• Matthew 13:24-43
  
  In this parable of the end-times, Jesus made an analogy concerning "wheat" and "weeds" (or "tares"):

  "Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"...Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."" (Matthew 13:24-43)

  In this parable we see weeds growing up among the wheat. Jesus said that when the harvest comes, the weeds will first be collected to be burned, and then the wheat will be brought into the barn. Jesus explained this parable by saying that at the end of the age, the angels will weed out all unrighteous people and throw them into the fiery furnace, and the righteous people will enjoy the kingdom of their Father. This and other parables give us the order of events that will happen after Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming. First, all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be killed, and then the righteous survivors of the Tribulation will enter into the Millennial kingdom (Jesus' thousand-year reign of righteousness, peace, and prosperity on the earth after the Second Coming). Later in this article we'll see that these unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be killed at "the Sheep and Goats Judgment" after the Second Coming.
  
  The above parable echoes what Paul said will happen to the unrighteous shortly after the Second Coming:

  "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you." (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)

  So after Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming, all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be taken (weeded out) in judgment by being killed.

• Matthew 13:47-50
  
  In this parable of the end-times, Jesus made an analogy concerning good fish and bad fish:

  "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:47-50)

  In this parable, Jesus explained that at the end of the age, the angels will separate the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation from the righteous survivors (at the Sheep and Goats Judgment as we'll see later), and then the unrighteous survivors will be "thrown into the fiery furnace." So this parable essentially repeats what Jesus said in Matthew 13:24-43 (above). Again, after Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming, all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be taken (weeded out) in judgment by being killed.

1. When will the temple be destroyed?
2. What will be the sign of Your coming?
3. What will be the sign of the end of the age?

• Matthew 24:4-8, Mark 13:6-8, and Luke 21:8-11

  "Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." (Matthew 24:4-8)
  
  "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains." (Mark 13:6-8)
  
  "He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:8-11)

  In Matthew 24:4-6, Mark 13:6-7, and Luke 21:8-9 (above), Jesus said that there will be false Messiahs, and there will be wars, and there will be rumors of wars, but these things are not the sign of the end of the age. Next, Jesus described a world war that will be accompanied by famines and earthquakes, and He compared this to the beginning of birth pains when a woman goes into labor (Matthew 24:7-8, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:10-11, above). He said that this will be the sign that the end of the age has begun, and this was the answer to the disciples' third question. For a detailed look at this fascinating sign (which has already taken place), see my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes.

• Mark 13:8-13, Luke 21:10-19

  "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:8-13)
  
  "Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life."" (Luke 21:10-19)

  In the above passages, Jesus told the disciples what will happen to them before the end of the age. He said that the disciples will be persecuted and hated and betrayed, and some of them will be put to death, and their persecutions will enable them to be witnesses. The words "first" and "but before all this" indicate that the above passages will take place before the sign of the end of the age.
  
  The next passage that we'll look at sounds very similar to the above passages because it contains the sign of the end of the age. However, we'll see that Jesus was describing some things that will take place after the sign of the end of the age.

• Matthew 24:7-14

  "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:7-14)

  The New Testament tells us that all Christians should expect persecution during their lifetime (2 Timothy 3:12), and we've seen in this series that there will be a massive persecution and martyrdom of saints during the first half of the Tribulation (the word "saint" in the Bible essentially refers to a holy or righteous person, including all Christians as in 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV and Philippians 1:1 NKJV - Easton's Bible Dictionary ), and we've seen that a terrible persecution of Jews will begin at the mid-point of the Tribulation, and we've seen that the saints and the nation of Israel will be persecuted throughout the second half of the Tribulation. Therefore, when we see passages that describe persecutions, it's important to look at the context in order to determine where those passages fit into the scheme of end-times prophecy. For example, in Mark 13:8-13 (above) and Luke 21:10-19 (above), Jesus specifically said that those persecutions will happen before the sign of the end of the age. This indicates that the "you" in those passages probably includes the original disciples.
  
  After describing the sign of the end of the age in Matthew 24:7-14 (above), Jesus said "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted." Therefore, this persecution will happen after the sign of the end of the age takes place, and notice that the things that Jesus described in this passage correspond to what we've seen throughout this series in connection with the first half of the Tribulation. This indicates that the "you" in this passage is a general "you" that refers to the people who will be alive during the Tribulation (rather than referring to the original disciples).

• Luke 21:20-24

  "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." (Luke 21:20-24)

  This passage says that when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies then its desolation (or destruction) is near, and the Jews should flee to the mountains. This is Jesus' answer to the disciples' first question about when the temple will be destroyed, and none of the other Gospels record this answer. According to scholars, this prophecy was fulfilled after the first Jewish revolt broke out against the Romans in AD 66 (see for example The Footsteps of the Messiah, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, p.439). The Romans surrounded Jerusalem, but then they lifted the siege temporarily when they realized that their supply lines were not secure enough for an extended siege. When Jerusalem was no longer surrounded, the Jewish Christians fled Jerusalem and set up a new community on the other side of the Jordan River because of Jesus' prophecy in the above passage. In AD 68 the Romans once again besieged the city, and in AD 70 the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple were destroyed, just as Jesus had prophesied. In addition, Jesus said in this passage that the Jews will be scattered to all the nations, which happened after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and Jesus said that Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, which began when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70 and continues to this day.

• Matthew 24:15-28, Mark 13:14-23

  "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather." (Matthew 24:15-28)
  
  "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now - and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ !' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect - if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time." (Mark 13:14-23)

  In these two passages, Jesus described a situation that will be similar to the Luke 21:20-24 passage that we just looked at (because all three passages say that the Jews should flee Jerusalem), and this similarity sometimes causes people to assume that all three of these passages are referring to the same thing.
  
  To clear up the confusion, let's first compare the Matthew and Mark passages (above) with the Luke passage (above) and list the differences between them:

  • Matthew and Mark:

    1. The Jews should flee Jerusalem when the "abomination" is set up in the temple.

    2. It will be a unique period of time in which there will be great distress such as the world has never seen before and will never see again, which will be so terrible that no one would survive if God had not cut this time period short.

    3. There will be false Christs and false prophets.

    4. No mention of Jerusalem being surrounded by armies.

    5. No mention of Jerusalem's destruction.

    6. No mention of the prophetic fulfillment of Jerusalem's punishment.

    7. No mention of the Jews being scattered to the nations.

    8. No mention of Jerusalem being trampled on by Gentiles.

  • Luke:

    1. The Jews should flee when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies.

    2. Jerusalem's destruction is near.

    3. It will be the fulfillment of the prophesied time of punishment (for example, Jerusalem's destruction was prophesied in Daniel 9:26).

    4. The Jews will be scattered to the nations.

    5. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles.

    6. No mention of the "abomination."

    7. No mention of a unique period of time.

    8. No mention of false Christs and false prophets.

  
  Now let's compare the Matthew and Mark passages with the Luke passage and list the similarities between them:

  • Matthew and Mark:

    1. Flee Jerusalem and go to the mountains when something happens, which will be dreadful for pregnant women and nursing mothers.

  • Luke:

    1. Flee Jerusalem and go to the mountains when something happens, which will be dreadful for pregnant women and nursing mothers.

  
  As we can see, the only thing that the Luke passage has in common with the Matthew and Mark passages is that the Jews should flee Jerusalem, which will be dreadful for certain people. Those passages tell us that there will be two different times when the Jews should flee Jerusalem. When we looked at the Luke passage (Luke 21:20-24, above), we saw that it was fulfilled when the Christian Jews fled Jerusalem after the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem in approximately AD 66. The Matthew and Mark passages, on the other hand, will be fulfilled when "the abomination that causes desolation" is standing in the future Jewish temple at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation. At that time the Antichrist will begin a terrible persecution of the Jews, which is why Jesus told them to flee Jerusalem. The fascinating details about where they will go are described in my article called The Second Coming.
  
  Notice that Jesus was talking to His disciples in the Matthew and Mark passages, yet they will not be alive when the "abomination" is standing in the future Jewish temple. Therefore, when Jesus used the word "you" He was referring to the people who will be alive during the Tribulation.

• Matthew 24:29-30, Mark 13:24-26, Luke 21:25-28

  "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:29-30)
  
  "But in those days, following that distress, 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." (Mark 13:24-26)
  
  "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:25-28)

  In these passages, the expressions "Immediately after the distress of those days" and "following that distress" indicate the timing of when these things will happen. In Part One we saw that the "distress" refers to the seven-year Tribulation period, so Jesus was saying that immediately after the Tribulation there will be cataclysms and complete darkness and then the whole world will see Jesus coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Here Jesus answered the disciples' second question (about the sign of His coming). Since these passages say that Jesus' coming will be after the Tribulation period, this "coming" is the Second Coming when Jesus will return to the earth. The rest of the Olivet Discourse is all about the time period of the Second Coming.
  
  At this point, Jesus had answered all three of the disciples' questions, and then He began giving us more information about the end-times.

• Matthew 24:31, Mark 13:27

  "And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:31)
  
  "And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." (Mark 13:27)

  Some people interpret these passages as being a reference to the Rapture, but in Part Four we saw that these passages are referring to the final regathering of the Jewish survivors of the Tribulation back to Israel before the Millennium begins. These passages have nothing to do with the Rapture.

• Matthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-31, Luke 21:29-33

  "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:32-35)
  
  "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Mark 13:28-31)
  
  "He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Luke 21:29-33)

  Here Jesus used a fig tree as an illustration of recognizing the signs of the times. If you look up every occurrence of fig trees throughout the Old and New Testaments, you'll find that there's no pattern in which fig trees symbolically represent Israel (as some people claim). In fact, notice that in the Luke passage Jesus said, "Look at the fig tree and all the trees." Jesus was not using a fig tree as a symbol of anything, but instead He was using trees as an illustration of recognizing the seasons because when the leaves begin to show on the trees then we know that summer is near. In the same way, when the Tribulation prophecies begin to be fulfilled then the saints at that time will know that they're in the season of His return (the Second Coming). Next, Jesus said that this generation that sees the Tribulation prophecies being fulfilled will not pass away before the Second Coming takes place. Notice that once again Jesus used the word "you" to refer to the people who will be alive during the Tribulation. It's also important for us to recognize the season that we're in because many of the events described in the book of Revelation and in other prophetic passages have already happened in the last half of the twentieth century or else they are well underway (see my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes).

• Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32-33

  "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36)
  
  "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come." (Mark 13:32-33)

  In the above passages Jesus said that no one knows about that day, and in context "that day" is the day of the Second Coming. The context of the above passages is all about the Second Coming, so a consistent method of interpretation would mean that the above passages are referring to the Second Coming and not the pre-trib Rapture. No one in the first century knew what day the Second Coming will take place, and no one today knows what day the Second Coming will take place. If anyone studies Bible prophecy during the Tribulation then they might see that the Second Coming will take place seven years after the Antichrist signs a "covenant" (a treaty or contract agreement of some kind) with Israel, and it will take place 1,260 days after the Antichrist desecrates the future Jewish temple as we saw in Part One. However, they won't know the hour of His coming.

• Luke 21:34-35

  "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth." (Luke 21:34-35)

  Once again we can see that even though Jesus was talking to the apostles, He was using the word "you" in a general sense. For example, being weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the anxieties of life was not a character trait of the apostles. Jesus was speaking for the benefit of the people who will be alive during the Tribulation, saying that if they're not careful then the Second Coming will take place unexpectedly like a trap closing on them. Consider that a trap closes unexpectedly on an animal (sometimes killing it), and similarly, all unrighteous people on earth will be "trapped" unexpectedly by the Second Coming and will be killed as we'll see.

• Matthew 24:37-42, Luke 17:26-37

  "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:37-42)
  
  "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." "Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."" (Luke 17:26-37)

  In these passages, Jesus compared the day of His coming with the days of Noah and Lot. Since He said that one person will be "taken" and another person will be left behind, on the surface it sounds like He was talking about a post-trib Rapture. However, He wasn't talking about the Rapture at all.
  
  In the first parable at the top of this article we saw that all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be "taken" (weeded out) in judgment by being killed after the Second Coming. In the second parable at the top of this article we saw yet again that all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be "taken" in judgment by being killed after the Second Coming. In Matthew 25:31-46 (below) we'll look at the Sheep and Goats Judgment, which is when all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be killed after the Second Coming. All of those passages tell us that the unrighteous people will be "taken" (weeded out) in judgment by being killed after the Second Coming, and the righteous survivors of the Tribulation will be left behind on earth. This is the exact opposite of what will take place at the Rapture.
  
  The context of Matthew 24 (after verse 26) and 25 is all about the time period of the Second Coming. In this context, Jesus said that the events at the time of His coming will be the same as the events in the days of Noah and Lot. Here are several ways in which the events at the Second Coming will be the same as the events in Noah's day (Genesis 6 through 8) and in Lot's day (Genesis 18:20-19:29):

  1. In Noah's time, everyone in the world had become so wicked and evil that God killed them all in the Flood except for Noah and his family. In Lot's time, everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah had become so wicked and evil that God killed them all except for Lot and his family.
     
     The parallel is that there will be an increase of wickedness before Jesus returns (as He said in Matthew 24:7-14, above). As we'll see later, all of the unrighteous people will be killed at the Sheep and Goats Judgment shortly after the Second Coming.

  2. The unrighteous people in Noah's time and in Sodom and Gomorrah were unprepared for the coming judgment. They were focused on the activities of daily living, and they never became righteous.
     
     The parallel is that the unrighteous people during the Tribulation will be unprepared for the coming judgment as we'll see later. They will be focused on the activities of daily living, and they won't become righteous.

  3. The unrighteous people in Noah's time and in Sodom and Gomorrah did not understand that God's judgment was coming (the Flood and the rain of fire). It fell on them so suddenly that they didn't have time to do anything to escape their fate.
     
     The parallel is that the unrighteous people during the Tribulation will not understand that God's judgment is coming (the slaughter following the Second Coming, described in detail in my article called The Second Coming). It will fall on them so suddenly that they won't have time to do anything to escape their fate.

  4. The unrighteous people in Noah's time were all taken in judgment through death, and the righteous people (Noah and his family) remained on earth. The unrighteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah were all taken in judgment through death, and the righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah (Lot and his family) remained on earth.
     
     The parallel is that after the Second Coming, all of the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be taken in judgment through death as we've seen, and the righteous survivors of the Tribulation will remain to re-populate the earth during the Millennium.

  
  These are the ways in which the time of the Second Coming will be like the time of Noah and the time of Lot.
  
  Jesus said that the events at the time of the Second Coming will be the same as the events at the time of Noah and the time of Lot, and Jesus specifically said that those who were taken in Noah's time and Lot's time were the unrighteous people who were all killed in judgment. In the same way, the unrighteous survivors of the Tribulation will be taken in judgment after the Second Coming by being killed at the Sheep and Goats Judgment as we will see.
  
  In the above passages, when Jesus said that one person will be "taken," notice that He did not say that the person will rise into the air to meet Him in the clouds, and He did not say that the person's body will be changed from mortality to immortality, and so on. Look closely at the above passages and notice that He did not describe any of the specific events of the Rapture. He simply said that some people will be "taken" and other people will be left behind at the time of the Second Coming. He was not referring to a post-trib Rapture because His analogies of Noah and Lot tell us that those who are "taken" will be killed in judgment.
  
  Here's an illustration to make this clearer. According to the divorce statistics in America (at the time when this article was written), one out of every two marriages will end in divorce. Therefore we can say, "On the night of the party, two married couples will be talking to each other. One will get divorced, and the other will stay together." Notice that this does not mean that one couple will get divorced immediately (while they're at the party). In the same way, Jesus did not specifically say that one man will be taken while he's in the field, or that one woman will be taken while she's using a hand mill, or that one person will be taken while he or she is in bed, or that one woman will be taken while she's grinding. Instead, Jesus basically said, "Imagine two people. One of them will be taken, and the other one will be left on earth." The entire context shows that at the time of the Second Coming, the unrighteous people will be taken in judgment by being killed and the righteous people will be left behind on earth.
  
  In the above passages (and in the first two parables at the top of this article), the order of events at the time of the Second Coming is the exact opposite of the order of events that will happen at the Rapture. When the Rapture happens, the righteous people will be taken off of the earth, and the unrighteous people will remain on the earth. Since the order of events at the Rapture will be the exact opposite of the order of events at the time of the Second Coming, this shows that the Rapture will not happen at the Second Coming, and therefore the post-trib view is wrong.
  
  When Jesus said that the unrighteous people in Noah's time were taken in the Flood (Matthew 24:37-42, above), He used the Greek word airo. But when He said that the man in the field and the woman with the hand mill will be taken at the time of the Second Coming, He used the Greek word paralambano. Since the Greek word paralambano ("take") is used for the Rapture in John 14:3, the post-trib camp argues that the man in the field and the woman with the hand mill will be taken in a post-trib Rapture.
  
  However, notice that Jesus was making a direct comparison in the above passages. In other words, since Jesus said that the people in Noah's time were taken (airo) in judgment by being killed, He was therefore saying that the people at the time of the Second Coming will be taken (paralambano) in judgment by being killed as well. Even though Jesus used two different Greek words (airo and paralambano), this doesn't change the fact that He was making a direct comparison. We can see this clearly if we use an example in English:

  "Back in the Wild West days in America, a sheriff would usually tie up an outlaw on his horse and carry him away to the town jail. Similarly, in modern times a police officer will handcuff a prisoner and put him into the police car to be taken to prison."

  In the above example, two different English words are used in a direct comparison between people who are taken in judgment. The two words are "away" (which is one of the meanings of the Greek word airo) and "taken" (which is one of the meanings of the Greek word paralambano). This shows that the post-trib argument is wrong because the Greek words airo and paralambano (or their English equivalents "away" and "taken") can both be used in a direct comparison of people who are taken in judgment.
  
  In fact, we can demonstrate this even further by noticing that airo and paralambano are both used in the following passage:

  "When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" But they cried out, "Away with [airo] Him, away with [airo] Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took [paralambano] Jesus and led Him away." (John 19:13-16 NKJV)

  In the above passage, the Greek words airo and paralambano are both used in reference to Jesus being taken away to be killed. So when Jesus used airo and paralambano concerning the people in the days of Noah and the people in the days of Lot and the people in the days after the Second Coming, all of the evidence indicates that in each case the people are taken away in judgment by being killed. This shows that the post-trib argument is wrong.
  
  We can demonstrate this even further because when the disciples asked Jesus where those people will be taken (Luke 17:37, above), Jesus replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather." In Part One we saw that our physical bodies will be changed from mortality to immortality at the Rapture, so we won't be leaving our dead bodies behind at the Rapture. Jesus described vultures gathering on the dead bodies of those who are taken, and therefore those people will be taken in judgment by being killed, and the vultures will feast on their dead bodies. So once again we can see that Jesus was not referring to the Rapture in the above passages, which further demonstrates that the post-trib argument is wrong.

• Mark 13:34-37

  "It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:34-37)

  This parable concerns the owner of a house who goes away and leaves his servants with their assigned tasks, and he tells the one at the door to keep watch. The purpose of this parable (like most of the parables we're about to see) is to emphasize the idea of being watchful and ready for the Lord's return. As in the examples of Noah and Lot (above), the unrighteous people during the Tribulation will not be ready for the Second Coming. Those who are watching and ready will be those who receive salvation during the Tribulation.

• Matthew 24:43-44

  "But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:43-44)

  This parable says that the owner of a house wouldn't let his house be broken into if he knew when the thief is coming. Once again the emphasis is on being watchful and ready, and only those who receive salvation during the Tribulation will be watchful and ready.

• Matthew 24:45-51, Luke 12:35-48

  "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 24:45-51)
  
  ""Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?" The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."" (Luke 12:35-48)

  The parable in Matthew 24:45-51 (above) is about a faithful servant and a wicked servant. Here the emphasis is on doing works of faith and obedience while waiting for the master's return. The parable says that those who don't receive salvation during the Tribulation will not be ready and will not be doing works of faith and obedience, and therefore they'll be taken in judgment after Jesus returns at the Second Coming as we've seen.
  
  Luke 12:35-48 (above) includes that same parable plus two others that are similar to some of the parables we've already seen. First, Jesus used the analogy of people who are watching and waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, and once again the emphasis is on being watchful and ready. Next, Jesus used the analogy of the owner of the house who would have protected his house if he had known what hour the thief was coming, as we saw in Matthew 24:43-44, above. Then Jesus told the same parable as the one in Matthew 24:45-51 (above), but with some extra details.
  
  In Luke 12:41 (above), Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?" Notice that Jesus didn't answer this question, but instead He told another parable. We've seen that the context of these parables is all about the Second Coming, and being prepared for it (referring to the people who will be alive during the seven-year Tribulation period). In the last parable in Luke 12:35-48 (above), Jesus said that after the master returns, some people who were unprepared and disobedient (i.e., unrighteous during the seven-year Tribulation) will receive a harsher punishment than others who were unprepared and disobedient, based on how much they knew about the master's will. We've seen that all unrighteous people will be killed shortly after the Second Coming, so these different degrees of punishment will take place after their deaths. Jesus said the same thing elsewhere:

  "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." (Matthew 10:14-15)
  
  "Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."" (Matthew 11:20-24)

  So after Judgment Day (which will take place after the Second Coming and the Millennium, as described in my article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming?), all of the unrighteous people throughout human history will receive a greater or lesser degree of punishment. They won't all receive the same punishment (to understand what will ultimately happen to all of them, see my article called Cheat Sheet #32).

• Matthew 25:1-13

  "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13)

  This is the Parable of the Ten Virgins, and there has been a lot of speculation about who the "foolish" and "wise" virgins are meant to represent. On the surface, it would be easy to assume that the oil represents the Holy Spirit (as it does in other places in the Bible), and that the wise virgins represent the Church, the body of Christ (because they have oil), and that the foolish virgins represent people who go to church but never actually received salvation. This is how the parable is interpreted in a number of Bible commentaries. But if we think it through, this interpretation makes no sense. For one thing, we saw in Part Seven that the Church is the bride and Jesus is the bridegroom, but the bride is not mentioned in this parable. Only her ten attendants or bridesmaids are mentioned, who were out with lamps waiting for the bridegroom to come fetch the bride. For another thing, verse 7 says that all ten virgins woke up and "trimmed their lamps," which involves adjusting the wick to draw up more oil from the reservoir for a brighter flame (e.g., this Wikipedia article ). So the foolish virgins do have oil in their lamps, but they didn't bring extra oil in separate jars like the wise virgins did. If the oil is meant to represent the Holy Spirit then the foolish virgins do have the Holy Spirit, but it makes no sense to say that the wise virgins had "extra" Holy Spirit in a separate container. Trying to make the oil represent the Holy Spirit, and to make the wise virgins represent the Church, just doesn't work.
  
  This parable simply distinguishes between those who will be ready at the Second Coming (i.e., those who receive salvation), and those who will not be ready, just as the other parables (above) distinguish between those who will be ready and those who will not be ready. Remember, those who receive salvation during the seven-year Tribulation period will not be part of the Church (the body of Christ) because the Church will be raptured before the Tribulation begins. It's important to recognize that this parable is one of a string of parables that Jesus told in order to emphasize being watchful and ready for the Second Coming. The Second Coming is the context for all of these parables (after Matthew 24:26), and in all of these parables Jesus was distinguishing between those who are righteous and those who are unrighteous during the seven-year Tribulation. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is no exception.
  
  In the above passage Jesus said, "keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour," and therefore some people assume that this must be a reference to the Rapture. But again, the Rapture is not in view anywhere in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 and 25). This expression is discussed in the section called "Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32-33" (above).

• Luke 19:11-27, Matthew 25:14-30

  "While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.' Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them - bring them here and kill them in front of me.'" (Luke 19:11-27)
  
  "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (Matthew 25:14-30)

  In Luke 19:11-27 (above), Jesus told the Parable of the Minas, and in Matthew 25:14-30 (above), Jesus told the Parable of the Talents. The wording in both parables is similar in some respects and different in some respects.
  
  Luke 19:1 says that Jesus was passing through Jericho, and He spoke to a man named Zacchaeus in verses 2 through 10. Verse 11 (above) says that while the people were listening to this conversation, Jesus told them the Parable of the Minas. This took place two chapters before the Olivet Discourse, which started in Luke 21:7 (compare it with Matthew 24:3), so the Parable of the Minas needs to be interpreted separately from Jesus' teachings in the Olivet Discourse. Since it's so similar to the Parable of the Talents, I've included it here for comparison.
  
  In the Parable of the Minas, Jesus said that a man went to a distant country to have himself appointed as king, which parallels the fact that Jesus died and went to heaven and has been exalted above all kings (e.g., Philippians 2:6-9). Before he left, the man in the parable gave each of his servants one mina (about three months' wages according to Bible commentaries) and expected them to be obedient and put the money to work until he returns, just as Jesus has given His servants (all Christians) the Holy Spirit and expects us to be obedient and use the gifts of the Spirit until He returns. The man in the parable returned and then judged each of his servants, who received rewards or suffered loss based on their obedience, just as Jesus will return at the pre-trib Rapture and judge all Christians, and we will receive rewards or suffer loss based on our obedience as we saw in Part Seven. One servant in the parable earned ten more minas, which represents Christians who are fruitful with their spiritual gifts because as we all use our spiritual gifts, then more and more people will be saved and have the Holy Spirit. In the above article we also saw that we will reign on earth with Jesus during the Millennium (after the Second Coming), which means that we will rule over cities, regions, or nations (described more fully in my article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming?). We also saw that we will not all be equal in authority when we reign with Jesus during the Millennium, and this is echoed in the Parable of the Minas where the king told one servant to take charge of ten cities and told another servant to take charge of five cities. The Greek word for "take charge" in that parable is translated as "authority" in these passages:

  "Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"" (Matthew 21:23)
  
  "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."" (Matthew 28:18)
  
  "So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."" (Luke 7:6-8)
  
  "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended." (Romans 13:1-3)

  As we'll see in a moment, the level of authority granted to the servants in the Parable of the Minas is different from the level of authority granted to the servants in the Parable of the Talents. These two parables are not referring to the same groups of servants.
  
  The Parable of the Talents is in the Olivet Discourse, so we need to interpret it as referring to the Second Coming, otherwise we're being inconsistent in how we're handling the parables throughout the Olivet Discourse. In this parable, a man gave a different number of talents (one talent was as much as 80 pounds of silver according to Bible commentaries) to his servants before going on a journey, and expected them to put the money to work. When the man returned from his journey, representing the Second Coming, the faithful servants were put in charge of many things. The Greek word for "put in charge" in this parable (which is different from the Greek word for "take charge" in the Parable of the Minas) is also used in these passages:

  "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions." (Matthew 24:45-47)
  
  "Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business"" (Acts 6:1-3 NKJV)

  My article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming? shows that all of us who are "snatched up" at the Rapture will rule over cities, regions, or nations during the Millennium (after the Second Coming), which means that we will be ruling over the survivors of the seven-year Tribulation plus their descendants. In the Parable of the Talents, the faithful servants are the righteous people who survived the seven-year Tribulation and the Sheep and Goats Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46, below), so they are the ones that we'll be ruling over during the Millennium. They're not told that they will rule over cities (as the faithful servants were told in the Parable of the Minas), but instead they will be in charge over lesser things such as households or possessions or ministries.

• Matthew 25:31-46

  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

  Here we see the Sheep and Goats Judgment, which describes what will happen to the Gentile survivors of the Tribulation soon after the Second Coming. My article called The Second Coming shows that the Jewish survivors of the Tribulation will all receive salvation just before the Second Coming, and we'll see that they won't be included in the Sheep and Goats Judgment.
  
  Jesus said that "the nations" will be gathered before Him after the Second Coming, and to the Jews, a reference to "nations" (plural) specifically means the Gentile nations rather than the single nation of Israel. Then Jesus said that He will separate these Gentile (non-Jewish) survivors of the Tribulation into two groups. The Gentiles who received salvation will be on Jesus' right, and He refers to them as "the sheep." The unsaved Gentiles will be on His left, and He refers to them as "the goats" (which is why this passage is often referred to as "the Sheep and Goats Judgment" by pastors and Bible teachers). Notice that the sheep are "blessed by my Father" and that they have an "inheritance," which is how Christians are described throughout the New Testament. The sheep are all of the righteous Gentile survivors of the seven-year Tribulation, but they are not members of the Church (the body of Christ) because throughout this series we've seen that the Church will be removed from the earth at the Rapture before the seven-year Tribulation period begins. In the above passage, Jesus said that after the Second Coming He will sit on His throne, and He referred to Himself as "the King" because at that point He has returned to the earth to establish His thousand-year kingdom on earth (Bible commentaries sometimes point out that this is the first time that Jesus directly referred to Himself as a King). The inheritance that the sheep will receive is to enter into His Millennial kingdom, which is described more fully in my article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming?.
  
  Notice that the sheep (the saved Gentiles) are commended for how they treated "the least of these brothers of mine" during the Tribulation, and the goats (the unsaved Gentiles) are rebuked for how they treated "the least of these" during the Tribulation. This refers to a third group other than the sheep and the goats, which can only be the Jews. This is exactly what Joel had prophesied:

  "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls. In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink" (Joel 2:31-3:3)

  In this series we've seen that the Day of the Lord will begin with the seven-year Tribulation, followed by the Second Coming, followed by the thousand-year Millennial kingdom (and probably on into eternity). The above passage says that on the Day of the Lord, when He restores the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, all nations (again, this refers to the Gentile nations) will be gathered into the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Jesus will now judge the Gentiles on the basis of how they treated the Jewish people ("my people Israel") during the seven-year Tribulation. This tells us that the righteous Gentiles will somehow help the Jews who are being persecuted by the Antichrist, as this Bible commentary points out:

  "A Gentile going out of his way to assist a Jew in the Tribulation will mean that Gentile has become a believer in Jesus Christ during the Tribulation. By such a stand and action, a believing Gentile will put his life in jeopardy. His works will not save him; but his works will reveal that he is redeemed." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Matthew 25:34-40)

