WW III and the rebuilding of the temple

[Red Baker]

Then why did Jesus give the parable of the fig tree?

I just want to address a couple of thoughts.

No special reason~other than, they were in abundant in Israel.

Besides, the Lord also said these words:

Luke 21:29​

“And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;”

If you are referring to Matt 24:32-35, that is not a parable. If we keep the Bible consistent in its teaching on Christ's second coming, 33. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near. at the very gates. 34. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place, must be things that happened in the lifetime of the disciples so the consummation that comes with Chris't return cannot be included in "all these things."

This generation has reference to the generation of people the Lord is discoursing concerning from Matthew 24:5-25.

Context is king and it will drive the interpretation for us. The Lord had been speaking about this world being flooded will false prophets and their followers~an evil and wicked generation of serpents! These person will never pass from this earth, until the coming of Jesus Christ.

Read the scriptures and one will see that when you have this generation mentioned together, it is always speaking of the ungodly children of the devil.

Psalms 12:1-7~" Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted."

David was asking the LORD for help, because godly men/women were ceasing, while the ungodly were increasing! This generation is used so many time for the evil and wicked generation of little vipers living in this world. I have a 52 page email that I sent to a local pastor discussing this one subject, he never responded back.

 

[Arial]

If God gives a prophecy, is God not dependent on that prophecy being fulfilled... ever?

Of course God fulfills all that he says he will fulfill. But only in the way in which the prophecy is correctly interpreted. And no he is not dependent upon it or anything else. It comes to pass because he brings it to come to pass. According to what he means by it not the interpretations of man. They are fallible. His word is not.

If it were as simple as you say, then all these false prophets declaring the word of God could be considered true prophets since prophecies don't always come to pass, so, as a technicality, they wouldn't be speaking presumptuously in the name of the Lord, right?

First of all what do you mean by "as simple as you say"? And second of all----huh?

Prophecy is His Word, and as His Word, it will be fulfilled. It will not fall to the floor. Every jot and tiddle will be fulfilled. You may miss all the nuances, but they are fulfilled.

According to your interpretation or according to God's meaning? You are assuming you are irrefutably right. In spite of other views that you have not and evidently will not, examine.

Church Fathers seem to believe that the temple is a prerequisite for the return of Christ, for it is their that the Antichrist is revealed/unveiled. And this was written AFTER 70 AD. When they write about the temple, they make it the focal point of the abomination of desolation. In all the cases I looked at, it was the Antichrist blaspheming God in His temple, and declaring himself to be the true God, bringing an end to all religions other then the worship of himself [the Antichrist]. The closest Satan will get to fulfilling his desires.

As I said, what the ECF believed (and they did not all believe the same thing) makes no difference whatsoever.

 

[makesends]

That it is. But if it truly is, then pieces start to fall into place, and the picture becomes clearer.

A lot of mistakes and false teaching follows that rule. The fact that pieces fit doesn't prove anything. Look at the people who make much of the KJV because verse 7 of chapter 7 of the 7th book (or whatever) the 7th letter means that (whatever they come up with).

Science works that way, and keeps finding contradictions to the pieces that they used to think fit, and have to retool parts of their thinking. Interpretation of prophecy, in particular, operates the same way. "Seeing things come together" has been happening ever since I remember. Retool.

 

[Arial]

This generation has reference to the generation of people the Lord is discoursing concerning from Matthew 24:5-25.

Agreed. Now, what does "all these things" apply to in the discourse?

Read the scriptures and one will see that when you have this generation mentioned together, it is always speaking of the ungodly children of the devil.

That would pretty much take context out of the equation.

 

[TMSO]

That is true....

Right now Trump is the only guy running around saying I and only I can bring peace. He's even tied into the 'deal of the century' and Abrahamic Accord" that his son-in-law was involved in. Trump made Jerusalem the capitol. Now, I'm not saying he is or he isn't....If Trump is, the piece will fit. If he isn't, try another piece.

