Signs of the End Times
* Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray! *
by Deb (Sandberg) Murtagh
December 31, 2006
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        Some people are afraid of this subject, thinking it to be some mysterious thing that mankind is not to really know or understand. Nothing could be further from the truth. Anything or anyone that leads you away from believing that the Bible is the inspired, written word of God is aimimg for your destruction AND your deception. You may have noticed that all my articles quote scripture, I wouldn't want to try to live my life without it! God wants us to understand these things, but He wants YOU to come to Him and ask Him, read His word (the Bible) and believe it. I want you to know what is coming up for us, as far as I understand it, so here it is from Matthew 24, an End Time chapter ... complete with my comments. Enjoy and be blessed!
Three accounts where the disciples ask Jesus about the signs of
His coming and the end of the world:

Mat 24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mar 13:3-4
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Luk 21:7
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign [will there be] when these things shall come to pass?
        When the disciples ask about the Lord's return and the 'end of the world', they are not saying the world will be forever destroyed. It will get a severe makeover at the end of the 1,000 year millenium however! It will be wiped clean and thereafter restored to it's original beauty. God can do that :o} Not only can He, and will He, but He Himself will then be here on earth WITH US for eternity, not only our Lord Jesus and all the angelic host, but God Himself! WOW, I can hardly wait! You can read all about it in Revelation 21 & 22, which gives the details of a new heaven and a new earth and all of the former things will have passed away and not come to mind again. The world will never end, it was made for us and we for it and we will inhabit it throughout eternity! As a matter of interest, I want to point out to you that in Genesis 1 & 2 (the first two chapters of our Bible) God is creating NEW; likewise He is creating ANEW in Revelation 21 & 22 (the last two chapters of our Bible). Is that interesting or what? 
Matthew 24 ~ signs of the end times.
{My comments in purple font & in curly brackets.}
Mat 24:1-2
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. {The temple spoken of here is the one that, as predicted, was destroyed in AD 70. However, I believe this is speaking of the yet future 3rd temple also!}
Mat 24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? {Believe it or not, this is the place the Lord will return to ... the Mount of Olives ... you can read about His return, and more specifically where He'll return, in Zechariah 14:4-5 (link is to my other site, The Lamb's Wife). This is why Jesus says NOT to be led astray with *he is here, or he is there*, if He's NOT on the Mount of Olives with a host of angels & saints ... He's NOT here, period! Watch for the imposter, for his arrival is heralded first as he proclaims himself the christ but in truth he'll be the anti-christ!}
Mat 24:4-5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. {Many professing to be apostles, pastors, ministers and prophets are *proclaiming Christ* but they do not believe in Him and with their wiley ways they are leading their congregations down the wrong road, the road to destruction. There is only ONE way to know if you are on the right path, ask Jesus into your heart as your Lord & Savior, and then READ YOUR BIBLE, all you need to know is in there! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you understanding my friends!}
Mat 24:6-7
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. {We ARE in this phase now, I believe. Think about it, with the advent of radio, television and now satellite technologies we hear of worldwide news instantaniously, never before in the history of mankind has this happened. It has begun! Watch & pray!!!}
Mat 24:8
All these [are] the beginning of sorrows. {Indeed.}
Mat 24:9-10
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. {Many, many Christians are being tortured & dying in martyrdom, even today, in countries that do not tolerate Christianity. Count your blessings if you aren't among them, but by the same token don't consider yourself so holy or sheltered that you cannot be ... remember, that Jesus and all the apostles proceed you in this regard, unto their own deaths! Be mentally prepared, you may well be called upon to *prove your faith* someday. Be assured though, eternal life awaits you, the flesh means nothing in comparison!}
Mat 24:11-12
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. {What I said above. People will loose heart once they find out they've been deceived by false religions, they will have been led astray because they did not study the word of God for themselves and prove all things. They will fall away from faith in the Lord. Due to lawlessness & lack of love for one another things can only get worse not just for the world in general but for believers!}
Mat 24:13
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. {Do you see this? Remember it my friends, take it literally ... we must make it to the end of our own lives in Christ, or through whatever trials & tribulations will be coming our way for Jesus' name sake! Are you willing to go the extra mile (whatever that is) for our Lord Jesus, as He did for us??? ONLY those that do so shall be saved! These words, in red, are the words of our Lord, He means what He says!}
Mat 24:14
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. {We're seeing this fulfilled before our very eyes, not just in a missions sense but also via satellite, worldwide broadcasting, etc. We're living in exciting times! Are you one of the ones spreading the seeds of the Gospel, the Good News, that Jesus IS Lord? If not, get on it ... OK? Our Father God, and His Son, Jesus, ARE the only things that matter in the end! This IS the call for all true believers ... do your part!}
Mat 24:15-20
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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: {The abomination of desolation is the beast and his false prophet, the anti-christ, standing in the 3rd temple (yet to be built), where the false prophet claims he is god, and most will believe him to be so! This will occur IN Jerusalem, and those there at the time are warned to flee to the mountains for their own safety ... because this will be the beginning of the great tribulation!}
Mat 24:21-22
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. {Notice that 'great tribulation' AND the days being shortened for the elect's sake are in the same proximity. To me, this means that believers will still be here DURING the tribulation. These are Jesus' words, not mine! Prepare brothers & sisters, be not deceived, time is short! If you need more proof, read Zechariah & Revelation, but remember, Jesus Himself said it in Matthew.}
