Two Generations

Fred R. Coulter—June 18, 1994

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When we get into the prophecies concerning the end-time, there are always quite a few things that take place, quite a few things that are mentioned. In understanding the prophecies of Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and then on into Revelation, why is it that we have missed the boat? What is it that Jesus is really talking about?

Let's understand that certain of these prophecies were nearly fulfilled when Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed. That generation that Jesus and the apostles preached to did not pass away till everything against Jerusalem and Judah was accomplished.

Matthew 24:33: "In like manner also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." We're going to key in on all. You have to see all of them.

Verse 34: "Truly I say to you, this generation shall in no wise pass away until all these things have taken place."

I want to look at another prophecy that was applied on the Day of Pentecost. Peter gave this prophecy and quoted from the book of Joel. But there were certain prophecies that took place that were fulfilled up to a certain point which applied directly to the generation in which Jerusalem and Judah were destroyed.

We're going to see a repeat of some of these things. We're going to see a repeat getting into the situation where, when we come to the book of Revelation, we're going to see that there is the greater Babylon, the whole world.

Acts 2:16, when Peter stood up, he said: "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: '"And it shall come to pass in the last days," says God, "that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and even upon My servants and upon My handmaids will I pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy; and I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapors of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"'" (vs 16-21).

Notice the connection that he makes, v 22: "Men, Israelites, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarean, a man sent forth to you by God, as demonstrated by works of power and wonders and signs, which God performed by Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know." He connected this to the things that occurred during Jesus' ministry.

What happened the day that Jesus died? Darkness! Earthquake! Cloud cover! Gloominess! So, there is a partial fulfillment of this for the Day of Pentecost, but there's also another fulfillment at the end.

Now with that in mind, let's see where we can pick out some of the complete fulfillments for that time and partial fulfillments for our time. In other words, the complete fulfillments for their time and then the partial fulfillments for their time, and the complete fulfillments for our time, as we come down to our age, the end of this age and this generation.

Matthew 24:1: "And after going out, Jesus departed from the temple; and His disciples came to Him to point out the buildings of the temple. But Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here even a stone upon a stone that shall not be thrown down'" (vs 1-2).

Has every stone been thrown down? Yes, every stone of the temple was thrown down, but not the stones of the foundation around it. The partial fulfillment in that first generation was when the temple was destroyed.

When Titus came in, he did not want to destroy the temple, but some of the Zealots set it on fire and it was destroyed. Another very interesting thing about the destruction of the temple: Do you remember when the first temple was destroyed? Do you remember the date? The 9th and 10th of Ab! When the second temple was destroyed it was also the 9th and 10th of Ab.

Another thing that's also important is that in every synagogue where the Jews are, when they assemble on the 9th and 10th of Ab, guess what they read? They read the Lamentations of Jeremiah, which describes the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. It is bloody, it is awful and it is really a very profound book. We had that partial fulfillment when they destroyed the temple.

Verse 3: "And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him alone, saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the completion of the age?'"

We have traditionally understood that the next five major things that take place have to do with the seals of Rev. 6. However, let's not connect them with the seals of Rev. 6, and I'll show you why. These help us understand the seals, but the first seal has not been opened all that time. We're just waiting for the one seal now to take place, which then is the sign of the Son of man in heaven. There is a partial fulfillment and then there is a complete fulfillment.

Verse 4: "Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Be on guard, so that no one deceives you'"—the first warning that comes out, and yet, that's happening.

Verse 5: "For many shall come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ'; and they shall deceive many." That's precisely what is happening. It happened back then and it happened in a very different way than its happening today.

It happened that there were a lot of Jews who had seen Jesus, there were a lot of Pharisees who accepted certain parts of the Gospel who went out and they were teaching their own version of it. Today we're confronted with a different thing. We have many false prophets, many denominations; all you have to do is open the phone book. It would be shocking, open the phone book and look at all the churches, and then here we are.

Verse 6: "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you do not let these things disturb you. For it is necessary that all these things take place, but the end is not yet." How many wars and rumors of wars have there been from that time to this? Unreal!

At Ambassador College we had the Langer's Encyclopedia of World History. Anybody ever get that? It's about 3 inches thick and it just takes each year all the way through, and it's one war after another war, after another war. What do we have today? Wars, slaughters, killing!

Verse 7: "For nation shall rise against nation…" This is 'ethnos,' or race against race. Do we have that today? Did they have it then? Yes, indeed!

"…and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places" (v 7). All very self-explanatory. We have quite a few earthquakes here in Southern California.

Verse 8: "Now all these things are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to affliction…" (vs 8-9). Did this happen? Yes! Is it happening today, right now? In some places it is! Once you give the government the license to do it, then you're in trouble.