  The goats, on the other hand, will not receive salvation and will not help the Jews, and they'll be taken in judgment by being killed. They will "go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-46, above). So once again we see that the goats are the unsaved Gentiles because they will receive severe discipline (to understand what will ultimately happen to them, see my article called Cheat Sheet #32), and the sheep are the Gentiles who received salvation during the seven-year Tribulation because they will have eternal life. The sheep will live through the entire thousand-year Millennial kingdom on earth and never die because death during the Millennium will only exist for Gentiles who are born during that time and do not receive salvation by their 100th birthday (see my article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming?).

"Do you not know, brothers - for I am speaking to men who know the law - that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives [zao]? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive [zao], but if her husband dies [apothnesko], she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive [zao], she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies [apothnesko], she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man...Once I was alive [zao] apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died [apothnesko]." (Romans 7:1-3, 9)

"Evidently the apostle was speaking of his personal experience as a child and perhaps even a youth prior to his awareness and understanding of the full impact of God's commandments...The result was that the principle of sin within made its presence and power known (it sprang to life) in his violations of the commandment. As a result Paul died spiritually" (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Romans 7:9-12, emphasis added)

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:1-2)

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ." (Colossians 2:13)

"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself [tapeinoo] like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones [mikros] who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."" (Matthew 18:3-6)

"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."" (Matthew 19:14)

"If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!" (1 Corinthians 16:22)

""I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!"" (Revelation 22:16-17)

"He who testifies to these things [Jesus] says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20)

• 07/14/2024 - Added a link to my article called "Cheat Sheet" in the section called "Matthew 24:45-51, Luke 12:35-48."

• 07/06/2024 - Added an update in the Introduction section.

• 06/28/2024 - Added a link to my book in the Conclusion section.

• 06/20/2024 - Added a link to my article called "Cheat Sheet" in the section called "Matthew 25:31-46."

• 01/23/2024 - Added a definition of "saint" under Matthew 24:7-14. Added a link to Part Seven in the Conclusion section.

• 07/10/2023 - Added Romans 5:13 in the section called "Do Babies Automatically Go to Heaven?"

• 05/31/2023 - Modified the description of the Parable of the Minas in the section called "Luke 19:11-27, Matthew 25:14-30."

• 04/04/2023 - Slightly modified the section called "Do Babies Automatically Go to Heaven?"

• 08/30/2022 - Added a link to my article called "The Second Coming" in the section called "Matthew 24:15-28, Mark 13:14-23."

• 08/07/2022 - Added a link to my article called "End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes" in the section called "Matthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-31, Luke 21:29-33." Deleted the information about the Book of Life in the section called "Do Babies Automatically Go to Heaven?" because it wasn't a convincing enough argument and it wasn't worth keeping.

• 07/23/2022 - Modified my closing statement.

• 11/18/2021 - Modified the bullet point called "Matthew 24:37-42, Luke 17:26-37." Combined Matthew 24:45-51 and Luke 12:35-48 into one bullet point. Modified the bullet point called "Matthew 25:1-13." Modified the bullet point called "Luke 19:11-27, Matthew 25:14-30." Modified the bullet point called "Matthew 25:31-46." Modified the section called "Do Babies Automatically Go to Heaven?" Modified the Conclusion section.

• 11/03/2021 - Made the font size a bit bigger and added a fish symbol as a favicon (which is displayed in the browser tab).

• 09/24/2021 - Made a slight change to say that when the Antichrist makes a seven-year "covenant" with Israel, it will be a treaty or contract agreement of some kind. Originally I had said that it will likely be a peace treaty, but that's too narrow of a definition of "covenant."

• 03/04/2021 - Added some information about the "book of life" in the section called "Do Babies Automatically Go to Heaven?"

• 02/23/2021 - Added a new bullet point in the section called "Matthew 24:37-42, Luke 17:26-37."

• 12/28/2020 - Added a section called "Do Babies Automatically Go to Heaven?"

• 02/14/2019 - Modified some of the wording.

• 01/02/2010 - Added some information in the section called "Matthew 24:37-42, Luke 17:26-37." Modified the "Conclusion" section.

• 11/17/2006 - Modified the sections called "Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32-33" and "Matthew 25:1-13" to explain why these passages are referring to the Second Coming rather than the Rapture.

• 03/30/2004 - New article.