Mat 24:23-24
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. {Again, reference to the elect! If we're raptured out of here before the great tribulation why would there be a need to shorten the days? Sorry, false doctrine! We WILL BE HERE my brethren. Jesus said it, not I.. Don't believe me? Read the parables of the 'wheat (believers) and tares (non-believers, those led astray)' and of the 'seed sower', you can find them in Matthew 13! This is also another warning not to follow as the masses will ... if the mainstream is following that's a sure sign to go the other way ... fast!}
Mat 24:25
Behold, I have told you before. {*What He said*! The question is, do you believe Him, or will you believe another? How can you tell, how can you discern truth from outright lies??? THE BIBLE my friends ... read it, study it, believe it ... it may well save your life someday, God willing! Jesus Himself quoted scripture when He was tempted by satan ... if scripture is good enough for our Lord, that's a sign that it's good enough for you ... amen!?}
Mat 24:26
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not. {How many times does our Lord have to warn us? He cares, He wants to be sure that you understand ... He's repeating Himself in some key points ... make an effort to remember His warnings won't you please!?}
Mat 24:27
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. {Reference to lightning is the speed of it, when He returns the whole world will witness it! At the speed of light you can circle the earth some seven times in one second! Jesus IS light as are all the holy host of angels. He's not making His appearance just yet, but letting you know the signs to watch for just before His return.}
Mat 24:28
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. {Carcase is old english for carcass (dead body), I'm sure you knew that. What you may not know is the full meaning of this stark line ... where the dead (spiritually dead) are there the eagles or vultures that consume the dead (satan & his demons) are. Those that don't belong to Jesus, unfortunately belong to satan.}
Mat 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: {WOW, these cosmic disturbances ... sound frightening. That'll be a sight to see won't it!? If you are still here to experience this, remember God IS in control! Fear not!}
Mat 24:30-31
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. {The tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn because the demise of those that the Lord will unleash His wrath on has arrived. There will be a worldwide army amassed against Jerusalem and our Lord will come to save the remnant thereof ... the destruction of those that came against the Holy City will be swift on the word of Jesus at His coming! You can read more about that in Zechariah & Revelation! What we believers (elect) will escape is God's wrath, not the tribulation. God's wrath is loosed through Jesus at His second coming. WooHoo ... it's BLAST OFF time for me ... this is when the resurrection will occur, not before! Yes friends there will be a resurrection! It's at this time (the return of our Lord Jesus) that we believers will be caught up in the air to meet Him ... in an instant we'll be changed to eternal bodies ... and we'll all descend on Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives! Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus, Come!}
Mat 24:32-35
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. {All things the Lord has said in this chapter will occur, and likely in the succession that He's foretold them.}
Mat 24:36-41
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. {Only our Father God knows the exact date & time that these things will occur, but we can be ready by watching the signs and praying. The majority of mankind will be doing what they normally do: eating, drinking, marrying, being merry ... to them it will be just like any other day. Only those of us on the watch & ready will we be prepared because we've been watching the signs! Verses 32-41 once again are the Lord's prophetic forewarning, a recap of those things to happen that were already mentioned.}
Mat 24:42-43
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. {The Lord repeats His warning.}
Mat 24:44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. {And again the Lord repeats His warning.}
Mat 24:45-47
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. {Are you a faithful and wise servant? Are you taking care of His household?}
Mat 24:48-51
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. {Jesus may be delaying in His return but if you aren't saved yet that's a good thing! He will return when the Father commands Him to, in the meantime you can thank the Lord he didn't come back 50 years ago ... you would have missed the boat, amen!? Don't waste your time doing like everyone else is doing, for you will be caught unawares ... seek ye the Lord, watch and pray!}
        How should I live then? I'd recommend that you make this your sure policy: If the world or majority are *doing it* ... DON'T! I'm speaking in regard to spiritual things now, not the flesh ... you still have to pay your taxes, you still have to drive on the right side of the road, obey your laws (unless they directly contradict the word of God), etc. Make no mistake about it, many so-called pastors today are more interested in reaping your seeds (money) than they are in your eternal salvation. YOU are responsible to God to discern who they are.

        Over my many years of growing in the Holy Spirit I've discovered that much of what I've been taught and heard simply is NOT true, or worse not Biblically sound! As I study the word of God, the Bible, I'm beginning to see the light of truth against all the deception in the world. If you don't believe every word in the Bible, you can be assured you are already deceived! Read it, study it, pray over it, believe it! Jesus quoted scripture during His temptations of the devil ... that is important to know ... because if scripture is good enough for Him, it's good enough for you! Amen!? The Bible is truly the inspired WORD of God! The *word* says to seek the Lord with all your heart, mind & soul ... if you do this you WILL find Him, but just as important you must let HIM guide you, not mankind.

        Please, get into your word (Bible) so that you are prepared in the spirit (and of the Spirit) for the things which are soon coming upon this earth. Fear not, God has everything under control! If you aren't right with God may I suggest you get right with Him today? Ask His Son, Jesus, to come into your life and guide you in your daily walk, and READ YOUR BIBLE! While it is important that we know the signs of the times, so that we can be prepared for the things to come, we should be walking with the Lord daily in a manner pleasing to Him.





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