"…and you shall be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (v 9). If you seek to please the world with your doctrine, are you being hated? If the world hates you, what are they going to call you? They're going to call you a cult, whether you like it or not, whether you are one or not!

Verse 10: "And then shall many be led into sin, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." That happened! All we can put in there is Saul. What did he do? He got the orders from the high priest, ran around and arrested, threw them in jail, made sure they were killed, and so forth. That happened!

Verse 11: "And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many; and because lawlessness shall be multiplied, the love of many shall grow cold" (vs 11-12). That has always happened when you come to that certain point.

• Have you experienced that within a congregation you have attended? That's because of the allowance of sin the love of many grows cold!
• Have you been there that you've been afraid to talk to people?
• You didn't know who you could trust?
• Is it that way in the world? Yes, it is!
• How many people would you stop and pick up because they are hitchhiking, because they really needed help? You can't because the cast on his leg or arm may be a fake one and he will kill you!

The love of many is growing cold, and more cold, and more cold! That's because there's more and more iniquity.

Here we come into a projection to the end, v 13: "But the one who endures to the end, that one shall be saved." We have two endings:

• the ending of Jerusalem and Judah
• the ending of the world

That's a double application. There's another ending that you also must endure to if you don't come to the end of the age. What is that? The end of your life!

Verse 14: "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come." Have we seen that misinterpreted? Misapplied? What does this verse tell us? The Gospel's going to be preached as a witness to all nations, then shall the end come!

• Does it tell us how much of a witness it is?
• Does it tell us how profound it is?
• Does it tell us who does it?
• No, that's a wide-open verse!

It's going to be preached to all nations. Why? Because at the end all nations are involved!

The Apostle Paul said that 'verily the Gospel was preached unto the ends of the earth' (Rom. 10). So, they had quite an outreach at that time; yes, they did. It went to all the known civilized world.

But He says here 'all nations and then shall the end come,' v 15: "'Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken by Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy place…' [then we've got this little parenthetical phrase there]: …(the one who reads, let him understand)."

Whenever you see that there, that tells us that it takes a lot of God's Spirit and a lot of understanding to understand it. And every place that it's difficult to understand, you have a phrase similar to it:

• he who has an ear, let him hear
• whomsoever reads, let him understand

Jesus did not say, "…the one who reads, let him understand"—because Jesus was not writing. Matthew wrote this and he put that there to give the warning.

The abomination of desolation occurred one time in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes where he entered into the Holy Place and also offered swine's blood upon the altar. That was a type of the desolation. It stands in the Holy Place. What does this tell us that is necessary at the end-time? Let's focus in on the end-time.

• What is the Holy Place?
• Where is the Holy Place?
• Where was Jesus giving the prophecy? Right there in Jerusalem!

This ties in with Rev. 11 that there will be a temple rebuilt, and it will be destroyed the third time.

• What could be the most abominable desolation to the temple of God?
• Just having Antiochus go in there offering swine's blood?
• What would be in a temple called the temple of God?
• What would be the most desecrating abomination that could take place?

Let's understand something about the Babylonian system: The king is always the representative of God. So, many of the interpretations of this prophecy—and I've read many, many different interpretations of 2-Thess. 2—where some have said it's going to be the pope who goes into the temple of God. The pope is the false prophet. The beast is the one who is going to be worshiped!

This is what really makes desolate. This was not revealed during the time of the Apostle Paul, so the generation that saw the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah did not end until everything that was fulfilled for the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem took place. That happened from 31A.D. until 70A.D. when it was destroyed.

Now we're talking about a time at the end. I don't think that we have really comprehended how fantastic that this is going to end up being.

2-Thessalonians 2:1: "Now, we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him… [that is the resurrection] …that you not be quickly shaken in mind, nor be troubled—…" (vs 1-2).

• Isn't that what happens to brethren?
• Are they not troubled today?
• Are they not shaken in mind today? Yes!

"…neither by spirit, nor by word… [a message] …nor by epistle, as if from us, saying that the day of Christ is present" (v 2). They were actually counterfeiting letters, counterfeiting epistles.

Verse 3: "Do not let anyone deceive you by any means…" There it is again. If you want an interesting study sometime, go through the whole New Testament and look up the words deceive, beguile, entice. I think you will be surprised how many times we're warned against that.

"…because that day will not come unless the apostasy shall come first…" (v 3). As I have mentioned before, there is the apostasy in the world, which is going to end up with a one-world religion, and there is the apostasy within the Churches of God, both taking place at the same time. So, the apostasy comes!

Then what has to be the next thing? "…and the man of sin shall be revealed—the son of perdition" (v 3). This did not happen during the days of the generation in which Jerusalem and Judah was destroyed.

Revelation 13:3: "And I saw one of his heads as if it were slain to death, but his deadly wound was healed; and the whole earth was amazed and following the beast." That's why at the end-time everything gets down to the whole world—all nations. Keep that in mind. Never have we had it like we have it today.

• all nations
• worldwide things
• global things
• international this

What always happens before you have a great leader come on the scene? Always, historically true? A series of weak leaders! Do we have those today? Yes! So disgustingly so that almost everyone is turned off with government. You have insolvable problems, and then someone steps forward to be able to solve the problems and he becomes the man. The Bible talks about the man, the son of perdition!

Verse 4: "And they worshiped the dragon…" Let's understand something here that's very profound. You either worship God or Satan. There is some middle ground where that there are people who have crossbred some doctrines and they are neither/nor. Their time of decision is going to have to come under duress. They'll have to make the decision. But in the main, you either worship God or you worship the dragon!

"…who gave his authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who has the power to make war against him?'" (v 4). This shows a position of absolute power in the world.

I think that this one-world government is coming from many different angles. It could come through the UN; it's possible. Now, also remember that on the Security Council of the United Nations there are now 15 nations: 5 are permanent members; 10 are rotating members. What would happen if they added two more, say Germany and Japan as permanent members? Then you have seven permanent members and ten other members.

• What is 7 and 10?
• Whose number is 7 and 10?
• The beast's number
• Satan's number
• 7 heads and 10 horns

So, we've got so it could sit almost ready right now. That's one way. It could end up being in Europe, too; that is another way.

Sidebar: Someone will want to know what's going to happen to America? America is going to join the one-world system one of two ways:

• we will do it voluntarily; which I don't think we'll end up doing
• we will do it by conquest; we will be forced to

I think America is going to be the enigma of the world because we won't rush to receive the mark of the beast. That's going to be the defining line for those who are neither/nor, but understand about the mark of the beast. They're going to have to make their decision when that time comes. Here is a great personage that is worshiped by the world.

2-Thess. 2 is for our end-time. The pope has to endorse him. What does every politician do when they go to Rome? They go by and see the pope! Can you imagine how fantastically the Catholic Church would come back into power if they had a pope come on the scene and say, 'Let's have women priests'? WOW! 'Let's have the worship of Mary on a grand scale.' It would be something!
Whoever is going to be the leader of the world has to be endorsed by the false prophet. That's the sum total of Rev. 13. The son of perdition must be revealed:

• those who have the Spirit of God will understand
• those who do not have the Spirit of God will not understand

2-Thessalonians 2:4: "The one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is an object of worship; so that he comes into the temple of God and sits down as God, proclaiming that he himself is God." We have never had anything like that. That is truly the abomination that makes desolate!

So, we can look for a temple being built in Jerusalem. We can look for the coming together of the nations in greater Babylon. It can come in more than one particular way. We could have it come through the United Nations. The United Nations could collapse, re-form, go to Geneva, set up a new type of United Nations, have a whole new system over there.

I remember one time when we were getting close to 1975 and we were looking for ten nations in Europe. You've got a problem. There are 28 member nations as of July 1, 2013 I said at that time, 'What's going to happen when you have 20 or more nations over there in Europe?' But if you read Rev. 17 carefully, the last ten join to fight Christ for one hour. You're not going to see them before the beginning of the Tribulation. That's the big mistake that everyone has made.

Verse 5: "Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you understand what is holding him back in order for him to be revealed in his own set time" (vs 5-6). There is a time when that will be revealed, not before.

Verse 7: "For the mystery of lawlessness is already working… [Babylon the Great (Rev. 17 & 13)] …only there is one Who is restraining at the present time until it arises out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed… [he's going to be revealed; we won't have to guess who it is] …(whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming)" (vs 7-8). It has to be the second coming of Christ.

Verse 9: "Even the one whose coming is according to the inner working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders." What does that mean? How great could this thing be?

I will have to give you my opinion, so this is speculation. I don't want anyone to think that this is doctrine. This is something to look for. Maybe there's something to it. I think there is going to come a great false religious revival of all religions of the world. It's going to sweep this world with tremendous power.

I think I've mentioned this a time or two before, but how many have ever seen the movie where they discovered some ancient religious writing which would supersede the New Testament? It was a great religious movement that was sweeping the whole world. There was a movie put out years ago where archeologists were digging and they discovered religious writings. Sounds a little bit like déjà vu Mormonism. These religious writings were accepted by all religions and superseded the Bible.

The story was that they were having this great goodness coming over all the earth because of this great religious movement. But there was one problem. These documents were not something they found, but something that was written and was planted.

Then one of the big movers and shakers in this new religious movement found out that this was all a fraud. He wanted to expose the fraud. The movie ended that they did away with him, because what was happening was so good they couldn't afford the fraud to be exposed.

My wife has always said, 'Satan many times telegraphs what he is going to do in the movies.' That's why this is speculation:

• Could it happen that way?
• Do we have the scenario set up that it could be?
• What do we have in the way of religious writings that are being discovered?
• Where are they being discovered?
• The Dead Sea Scrolls and other things like that?

When we read 'all power and signs and lying wonders,' we're talking about an awesome event.

Verse 10: "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are perishing because they did not receive the love of the Truth, so that they might be saved." There is the key. If you have the Spirit of Truth, if you hunger and thirst after the Truth, if you know the Truth, if you study the Truth, if you live by the Truth—living by every Word of God—then you will be able to understand when the deception comes.

But if you are not doing that and you are 'sideling' up to the deceptions, if you are allowing those things in your life, if those things are coming into your church, then woe be to you! You may have some problems coming. Remember 'a little leaven leavens the whole lump.' That's how it starts.
Verse 11: "And for this cause, God will send upon them a powerful deception that will cause them to believe the lie."

• What is the lie? This man is God!
• What is the lie? We'll have peace in our time!
• What is the lie? Christ is not going to return from outer space; He's here on the earth!

When Christ does return, what are they going to do? They're going to say, 'Here comes the antichrist.' This is going to get bizarre.

I think in the past we have not fully understood how great and how mammoth these events are going to be. It says even the elect could be deceived! That's a powerful statement.

I think a lot of it we read the Scriptures or we have heard a sermon and we go to Sabbath services, and we shake our head and say, 'Yeah, that's right; wasn't that a nice sermon.' If the minister asked you, 'What did I preach on?' Well, I don't know but it was a good sermon!

Could this also be within the Church? There are some parallels within the Church! That's true where people would put a minister above worshiping God. However, we are not talking about the son of perdition who is revealed; it's coming out of the mystery of iniquity, not from within the Church. So, there can be some parallels. Many cases you can find parallels; you can find types. But this is coming out of the mystery of iniquity with all deceivableness! God sends them strong delusion because they don't want to believe the Truth!

Matthew 24:14: "…and then shall the end come." Since we're talking about Daniel, we just discussed and went through the possible fulfillment of the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Let's understand something: Every one of the prophecies in the Old Testament, which are for the Kingdom of God, end up with the coming of Christ.

Summary of the book of Daniel:

• Dan. 2—the image beginning with Babylon, the image of gold, silver, brass and iron, iron and clay in the toes. It ends in the coming of the Kingdom of God.
• Dan. 7—ends in the coming of the Kingdom of God
• Dan. 8—ends with the coming of the Kingdom of God
• Dan. 9—ends with the coming of the Kingdom of God
• Dan. 10 & 11—end up with the king of the south, the king of north, and the time of end
• Dan. 12—the time of the end

The Bible is focusing on this whole end-time. It's going to be in its time. We can't rush. We can't delay it. It's going to in its time. It's going to be on time. Events do not speed up and slow down. They are all on time. We've been in the 'gun-lap' for the last 40-plus years, whatever. So, let's just admit there's a whole lot that we need to expand our thinking on when these things come about. There's going to come a point that it's going to get so desperate.

Matthew 24:16: "Then let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains." If there's a place of safety, it's going to be close by for them.

Verse 17: "Let the one who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house." That means that when you really understand, when this comes it's going to be ZAP! Just like that! Those who are in Judea; this does not apply to the rest of the world completely. This is in Judea! They flee! Those who go to a place of protection shall be taken. These flee!

Verse 18: "And let the one who is in the field no go back to take his garments. But woe to those women who are expecting a child, and to those who are nursing infants in those days! And pray that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the Sabbath" (vs 18-20). Very important:

• the winter, you're going to die; it's cold
• the Sabbath Day, you're breaking the Sabbath to save your life

What does the Bible say? 'He who seeks to save his life shall lose it!' So, you don't break the Sabbath. If there is any one profound Scripture that shows that the Sabbath Day is enforceable in today's world, it's right here.

Verse 21: "For then shall there be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world…"—I'm sure for those people when Jerusalem and Judah were being destroyed.

If you want some interesting and gruesome reading, read the account of the destruction of Jerusalem in the book of Josephus. Very, very profound! They ended up with cannibalism. They ended up fighting and killing each other. It was atrocious. Josephus records the two destructions of Jerusalem and both of them were hideous indeed.

