Posted by Elana Janson on December 06, 2014 at 15:57:50:
In Reply to: Matthew 24, Luke 21 & Revelation 1 : 7 posted by John Matthews on December 04, 2014 at 07:13:09:
Mathew 24:24
… in so much that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
“The very elect”
I believe “the very elect” in Matthew 24:24 to be those Christians in the end time that have in their lives sinned, but through the power of God found, understood and applied in their own lives the teachings of Jesus Christ. They are so convinced that they were “reborn” in the sense that they discarded all that they understood to be sin and thereafter persevered to lead a life without sin. They found in this so strong a motive not to disappoint their Father in Heaven and with this new way of life became aware of a presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. With this change came an amazing feeling of freedom and a faith and belief that there is a God in heaven who is all and more than what we are told in the Bible. These reborn Christians are “the very elect” because their faith has grown through their lives and nothing, no one and even death can change their conviction that they must stay in the light of God.
So, the influences of Satan in the end time to try to convince the “elect” will probably be so that the ‘elect’ will understand how extremely difficult it is to find and believe in an unseen God, but they will through the power of God and the Holy Spirit always retain their faith. Therefore these are “the elect” that God knows will not be misled.
It can be said that in this life “the very elect” are those in which the Grace of God has achieved its ultimate triumph, who have passed from the power of sin to the service of God - in this life almost already spiritually passed from death into eternal life.
In Scripture the word “elect” is also used of Christ (Isa 42:1); of good angels (1Tim 5:21); of the Israelites (Isa 65:9 and 22).
Mathew 24:27
“...For as lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Matthew 24:27 is literal and indicates how very quickly we shall know that the Return is happening. I can undersand this for the Divine intercession that I experienced happened in seconds. Suddenly the seven words appeared before me.
Luke 21:27
“And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke 21:27 is literal and can be better understood and believed if one knows that it was witnessed that Christ ascended to heaven in a cloud.
Acts1:1-12 (New International Version)
Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
Revelation 1:7
“Behold He comes with clouds and every eye will see Him.”
Rev 1:7 confirms that Christ will return in a cloud, as said in Luke 21:27 and Acts 1:11. The visions seen by John on Patmos in the book Revelation were written approx AD 97 – therefore a confirmation from heaven of the Return about seventy years after the ascension of Christ (AD29). (Calculated in 2014 - taking into account the calendar adjustment over two thousand years - that Christ was born in 4BC.)
At the present time, with the understanding of Revelation revealing the accomplishments of mankind in previous centuries, I think satellite television may play a role in “every eye will see Him”.