age to "watch."
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE (Mt. 24:32, 33)

This parable is commonly interpreted as applying to the Jewish nation and its restoration, but this could not be the truth illustrated by this parable. The restoration of Israel was not inquired of by the disciples, and therefore, could not be the subject Jesus intended to illustrate by the fig tree parable.

This is just a simple illustration of the nearness of Christ's second advent, which is the subject of Matt. 24-25. "Now learn a parable [illustration] of the fig tree [Luke adds "and all the trees," 21:29]; when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves ye know [what?] that summer is nigh: SO LIKEWISE ye, when ye shall see ALL THESE THINGS [the above signs of Christ's coming of Mt. 24>4-26], know that it [the second advent, not the restoration of Israel] is near, even at the doors" (Mt. 24:32, 33). What could be clear? One does not have to use this parable for the basis of the doctrine of the restoration of Israel, for there are many plain passages that cover that doctrine satisfactorily. Then too that all of Matt. 24:4-26 is fulfilled in one generation is further evident from this parable of the fig tree, for no tree puts forth leaves throughout the season.

In Mt. 24:34, 35 we have the infallibility of the above truths stated. Heaven and Earth shall be changed, but these truths shall not be changed (Lk. 16:16; Heb. 1:10-12). The Greek word for pass away in this passage means pass from one state to another and not cessation of existence, as proved in 2 Cor. 5:17 and other passages. The Heaven and the Earth will never be annihilated.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
PARABLE OF THE GOOD MAN OF THE HOUSE (Mt. 24:43-44)

Jesus here illustrates the need for readiness in view of His return to the Earth at an unpredictable time, so that each individual will escape the "sudden destruction" that will overtake those who are not ready. Again, He emphasizes the fact that no man will know the day or the hour. The purpose of not revealing the day or the hour is to keep the disciples ready all the time to meet the Lord when He comes.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
PARABLE OF FAITHFUL AND EVIL SERVANTS (Matt. 24:45-51)

This parable begins by the words "Who then" that is, in view of the suddenness of Christ's coming at a time unexpected, who will not be faithful in the things that have been committed to him during the absence of the Lord? This parable illustrates faithfulness in view of the coming of Christ to the Earth who will judge everyone according to the deeds done in the body. This judgment is the same as the judgment of the nations of Matt.25:31-46. it is not the same as the judgment of the saints before the return of Christ.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRDGINS (Matt. 25:1-13)

From the statements above on Matt. 24-25 it can be seen that the events occur in consecutive order and are connected to each other by such words as "then" "for then," The order of events can easily be traced by these connecting words. The first connecting word is matt. 24:9. the statement in Matt. 24:7, 8 tells of the "beginning of sorrows," such as wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. "Then shall they deliver you up . . . And then shall many be offended" Matt. 24:9, 10. The next definite time-point is in Matt. 24:15, When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation [Antichrist sitting in the temple of God in the middle of Daniel's 70th week] . . . Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains . . . [Matt. 24:16-20]: For then shall be great tribulation . . . [Matt. 24:23-28]. Immediately after the tribulation of those days [from the abomination on the second coming of Christ himself] shall the sun be darkened . . . And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven" Matt. 24:29-31. The next connecting word in Matt. 24:40, Then [at the coming of the Son of man] two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other be left." Following this truth, there are two parables which are connected to the second coming of Christ in that they illustrate readiness and faithfulness in view of His coming Matt. 24:43-51.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
The chapter heading of Matt. 25 should be forgotten as the exposition of Matt. 24-25. The first word in Matt. 25 is the first word of the parable of the ten virgins. It is another connecting word "then" which connects the parable to the coming of the Son of man "immediately after the tribulation" as explained above. It is clear to begin with that the parable of the ten virgins illustrates truth connected with the literal coming of Christ to the Earth. It can be seen that any connection with the rapture of the Church is out of harmony with the truth that is intended to be illustrated by the parable. This parable is a continuation of the answer concerning "the end of the age" and should be understood in that light. This fact alone will prove that it has a different setting from that which is commonly understood. It will eliminate the many unscriptural and fanciful interpretations that are based upon the details of the illustration.
"Then [at the literal coming of Christ to the Earth with the saints] shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins." This is an illustration concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, not the church. The whole truth illustrated is plainly stated in Matt. 25:13, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Since this is the truth Jesus is illustrating by this story of a particular oriental wedding ceremony, then there is no other point definitely illustrated by Him here in this parable. A parable is simply an illustration of some truth and the details are not to be stressed unduly. They are necessary only to make a complete story so that a truth can be illustrated. Thus, it is important that no hidden meanings are given to details of a parable.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
False Theories

Almost universally people believe that oil in the parable symbolizes the Holy Spirit and that the virgins symbolize different classes of Christians. Some insist that the wise are those who have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and that the foolish have not. Thus, it is implied that both the foolish and wise have salvation (Lamps), but only the wise have the Holy Spirit (oil). Others go further and insist that only those who have the baptism in the Holy Spirit will be caught up in the rapture, and that Christians in general who have not had that experience, will be left here to go through the tribulation. Still others say that anyone is not saved without the baptism in the Spirit.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
Many preach these errors as an incentive for seeking the experience of baptism in the Spirit, but regardless of the ultimate aim of such message, it may be stated here that in the light of other plain Scriptures the doctrines are erroneous. This type of teaching illustrates the errors men get into by basing doctrines upon the details of parables without having plain Bible passages to support them in such teachings. This teaching arbitrarily condemns many earnest-hearted and devout Christians who have yet not received light on the baptism in the Holy Spirit as taught by some. It also suggests that others who have had the light on the subject are not living clean lives because they have not received the baptism in the Spirit. It automatically sets up a standard of cleansing, other than the blood-washed way, and ultimately advances qualifications for the rapture of the church and entrance into the body of Christ which are not taught in plain passages of Scripture on these subjects.
These interpretations break down at every point when they are considered in the light of the details of the parable as well as in the light of other plain Scriptures. The lamps cannot symbolize salvation, profession, of anything of nature, as is clear by the usage of the word throughout the Bible. The word "lamp" is used as a symbol (Ex. 27:20; 1 Sam. 3:3; Ps. 119:105; Rev. 4:5; 8:10). The word "oil" has no more reference to the Spirit here than it does in Gen. 28:18; Prov. 5:5; Jer. 41:8; Hosea 12:1; Mich. 6:7; Lk. 7:46; 16:6. for the Biblical usage of the word "foolish see Mt. 7:24-29; Lk. 12:16-22.
How could people both saved and baptized in the Spirit, be in such lethargy as were these ten virgins, both wise and foolish? The Lord says to such, "I will spue thee out of my mouth" Rev. 3:16; Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 15:34; Eph. 5:14. Let it be noticed further, that at the time of the rapture people will have no time to rise and trim their lamps (so called salvation) as did all these virgins, for the rapture is to take place "in the twinkling of an eye" 1 Cor. 15:51-58. If anyone after the rapture became sufficiently worthy to receive the oil (so called Spirit) would Christ be likely to say to him, "I know you not" as was said to the foolish virgins by this particular bridegroom? Thus, it is evident that an attempt at a detailed meaning of this simple illustration of watchfulness to the people in the Kingdom of Heaven at the "end of the age" when Christ comes to set up His kingdom is out of harmony with the purpose of this parable and sound doctrines of the Bible.
 

BanjoPicker

Senior Member
Description of an Oriental wedding

In almost any books on Bible lands, their manners and customs, might be found just such a description of an oriental wedding ceremony as given in this parable by Jesus. The bride was always accompanied by a certain number of virgins (in this case these were ten) to meet the bridegroom. The bridegroom and his friends went, usually by night to bring the bride and her attendants to the home of the bridegroom. All along the route that the bridegroom and his friends took to get the bride, there would be crowds on the housetops or balconies who would take up the peculiar cry of wedding joy that told those further along that the pageant had started. The cry would give warning to those who were waiting with the bride that it was time to arise and light up the way of approach and welcome the bridegroom with honor. Before the bridegroom started, he received his friends who sometimes late, and after that speeches of congratulations were made, and other honors were bestowed upon him and his family. Therefore it was often near midnight before the bridegroom started for the bride. Meanwhile, as the night wore on and the duties of robing, the bride and completing the house decorations, period of relaxing and drowsy waiting set in and many would be overcome with sleep, as in the story Jesus gave. This period of drowsiness would be broken by the cries of the wedding procession of the bridegroom, and those in the home of the bride would rise and light candles or trim their lamps which had been burning all this time. In the case that Jesus mentions the lamps had been burning and five of them were getting so low that the virgins could not carry out their part of the wedding procession back to the home of the bridegroom, because they had to go first and get more oil. While they were gone to purchase more oil, the procession went on to the marriage place and the door was shut and locked for, fear of robbers who might cause an interruption, rob, and carry off jewelry, costly garments, or even the bride herself and hold her for ransom. The tardy virgins who were anxious to join the concluding festivities of the wedding, finally came crying, "Lord, Lord, open to us," could not, of course, be admitted, nor was their cry recognized by the bridegroom.
Jesus uses this story to illustrate watchfulness by those living in the Kingdom of Heaven at His coming to Earth to set up His Kingdom. He warns people at the end of the age to be more watchful than these ten virgins lest some of them should fail to be ready when He comes.
Thus we see that this parable is just as understandable as any other one in the Bible if we consider the details of the illustration, as necessary only to make the story complete enough to illustrate the point that is being illustrated.
 
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