Signs of Christ’s Return
Matthew 24:1-14

1Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."

3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately₁, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5"For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8"But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

9"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10"At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11"Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12"Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13"But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."

"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm."
Ephesians 6:13

Here is a timely letter from Cory Ten Boom written in 1974 and needed now more than ever!

Excerpt from Cory Ten Boom's letter:

There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers₃ that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days.  Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.

In China, the Christians were told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured." Then came a terrible persecution.  Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,

"We have failed.

We should have made the people strong for persecution,

rather than telling them Jesus would come first.

Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution,

how to stand when the tribulation comes,

– to stand and not faint."

I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation.
There is no way to escape it.
We are next.
~ Cory Ten Boom

1. NOTE: The disciples came to Jesus privately. What Jesus told them here in Matthew 24 was meant specifically for disciples of Jesus.
   • So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;" John 8:31
   • Do you believe in Jesus? Are you His disciple? He is talking directly to us in Matthew 24!
2. The Matthew 24:14 Commission is different than the Great Commission yet very vital and important in the life of the believer if the believer is to endure to the end so that they will be saved!
   • The Great Commission is for believers to preach the whole gospel to all the world to attempt to make believers out of unbelievers.
     • Pre-trib rapture attempts to scare unbelievers into getting right before they get left, but as happened in China it is a very cruel deception for those who place their hope in Pre-Trib.
   • The Matthew 24:14 Commission is meant specifically for believers so that they map prepare to endure to the end.
3. It requires conjecture, speculation, and a lot of convolution to come up with the Pre-tribulation Rapture doctrine. Those who believe it will quite easily suffer the same fate of many of our Chinese brethern that fell away when Jesus did not return before their great ordeal. They were not prepared to endure to the end by resisting in the evil day because they weren't supposed to be here! Oops...
   • Cory Ten Boom called those who preach and teach Pre-trib Rapture "the false teachers".
   • I'm convinced that some of those preaching pre-trib do so with good intentions and pure motives, however once they are made aware of the Matthew 24:14 Commission and how it differs from the Great Commission, they are without excuse should they continue and fail to repent of their deception.

"...and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved."
2 Thessalonians 2:10

The dominoes are all in place. It is time for those who love the Lord Jesus to begin carrying out the Matthew 24:14 Commission, and prepare the saints to be ready to endure to the end!

Maranatha!
Come Lord Jesus!