An Exposition of the
Prophetic Timeline Of
Matthew 24
                                                                                              By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                              May 8, 2018
     "We have also a more sure [absolutely certain] Word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star [the Lord Jesus] arise in your hearts;
     Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation.
     For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost [Spirit]."
                                                                                              2 Peter 1:19-21
Introduction
33 A.D.
     24:1.....The introduction to this inspired chapter, and this exposition, is set forth in the first verse of the chapter. In this Scripture the Lord and His disciples departed from the Temple, after the Lord in Matthew 23,  had given the religious leaders of Israel the most blistering rebuke found in the Bible.  
      As they left the Temple the disciples began to point out to the Lord the beautiful stones in the buildings of the Temple.  The Temple built by King Herod for the Jews, was one of the most beautiful buildings which has ever existed on the earth in human history, and the Lord's disciples, being Jews, took great pride in that Temple.
The Lord's Response
     24:2.....The Lord responded to His disciples, by asking them if they were really seeing for themselves the lovely stones they were pointing out to Him?  Then the Lord made to His disciples an astonishing prophetical statement, "There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down."  In making this statement the Lord Jesus was looking forward in time to the destruction of that great Temple, some forty years later in......  
70 A.D.
     It was 70 A.D. when the Roman armies, under the leadership of the Roman General, Titus, actually did invadee Jerusalem and burn the Temple, in spite of General Titus's order that the Temple was to be preserved.  The Roman soldiers disobeyed the command given to them, likely because they knew the entire interior of the Temple had been plated with gold.  This gold plating melted as the Temple burned, and ran down into the cracks between the foundation stones of the Temple.   The Roman soldiers then took iron bars and pried the stones apart in order to retrieve the gold, thus the words of the Lord Jesus were literally confirmed, "There shall not be left here one stone upon another."
 Back to 33 A.D.
     24:3.....As the Lord Jesus left the Temple that day, He sat down on the Mount of Olives, which was near the Temple.  Then four of His disciples, being Jews, who were apparently disturbed over His prophecy, came to Him privately.  These four disciples are identified in God's Word as being Peter, James, John, and Andrew, "Mark 13:1."
     "4" is the number in the Bible which signifies, "Flesh; mankind; the natural man."  It is a characteristic of the flesh to want to hold on to every material possession we gain, or even which the Lord God blesses us with.  Read 1 Timothy 6:7.  
     These four disciples then ask the Lord three questions, [1] "Tell us, when shall these things be?  [2] and what shall be the sign of Thy coming [parousia], [3]  and of the end of the world [age]?"  
 The Lord's Answer
     [1]   The Lord did not give to the four disciples the exact "date" when the Temple would be destroyed, but in the Scriptures following, He did give them an inspired description of the events that would lead up to the Temple's destruction.  
     [2]  In answering the question about His "coming."  It is quite significant that the Greek word used in this Scripture is "parousia."  This word is used 24 times in the New Testament when referring to the rapture of New Testament believers.   Compare Revelation 4:1-4.  So the disciples were asking about the Lord's return at the rapture.    
     [3]   In answering this third question about "the sign" which would  indicate the approaching destruction of the Temple, the Lord in Luke 21:20 told His disciples, "And when ye [you] shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh."  This happened, I believe, in 67 or 68 A.D., and it will happen yet again during the future Tribulation period.  From that time Jerusalem was completely cut off from the outside world.  Thousands of Jews who were not able to escape the city, were cut off from a food supply coming into the city, and were deliberately starved to death by the Roman armies.  
     Now read and compare Matthew 24:15-16, and Mark 13:14, and marvel at the Lord's goodness to those who place their faith in Him.  The Lord was speaking in this Scripture directly to those four disciples. As Chrisian believers, they, and all others of the Lord's disciples in Jerusalem, were given spiritual understanding, just as the Lord promised. Because the Lord's disciples were given understanding,  the Jewish historian Josephus, records in his Antiquites of the Jews, that  not one single Christian believer perished in the seige of Jerusalem.  They all escaped from the city before the Roman armies cut off all means of escape.  Oh thank you precious Lord Jesus for loving your people so very much.  
