Are We Living in The Last Days?
			This is a very interesting subject. One my father has spent the last year doing extensive research on. First off if you've read my story you'll see that what hit me last year and made me realize the JW's didn't have the truth was Matt 24!!! The main thing we realized at first was that the FDS was an illustration (off topic). but the rest of the chapter is Jesus talking about the destruction of JERUSALEM. THAT IS THE TOPIC, because in CH 23 they are LOOKING at the Tempe and Jesus that it will be destroyed and not a stone left upon a stone. So in Chap it is the SAME COVNERSTAION, remember chapters and verses weren't in the original, text and are basically a commentary to the verse. What do they ask??? they ask when will these things be and what will be the sing of the conclusion of this system of things, and his return. What I want you to do is to put yourself in their shoes, you are one of the 4 and Jesus has just told you some very �APOSTATE� things. He has just condemned the entire Jewish religious system and said the temple would be destroyed. Do you think at this very INTENSE moment you are going to EVEN CARE what happens in 2000 years. NO you want to know what�s going to happen NOW and in your lifetime, because Jesus has said and will say repeatedly, shortly, soon, THIS GENERATION!!!! When reading the NT all the books make it sound like its going to happen SOON not 2000 years later. When I read this chapter over last year, I remember reading vs 24:4-8, and I realized that aspect of Jesus conversations was telling them what would be happening prior to his return yes, but that�s not the sign, it�s more a non sign actually he was telling them these things would happen but that didn�t� mean he was coming at that time, that it was just routine history. Notice the Warning Jesus gave in Vs 4. He said (NASB) �And Jesus answered them and said to them, �See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name, saying I am the Christ and will mislead many. �You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but this is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there sill be famines and earth quakes. �But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.� He goes on in vs 9 about how they�ll be persecuted, betrayed, hated etc� Why was this aspect NEVER part of the sign as preached by WTS why, was there some divine Comma placed in there to tell us it was separate NO!!!! How did Jesus describe the above events. Notice what word he used he said MERELY. �These things are MERELY the beginning.� Now if these were the ALL IMPORTANT SIGN wouldn�t� he have put a bit more emphasis on it. I mean how MANY pages has the WTS used over the years to expound on a few verses of something that Jesus said were merely the beginning. I would now like to quote the above VSs from �The Message� by Eugene Peterson. It�s a modern street vernacular version, but I love the way he puts it. �Jesus says, �Watch our for any doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, �I am the Christ, the messiah� They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep you head and don�t panic. This is routine history, this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight against nation, and ruler fight ruler over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming� Wouldn�t it be more appropriate to spend the time on what Jesus ACTUALLY said the sign was? Next he goes on to tell them about how they were to flee when the Romans encircled them and retreated THAT��S WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR!!!!!! That was what the CLUE was. Not the other wars or earthquakes. Jesus goes on in vs16 - 28 telling then how they needed to flee from Jerusalem and take refuge in Pella, he was telling them how important it was to do that!!!! Then in VS 29 we see it says �The sun will be darkened the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.� And then at LAST, the SIGN of the son of man will appear in heaven and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth.� So Jesus PLAINLY states what the SIGN is. The sign is Jesus appearing in Heaven. HE then goes on in the rest of this chapter and the next to give them illustrations of how they need to be aware and take action when they saw these things. See most of the people at that time wouldn�t have the written word for quite a while, so they best way to get his point across was to use illustrations that people could pass on to others. THAT IS ALL THAT THEY ARE!!!! The FDS is just an illustration of paying attention. What�s really interesting is to read Josephus work and other books on how all of what Jesus set out in Matt 24 WAS fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE and how much of it was apocalyptic language. I remember when I read that last year and REALSIED I�d spent sooo much of my time preaching and teaching and studying with people about the NON sign, and never knew how much of the rest of the chapter had been fulfilled. Keep in mind what Jesus said to them about the destruction of Jerusalem �This tribulation that has never occurred before, NO NOR WILL EVER OCCUR AGAIN� from that vs. alone I don�t see how anyone could say the above versus had a 2 part or typical and antitypical application. If you ACTUALLY read Matt 24 for it really says, and preferably not in the NWT, you�ll see that EVERYTYING Jesus warns about not being misled, are the VERY things that the WTS teaches. That one chapter condemns them to false prophets and that they will mislead many, that was a great shock to me. You see Jesus SAYS what the sign, �and the sign of the son of man is� No need for guesswork or tons of books or studying no he says it very plainly. So do I think we�re living in the last days, as outlined in Matt 24? No I think the apostles were because that�s what Jesus said.!!!!