IT IS CLOSER THAN WHAT WE THINK!

“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33)

Cp. with Mark 13 and Luke 21. 

I know that there are various interpretations with respect to this passage; and one of them has to do with the idea that it was fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.; and so, it has nothing to do with us today at the present or in the future. Also, there is the “”spiritualizing” of this passage; in other words, we have to interpret this passage by considering it in a “spiritual” sense, and not in a “carnal” sense, i.e. we have to look at it, not so much as actually occurring in a “physical and literal” sense, but that it relates these things to us “in the spirit”. But whatever interpretation one has, we have to ask this question: What does the Lord Jesus mean when He tells us: “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33)? Does He mean that we “shall see all these things” in a literal, or spiritual, sense?

Now, my intent in this article is not so much to prove, or disprove, any interpretation. My desire is simply to share with you that I believe IT IS CLOSER THAN WHAT WE THINK with respect to the questions that His disciples asked Him in verse 3 in this passage: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Note the connection that is made between the 3 questions: There will be certain “things” that will take place; and they are connected also with His “coming, and of the end of the world”. But also note that is connected with our text in that He tells us that “when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors”. In other words, the Lord Jesus is telling us that whenever we began to see “these things” taking place before our “eyes”, we can “know” (the Greek word ginosko means to know absolutely) that His Return and the end of the world is very near, i.e. “even at the doors”. Therefore, whether it is literally or spiritually, this passage has to do with the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His people and the Final Judgment of the unbelieving world, which WILL take place literally, and not in a spiritual sense. The Redeemed will experience Glorification while the Lost will experience Condemnation!

Of course, this is not a question of setting dates; for we are told specifically that “of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32); and in another place we are told that “it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:7). Nevertheless, our Lord tells us in our text that “when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors”; and what is it that we can “know” that is near but His “coming and the end of the world?” In other words, the Lord Jesus tells us that certain things will take place prior to His Return for His people and to judge the world; and as we see “these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28) the Lord tells us. But also we are to witness to the lost that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30, 31). Therefore, as we see all these things come to pass, than we can know that this particular day is getting closer day by day; or as the apostle Paul puts it: “For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11). In other words, every day that passes bring us closer to the “appointed…day”, which is fixed and will not change for any reason! 

In the meantime, the Christian has the privilege of God’s Word in order to study and learn what are “these things” that are to take place before He comes back for His people as He promised. “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3); and as Paul refers to this in 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff: “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day”. Therefore, the “knowing” believer will be able to tell, not so much the exact date ( as there are some that go around setting dates for the Rapture and Judgment Day), but will have an understanding that that “day” is drawing closer in every day that goes by. The parable that the Lord Jesus used in verse 32 before our text emphasizes this: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh”. All of us know, at least should know, that we can know spring is here when the leaves start to sprout and the plants and trees start budding, that summer follows. “So likewise ye,” the Lord Jesus tells us, “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors”.

So, what are some of “these things” we are to be looking for if we want to “know” that the Rapture and Judgment Day is “even at the doors”? Well, let me suggest some things that I know are already occurring in our day! Of course, they are brief and not very detailed; but at least, hopefully, by God’s blessing, they will give you some understanding of what the Lord Jesus tells us with respect to “these things”. 1) In response to the disciples’ questions, He warns them about the seduction and deception that will take place: “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many…Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not…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” (Matthew 24:4, 5, 23, 26). Perhaps you might say that if someone came to you and claimed to be Jesus Christ, you would say that you wouldn’t believe it. Nevertheless, consider the multitudes of professing Christians that could have said the same thing and yet have been deceived to believe those that claim to be Christ; even up to today! The Lord Himself said that they “shall deceive many”! Therefore, it is imperative that we “know” WHO is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), and “know” Him as our Lord and Savior; otherwise if this not true of us, we are in danger of being deceived 

In connection with this, 2) we see the increase of false prophets, or false teachers, in our day. “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many…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” (vv.11, 24). We know that this has been true throughout the Church’s history, as the Apostle Paul told the elders from Ephesus about it: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29, 30). Also, the apostle Peter warns us: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 2:1-3). It is important to note that these false prophets and teachers will claim to be serving the Lord Jesus Christ and that they are ministers of the Gospel of Christ; and yet the doctrines that they will be teaching are “perverse things” and “damnable heresies”. Can anyone dare to claim that this is not true today? Beloved, this is the “falling away”, or “apostasy” that is already taking place today in the professing Christian Church in connection with the revelation of the Antichrist: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (Rapture and Judgment Day) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Therefore, beloved, we better be in the truth, “as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesus 4:21); otherwise, those that “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved...God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (vv.10-12). 

But then 3), we see the persecution of God’s people. “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…For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:9, 10, 21). God’s people have always suffered persecution and martyrdom throughout history. From the beginning of the Church, the saints have suffered for Christ and the Gospel from the unbelieving Jews, as you read in the book of Acts, and also from the Roman Empire. Then we read about the Dark Ages that brought the Reformation with the following Inquisition. You can be sure of this: The saints have always been persecuted for their faith throughout the world. Today this is still true in countries where the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is hated; and in any place where a believer will be a bold and faithful witness to it. Even in America we are beginning to see persecution of God’s people; and although it is not yet to the point of martyrdom, still we can see an increase of opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Again, who can say that this is not true? One thing you can be sure of: It will get worse! The closer it gets to the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ, it will get “dangerous” to be a true Christian; for as Paul says: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come… Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:1, 12). Be prepared, beloved: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

Also, 4) we will see the political turmoil and the natural phenomenon that will be seen as an indication that it is drawing near. “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” (vv.6, 7). It’s true that all of these things have existed throughout history, but we cannot ignore that the Lord refer to these things in response to the disciples’ questions: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Therefore, they are relevant to the intent of this article: IT IS CLOSER THAN WHAT WE THINK!  In other words, these things could have occurred in 70 AD in the destruction of Jerusalem, and also have a “spiritual” meaning, but we can’t deny they also have a literal application. TODAY we can see the “wars and rumours of wars” and “nation…against nation, and kingdom against” with “famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places”! You see, beloved, God is in control of ALL THINGS; and He has utilized for His purpose what the Lord Jesus refers to in these verses as the means to bring judgment. So we should not be surprised that as these things are increasing in a global sense, God is indicating to us that we need to be ready for His coming and the end of the world; for consider what He tells His people in Amos 4:12 – “Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel”.

But “the end is not yet”, says the Lord: They are simply taking place so that we can “know that it is near, even at the doors”. Note what He says in verse 8 in this passage: “All these are the beginning of sorrows”. In other words, all the previous things mentioned are as when a pregnant woman starts her labor pains. We can see that she is pregnant, but when the time arrives for childbirth, her travail commences. But as it gets closer for the baby to be born, her labor pains increase. The same here, beloved: When we see the political turmoil and the natural phenomenon around us, especially today, not only we can see the “pregnancy” of the times, but they also show us that the labor pains have started. The closer it gets to the “birth”, i.e. the Return of the Lord Jesus and Judgment, it will get worse; we will be able to see it that it is drawing nearer day by day!

Another thing we will see is 5), the increase of wickedness. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”. We know that sin and the wickedness of man have always existed since the Fall; and the increase of it brought about the Flood that destroyed the world as a Judgment from God. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them” (Genesis 6:5-7). This will also be true TODAY, as we can see it already happening… that “wickedness shall increase”. The evidence is seen all around us and in every area of society! Even among professing Christians it has had so an effect that their love (which in this verse it is “agape love”) which has so chilled, not only towards one another, but also for the lost! In fact, this is one of the signs of the last days that Paul refers to: “For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2, 4). How true is this of TODAY!!!

Now, much more could be said with respect to this passage, and in connection with Mark 13 and Luke 21, but let it suffice for now that enough has been presented to show that IT IS CLOSER THAN WHAT WE THINK! Whether one believes that it has already been fulfilled in 70 AD, or that we have to look at it in a spiritual sense, one CANNOT deny that this passage is connected with the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Rapture; and consequently, the end of the world! “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: 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” (vv.29-31). Note that that the Lord Jesus says that “immediately after the tribulation of those days…” i.e. “directly, i.e. at once (or soon) in accompaniment with (or amid) the pressures of that period…. (Strong’s Greek Dictionary)”, the sun, the moon, the stars and the powers of heaven will be affected. Is it literal or is it spiritual? Why should we think it to be inconceivable that all of these things will take place in a literal manner? Was the Flood spiritual? Or was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah spiritual? What about when the earth opened up to swallow up Korah and the Lord send fire from heaven to destroy all the rebels with him (Numbers 16:31-35)?

There are many instances in the Word of God where He used these things in a literal manner to bring judgment upon the earth; or at least to manifest His sovereign power over them for His glory. But note that these things in Matthew are also related to in Revelation 6: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”  (vv.12-17). Are they literal or spiritual? Well, I leave it up to you to interpret it as you will, but one thing I do know: Our passage for  our text for this article does make it very clear that all of these things will precede the Return of the Lord and the Rapture; and as they take place, “and then (i.e. in the time that these things take place – Strong’s Greek Dictionary) 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”.

So, whether literally or spiritually, I believe that much of what is related to us in this passage is already happening; and we can see them literally according to our text: “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33). But then, beloved, if we consider them “spiritually”, I also can say that they are taking place before our “spiritual eyes”, if the Lord has been pleased to open them. Nevertheless, I believe that we can say with all certainty that IT IS CLOSER THAN WHAT WE THINK! As we search the Scriptures, and then look around us at what is taking place, then we need to lift up our eyes towards heaven for our redemption is drawing near; and I believe VERY NEAR!!! It’s true that it will be a glorious Day for the elect; but oh! Let us remember that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The Lord Jesus tells us: “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:34-36). My prayer is that God will command the clouds to rain once more upon His people and send us a Revival and Spiritual Awakening so that we will be prepared to meet our God. May He do so in the Name of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.