Archives for 2020

Good morning,

I will be having cataract surgery on the 10^th and 17^th of February. I asked some of my friends to do the Daily Devotions for the next two weeks.

I appreciate your willingness to help me. You were chosen because you have played an important part in my growth, knowledge of God’s word, encouragement, or faithfulness in service over the 38 years I have been in Alaska. Please continue to minister and help others.

Enjoy!

Jesus Christ’s “So Great Salvation” Part 2

Text: Hebrews 2:1-4, especially verse 3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”

The Book of Hebrews in our Bible was written to persecuted Jewish Christians to strengthen them in their faith and faithfulness to Jesus Christ. The Bible calls on them to hold fast to their “so great salvation” which is found only in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. But how is their salvation (and our salvation) “so great”?

Yesterday, we saw that our salvation is “so great” because of the magnitude of our sin before we got saved. No Christian can fully appreciate Christ’s salvation unless he recognizes the greatness of his past sins before he got saved. Today we will look at God’s role in our “so great salvation.”

First, Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Jesus’s salvation is “so great” because of His grace, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for sins that we might be saved and have everlasting life. Furthermore, His death covered the sins of all persons who would believe on Him. Jesus tasted “death for every man.”

Second, Hebrews 4:16 tells us that Jesus’s salvation is “so great” because of His mercy, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Grace and mercy are twin sisters but there is a difference. Grace provides what we don’t deserve (a Savior and salvation), and mercy spares us from what we do deserve. We deserve God’s eternal judgment, but when we come to Jesus Christ for His salvation, we have God’s mercy upon us as sinners.

You and I can believe on Jesus Christ and be saved from the judgment of our sins because God is gracious and merciful to any sinner who will go to Him for salvation: Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he (Jesus) is able also to save them (us sinners) to the uttermost that come unto God by him (Jesus), seeing he (Jesus) ever liveth to make intercession for them (us sinners).”

Truly, God’s grace and mercy gives us “so great salvation.”

Pastor Stan Tucker, Pilgrims Baptist Church

Good morning,

I will be having cataract surgery on the 10^th and 17^th of February. I asked some of my friends to do the Daily Devotions for the next two weeks.

I appreciate your willingness to help me. You were chosen because you have played an important part in my growth, knowledge of God’s word, encouragement, or faithfulness in service over the 38 years I have been in Alaska. Please continue to minister and help others.

Enjoy!

Jesus Christ’s “So Great Salvation”

Text: Hebrews 2:1-4, especially verse 3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.”

The Book of Hebrews in our Bible was written to persecuted Jewish Christians to strengthen them in their faith and faithfulness to Jesus Christ. The Bible calls on them to hold fast to their “so great salvation” which is found only in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. But how is their salvation (and our salvation) “so great”?

First (tomorrow we will look at the second reason), our salvation is “so great” because of the magnitude of our sin before we got saved. No Christian can fully appreciate Christ’s salvation unless he recognizes the greatness of his past sins before he got saved. When He forgave the sins of a sinful woman, Jesus told Simon a Pharisee, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little,” Luke 7:47.

When we see ourselves as “so great” a sinner and Jesus Christ as our “so great” Savior because He forgives us of all our sins, we will praise God for His “so great salvation.”

But there is a further encouraging thought in this account of the sinful woman. Those who are saved by faith in the “so great” Savior may not count their sins to be as serious as more notorious sinners and may not love as much, but their sins are still forgiven (Luke 7:42).

However, a fresh sense of our past sinful condition will give us a fresh sense of God’s “so great salvation” as well as a greater appreciation for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Stan Tucker, Pilgrims Baptist Church

Good morning,

Next week I will be having cataract surgery.

This week we look at what the Bible says about our eyes.

Topics to be discussed are eyes in general, eyes are good, eyes are evil, eyes healed by Jesus.

Eyes healed by Jesus

“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. ²³And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. ²⁴And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. ²⁵After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.” (Mark 8:22-25)

“When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, ⁷And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (John 9:6-7)

Conclusion

God made our eyes

Eyes may be used to bless or curse God

God heals the eyes of men

The challenge for each of us is be very careful what we look at. Make sure our eyes look at Godly things and avoid the wicked things.

Eyes focused on Jesus.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Next week I will be having cataract surgery.

This week we look at what the Bible says about our eyes.

Topics to be discussed are eyes in general, eyes are good, eyes are evil, eyes healed by Jesus.

Eyes for evil

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)

“If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; ⁶Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. ⁷If my step hath turned out of the way,and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;” (Job 31:5-7) 

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:5-6)

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16)

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” (Luke 16:23)

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve were not satisfied with God’s perfect creation. Satan tempted them and their perfect eyes were corrupted. They were deceived by what they saw.

The result was sin entered into the world. All God’s perfect creation was now tainted with sin. Rebellion, betrayal, ugliness, pollution, and death is what man and woman saw through their eyes.

That is what we see too. Temptation is all around us. We see things that are wicked and worldly. We act upon what we see. We are afflicted just as Adam and Eve were.

Adam and Eve were banished from the garden of Eden because of their sin. Will God remove us from our heavenly reward because of our sin? It depends.

If our eyes have landed on the Bible and we have placed our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, then we are saved, going to heaven. Will we sin along the way? Yes. However, the Bible states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

So those who are saved, walking with God, will not be removed from our heavenly reward. Their eyes are focused on heaven.

The eyes of those who continue in their worldly pleasures, rejecting salvation through Jesus shed blood on the cross, will be separated from God and be cast into the lake of fire.

 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15)

 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

Do our eyes focus on heaven or hell?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Next week I will be having cataract surgery.

This week we look at what the Bible says about our eyes.

Topics to be discussed are eyes in general, eyes are good, eyes are evil, eyes healed by Jesus.

EYES

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. (Psalms 119:18)

Introduction: My cataract surgery

Eyes in general

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22)

“The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.” (Proverbs 20:12)

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evl and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

Eyes for good

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.” (Psalms 101:3)

“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. ¹⁷And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17)

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalms 119:18)

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Eyes for evil

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)

“If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; ⁶Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. ⁷If my step hath turned out of the way,and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;” (Job 31:5-7) 

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:5-6)

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16)

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” (Luke 16:23)

Eyes healed by Jesus

“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. ²³And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. ²⁴And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. ²⁵After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.” (Mark 8:22-25)

“When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, ⁷And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (John 9:6-7)

Conclusion

God made our eyes

Eyes may be used to bless or curse God

God heals the eyes of men

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Next week I will be having cataract surgery.

This week we look at what the Bible says about our eyes.

Topics to be discussed are eyes in general, eyes are good, eyes are evil, eyes healed by Jesus.

Eyes for good

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.” (Psalms 101:3)

“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. ¹⁷And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:16-17)

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalms 119:18)

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

God created Adam and Eve perfect. What they saw was perfect. Their eyes witnessed the dazzling beauty of God’s creation. They saw the animal kingdom in all their majesty. The sky, the air, the waters all clean and clear. Crystal lakes and rivers.

It is God’s desire that our eyes see good things. Pure and unspotted from this world. Seeing God’s majesty, beauty and handiwork. Allowing our eyes to fall upon the pages of Scripture and to observe His supernatural actions.

Do we use our eyes to focus on God’s good things?

Tom Stearns,  WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Next week I will be having cataract surgery.

This week we look at what the Bible says about our eyes.

Topics to be discussed are eyes in general, eyes are good, eyes are evil, eyes healed by Jesus.

Eyes in general

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22)

“The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.” (Proverbs 20:12)

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

We take our eyes for granted. They are always there and function well. Until they don’t.

When our eyes fail to function correctly, we fail to function correctly.

Think about what happens if we cannot see. We are unable to navigate from point A to B. We are unable to read the Bible. We are unable to drive our cars. We are unable to see God’s creation.

Yet we never think about or thank God for our eyes. God made our eyes. His eyes are watching over us for good and evil.

Consider your eyes and thank God for them.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Prophecy can be confusing.

Matthew 24 is one of those places. Some have interpreted these events to have already been fulfilled. Some do not believe in the tribulation.

When I began to study this passage, I also was confused. Where do all these events fit into the prophetic timeline? Is this talking about signs to look for before the rapture or Christ’s second coming?

Dr. John F. Walvoord wrote an article, “The Signs of the End of the Age”, which I found helpful in deciphering this chapter of Scripture. Please read the whole article for yourself at www.walvoord.com.

The chapter is broken down into five sections.

Prediction of the destruction of the temple (v. 1-2)

Questions of the disciples (v. 3)

Course of the present age (v. 4-14)

Sign of the tribulation (v. 15-25)

Second coming of Christ (v. 26-31)

Second coming of Christ (26-31)

“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.27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.29 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:30 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.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.”

“Taken as a whole, the second coming of Christ is a majestic event, not instantaneous like the rapture, but extending over many hours. This perhaps explains why everyone can see it, because in the course of a day, the earth will rotate and the entire world will be able to see the approach of Christ accompanied by the hosts of heaven, which will descend to the earth in the area of the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4).

The entire passage from Matthew 24:15-31 is the specific answer to the disciples of the sign of His coming and of the end of the age, with the climactic sign being the second coming and the glory that attends it, and will fulfill the prophecy of Acts 1:11 that Christ will return as He went up into heaven, that is, His return will be physical, gradual, visible, and with clouds. Matthew 24:31 brings to a close the first doctrinal section of the Olivet discourse, and what follows is a series of applications and illustrations.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

Conclusion

Matthew 24 is prophetic

Matthew 24 is not about the rapture

Matthew 24 looks forward to the great tribulation

Matthew 24 tells us about the Second Coming of Christ

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Prophecy can be confusing.