If there is Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world, no, nor shall ever be, how do you prepare for that? Physically you can't do it! Spiritually is the answer. That's the only thing you can do. Remember, half of the population of the world is going to be destroyed before the wrath of God. We have to understand: you cannot take this Babylonian system and reform it, because that system will reform you. Here's this magazine that is called The Plain Truth, which no longer has the Truth, nor is it plain. Has Babylon reformed them? Yes!

I believe that there has been a conspiracy to take over this world. If people ask you if you believe in a conspiracy, or ask me, I say Yes! But I no longer believe it is a conspiracy, I believe it is pretty much a fact. When it's a fact, it's no longer a conspiracy.

But what we are dealing with is that all of these movements for a one-world government are going to come down and come to this point.

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When the Tribulation begins:

• the beast has the deadly wound healed (Rev. 13)
• it is also the time of the second seal (Rev. 6)

All of these events will focus down to a certain point, all coming together and then when the time is right, he will be revealed in his time. Then it will all happen.

Matthew 24:22: "And if those days were not limited, there would no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be limited." In other words, once they start, they are not going to continue any longer than the three and a half years. There are some other things concerning the elect we can talk about when we get to the book of Revelation.

Verse 23: "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'He is there,' do not believe it. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and they shall present great signs and wonders, in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect'" (vs 23-24).

Who ever thought that it would come from within first! It's easy to fight enemies without, but remember, did not Christ call Judas? Also, the parable of the wheat and the tares.

There are two ways of looking at this. It says even the elect would be deceived, insomuch as if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.

There may be within the body of those people who are considered the elect who are really some of the tares within the wheat. They undoubtedly will be deceived. It will look like that some of the elect are being deceived, but they're really not. Let me explain it this way: Within the Church, which we will liken to a wheat patch, the devil has sown some tares. The interesting thing about tares is they look like the elect, but are not! So some of those within the elect who are not, will be deceived, because they are not the elect! What I am saying is you can take both applications of this verse:

• the true elect will not be deceived
• those who are the pseudo-elect could be deceived

But it's going to be a pretty powerful deception that is coming, and is already happening, within the Church.

Now then, let's take it one step further. Let's take what's happening in the Churches of God, so they placate the religious forces of the world, they water things down, they become religiously and 'politically correct':

• we love each other
• we accept each other
• other people are saved in different religions
• God calls them
• they're just as righteous as anybody else

Then BAM! Enters the great, wonderful, powerful, miraculous beast and the false prophet who do signs and wonders, who heals the sick. Can you deny a miracle you see with your own eyes? What is the old saying? Seeing is believing! But is everything you see true? No, because more people are interested in the way things seem than the way they really are.

Hasn't everyone thought that O.J. Simpson was a wonderful person? Because that's the way it seemed? We found out what he is, rather than what he seemed to be. So it is with our lives before God!

Jesus says, v 25: "Behold, I have foretold it to you." No one's going to say, 'Lord, why didn't you tell me?' I told you before!

Verse 26: "Therefore, if they say to you, 'Come and see! He is in the wilderness'; do not go forth. 'Come and see! He is in the secret chambers'; do not believe it. For as the light of day, which comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west… [like the sun, the light of the day] …so also shall the coming of the Son of man be" (vs 26-27). We're talking about coming right down to the end when Christ returns.

Verse 28: "For wherever the carcass may be, there will the eagles be gathered together." That's another enigmatic statement concerning a place of safety.

Verse 29: "But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened…" Sounds like Acts 2 & Rev. 6, and they are both fulfilled together in this one end-time event.

"…and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (vs 29-30). We're all going to see it. It's going to be a fantastic event.

Verse 31: "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet; and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branches have already become tender, and it puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. In like manner also, when you see all…'" (vs 31-33). That's why there are some repeats of things because not everything comes on the scene. When the true end-time comes, you're going to see all of these things, every one of them.

When Jerusalem collapsed, in that generation, they saw almost all of these. There were signs in the heavens; there were signs at the temple. You can read of that in the book of Josephus. It did darken, but the man of sin was not on the scene! The abomination that made desolate did not appear! But everything pertaining to that generation took place. Jerusalem and Judah were destroyed before that generation passed away.

When we come to the end-time, when you see all these things, all of them, then He says, "…know that it is near, even at the doors" (v 33).

The difference in that generation was that these things applied in a small way to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. In the end-time it applies to the whole world in a worldwide way.

Verse 34: "Truly I say to you, this generation shall in no wise pass away until all these things have taken place. The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away. But concerning that day, and the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (vs 34-36).

It's not like Dr. Hoeh said, he gave everything in remembrance to Christ, but that one thought. Not so! A human being, even Christ in the flesh, could not contain all the thoughts of God. Why? Because the thoughts of God can only be contained in the mind of God! When Jesus was a human being, He was not 100-percent God.

