The Olivet Discourse - A Serious Look At Matthew 24 And Revelation 6 In Parallel – Part 2 Series

THE OLIVET DISCOURSE - A SERIOUS LOOK AT MATTHEW 24 AND REVELATION 6 IN PARALLEL – PART 2

If you did not read PART 1 of this study, it is important that you do so. It explains what this whole subject is about. The very briefest comment – There is no Rapture teaching in Matthew 24 and 25, and I know so many bible writers and speakers say so, but it does not hold up to analysis. The disciples asked for signs of the Lord’s Coming and the end of the age (as Jews knew it) and all that was in their minds was the Second Coming of Messiah as all the Jews knew. The Rapture was not revealed until later when Paul declared it “a mystery” to the Corinthians.

Last time we showed that the Rapture could not be part of Matthew 24. We then began the signs that link Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 and did the first sign. It was the coming of the Antichrist on a white horse who takes control over the whole world. Now we continue with the rest of the signs -

SIGN NUMBER 2:-

Jesus continued with the second part of the revelation - {{Matthew 24 v 6 - 7 “And you will be hearing of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end, for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,”}} The peace that seems to herald the coming of this false Christ, Antichrist, will not last and there will be an outbreak of strife. Because of this trouble, some may think the end is right at hand (the coming of the Messiah to Israel) but Jesus lets them know that this is not the end and more must happen.

The parallel of course is the breaking of the second seal of Rev 6:- {{Revelation 6 v 3 - 4 “And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come,” and another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.” This will be a terrible time with all trust gone and the shedding of blood rampant (red horse), but we now live in a violent world and it is simply the institutes of law and order that hold a measure of peace in check, but even those are failing under riots, ethnic violence and rebellion. When restraints are gone (with the removal of the Holy Spirit) there will be great violence unleashed. Of course, the removal of the Church will take the restraining factor away (the Holy Spirit) and war and violence will naturally show what is in the heart of man.

As I deliver this, the world sits on the brink of war with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and China trying to destabilise the world especially Asia. These two evil leaderships are creating chaos in the world and some think a world war will happen. None of us can know the future, but I am of the opinion that we will not see any world conflict. I don’t think we will see any widespread war, BUT the scene is being set, AND the nations are armed to the teeth all of them ready. Once the Rapture happens, then the red horse is not far away. The stage is set! The Rapture is just so close!

SIGN NUMBER 3:-

Jesus next introduces famines - {{Matthew 24 v 7 “and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”}} I guess this could be the flow on from warfare as we have seen this frequently in the African nations where civil war has caused the population to die through starvation. Cambodia went through that too and now the war in the Ukraine is going that way. There will be famines and starvation. The breaking of the third seal of Revelation 6 corresponds with this:- {{Revelation 6 v 5 - 6 “And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come,” and I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard as it were a voice in the centre of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”}}

Black means death (and apparently the colour of death through starvation) and this horse proceeding from heaven shows that death will be upon the earth through hunger, famine and starvation. One quart of wheat will cost a day’s wage (one denarius). Now we should note here that everything so far, of the things that are happening, have come from the hand of man. God’s direct intervention has not yet happened, but will do so near the time of the 6 th seal. This is still in the section called “the beginning of sorrows.” When God’s wrath is really revealed (especially in the trumpet and bowl judgments) then that time will be many, many times worse. I would challenge all the amillennialists and those who say that all this has been fulfilled in the Roman times (preterists) to explain each of these seals, and show to me that they have happened the way the Word says they are to happen. They have not, and that gives the lie to amillennialism and preterism.