     I am well aware that the ancient seige of Jerusalem was not the "abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel, and that it yet awaits being fulfillment by the anti-christ in the Tribulation period.   This is true, however the seige of Jerusalem was a type of that yet future "abomination," even to the extent of having a similar effect.  After the seige in 70 A.D. the Jewish people fled from the land of Israel, leaving the land "desolate," or empty.  That same thing is going to happen again during the Tribulation period, when the people of Israel are going to abandon their homes and cities, and flee to Petra, once again leaving the land desolate or empty.  Read Ecclesiastes 1:9, and marvel at the accuracy of God's inspired Word.    
 The Lord's Message
      24:4-5.....Then in these two Scriptures the Lord began to give to His  four disciples what some refer to today as His "Olivet Discourse."  And His message to them began with a warning. The Lord first warned them of "deceivers" who would come on the scene after He had gone back to His Father, Acts 1:9-11. The Lord warned His disciples that some of the "deceivers" would actually claim to be "Christ," and that they would "deceive many."  And come they did.....
Bar Kochba  
      One of those false "christs" who thousands of the Jewish people were willing to believe and follow was Bar Kochba.  He was so convincing that he led thousands of Jews to revolt against the Roman Empire, which ultimately led to the Roman armies driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland.  Thousands of Jews fled from the holy land, and many perished while fleeing.  All  because of Bar Kochba's  wicked deception.
The Fifth Century
      Another such false "christ," was Moses of Crete, a man living on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean.   He deceived several thousand Jews living on Crete and other nearby islands, into believing he was the long awaited Messiah.  He convinced those Jews that he would lead them back to Israel.  He appointed a day in which they were to follow him right off into the Mediterranean Sea, for he claimed the sea would part and they would walk back to Israel on dry ground.  Finally the appointed day arrived!  Several thousand  Jews were gathered, ready to follow him back to Israel.  It appears that he had even deceived himself, for he did walk off into the sea and was drowned, right along with over a thousand Jews who were gullible enough to believe and follow him.
     Beginning the count with Bar Kochba, there have been at least nine of these false messiahs over the centuries, which have deceived the Jewish people, resulting in a great loss of life.  Because the Jewish people want their prophesied "redemption" so badly, they have been easy prey for these wicked deceivers.  And yes!  Such deceivers are still coming!  
     Even in these modern times, there have been men who have come forward claiming to be the Messiah of the Jews, and Christ, and even God.  I actually received a letter from one of them several years ago, informing me that he was both God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ, and there was something in one of my newsletters which he didn't like, and he called me to "straighten me out."    
     My reaction was.....Big deal!  I write for the benefit of  God's people and for lost seeking souls.  I don't write to entertain "nuts" or "fruitcakes."  
      With the passing of time, every single one of these "deceivers"  have proven themselves to be deceivers and liars.   Those few who have shown some ability to work "signs and wonders" have only demonstrated that Satan has some power to work some miracles, and uses it to deceive lost souls into following him.   Satan, not the God of the Bible, has been the source of power for every one of these wicked deceivers.
Wars and Rumours of Wars  
     24:6-8.....Then in verse 6, the Lord warned His disciples that there would be "wars and rumours of wars."  Throughout this entire 2,000 years Dispensation of Grace, there have been wars between nations and peoples in various places all over the earth.  It is impossible for fallen mankind to live in peace, as long as humanity continues to reject and vilify the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "the Prince of Peace."
     Fallen human nature has not changed much in the past 2,000 years.  There were "wars and rumours of wars" back then, as the Roman armies were plotting the destruction of Jerusalem and the the Jewish people, and such "wars and rumours of wars"  are still going on today.  
    Even as I write, "rumours"  of a war between the U.S. and North Korea, or China, or Russia, or even Iran are being circulated.  Will such a war come to pass?  Yes!  There is going to be a red hot war real soon.  However, that is not the subject of this study!  
Racial Strife, Uprisings, and Wars
      In verse 7, the Lord said that "...nation shall rise against nation..."  However, in the Greek text this statement is literally, "ethnos against ethnos."  The English word, "ethnic" is derived from this Greek word.  The Lord's reference here is literally prophesying that one ethnic group, race, ideology, or culture would rise against another ethnic group, race, ideology, or culture.  And such has sure come to pass, just as the Lord said it would.
     In America today we see demonstrations and riots occurring nearly every day, as different races, ideologies, and cultures clash wth one another.  The Jewish cemetery in St. Louis has been desecrated several times in the past few years.  We see clashes between men and women.  We see  clashes between young people and older people.  We see  clashes between religions.  We see  clashes between rich and poor.  We see  clashes between working people and those who don't have jobs.  We see  clashes between homosexuals and those who still believe sexual relations should only be between a man and his wife [female], exactly as ordained by God.  And so it goes on and on.  Many people don't realize that these ethnic clashes are slowly but surely tearing the fabric and infrastructure of  America apart.   Sadly, most people in America today haven't got a clue what the Lord said in Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:34-35, and Luke 11:17.   
Wars Between Nations
     In verse 7, the Lord also said, "...kingdom against kingdom..."  This is where the Lord prophesied wars between nations. There has been very little time in these past 2,000 years when there was not a war being waged somewhere in the world, Joel 3:9-10.  And as I write, due to terrorist activities by the Moslem nations, against Israel and the western nations, there are several wars going on right now.    
    However, in studying the context of this chapter, I can't help but believe the Lord was warning His disciples of the approaching wars between Israel and the Roman Empire.  And in this same Scripture here in Matthew 24, the Lord spoke of.....
The Result or Aftermath of War
     War always has an aftermath. Famine and pestilence!  In the Roman-Jewish wars several thousand Jews in Jerusalem were deliberately starved to death by the Romans, who surrounded the city, and stopped any food supplies from coming into the city, Luke 21:20.  Readers will find an account of this in the writings of Josephus.  
The Beginning of Sorrows
     Then in verse 8, the Lord told His disciples plainly that the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.  and the Roman-Jewish wars were just "the beginning of sorrows."  And it has happened!  This would mean much sorrow for Israel and the Jewish people over the past 2,000 years, but there has also been much sorrow among the Gentile nations upon the earth.  And such sorrow is not over yet!  By the end of the Tribulation period,  the whole lost world will sorrow deeply for their unbelief and rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  How very much suffering and sorrow is still just ahead for mankind upon the earth.  Read  John's vision in Revelation again, and this time pay careful attention to what you are reading, and believe it!      
66 to 70 A.D.
     24:9-10.....The Roman-Jewish wars were just the beginning of the suffering of the Jewish people.  The Jews were driven out of the holy land, and became scattered all over the earth in various nations.  Many  nations did not want  the Jews in their country, and the Jews were faced with much persecution and suffering.
     Bitter persecution of the Jewish people has never stopped from the time they were forced to flee from their homeland in 70 A.D. until the founding of the modern nation of Israel in 1948.   And this persecution of the Jewish people  continues to go on in some nations even today.  
     Surely, every serious student of the Bible and history remembers the Jewish Holocaust during the years when Adolp Hitler and his Nazi thugs ruled Germany.  It is estimated that during that time some six million Jews perished.
The Birth of False Cults and Religions
The Dispensation of Grace
     24:11-12.....In these Scriptures the Lord takes us beyond the Roman wars, and into the 2,000 years Dispensation of Grace.  As already mentioned, during this present dispensation, "many false prophets" have come on the world scene, some attempting to deceive the Jewish people, but many others attempting to deceive Gentile peoples, and especially those Gentiles "professing"  to be Christians.  
      Then in 313 A.D. the Roman Empire, after trying repeatedly to stamp  out Christianity by persecuting and killing hundreds of Christian people, [remember the Coliseum in Rome] decided that their strategy wasn't working.  The more they persecuted Christian believers, the more their Roman citizens embraced Christianity. Christianity ultimately did replace the old Roman "gods."    
     So in the third century, the government of the Roman Empire decided to embrace Christianity, rather than continuing their failing effort to stamp it out.  So in 313 A.D. a Council of  Churches was assembled, by the approval of the Roman government.  History records that all Christian churches were invited to send their pastor or chosen delegate to the council.  However, only those who were willing to compromise on Biblical doctrines came to the council.  True churches and true men of God refused to attend.  But in that council in 313 A.D. the  "Holy Roman Catholic Church," [religion] was organized.  Today it's world headquarters are still located in the city of Rome, Italy, preserving within it's ranks a shadow of the ancient Roman Empire.  