How do you know that He was not 100-percent God? Because no human being can live in the presence of God! Was He a human being? Yes! So therefore, as a human being He was not 100-percent God, as God is God. Otherwise He couldn't have been a human being.

Sidebar: I do have the answer to the question about the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Father and is it two separate Spirits, from two separate Beings? The answer is this: if the Spirit of God be in you, which was in Christ, came from the Father. He sends the Spirit in the Father's name. The Father sends the Spirit in Jesus' name, so it can be referred to as the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Christ, because it's the same Spirit of the Father, which was in Christ—not two Spirits, but one. Here's a good example as to why Christ did not claim to be totally God.

Let's look at this another way. Let's reverse the thing the other way: Can we say that we are like God today? We're made in His image; we're made in His likeness, but are we the same as God? When will we be? At the resurrection! Therefore, when Christ was on the earth, He could not have been 100-percent God.

That's why, Matthew 19:16: "Now at that time, one came to Him and said, 'Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?' And He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good?...'" (vs 16-17).

Ever wondered about that? Why could Christ not be called good as God is good, even though He was the Son of God? The reason being is that Christ had the same flesh as we have as human beings and carried the law of sin and death within His flesh; therefore, even though He never sinned, He could not be good as God is good as long as He was in the flesh. That's pretty deep to grasp, but it's true. Jesus didn't say, 'Hey, son, glad to see you recognize that I'm the Son of God.'

Verse 17: "And He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except one—God. But if you desire to enter into life, keep the commandments.'"

Mark 13:32: "But concerning that day and the hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

When is the day actually going to be? I'm sure Christ knows when it's going to be now, but when is it going to be known absolutely for sure? It says the Father lets the Son know everything He's doing! He says it a little bit differently in Acts 1. This is after His resurrection, the last day when He was going to be ascending into heaven.

Acts 1:6: "So then, when they were assembled together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You restore the kingdom to Israel at this time?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has placed in His own authority'" (vs 6-7). He didn't say He didn't know at this point. Did not say that, but He said it's in the power of the Father. So, after His resurrection He knew. When is that event going to take place?

Here is why the book of Revelation was written: to tell us the events of the end-time, but also to explain why that when Jerusalem and Judah were destroyed, that God didn't set up the Kingdom of God and Christ didn't return at that time. That was not the generation in which it was going to be done. John wrote the book of Revelation and in order for Christ to give this revelation He had to know the things which would take place.

Revelation 1:1: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him…" The Father gave Him all this knowledge and information and understanding.

"…to show to His servants the things that are ordained to come to pass shortly…" (v 1). Obviously, this is in God's terminology. A short time with God is nothing. For us it may be a whole lifetime. 'A thousand years is as a day and a day is as a thousand years!'

"…and He made it known, having sent it by His angel to His servant John; who gave witness to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and all the things he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and who keep the things that are written therein; for the time is at hand" (vs 1-3).

Verse 7: "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him…" How is every eye going to see Him? Because the sign of the Son of man is going to take place first! I believe that it's going to appear in heaven. When that appears, every eye is going to see that for a long period of time. How long? We'll find out! But every eye will see!

"…and those who pierced Him…" (v 7). Has to then be projecting forward to the time when those who actually pierced Him will be resurrected in the second resurrection. They couldn't see Him until then.

"…and all the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen" (v 7). They don't want to miss out of this good thing that they have, this whole one-world thing.

Verse 8: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, says the Lord…". Everything has a beginning and ending. You can take each one of the Holy Days, even the Sabbath, and they each have a beginning and an ending:

• the beginning—when was the lamb slain? Before the foundation of the earth!
• the ending—when all are in the Kingdom of God through the Lamb
• the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that's putting away sin
• the ending of it is when all sin is destroyed
• the beginning of the Church and the firstfruits, began when the Church began
• the ending is when all of the Church is resurrected
• the beginning of Trumpets; you could have several beginnings of that
• the beginning—when Adam and Eve were created; the first Sabbath they kept was the Feast of Trumpets
• the ending is when Christ comes on the earth, the second Adam
• the ending of that, beyond that, is when God the Father comes on the earth

Each one of the Holy Days is a microcosm of the beginning and the ending!

Overview of the Seven Churches:

Revelation 1:19: "Write the things that you saw, and the things that are, and the things that shall take place hereafter. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, is this: the seven stars are… [which is one of the things that was right at that time] …the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands that you saw are the seven churches" (vs 19-20).

Rev. 2 & 3—we're not going to spend much time here; I assume you have read that and studied that. I'll show you in just a minute that it is:

• a projection of the Church of God through history
• a summary of all of the doctrinal problems that will happen within the Church
• the attitudes that you will find in the Church of God at any time
• there were seven literal Churches at that time
• Could it be at the end-time we will see a repeat where there are seven major things that God is doing? Just a question, I don't know!