Matthew 24 is one of those places. Some have interpreted these events to have already been fulfilled. Some do not believe in the tribulation.

When I began to study this passage, I also was confused. Where do all these events fit into the prophetic timeline? Is this talking about signs to look for before the rapture or Christ’s second coming?

Dr. John F. Walvoord wrote an article, “The Signs of the End of the Age”, which I found helpful in deciphering this chapter of Scripture. Please read the whole article for yourself at www.walvoord.com.

The chapter is broken down into five sections.

Prediction of the destruction of the temple (v. 1-2)

Questions of the disciples (v. 3)

Course of the present age (v. 4-14)

Sign of the tribulation (v. 15-25)

Second coming of Christ (v. 26-31)

Sign of the Tribulation (15-25)

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.25 Behold, I have told you before.”

“If this prediction means what it says, it is referring to a specific time of great trouble which immediately precedes the second coming of Christ. As such, the prediction of the great tribulation is “the sign” of the second coming, and those who see the sign will be living in the generation which will see the second coming itself.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

These verses reference the tribulation period. The tribulation lasts seven years. Israel is allowed to rebuild the temple and conduct sacrifices. At the midpoint is the “abomination of desolation”. Then things get really bad.

However, God steps in and the forces of Satan are defeated. Then comes the second coming of Christ.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Prophecy can be confusing.

Matthew 24 is one of those places. Some have interpreted these events to have already been fulfilled. Some do not believe in the tribulation.

When I began to study this passage, I also was confused. Where do all these events fit into the prophetic timeline? Is this talking about signs to look for before the rapture or Christ’s second coming?

Dr. John F. Walvoord wrote an article, “The Signs of the End of the Age”, which I found helpful in deciphering this chapter of Scripture. Please read the whole article for yourself at www.walvoord.com.

The chapter is broken down into five sections.

Prediction of the destruction of the temple (v. 1-2)

Questions of the disciples (v. 3)

Course of the present age (v. 4-14)

Sign of the tribulation (v. 15-25)

Second coming of Christ (v. 26-31)

Matthew 24

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3)

Introduction Three questions

Prediction of the destruction of the temple (1-2)

“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.² And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

“The temple was made of huge stones, some of them many tons in size, carved out in the stone quarries underneath the city of Jerusalem. Such large stones could be dislodged only through deliberate force. The sad fulfillment was to come in a.d. 70, only six years after the temple was completed, when the Roman soldiers deliberately destroyed the temple, prying off stones one by one and casting them into the valley below. Recent excavations have uncovered some of these stones.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

Questions of the disciples (3)

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

“Matthew’s gospel does not answer the first question, which relates to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. This is given more in detail in Luke, while Matthew and Mark answer the second and third questions, which actually refer to Christ’s coming and the end of the age as one and the same event. Matthew’s account of the Olivet discourse records that portion of Christ’s answer that relates to His future kingdom and how it will be brought in, which is one of the major purposes of the gospel.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

Course of the present age (4-14)

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.⁹ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

“In general, these signs have been at least partially fulfilled in the present age and have characterized the period between the first and second coming of Christ. They should be understood as general signs rather than specific signs that the end is near. As stated in verse 8, these are the beginning rather than the end of the sorrows which characterize the close of the age.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

Sign of the Tribulation (15-25)

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.25 Behold, I have told you before.”

“If this prediction means what it says, it is referring to a specific time of great trouble which immediately precedes the second coming of Christ. As such, the prediction of the great tribulation is “the sign” of the second coming, and those who see the sign will be living in the generation which will see the second coming itself.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

Second coming of Christ (26-31)

“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.27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.29 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:30 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.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.”

“Taken as a whole, the second coming of Christ is a majestic event, not instantaneous like the rapture, but extending over many hours. This perhaps explains why everyone can see it, because in the course of a day, the earth will rotate and the entire world will be able to see the approach of Christ accompanied by the hosts of heaven, which will descend to the earth in the area of the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4).

The entire passage from Matthew 24:15-31 is the specific answer to the disciples of the sign of His coming and of the end of the age, with the climactic sign being the second coming and the glory that attends it, and will fulfill the prophecy of Acts 1:11 that Christ will return as He went up into heaven, that is, His return will be physical, gradual, visible, and with clouds. Matthew 24:31 brings to a close the first doctrinal section of the Olivet discourse, and what follows is a series of applications and illustrations.” (The Signs of the End of the Age, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com)

Conclusion

Matthew 24 is prophetic

Matthew 24 is not about the rapture

Matthew 24 looks forward to the great tribulation

Matthew 24 tells us about the Second Coming of Christ

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001