     In verse 12, the Lord told His disciples that, obviously with the passing of time, "iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold."  Folks, we believers living today are seeing these exact conditions in both the lost world around us, and even in the ranks of "professing" Christianity.  The "falling away" [apostasia] that was predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has come.    We have arrived!
     Now before some reader, bluntly and not too kindly,  informs me that some scholars translate this "falling away" in 2 Thess. 2:3 as "departure," claiming that it is speaking of the rapture.  Indeed it may be!  But until I find some Scriptural reason to change the word in the Greek text, I will continue to read it as translated.  Revelation 22:18-19 is still in the Bible, and I refuse to tamper with the inspired Word of God.     
      Dear readers, read your Bibles daily and faithfully, receiving what you read at face value as literal truth.  Serious Bible study will make a difference in how you live in this world, and where you will spend eternity when you leave this world.     
Enduring to the End
     24:13.....Here is one of the most misapplied Scriptures in the entire Bible.  If one is going to apply this Scripture correctly, then one needs to remember that the Lord Jesus was speaking to His own Jewish disciples,   answering their questions about matters which first concern Israel and the Jewish people.  
     Now what was the third question these four disciples of the Lord ask Him?   It was, "and what shall be the sign.......of the end of the world?"  The Greek word translated as "world" in this Scripture is the word, "aion."  See Strong's No. 165.  This Greek word literally means, "age."  So the question they were asking was for a "sign" which would indicate that the "age" was about to end?  The "end of the age" is the "end" being referred to in 24:13.  
     Those readers who have seriously studied dispensations and ages in God's Word should know that there is a distinct difference between "dispensations" and "ages."  One or more "dispensations" can occur within  an "age."  Here for all of our readers  is a.....
Definition
     Dispensation.....A period of time, or times, within an "age" which has  a distinct beginning and a distinct ending, in which the Lord God deals with mankind on the earth in a certain manner.  Our readers surely know that we believers speak of the Dispensation of Law, and also of The Dispensation of Grace.  Both of these dispensations have occurred within this present "age."  
    Age.....Also a period of time, with a distinct beginning, and a distinct ending, in which the Lord God deals with the earth itself, changing or bringing forth a "new earth" for mankind to dwell upon. Read Psalm 102:25-26. So far in human history there have been three ages, and
God's Word reveals at least two more "ages" to come.   We living today are living in earth's third "age," which began when Noah stepped out of the Ark, and will end at either the middle or the conclusion of the Tribulation period.    
     So in 24:3, these four disciples of the Lord, were literally asking Him for a "sign" that would indicate "when" this present "age" will end.  The Lord's response was to assure them that Jewish people who "endure unto the end" of the "age".....the same shall be saved."  
     And they will!  At the end of the "age," all of the Jews who survive the Tribulation period will be saved, physically and spiritually.  Every single one of them!  Read the prophecy in Micah 2:12 very carefully, and notice that the Lord assembles all of the Jewish people, even gathering "the remnant of Israel," which had not yet returned to the holy land.  The reader can read about this miraculous regathering of every living Jew on the earth, during the coming Tribulation period, in Isaiah 27:13.  Glory to God!  Praise the Lord!  
     This statement of the Lord is in perfect harmony with the statement of the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:26-27; "And so all Israel shall be saved...."  In other words, the entire nation of Israel, and all of the Jewish people who survive the Tribulation period will be delivered from their enemies, and saved, physically and spiritually.  Glory to God!    
      This Scripture gives no support at all to those who are teaching that a believer, one truly saved, must be absolutely faithful to the end of their life, or they will lose their salvation.  Hogwash!  Such a teaching is absolutely false teaching, regardless of who is teaching it.  This Scripture has nothing to do with losing or keeping one's salvation by one's faithfulness or lack of it.  PERIOD!
The Gospel of the Kingdom
     24:14.......This is another Scripture which many of God's people  repeatedly misapply.  
     The Lord Jesus, after telling His disciples about "enduring to the end," then pointed out when "the end" [of the age] will come.  "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world [in all the habitable earth] for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."  In making this statement, the Lord was telling His disciples that "the end" will only come when all of mankind on the earth during the Tribulation period will have heard "the gospel of the kingdom."   
     Some preachers today have tried to apply this Scripture to their particular ministry, claiming that their radio or TV gospel broadcast has reached all over the earth.  So what?  
