Zoos: I've become content to leave prophesy to history - sort it out later. I was just wondering if Jesus was telling us we HAD to look for sign x,y,z in order to "stay awake," and if so, what part of it is about Jerusalem and what part of it was about the last days or was it all a mishmash?
Prophesy was given to man for a reason, and of course the Lord wants you to understand it as a warning for the future. Remember that he told the apostles that Jerusalem would be destroyed and he told them to stand in holy places. To most Jews, this would be the temple; however, since Jesus predicted that the temple would be destroyed, the “holy places” had to be elsewhere. Undoubtedly, as the time of destruction approached, the apostles received revelation stipulating where they were to go. Since the Christians left Jerusalem and ended up in Pella, that was the holy place designated for them by the Lord.
In today’s world, the scriptures speak about great tribulations and what will happen. It doesn’t help Jehovah's Witnesses because they so badly interpret the prophecies that they become meaningless. They take prophecies that apply to Jerusalem in the latter days and apply them to themselves. Armageddon is a great example of that. In the scriptures, Jerusalem will be attacked by a vastly superior military force led by a man known only as "the Beast." For three and a half years he will rail against the Jews, which John describes as a degenerate people. Defending the Jews are two witnesses, or "prophets," who will preach to the people and use God's power to stave off the Beast. After three and a half years, the Beast will succeed in killing the two prophets. He will leave their bodies in the streets for people to pass by and look at and throughout the region, celebrations will take place because the two prophets that tormented him were dead. Then, three and a half days later, an amazing thing will take place. The two prophets will suddenly reanimate as resurrected beings. As they ascend into heaven, the last thing the Beast sees is a white hot fire that will kill him as he stands on his feet, and it will kill all but a sixth of his vast army. Unbeknownst to him, the Being generating that light will be the returning Jesus Christ, who descends upon the Mount of Olives and appears to the remaining Jews. When they see the wounds in His hands and feet, they will immediately know His identity and go into a state of mouring and worship. In short, they will be converted in a single day.
For background work on these biblical prophecies, I recommend the book, The Islamic Antichrist: The Truth About the Real Nature of the Beast. The author, Joel Richardson, covers most of what will happen just prior to the coming of the Son of Man, and the things that must occur before it is fulfilled, such as the building of the temple and the deception of the Beast. Most importantly, the Beast of Revelation will also be accompanied by a false Jesus or false prophet, and he will have power to do many mighy miracles. Most importantly, they will have power almost exclusively in the Old World, not the Western Hemisphere. My only criticism is that Richardson doesn’t cover the two prophets in Revelation 11. Many Christians believe these two prophets will be Elijah and Moses, or Elijah and Enoch; however, there’s no reason the two witnesses, or prophets, cannot be called and ordained in this dispensation, and I believe they will be ordinary people who will be called of God and ordained to deliver His message to both Jew and Gentile.
God would not include prophecies in the holy writ unless He wanted people to read them and not fear them or be caught unawares when they come to pass.