That is what it is to be watching. We have all the answers, but we don't have the insight to see the answers until they happen in front of us. Then there are some who simply ignore it because it doesn't fit their beliefs that they turned into finality. I change what I think, believe based on new information. I don't dig in. However, it has to be new information, and something that is not already known not to fit. History has already happened, and if you try to say that something from history is what it was, yet things are happening now that are contrary, then either one understands multi-fulfillment prophecy, or one leans in the direction of those who say Jesus has already come.

 

[TMSO]

All out nuclear war is an example. A war that destroys the earth.
We can know that because the bible doesn't say it all ends that way.

On the other hand...a city or two or three????

The Bible does show that the end of the war may come with nuclear weapons. It isn't the whole Earth. While nuclear weapons are a very blunt instrument, if you hit someone in the head, they aren't going to bend over and grab their feet.

 

[TMSO]

If you are referring to Matt 24:32-35, that is not a parable. If we keep the Bible consistent in its teaching on Christ's second coming, 33. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near. at the very gates. 34. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place, must be things that happened in the lifetime of the disciples so the consummation that comes with Chris't return cannot be included in "all these things." It likely refers to those things found in v 8. The beginning of birth pains. All the elements of the prophecy occurred
in one form or another, including the fall of Jerusalem, during the lifetime of the disciples, except his return and the consummation. And they have continued and do continue even now and will do so until his return. Which suggests to me that there are two ages that Jesus and Paul speak of. This age. The age the disciples lived in and we live in. The beginning of birth pains that will lead to the age to come. The consummation and restoration of all things.

But the Lesson of the Fig Tree says absolutely nothing about Jesus returning the kingdom to Israel. That is the very thing the Jews were expecting of the Messiah and for which Jesus told them they could not read the signs of the times. Jesus did not come to restore the kingdom to national/ethnic Israel. He came to restore the whole creation and populate it with a new people----those who the Son died to redeem.

What became national Israel were his servants ( and unfaithful servants they were) leading to faithful Israel who conquered the enemy (sin and death)Jesus the Christ.

Matthew 24:32-35:

Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, [u]recognize that [v]He is near, right at the [w]door. 34 Truly I say to you, this [x]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

It is a parable. Just as there is a lesson to learn from every parable, there is a lesson to learn from this one. He speaks of a group that sees the fig tree where branches have become tender and put forth its leaves. If you see this, you know summer is near. Not necessarily here yet, but near. To note, the you in "you know that summer is near" is the general you, and speaks to no one specifically other then those who saw the signs in the figs.

Now you have a group, he says "you" here also, that see all the things Jesus mentioned above, and says that when you see all those things, then Jesus second coming is near, right at the door. He is about to make His entrance AGAIN.

Jesus says of this group, that they will not pass away until all He spoke of before the parable of the fig tree comes to pass. That is Matthew 24:9-31. All that will come to pass before that generation dies. That includes:

"29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from [r]the sky, and the powers of [s]the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His [t]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."

This is why preterism is so adamant that Jesus has already returned. Everything is done already. This is also why preterism is a heresy. It changes the nature of Christ. He returned spiritually, and that is it. There will be no physical return, or future return.

The Great tribulation has not come yet, because Jesus said there would be nothing like it before or after. We have a couple, perhaps a few examples of WORSE to choose from. Where did Jesus get the Great Tribulation from. Is it something that He brought up solely Himself, or is there history for it? There is history. Look up the time of Jacob's trouble in the Old Testament. It too says it will be the worst time/event in the history of Israel.

 

[TMSO]

Just name the verse or are you afraid I will challenge it?

I did a quick google search, and Ezekiel 40-48 was mentioned. It speaks to measurements of a temple which are not at all in line with the first or second temples, and speaks of the reinstatement of temple practices. It is said the differences between this temple and the other two are significant.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-5 "3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the [a]apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above [b]every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?"

