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Matthew 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: Jesus took His listeners from their time through the church age, then to the midpoint of the week when He mentioned the abomination. Here He is after the tribulation. of course this is future to us today. Then He begins talking about the TIMING of His coming. He does this with parables. The Fig Tree Jesus begins with the parable of the fig tree and all the trees. If the fig tree represents Israel, then "all the trees" represent the nations of the world. Today we see an alliance of Russian with Syria in the Middle East. We see Israel back in their land. We see war in Syria. We see "upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity." In Matthew we read "when you see all these things..." We have seen almost everything in that chapter except for His coming! I just discovered a "live" earthquake feed online: it seems almost every minute another small earthquake. It seems the "trees" are lined up for the end. Next, He talked about the goodman of the house NOT knowing when the thief was coming. Then, " Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." And what is the timing for this? Jesus is still "immediately after the tribulation..." Next, Jesus talked about "a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household." Will that servant watch, or will he begin to grow impatient as if the Master had delayed His coming? Jesus gave another warning: "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. Remember, this is still "after the tribulation of those days" Jesus is talking about. Jesus main point so far is to be ready at all times. Don't even think Jesus has delayed His coming! Jesus next parable is the parable of the Ten Virgins. The timing therefore on it has not changed: Jesus did not put in chapter headings! He is STILL talking about the time after the tribulation of those days and His coming. It seems Many people today think He will come on the last day of the week. They are mistaken. So the parable of the Ten Virgins is for no other time than the time after the tribulation of those days and before His coming. For the pretribbers, that would be His coming for Armageddon. Many people think this parable is for the rapture. No, it is not. The bride is not even mentioned! This is about the guests for the wedding. It is pointed right at the Jews who have survived the 70th week. The Antichrist Beast has probably not yet gathered the armies of the world to Israel, but is just about to. Jesus next parable is the parable of the talents. It is pointed right at the Jews. Did you notice that there is nothing in these parables of being born again? It seems to be works based here. It is not for the church. It is for that short time after the trib and before His coming. In Verse 19 Jesus said, "After a long time the lord of those servants cometh..." The wicked servant was cast into outer darkness. Next, Jesus said, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory..." It is the judgment of the nations. Now it is AFTER Jesus has come. I offer a challenge: can anyone find a verse in these chapters that definitely points to the church?

"The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore" (Is. 2.4). There won't be international disputes in eternity future, only in the millennial kingdom. And in the millennial kingdom there will no longer being nations fighting. That's not happening now. "No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed" (Is. 65.20). Children die quickly through malnutrition or from being born into sin. Children will not die in eternity future. So this time spoken of if not now or eternity future, must be the future millennial kingdom. 10,000 children die of starvation every day or from other abuse. "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2.14). This is certainly not the condition today. Most people I speak to reject the Lord. 1) How can Satan be the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4.4), "prince of the air" (Eph. 2.2) and "ruler of this world" (John 12.31) if he is sealed in the pit for 1000 years (Rev. 20.3)? 2) How can Christians be reigning today "over the nations" with a "rod of iron" (Rev. 2.26,27) if we are being martyred daily? 3) How can there be two rulers, those who "overcometh" (Rev. 2.26) reigning "with Christ" (20.4), "with Him" (v.6), for 1000 years if Satan is "ruler of this world" now also? 4) If the nations are not deceived in the 1000 years where Satan can "deceive the nations no more, till the 1000 years is finished" (Rev. 20.3), how can the 1000 years be now since 10,000 children die every day due to starvation and we continue to hear of wars and rumors of wars? 5) What would prevent the gospel of salvation being distributed to the nations so they would be deceived again when Satan is let out for a short while at the end of the 1000 years? Surely everyone in all the nations can continue to hear the gospel to be saved even if Satan were let out of the pit otherwise that would give credence to Calvinism. 6) When a person dies they go to soul sleep; if saved, to the good side of Hades, Abraham's bosom, waiting to be resurrected at the "last trumpet" (1 Cor. 15.50-52; 1 Thess. 4.14-18). How can those who "overcometh" be reigning over the nations today if they are asleep? There is no party going on in Heaven right now of the resurrected saved. 1 Thess. 4 says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and left unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God ('at the last trumpet' 1 Cor. 15.52): and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and left shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (vv.14-18).