Today's News vs. Matthew 24

Today’s News vs. Matthew 24

Now, before you read farther, allow me to explain that I am not attempting to impress you with my piety. I’m just an old Pharisee, like most Christians, I dare say.

It occurred to me the other day, as I was engrossed in the news of the day, that all the stories of doom and gloom, being reported by the “Talking Heads”, seemed so familiar. Then it clicked. I HAD head it before. Why, this was a rerun of “fast-breaking news”!

Where had I heard this before? Where had I been given a “heads-up” on the breaking news of the day? In the first book of the New Testament. The 24th Chapter, to be exact.

To save you time in looking it up, here it is(Below). It will take about as long to read as many of the posts on the blogosphere today and it just might give you some comfort. Especially, if, like me, you are beginning to feel a little “put upon” by the events of the day and the seemingly endless string of stories of humanity’s inability to live together in peace, on this very small little ball floating in the endless blackness of space. If nothing else, you may derive comfort just from the knowledge that man’s inhumanity to man will NOT go on forever.

When will it end? I have no idea, but rest assured we have a “lead-pipe-cinch” promise that it will most certainly end.

If you are unfamiliar with this scripture, you are about to read a nearly 2000-year-old script that sounds as if it was written just yesterday.

I invite you now to read the 24th Chapter of Matthew:

Matthew Chapter 24
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1 Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings.
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2 He said to them in reply, "You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
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As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, 3 the disciples approached him privately and said, "Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?"
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4 Jesus said to them in reply, "See that no one deceives you.
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For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many.
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You will hear of wars 5 and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end.
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Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place.
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6 All these are the beginning of the labor pains.
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7 Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.
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And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another.
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Many false prophets will arise and deceive many;
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and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.
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But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
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And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, 8 and then the end will come.
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9 "When you see the desolating abomination 10 spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
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then those in Judea must flee 11 to the mountains,
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12 a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house,
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a person in the field must not return to get his cloak.
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Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days.
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13 Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath,
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14 for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be.
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And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened.
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If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
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False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.
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Behold, I have told it to you beforehand.
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So if they say to you, 'He is in the desert,' do not go out there; if they say, 'He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 15
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For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
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Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
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16 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
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And then the sign of the Son of Man 17 will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
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And he will send out his angels 18 with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
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19 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.
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In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates.
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Amen, I say to you, this generation 20 will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
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Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
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21 "But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, 22 but the Father alone.
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23 For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
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In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
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They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man.
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24 Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
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Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
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25 Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
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Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
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So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
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26 27 "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
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Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
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Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
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28 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
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and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards,
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the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
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and will punish him severely 29 and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Frightening… or comforting? It depends on one’s perspective, I suppose. In my case, I take comfort from these “end-time” words.

It makes no difference whether you are a believer, or not. What is… is…, period. It is of no consequence to the truth, of a truthful thing, if one believes it... or not. It does not change the truth.

The fact of the matter is... that the verses above are the “printed program” for today’s events. Like it… or not!

Longstreet