Those in the second and later centuries speak as though that never happened, and they were still waiting. This is why they kept talking about a rebuilt temple, where the Antichrist would declare himself to be God. They took God at his word. It is difficult to understand some of them, because, occassionally they were so strict in their adherence to the word that it sometimes doesn't make sense. Hyper literal at times. They did live closest to the events, and may have heard about those events from people who were actually there... It's difficult to imagine, since we are two millennia away. There were church fathers who heard the apostles, some that heard John, and some were still alive when Irenaeus was writing and apparently asked them. It is easy to ignore or reject something that is ancient when it doesn't match up with what we believe. I didn't have that problem, because, until recently, I had no idea what they said. I have gone back, and am surprised with how much lined up with what I have believed. They also have all kinds of answers to some questions that raise eyebrows, however. Such as some of the teachings on Enoch and Elijah. Considering we have been through the rennaissance, the age of reason, modern, post-modern, post-truth stages on thought, just how much of what they said could actually be true if all those filters are removed? Those filters which sought to separate man from God more and more.

 

[TMSO]

o special reason~other than, they were in abundant in Israel.

I just want to address a couple of thoughts.

No special reason~other than, they were in abundant in Israel.

Besides, the Lord also said these words:

Luke 21:29​

“And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;”

This generation has reference to the generation of people the Lord is discoursing concerning from Matthew 24:5-25.

Then can you show where all Jesus said came to pass. The great tribulation that has no match in the history or future of Israel from Jesus time? (I can mention the Holocaust, but that isn't first century.) How about Jesus saying that they would see Jesus second coming? (All these things will come to pass... said conveniently after He brings up His second coming.)

Context is king and it will drive the interpretation for us. The Lord had been speaking about this world being flooded will false prophets and their followers~an evil and wicked generation of serpents! These person will never pass from this earth, until the coming of Jesus Christ.

Read the scriptures and one will see that when you have this generation mentioned together, it is always speaking of the ungodly children of the devil.

Psalms 12:1-7~" Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted."

David was asking the LORD for help, because godly men/women were ceasing, while the ungodly were increasing! This generation is used so many time for the evil and wicked generation of little vipers living in this world. I have a 52 page email that I sent to a local pastor discussing this one subject, he never responded back.

Are you saying Jesus has already returned?

 

[TMSO]

Of course God fulfills all that he says he will fulfill. But only in the way in which the prophecy is correctly interpreted. And no he is not dependent upon it or anything else. It comes to pass because he brings it to come to pass. According to what he means by it not the interpretations of man. They are fallible. His word is not.

Okay, lets keep this simple. What do I think of the prophecy of the Great tribulation? How do I interpret it?
"21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no [j]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [k]elect those days will be cut short. "

I have told people that this requires no interpretation, after they spent many messages interpreting it. They told me words don't mean what they say they mean, so it has to be interpreted differently. I believe Jesus said exactly what He said, and that the meaning comes through perfectly fine on its own. There will be a great [3.remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness, (from the dictionary)] tribulation [distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution (dictionary)], such as [of the specified kind (dictionary)] as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

So we have a great tribulation where great speaks to the magnitute of the word it is describing. We then have, such as, which speaks to the word great that modifies tribulation. So it will be a great tribulation that is so great that it will be unlike any tribulation that has occurred since the beginning until Jesus spoke, or ever will be. The reason everyone goes through to tell us "what Jesus actually meant", is because it is easy to show tribulation that was worse than the first century. The only thing one needs is Holocaust. That's like hands down victory, unless someone goes and reinterprets what Jesus said. But why? Because it doesn't fit their beliefs. To be honest, I never had a believe on Matthew 24. I dealt with Revelation and occassionally Paul, and a bit of Old Testament. I haven't started taking my beliefs next to literal prophecy (not changing words) until more recently. I had not even considered the Times of Jacobs troubles from the Old Testament, or that they have actually calculated out some of the time based prophecies and found that it was... perfect. Of course it would be. God gave the prophecy. How many people reinterpreted these prophecies because they were time based? No way it could be exact.

