Our Lord’s Great Prophecy

May/ June 2019
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Our Lord’s Great Prophecy in Matthew 24-25 prophesies events from the harvest of the Jewish Age to the harvest of the Gospel Age, and the eighteen centuries between. First, we examine the six sections of chapter 24 in separate articles to find instructions for our day. The articles note parallels between the ending of the Jewish Age and the ending of the Gospel Age.

Each section of Matthew 24 is accompanied by parallel columns of the Matthew, Mark, and Luke verses to show identities, or marked contrasts, between them. (The Revised Version Improved and Corrected [RVIC] translation is used for accuracy.) Italics represent words supplied in the translation and thought to be implied. Capital letters are arbitrary. Variations in the manuscripts are shown in footnotes.

When manuscripts disagree, the usually most-reliable are shown in full size type: B א (Vatican 1209 and Sinaitic) are among the best; 892 Ψ are still good; but 33 Θ A are only fair; while the majority vary considerably and are still less reliable. (The Alexandrian, A, is very good from Acts to Revelation, but A is only fair in the Gospels. 892 and 33 are from the 9th century. Papyrus p75 of the early 3rd century (long before Constantine) covers most of Luke and John and is especially good.)

Chapter 24 is covered by articles: “The Disciples’ Questions” (verses 1-3), “Things to Happen Before ‘the End’ of the Age” (4-14), “Instructions to Flee” (15-28), “With Power and Great Glory” (29-31), The “Parable of the Fig Tree” (32-44), and “A Faithful and Wise Servant” (45-51). A seventh article considers “Practical Lessons from Matthew 24.”

“Three Parousia Parables” interprets the Wise and Foolish Virgins looking for our Lord’s return, the reckoning of the Talents during the Parousia in the Gospel Age, and the Sheep and the Goats during the later period of the Parousia, the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ.