The Tribulation in the Gospel of Matthew and Those Days

The significance of the Expression Those Days

The expression those days is a key expression first used in some of the Old Testament prophets as a term synonomous with the expression the Day of the LORD. This refers to end times tribulation, the second coming of Jesus and glorious coming of the Jewish Messiah and the Messianic KIngdom during all of which God or the LORD will especially be dealing with or through the Jews or nation of Israel on Earth as his witness to the nations or Gentiles. This expression is mostly found in the prophets Joel and in Jeremiah in chapters 31 and 32 as well as Zechariah 8:23. However it is applied by Christian leaders like the Apostle Peter to the Church and current Church age for references that are in Old Testament about the Messianic KIngdom in Acts 2 and by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 8. However these references do not deny the original context applications in the Old Testament or Hebrew scriptures of their main application to Israel and the nations in the Messianic Kingdom after Jesus' second coming in power and great glory to establish God's Kingdom visibly on earth for 1000 years. There is also an instance of the use of this term in Revelation 9 of some of the ordeals earth dwellers will endure in the tribulation after the Church is removed from Earth. There are 4 instances of the term those days after verse 15 of Matthew chapter 24 which are meant to differentiate that later part of the chapter from verse 15 on as a later time in the last days or time of the end just before the second coming in glory of the Lord JEsus God's Messiah or Christ or Annointed one to judge the world as opposed to the first 14 verses which describe conditions that will be present on earth throughout the time between Jesus' 1st and 2nd comings but with events or phenomenon that will grow more intense and frequent as the end of this time of the Gentiles or nations approaches. The verses with the term in those days in Matthew 24 are 19, 22, 22, 29. The instance in verse 29 makes it clear that this phase is meant to describe the distress and tribulation of not only Israel but the whole world although the emphasis is on Israel since it is said that the Son of man will come immediatly after those days. The term tribulation in this passage means especially the second half of the tribulation after the Antichrist or Beast out of the Sea or Man of Sin sits in the Holy of holies in the tribulation temple and defiles it. The term tribulation in Revelation 7 about the people led to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ by the 144,000 witnesses refers to the 1st as well as the second 3 1/2 year halfs of the 7 year tribulation as Revelation 7 and the events there are before Revelation 11 12 and 13 that mention the 42 months or 1260 days that is the half way point of the 7 year tribulation. This hasn't happened yet so those days are still in the future and although probably just around the corner. If the reference in verse 29 is to the last days of Israel and the nations in the 70th week of Daniel before Jesus' second coming it is just sound or consistant scripture interpretation to view the other references in this chapter that are describing the same period as also being still in the future and not is some past time of Israel's trials such as in the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD as some Christian teachers are proposing. This line of reasoning also supports the view that the abomination of desolation spoken of in Matthew 24:15 was not some of the defiling of Herod's Temple by the Romans in 70 AD but the future defiling of the Third Temple that will soon be built in Jerusalem by the Jews in cooperation with the Antichrist on the Temple Mount that will start the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel according to Daniel 9:27. This abomination of desolation in the tribulation will then be the usurping of this temple by the Antichrist by his sitting their with his image probably in the holy of holies in the second half of the tribulation after he breaks his covenant with the Jews as also mentioned in Daniel 9:27. It is important to note that the expression in those days is not used even once in the first 14 verses of Matthew 24 that describe conditions on earth throughout the times between Jesus' first and second comings. The secret chambers Jesus refers to as a possible hiding place for false Christs or Messiahs in the tribulation probably refer to chambers of the temple that will be built as part of the Third Temple complex and that were present in Herod's Temple in his day and that will be present and that are called chambers in the scripture especially in Ezekiel chapters 40, 41 and 42 of the Messianic Kingdom or Millennial Kingdom Temple described by Ezekiel. The scripture passage of the latter part of Matthew 24 dealing with the tribulation and the use of the expression in those days is as follows:

Scripture Reference from Matthew 24 of The Tribulation as Noted By the Expression IN Those Days

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lor, here is Christ (Messiah), or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs (Messiahs), and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lighting cometh out the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man(JEsus) in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 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. Gospel of Matthew 24:15-31

For more information, questions, comments or advice contact Doug Currie at Contact Spirit and Truth Ministries

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