 

[TMSO]

A lot of mistakes and false teaching follows that rule. The fact that pieces fit doesn't prove anything. Look at the people who make much of the KJV because verse 7 of chapter 7 of the 7th book (or whatever) the 7th letter means that (whatever they come up with).

Science works that way, and keeps finding contradictions to the pieces that they used to think fit, and have to retool parts of their thinking. Interpretation of prophecy, in particular, operates the same way. "Seeing things come together" has been happening ever since I remember. Retool.

The disciples didn't make mistakes in following Jesus did they? In using prophecy to prove who Jesus was? If there is one thing I dislike, it is so much of the mysticism that shows up about the Bible. Take with a Mount Everest of salt. Some of the things they are trying to prove are already simply proven. Sometimes I think they just want to appear special and say they uncovered some great secret, that the Bible already told us about. I mentioned mystical, because when they start to mix in the world around us, things go crazy.

There is a reason why I don't like to delve into the interpretation of prophecy, and stay with the literal understanding. It is easier, and you aren't disturbing God's words. No one can say, you just changed what God said. If it is complicated, I usually just leave it until things going on uncomplicate it. Of course, I'm not perfect. The biggest reason why I don't say "This is how it is!!!" is because, I don't know. However, I do know that some of the crazy things people say, don't sound like God to me. It doesn't seem to fit what scripture says of itself. And with how much apostacy there is in the church today, so many false teachers (so many MORE), etc. it is impossible to figure out sometimes. The moment you go look for an answer as to what someone said, you will find someone else with another false teaching. Finding someone who is sticking with the truth is very difficult.

 

[Red Baker]

Agreed. Now, what does "all these things" apply to in the discourse?

The main things are: The heart of the Lord discourse has to do with false prophets and their followers coming in the latter days of the last day.

Matthew 24:15​

“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”

To be brief, there's coming an abomination which God shall make desolate at his coming. This abomination here in these scriptures (Matthew 24) is speaking of an abomination in the temple of God, or, the places where He is worshipped.

The holy place, post Christ's coming, death, and resurrection is not speaking of the temple that was in Jerusalem during the days of Christ, which some of its remains are still there today. Jesus would have never refer to that temple as a holy place, since the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, as a sign that God was forever finished with both Jerusalem and its temple.

Post Christ death and resurrection, the only holy place that could even be consider in our day are, either our body, which is the temple of God, or places of worrship.

1st Corinthians 11:22​

“What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.”

Here the church(es) has reference to a place of worship, which we should honor and respect and put forth our best effort to worship God ~ not that worrship is limited to a place/building, by no means, yet we do use such places to worship.

"what does "all these things" apply to in the discourse?" Mainly latter day apostasy, and the Lord's coming the second time to gather together his elect from the four winds of heaven and to destroyed the wicked that the world shall be overrun with, due manly to false prophets.

That would pretty much take context out of the equation.

No, actually it establishes the discourse. Even the chapter before this one, goes into detail concerning this very truth.

Matthew 23: 13-36~"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."

This generation was not that present generation, for they did not kill Abel and all other righteous folks in the scriptures, the generation of serpents did, they have been here since the very beginning and will be here until the end of all things.

Actually, that then present generation, had some of the most righteous people that ever lived in this world, from John the Baptist, to Jesus, the apostles and many others we could name. No generation has ever had that many godly men and women at one time, living in the midst of a generation of wicked people.

 

[Mr GLee]

This generation has reference to the generation of people the Lord is discoursing concerning from Matthew 24:5-25.

Generation (genesis) it is used two ways .

The genraration of men (Adam) dead in trespasses and sin without God . Evil generation they seek after signs to wonder, wonder after rather than prophecy . And the generation of Christ the born again generation they seek prophecy .

"This generation" the spiritual unseen eternal generation .

Satan like with many words would remove the spiritual unseen understanding making both generations the same, What the eyes see the temporal historical

Matthew 1King James Version1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

The lambs book of life

 

[Arial]

The main things are: The heart of the Lord discourse has to do with false prophets and their followers coming in the latter days of the last day.

