This Bible Study is provided by theseason.org
 with permission from it's author, R. Christopherson

Chapter 1

"Introduction"  

     Many Christians are completely confused with what is going on around them. They know things are changing rapidly; and things are being turned upside down and inside out.  This study is addressed to those Christians who are willing to open their minds to what the Word of God is telling us about the events of our day.  Many times we wonder why God would allow certain events to happen, and why people carry on the way that they do.  Before our Lord was crucified and rose from the dead, He gave us a warning that reveals the truth about these end times were living in.

     Matthew 23 ended with our Lord telling his disciple’s about His second coming.  These twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ were with him for the past three years, and Jesus told them that He came into the Word for the purpose of being crucified.  Jesus told these Apostles "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."  Then as that chapter ended, Jesus said in Matthew 23:39 ; "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."  Jesus was speaking here of His second advent, which is and will be at the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, as revealed to apostle John, just as Jesus spoke to him about the day of the Lord in the book of Revelation.

     Jesus was with his disciples in the Temple during that time of the Passover feast in Jerusalem when He and His disciples departed out of the Temple , and went out on a hillside overlooking the awesome structure of the Temple .  Then Jesus started telling them in Matthew 24 all of the things that would come to pass just before His return at the seventh trump.  These are the things that we ought to be looking for in our day.  The key of understanding is, knowing all the things that will happen just before the glorious day of the Lord's return.

    At the top of the warning list given to His disciples was, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For Many shall come in My name, saying; `I am Christ;' and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4, 5)  How can you really know and make sure that you are not being deceived?  By verifying what people are saying with the written word of God your Holy Bible.  Deception will be the foremost thing to guard against in these latter days, with all the signs and seals that are taking place all around us, those that are sealed with the truth of the entire Bible, God's Word in their minds simply will not be deceived. 

     Many will claim to know and write in their books about future events, yet later they will come back with revisions to change what they had told you in the first place.  We can be sure of one thing because this warning came from the lips of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven but My Father only."   Then Jesus continued; "But as the days of Noe [Noah] were so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matthew 24:37, 37)

     We must understand that the things that are going on around us today is what was going on in the days of Noah.  Those things that were happening then will be common in our day, in this generation of "the parable of the Fig Tree". Jesus warned us in the 32nd verse, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branches yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh."   Remember that the entire subject of this twenty forth chapter of Matthew is the event that will take place just before the return of our Lord, and the parable of the fig tree was one of those things to watch for.  Mark 13:28, 29; "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branches is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near," [28] "So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh even at the doors." [29]

     There is no disagreement that this tender fig tree is that nation of the Jews called Israel of today. This tender fig tree was established by the decree of the Belfour Agreement on May 15, 1948 .  That is when this tender fig tree nation came into being.  That was the start of the final generation of this earth age of flesh man living on this earth.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:34, 35; "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." [34] "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." [35]

     The one world governmental system of the world established this tender nation, and the superpower of all superpowers stood by to defend this "fig tree" that offered only leaves, but with no fruit.  For the past forty five years each of us have watch this nation grow it leaves to shade the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ from the Word, yet not one piece of fruit leading the souls of this world to the one true Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, "the Messiah, the anointed one" [#5547 in Strong’s Greek dictionary].  Leaves on a tree shade those under it from the life giving sun, the truth from the word. The fruit of the fig tree gives life, and the life spoken of here is eternal life in Jesus Christ. 

     God has given us His eternal plan for all times, the eternity in his Word and that plan is written down so we can read it and not be deceived.  You have the God given right to accept it or refuse it; and if you accept it, then it becomes essential that you sow the truths of all His Word in your mind.  Jesus warned us in Revelation 9:4 that when those "scorpions". in reference to the fallen angels arrival here on earth; "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." 

      Knowing the time you are living in, and those things and events that are to take place within that generation is all part of that seal of God that must be in your mind before the coming of Satan and his fallen angels.  Once they have arrived, those without the seal of the truths of all of God's Word will be given over to them.  Revelation 9:5  "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man."  When a scorpion strikes a man, and the venom hits the central nervous system, the man is rendered helpless against the scorpion.  Jesus is telling you that this will be exactly as you will be against Satan and his fallen angels and their world government, without the seal of God's Living Word in your mind. 

      The Apostle Paul warned us in Ephesians 6:10, 11; "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." [10] "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." [11] You put on armor to give yourself protection when a battle is to be fought.  And the battle that is spoken of here is that time in the near future when Satan and his fallen angels will be here on earth trying to deceive all the people living here in their flesh and blood bodies.  He will be presenting himself as the one true Christ, when in fact he is the fake, the antichrist, or better said; "instead of Christ". 

     Paul told us exactly what that battle will be about in Ephesians 6:12 , 13;  "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." [12] "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." [13] 

     Satan is supernatural, and his angels are supernatural just as he is.  They will come into our realm or dimension that human beings exist in, and they will have their supernatural powers to do what they will do to get you to believe that they are God, and his angels.  The armor that God has told you to put on is the entire Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation. God's Word is the only warning that will keep you informed as to what the entire plan of God is, so that when our generation faces the presence of those from that darkness and spiritual wickedness, we will see those things for what they are, and where they came from.  God is telling you this is going to happen, and it will happen exactly as I told you it would. This is why the "Whole armour of God" is necessary; it is the only thing that will allow you "be able to withstand in the evil day" against Satan.

     Satan will use the Scripture to deceive those in our generation that just don't care to take the time to read and study all of the Scripture of God.  They say that we are living in New Testament times, and the Old Testament just doesn't matter, and if that is your attitude, you will be deceived.  The Old Testament is gives us the examples and warnings as how it shall be in these end times.  It gives us stories of events that men of God faced in the distant past, and relates them as warning for those of us living in this time of the end.  Paul said after reviewing many of the events of the Old Testament, in I Corinthians 10:11 , 12 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." [11] "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." [12]

     When you rely on some tradition or thought that has been peddled down through the years, you are placing your eternal life on a hear-say, and not on the Scriptures.  When our Lord taught, He would continually ask; "Haven't you read?"; or say "It is written..." and then go to the writings of a prophet such as Moses, or Daniel or another Prophet of God, to give His example.  Yet many Christians today would rather chase after stories of "apples", rather than understand what really happened in the Garden of Eden, when Eve had her two sons.  They would rather chase after pie in the sky promises, such as the rapture doctrine, and close their mind to the truth, then read in Ezekiel 13:18-21, what God thinks of those that lead the souls of His people into these fairy tales.  "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; "Behold, I am against your pillows [your coverings; traditions], wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly..." 

     The Christian world today is in a mold of questioning why they should try to see the truth and put the time in to study all the Scriptures, when they can have the Kenites do their thinking for them.  Thus you have entire ministries and denominations allowing these sons of Satan [Kenites] who sets their agenda for them.  Is it any wonder that our nation is turning away from the laws and Commandments of God that it has over the past few decades.  The salt of the earth has lost its savor. 

     God has set up examples that are recorded in the Old Testament that are exact copies of what we are facing today in our daily lives, and He expects those of His elect to read and prepare for the events that are in his eternal plan.  That is what our Bible is, the Plan of God for this earth age, and on into the next.  It is written down for you to read and understand, and seal away in your mind for those times in our generation that are going to come against our generation.  Expect those things to happen, just as God told Jeremiah to tell the House of Judah to expect to go into the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.  This book is all about the preparation we must have in our minds. We will use only the Scriptures for this study, where we can learn how it was in the days of Noah that our Lord warned about.  "It will be as it was in the days of Noah".