     There are still many third world countries today, where the poor people do not even own a radio or a TV, and therefore never hear a gospel broadcast. Even in this technologically advanced world we live in today, there are still thousands of poor, uneducated,  people in third world countries which have never heard of the Lord Jesus Christ, and don't have a clue who He is.   This is a shame to our "witnessing" efforts today, Acts 1:8.  
     Then such a claim made by these "big" preachers and ministries today, claiming "they" have fulfilled this Scripture, is total error.  And now I will tell our readers why.......
      First, true "men of God" today do not preach "the gospel of the kingdom."  That gospel was preached by John the Baptist at the First coming of Christ, because he, like many of the Jewish people, thought that since the Messiah had come, the Kingdom promised to Israel  would shortly be established on the earth.  It wasn't!  
     The "gospel of the kingdom," is literally an announcement that the prophesied kingdom of Israel's Messiah is just ready to be set up, or established on the earth.  We believers living today, know that the Lord's kingdom will not be established on the earth, until after the Lord's Second Coming at end of the Tribulation period.  So we do not preach "the gospel of the kingdom."   
     In rejecting and crucifying the King, the Kingdom of Christ was postponed, until Christ comes again.  Read the Parable of the Pounds in  Luke 19:12-27, noticing carefully verses 11-12.  
The Transition Gospel    
     After the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Lord's church as recorded in Acts 2, the disciples preached salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, requiring that everyone who believed be baptized as evidence of their salvation, Acts 2:38, 2:41, 8:12.  Dear readers, baptism is a work.  I certainly do believe that every person who places their faith in Christ for salvation should be baptized as a pubic confession of their faith in Christ, and not as a requirement for one's salvation.  But baptism should be voluntary on the part of the person being baptized, and is not required in order to be saved.  The inspired Word still says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
     Not of works, lest any man should boast," Ephesians 2:8-9.    
     And if the chronologists are correct, approximately seven years  after the ascension of Christ, Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee devoted to the Jews religion, [Acts 23:6; Philippians 3:3-6] was gloriously saved, Acts 9.  The inspired Word tells us that the Lord chose Saul to be His "apostle to the Gentiles," Romans 11:13.  Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, immediately began to preach the grace of God in Christ Jesus.  Over and over again in the New Testament, what Paul preached is referred to as "the gospel of God," and "the gospel of Christ," and by Paul himself as "my gospel," 2 Timothy 2:8.  
      This same gospel that Paul preached is the gospel that has been preached by the Lord's true churches and ministers throughout this Dispensation of Grace, and is the gospel that every true church and   preacher should be still preaching today.  We New Testament preachers do not preach the "gospel of the Kingdom." In our preaching today we do look forward to, and remind God's people, that the Kingdom of Christ will be established on earth when Christ returns at His Second Coming.  But the Kingdom is not imminent, as it appeared to be when John the Baptist was preaching.  During this present Dispensation of Grace, the true gospel is the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus as payment for our sins, and through faith in Christ, we are saved. There are no works or requirements connected with it.  Any person truly receiving Christ into their heart by faith will be saved, and this is "the gospel of Christ."  Amen!  Hallelujah!  Glory to God!  
The Gospel of the Kingdom
     But this Scripure plainly states that "the gospel of the kingdom" will be preached in all the world, and then "the end shall come."  The "end" in this Scripture is the same "end" referred to previously; the "end of the age;"  verse 3, verse 6, verse 13, and this 14th verse.   So if the gospel we believers preach today, is not the "gospel of the kingom," then who is going to preach that gospel "in all the world" [habitable earth]?  I'm so glad you asked!  
     Who is it that we see saved in John's vision, at the very beginning of the Tribulation, before any of God's wrath is poured out upon the earth?   Revelation 7:1-3.  Then also study the Scriptures that follow; verses 4 through 8.  This is the account of the salvation of the 144,000, 12,000 out of each of the twelve tribes of Israel which are listed.  These 144,000 are the very first people saved during the Tribulation following the rapture.  Rev. 14:4 explicitly states that they are the "firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb."  This certainly means that they are the first people saved during the Tribulation following the rapture, but it likely also means that they are the first group saved in the prophesied restoration and redemption of Israel.  
       So after they are saved and sealed, what will they be doing during the first half of the Tribulation?  We are not directly given the answer to this question in the Scriptures, but......