Matthew 24:15​

“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”

To be brief, there's coming an abomination which God shall make desolate at his coming. This abomination here in these scriptures (Matthew 24) is speaking of an abomination in the temple of God, or, the places where He is worshipped.

The holy place, post Christ's coming, death, and resurrection is not speaking of the temple that was in Jerusalem during the days of Christ, which some of its remains are still there today. Jesus would have never refer to that temple as a holy place, since the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, as a sign that God was forever finished with both Jerusalem and its temple.

Post Christ death and resurrection, the only holy place that could even be consider in our day are, either our body, which is the temple of God, or places of worrship.

I do not agree that it has only to do with false prophets. "All these things" imo refers to the things of verses 4-9 which did happen in the generation of the disciples, including the destruction of the temple (which is one of the questions they asked regarding Jesus' proclamation in verses 1-2.

It seems in your post you were dealing with the abomination of desolation, rather that what "all these things" was applied to.

The temple of the Lord according to Peter, is the full invisible church. 2 Peter: 4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And Paul Eph 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

As individuals we are a temple of the Lord for the Holy Spirit indwells us. I would not say it is our places of worship as buildings because they contain both believers and unbelievers. Although that is one of the significant places where the wolves in sheep's clothing pose as shepherds.

But God also has a temple in heaven. Rev 11:19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

That may have been the temple Jesus was referring to in Matt 24 and Paul in 2 Thess. I would have to study it more. But if that is the case it means that the man of lawlessness claims to be God, claiming God's throne and temple as his.

When Jesus quoted Daniel and said "let the reader understand" he did not mean understand him but understand Daniel.

 

[CrowCross]

Just name the verse or are you afraid I will challenge it?

2 Thes 2:4. I'm somewhat {edit} for you....a person that knows much of the bible {edit}...had to ask for that verse.

So, no, I'm not afraid you'll challenge it? Why would I be afraid when I have the truth on my side?

 

[CrowCross]

The Bible does show that the end of the war may come with nuclear weapons. It isn't the whole Earth. While nuclear weapons are a very blunt instrument, if you hit someone in the head, they aren't going to bend over and grab their feet.

I understand what you're trying to say.

I have noticed there are many people frightened of world wide nuclear war wiping out mankind. Some of these people are christians or from the "right" on podcast. They completely forget that's not how Revelation is written up.

 

[CrowCross]

But God also has a temple in heaven. Rev 11:19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

That may have been the temple Jesus was referring to in Matt 24 and Paul in 2 Thess. I would have to study it more. But if that is the case it means that the man of lawlessness claims to be God, claiming God's throne and temple as his.

Are you saying that the anti-christ is going to stand in the temple of heaven and proclaim he's God?

 

[CrowCross]

Matthew 24:32-35:

Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, [u]recognize that [v]He is near, right at the [w]door. 34 Truly I say to you, this [x]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

It is a parable. Just as there is a lesson to learn from every parable, there is a lesson to learn from this one. He speaks of a group that sees the fig tree where branches have become tender and put forth its leaves. If you see this, you know summer is near. Not necessarily here yet, but near. To note, the you in "you know that summer is near" is the general you, and speaks to no one specifically other then those who saw the signs in the figs.

Now you have a group, he says "you" here also, that see all the things Jesus mentioned above, and says that when you see all those things, then Jesus second coming is near, right at the door. He is about to make His entrance AGAIN.

Jesus says of this group, that they will not pass away until all He spoke of before the parable of the fig tree comes to pass. That is Matthew 24:9-31. All that will come to pass before that generation dies. That includes:

"29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from [r]the sky, and the powers of [s]the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His [t]elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."

This is why preterism is so adamant that Jesus has already returned. Everything is done already. This is also why preterism is a heresy. It changes the nature of Christ. He returned spiritually, and that is it. There will be no physical return, or future return.