As you read through the seven churches and you come down to the Laodicean Church, you do get the feeling of the end-time, without a doubt. He says, 'I stand at the door and knock.' You get the feeling you are at the end-time, so that shows an historic projection of it.

There's going to come a time when there are going to be some events that take place, just like the casting down of Satan to the earth (Rev. 12), but here in Rev. 4 & 5 are some events at the throne of God that are going to take place, which have not yet taken place. We go down through the whole history of the Church, we come to the end-time, and just before the events at the end unfold to the Tribulation, something profound happens.
Revelation 4:1: "After these things I looked, and behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard was as if a trumpet were speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place after these things.'"

If you have the Churches as a prophetic history, then right at the end of the Churches there's going to come a time when Rev. 4 & 5 is going to transpire in heaven. The decision is made for the time of the end. That's what's going to transpire. Then he shows the vision of the throne of God, four living creatures which say, 'Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.'

Revelation 5:1: "And in the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne…" He did see a vision of God the Father Who was sitting on the throne. But no man has seen the Father. He just saw the vision. He wasn't right up there seeing Him face-to-face.

"…a book, written within and on the back, which had been sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the book and to loose its seals?' But no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth was able to open the book, or to look inside it. And I was weeping greatly because no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. Behold, the Lion Who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the book, and to loose its seven seals.' Then I saw, and behold, before the throne and the four living creatures, and before the elders, was standing a Lamb as having been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the Spirits of God that are sent into all the earth" (vs 1-6).

• we have the seven Churches
• we have the seven eyes
• we have the seven horns

• Where are these horns? On the head of the Lamb!
• Who is the Lamb? Christ!
• What is a horn in prophecy? A king or a kingdom (Dan. 7)!

These seven horns have got to represent the seven Churches, all in a prophetic history with Christ as the Head. Have to be! So, we reach a time when in heaven it is time to open the seals. None of the seals have been opened. However, Matt. 24 gives us an interpretation of what they are.

If we take it in historical flow, just like Christ told John, 'Write the things which you have seen; the things which are; and the things which will be hereafter.'

• Rev. 1—where John is
• Rev. 2 & 3—takes you right down to the time of the opening of the seven seals; we have the whole history of the Church, everything that that means
• Rev. 4 & 5—profound chapters put there, because when that decision is made, there is no turning back

The seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. This is how God knows what's going on in the earth at any one time. God is not everywhere in all things and sees everything all at once. He has the power to know what's going on, but He doesn't obviously want to clutter His mind with every little trivial thing that's happening in the world. God is not in the ceiling, the floor, the wall, and all that sort of thing. This is how He does it, Christ came and took the book out of his hand:

Revelation 6:1[transcriber correction[: "And I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures say, like the sound of thunder, 'Come and see.'…. [What do we have?]: …And I looked, and behold, there was a white horse…" (vs 1-2). Why use a horse? Because a horse is fast! These events are going to unfold at breath-taking speed. This is why I think the white horse—and my opinion was not right—that this was John Paul II. When he was coronated I even wrote an article and said this guy has got to be the false prophet. He speaks 45 languages. Look what he's doing.

Could it be that this signals what I mentioned before, this great one-world religious revival, which is going to come just a like a horse that is just shot out of a chute?

Verse 2: "And I looked, and behold, there was a white horse…" The seal is opened. This happens quickly. We could not even envision this or toy with the thought of this until just the last few years. Look how quickly this could come.

Verse 3: "And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come and see.' And another horse went out that was red…" (vs 3-4). Right at this point, this is the beginning of the Tribulation. This ties in with Rev. 13 where the beast had the deadly wound that was healed.

Revelation 13:5: "And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies… [2-Thes. 2] …and authority was given to him to continue for forty-two months." That is after the wound was healed.

Verse 7: "And he was given power to make war against the saints, and to overcome them…" Right here at this point you have Rev. 6:4; 12:17. All of those come together. But it's not only against the Church.
Verse 7: "And he was given power to make war against the saints, and to overcome them; and he was given authority over every tribe and language and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (vs 7-8). Got to pay attention! Keep alert!

All of that focuses in on Rev. 6:4. These events are going to come suddenly! What I foresee is this: I see this great religious movement, unifying the religion, all people loving and accepting each other under this delusion of grandeur and the falsity of Satan the devil. This is going to be Satan's grandest hour, grandest deception of all deceivableness. Then the Christians become the troublemakers.

When he goes into the temple of God and says he is God, I believe that the Jewish zealots are going to wound him with a wound near to death. Then he's going to come after everybody.