      These same 144,000 are mentioned again in Revelation 14:1-5.  The context of this passage indicates that their appearance on the heavenly Mount Zion is just before the last half of the Tribulation, which is the "appointed time" for "the wrath of God Almighty" to be poured out upon the earth.  In this passage the 144,000 are described as men who are virgins, and who, at that point in the Tribulation period, will have been "redeemed from among men." In other words, they will have been raptured, or "caught up" to Heaven.  And.....
     Just like the Apostle Paul, throughout the first half of the Tribulation on the earth, the 144,000 never marry, but devote themselves to the will of the Lord God for their lives.   And what is the Lord's will for them?
     It is my personal belief and conviction that the 144,000 will preach "the gospel of the kingdom" to every place on the entire earth where there is even one soul to hear it.   These 144,000 Jews are the very first people saved during the Tribulation;  and just like the "Apostle Paul," they will begin to preach "the gospel of the kingdom" to the whole unbelieving lost world which was left behind when the rapture occurred.  Oh, glory to God!  
     Immediately following the account of their salvation and sealing in Revelation 7:1-8, the very next thing John was shown in his vision was a great blood washed multitude, out "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," standing before the throne of God, and before the Lamb.  There is no question in my mind that this "great multitude" are the results of the preaching of the 144,000 "apostle Pauls" that the Lord will have turned loose on the lost world, to preach "the gospel of the kingdom" during the first half of the Tribulation.  Oh, glory to God!  Praise the Lord!  
     Martyrdom
     Why was John shown this great multitude in Heaven before the Tribulation was over?  Because, during the Tribulation period, any person on earth who receives Christ as their Savior, will be martyred [murdered] by the anti-christ and his followers, Rev. 13:7-8; 13:15. Let every reader review 2 Corinthians 6:2, and take it to heart!  Those who have never been saved, should be seeking the Lord as their Savior RIGHT NOW!    
     Now back to our exposition.....
The Twentyfirst Century
     24:15-22.....In these Scriptures the Lord moved forward in His warnings to the time of the Tribulation period in this 21st century of human history. "21" is the number in the Bible which signifies, "the exceeding sinfulness of sin; the 21 judgments of the wrath of God upon mankind during the Tribulation."  
     In verse 15, the Lord warned His disciples about the desolation of the land of Israel, due to the "abomination of desolation," which will occur during the Tribulation period.  
     Such a "desolation" of the land of Israel, also took place in 70 A.D.  It appears that the desolation which occurred in 70 A.D. was a type of the future desolation which will occur when the anti-christ and his followers  turn against Israel during the Tribulation.  
      The Lord here referred to "the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet."  Why?  Those readers who carefully study Bible prophecy know that the "abomination of desolation" is to take place during the Tribulation period.  So why did the Lord refer to it in this context dealing with the dispersion of the Jews in 70 A.D.?   Because when the Roman armies drove the Jews out of their homeland, the entire holy land was left desolate [empty and deserted].  
      Our readers should know that such "desolation" of the holy land as occurred in 70 A.D. will occur a second time during the Tribulation period.  And that the disperson of the Jews by the Romans was a type of their coming dispersion during the Tribulation.  As I have previously stated in this study, read again the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:9.  
     In verse 16 and extending through 21, the Lord began to describe to  His disciples how terrible it will be when the anti-christ sets up the "abomination of desolation" during the Tribulation, just as it was when the Roman armies rose up against the Jewish people in 70 A.D.  There should be no question that the two events, though separated from each other by a space of 2,000 plus years, serve as a type and an anti-type.   
     The Lord warned His disciples that the Jewish people, upon seeing the approach of the Roman armies, should immediately flee "into the mountains."   The situation would be so critical, that in verse 17, the Lord warned, that those working on the top of their houses, should not even take the time to go back into their houses to retrieve anything, but should just flee.  Seconds would count in escaping what was coming.  
     The same truth is set forth in verse 18; the need for urgency in fleeing in order to escape.  This was true in 70 A.D., and will likewise be true in the future Tribulation period.  
     Then in verse 19 the Lord pronounced a "Woe" upon the Jewish women who were expecting the birth of a child, or those women who had just given birth to a child who was still sucking it's mother's breast.  These women would be unable to run or move quickly, and would be overtaken by the invaders.   
     The Lord knew exactly what He was saying, for in the history of Josephus, he described how the evil Roman soldiers laid hold on such Jewish women, sticking their knives or swords into the women's vagina's, and  literally ripping up their stomachs.  The unborn babies were spilled upon the ground to die, and the sucking babies were taken by their little legs and swung against the rock walls, smashing their brains out.  Thus the "sin nature" of unbelieving, Christ rejecting, mankind on the earth is totally exposed.  However.......
     Are those today who approve or practice abortion [the murder of the innocent unborn] any less cruel than those ancient Roman soldiers were?  Don't hem or haw around!  Just anwer the question honestly.
      Then in verse 20, our compassionate Savior told His disciples to "pray" that the time of their having to flee would not occur during the winter, nor on the Jewish Sabbath day.  Both of these time periods would add to the burden of the Jews attempting to flee from the invading armies.  Josephus history records that the Lord God heard and answered the prayers of His disciples.  Glory to God!  
     Finally, in verses 21 the Lord Jesus told His disciples that the "abomination of desolation" will be the most terrible time of trouble, suffering, and death, in all of human history.  The Lord emphasized this truth by telling His disciples that such a time had never previously been in human history, and once it is over, it will never be repeated again.  
      In verse 22, the Lord said that unless this future time had been shortened, all flesh would perish from off the earth.  See Mark 13:19-20.  Thank God that our Heavenly Father has already determined to shorten the time.  Our readers should be aware that a normal year contains 365 days, but the years of the Tribulation are seven years of only 360 days to the year.  Praise the Lord!  
     The Lord had already warned His disciples in verse 16, that when they saw the approach of the invading Roman army in 67 or 68 A.D, they should instantly flee to the mountains.  This warning served a useful purpose back then, and this warning will also serve a useful purpose during the future Tribulation,  when the anti-christ sets up the "abomination of desolation."      
Israel's Future Flight to Petra
     24:23-24.....That these Scriptures have a double application is easily seen in these inspired Scriptures, for what the Lord said here is what the "false christ's, and false prophets" are going to be saying to the Jewish people during the Tribulation period, as they try to deceive the Jewish people into coming out of the safety of Petra, so they can kill them!  
     The very same type of invasion of the land of Israel, described by the Lord Himself in 24:15-21, which took place in 70 A.D.,  will occur again during the coming Tribulation period.  It will simply be different armies that do the invading, Ezekiel 38-39.  The Jews will once more be forced to flee from their homes and land, and the holy land will once more be left empty and "desolate."  
     The Jewish people, at that future time, will flee into the rose red rock city of ancient Petra, Revelation 12:6; 12:14.  Because the word, "Petra," is never found in the Bible, some Christians today reject what, by the grace of God, I am about to reveal to God's people in this study.  In the Bible Petra is referred to 76 times by the word, "Sela," or "Selah."   Both "Sela" and "Petra" mean "Rock, " and a few times the Bible uses the word, "rock," when referring to Petra.  
       This city today is located in southern Jordan, which was once occupied by the ancient Moabites and Edomites, and was known as the land of Moab, or the land of Edom.  Now do our readers think it is just "coincidence" that the present nation of  Jordan is one of the two nations that have made a "peace treaty" with Israel today?  Read Isaiah 16:1-4. Even today, centuries after being "prepared" [Rev. 12:6] by the Nabateans and Horites, both peoples being ancient enemies of Israel, Petra to this present day, still remains an impregnable rock fortress, capable of providing safe housing for up to an estimated three million people.  Read again Romans 8:28, and marvel at the foresight and compassion of the Lord God for His chosen people.  
     There in Petra, the Jewish people will be protected from their enemies during the last half of the Tribulation period, Revelation 12:14.  
     Petra is located in what is often called a "box canyon."  That is, it has only one entrance to go in or come out.  The entrance is a very narrow crack or "cleft" [crevice] in a high mountain of rock.  The crevice is about 12 feet wide at it's widest point, and the sides of the crevice rise straight up for about 300 feet.   A few well armed men could hold off a whole army trying to enter into Petra through that narrow crevice.  The entire crack or crevice through the mountain is actually about a mile and a half long before it opens into a narrow valley about 20 miles long, also surrounded by solid rock, rising in some places nearly a thousand feet straight up from the floor of the valley.
     The rock forming the valley is bright red sandstone.  In ancient times the Nabateans, the Horites, the Moabites, and the Edomites, [the descendants of Ishmael] "prepared" this valley for habitation by carving hundreds of rooms and working spaces into the walls of the valley.  They are still there today, waiting to be inhabited by the Israelite people, when they are forced to flee from their land during the Tribulation period.   Glory to God!  
     It is then during the last half of the Tribulation that the "false christs and false prophets" the Lord warns about in these Scriptures [24:23-24]  24:24, will approach the entrance of the crevice leading into Petra, and lying like Satan himself, will try to convince the Jewish people to come out, telling them that Christ has returned, and is in a certain place waiting for them to emerge.   But it won't work!  Israel will not be deceived by that crowd of murderous liars.  Why?  
     Because their own inspired Scriptures in Micah 2:12-13, tell them that their Messiah, the Lord God, and their King, King David, will lead them out of Petra, and they won't make a move to leave until the Lord shows up.  And He will show up.....
     The Lord's Return to Israel
     There is a principle set forth in the inspired Word, mentioned especially in the New Testament several times.  That principle is, "...to the Jew first, and also to the Greek," Romans 1:16.  
     When Christ visibly and bodily returns to this earth to establish His Kingdom upon the earth, He is first going to visit His own Jewish people.  
     There is a type of this clearly set forth in John 20.  The Lord's disciples were all Jews; His own brethren.  After His resurrection, the Lord first showed Himself to His own disciples, before He was seen of any Gentile.  John 20 contains the record of His visitation to His own people. The disciples, following the crucifixion, and the Lord's resurrection, were assembled together in a room with the doors closed, "for fear of the Jews," John 20:19.  Suddenly the Lord Jesus appeared standing in their midst.  As proof that it was really Him, the inspired Word says, ".....He shewed unto them His hands and His side," 20:20.  
     Now look at the prophecy in Micah 2:12-13.  In verse 12, the Lord tells Israel that He will assemble all of Israel "...as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold."  Bozrah was the northern capitol of ancient Edom.  Petra was the southern capitol of Edom.  This does not mean that they will be assembled in Bozrah.  Rather, they are referred to as "the sheep of Bozrah" because the main location of the government of Edom was located in Bozrah.  But now notice.......
     Verse 13.  Here the Scripture explicitly states that the Lord God will suddenly appear in their midst.  In other words, right in the midst of the thousands of Jews shut up in Petra.  Then Zechariah 13:6 explicitly states that the Lord will shew all of those thousands of Israelites gathered there in Petra, the "wounds" in His hands, and instantly the whole nation and people of Israel will realize that their Messiah and Saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ, whom their priests rejected and crucified so long ago at His first coming.  Glory to God!  Praise the Lord!
     Then returning to the passage in Micah 2:13, the inspired Word clearly states that the people of Israel will leave Petra, led by their king, with "......the Lord on the head of them."  
Israel's Future King
     Our readers might note that Israel today has a democratic form of government.  They are not a monarchy and do not have a king.  But all that is going to change during the coming Tribulation period.  On or near the middle of the Tribulation, the resurrection of Old Testament believers will take place, Daniel 11:45-12:1-3.  And in that resurrection the Lord God is going to raise up King David to rule over Israel again.  No!  This is not just my theory.  Read it for yourself in Jeremiah 30:9.  It will be King David who leads Israel into Petra, when they are forced to flee from their land during the Tribulation, and it also be King David who  will lead them out again, as he follows the Lord back "home" to the land of Israel.  Praise the Lord God!  
<<<<<<<       O       >>>>>>>
     I am going to stop here in this exposition.  Time is running out!  I may get to finish it, and I may not.  Our Lord's coming for His people may occur over this very weekend.  Right now, I just want to get this part of the exposition out to God's people, and to lost seeking souls.  Please help by reproducing this study and sharing it with others.  May the Lord bless all of our efforts with souls saved, and God's people being built up in "the faith."  My prayer and heart's desire is to meet every reader in glory when our Lord comes for us.  Please pray for me.  
     Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 County Road 8120, Rolla, Missouri 65401
     My email address is francismriley34@gmail.com, and my phone number is 573-202-6493.  
<<<<<<<       O       >>>>>>>