The Great tribulation has not come yet, because Jesus said there would be nothing like it before or after. We have a couple, perhaps a few examples of WORSE to choose from. Where did Jesus get the Great Tribulation from. Is it something that He brought up solely Himself, or is there history for it? There is history. Look up the time of Jacob's trouble in the Old Testament. It too says it will be the worst time/event in the history of Israel.

Some say the fig tree is Israel and that happened in 1948 while some say 1967. It doesn't really matter. The generation Jesus spoke of was a future generation....and appears to be this current generation.

 

[makesends]

I do not agree that it has only to do with false prophets. "All these things" imo refers to the things of verses 4-9 which did happen in the generation of the disciples, including the destruction of the temple (which is one of the questions they asked regarding Jesus' proclamation in verses 1-2.

It seems in your post you were dealing with the abomination of desolation, rather that what "all these things" was applied to.

The temple of the Lord according to Peter, is the full invisible church. 2 Peter: 4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And Paul Eph 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

As individuals we are a temple of the Lord for the Holy Spirit indwells us. I would not say it is our places of worship as buildings because they contain both believers and unbelievers. Although that is one of the significant places where the wolves in sheep's clothing pose as shepherds.

But God also has a temple in heaven. Rev 11:19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

That may have been the temple Jesus was referring to in Matt 24 and Paul in 2 Thess. I would have to study it more. But if that is the case it means that the man of lawlessness claims to be God, claiming God's throne and temple as his.

When Jesus quoted Daniel and said "let the reader understand" he did not mean understand him but understand Daniel.

Hope this isn't an OT tangent: If that is the temple [as some think]* forever in Heaven, how did the man of lawlessness get there? But if it is the Heavenly Temple (Dwelling Place) described in Rev 21 (already but not yet) and that temple IS the Bride, (and not just "adorned as a bride"), it fits the perennial work of Satan to take ownership of the people God has chosen for HIS own.

*While I can't so far completely reconcile the notions I have always had about those [apparently two] Dwelling Places of God as being one and the same temple, I am confident that they are (or contain) one and the same people. Either way, there is the covenant: "God with us." They will be his people, and he will be their God.

( I have had more than a few people tell me (and I myself have seen it is true) that when I'm talking/writing, their eyes glaze over. Just now occurred to me that also happens when people read Revelation! Should I take that as a sign?? )

 

[Arial]

2 Thes 2:4. I'm somewhat {edit} for you....a person that knows much of the bible {edit}..had to ask for that verse.

So, no, I'm not afraid you'll challenge it? Why would I be afraid when I have the truth on my side?

Crow just knock it off with the insults and belittling. I ask what verse YOU were referring to!

2 Thess 2:3-4
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness[b] is revealed, the son of destruction,[c] 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Regarding the assertion that this passage proves that a third temple will be built. It doesn't since it is nowhere mentioned in any of the other writings of the NT. Instead both Paul and Peter speak of a temple being built and that temple is the body of Christ, the church, in which God dwells by His Spirit. (Eph 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5)

Other views:

Some see this as meaning the temple will be rebuilt, but Scripture does not support that.

Some see it as having already happened in the destruction of 70 a.d. and the Romans proclaimed themselves as the true rulers of Israel. There was a partial fulfillment in that but the text itself does not seem to support it as a full fullment. (Prophecy is often written with an application to the hearers and a distant future further fulfillment.) Paul was telling his readers that Christ had not returned yet as some had been saying, and that certain things had to happen first. The temple was still standing when the letter was written and so its destruction desecration by slaughter a pig within could be what Paul meant. That did have to happen first. Paul did not know when Christ would return or all that would happen between his day and the second advent.

And neither do we. But for us something must also happen other than the destruction of the temple in a.d. 70 because Christ has still not returned. In which case "exalts himself above all that is called God" and "sits as God in the temple of God" given what Peter and Paul have said about the temple being built and believers are that building, and the Bible's silence of the rebuilding of temple after a.d. 70, the passage might well be an intentionally exaggerated way of talking about the man of lawlessness' aspirations to heavenly power. He will boast himself as the possessor of God's heavenly throne.