Revelation 6:4: "And another horse went out that was red; and power was given to the one sitting on it to take peace from the earth, and to cause them to kill one another; and a great sword was given to him. And when He opened the third seal…" (vs 4-5).

Then the next thing that happens is starvation and famine. Death and hell come along, the fourth seal. These things happen, one right after another. How quickly does war deteriorate into that today? Look at the nations! The sword comes and they are just dying, starving, miserable, wretched. It happens instantly!

Verse 8: "And I looked, and behold, there was a pale horse; and the name of the one sitting on it was Death, and the grave followed him; and authority was given to them over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with death, and by the beasts of the earth." Killing one-fourth of human beings. That's something!

Then here comes the martyrdom of the saints, v 9: "And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony that they held; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord, Holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And white robes were given to each of them…" (vs 9-11).

Verse 12 becomes another key place. "And when He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake…" This takes us full circle right back to Acts 2, here then is the completion of it for the end-time generation.

"…and the sun became black as the hair of sackcloth, and the moon became blood; and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its untimely figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the heaven departed like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place" (vs 12-14). So much for protection wherever you are on the earth.

• You got your cave? It's going to crush you!
• You got your island in the Pacific? It's going to sink!
• You got your mountain top? It's going to become a valley!
• You got your valley? It's going to become a mountain top!

Tremendous event!

So when the sign of the Son of man appears, every eye is going to see that. When will this take place? How far are we into the Tribulation here? We have to bring some other prophecies together in this!

Verse 17: "Because the great day of His wrath has come, and who has the power to stand?" That's the sign of the Son of man in heaven above.

Something interesting takes place; this ties in with Pentecost. God always does something very profound. Whenever He does correction, He gives a little respite and time of repentance. That's what the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude is all about here.

Rev. 7:4—those who were sealed. Can the 144,000 be any of us? No, because if you have the Spirit of God today you are already sealed! Cannot be any of us today who are converted and have the Spirit of God. We are sealed with the Spirit, which is the earnest of the promise (Eph. 1:13); we are sealed with the Spirit of promise (2-Cor. 1:22).

These are sealed at what time? Right after the sign of the Son of man appears, which is way down into the Tribulation! How far into the Tribulation is that? We have a clue, believe it or not:

Revelation 7:4: "And I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel."
All the prophecies concerning Israel going into captivity, come to a point right here. All the prophecies showing that the time of Jacob's trouble—he's sent off into captivity because of their sins—it's going to happen. Israel is going to go into captivity right at the beginning of the Tribulation.

At the same time, after that, then the martyrdom of the saints is going to take place. Let's go back to the book of Hosea. We will get what I think is a time setting.

Hosea 5:15—God is talking; He starts the correction against Israel: "I will go; I will return to My place until they confess their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will seek Me earnestly."

Hosea 6:1—Israel says: "Come and let us return to the LORD, for He has torn, and He will heal us; He has smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; in the third day He will raise us up…" (vs 1-2).

How long is a day in prophecy? One year! What are we talking about? Two days is two years! In the third day, the beginning of the third year, if during the three and a half years of Tribulation, at the beginning of the third year, how much time is left, if you have three and a half years? A year and a half! If we have two years expended of the three and half, there's one and half years left.

This tells us how long they are going to see the sign of the Son of man in heaven. For a year and a half, total! That's why it says every eye shall see it. When the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven, then the children of Israel are going to repent—144,000 and great innumerable multitude of all nations and kindreds and tongues and languages—will all repent. What a fantastic thing that will be! Picture this:

• Could this also happen on a Feast of Pentecost?
• Does this not fulfill the Feast of Pentecost?

All Scripture from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version by Fred R. Coulter

Scriptural References:

• Matthew 24:33-34
• Acts 2:16-22
• Matthew 24:1-15
• 2-Thessalonians 2:1-3
• Revelation 13:3-4
• 2-Thessalonians 2:4-11
• Matthew 24:14, 16-36
• Matthew 19:16-17
• Mark 13:32
• Acts 1:6-7
• Revelation 1:1-3, 7-8, 19-20
• Revelation 4:1
• Revelation 5:1-6
• Revelation 6:1-4
• Revelation 13:5, 7-9
• Revelation 6:4-5, 8-14, 17
• Revelation 7:4
• Hosea 5:15
• Hosea 6:1-2

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Luke 21
• Romans 10
• Revelation 11, 17
• Daniel 2, 7-12
• Revelation 2; 3; 12:17
• Ephesians 1:13
• 2-Corinthians 1:22

Also referenced: Books:

• Langer's Encyclopedia of World History.
• Josephus

FRC:lp
Transcribed:8-20-14
Formatted: bo—8-21-14

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