Matt. 24: 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

2 Pet. 3:3, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Again, we state that the promise of the coming of the Lord was His presence and the activities following His arrival at a particular spot and not a thing to be expected in a future state. The words of Apostle Paul clearly explains this.

PAUL’S PRESENCE CANNOT BE CONFUSED WITH HIS ABSENCE, 2COR. 10:10-11.
“For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 is weak ….. let such one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are 𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧, such will we be also in deed when we are PRESENT.”

So we see that the opposite of “𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙄𝘼❞ 𝙞𝙨 ❞𝘼𝙋𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙄𝘼❞ 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 ❞𝙐𝙉-𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀❞ 𝙤𝙧 ❞𝘼𝘽𝙎𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀❞ as can be found in Phil. 2:12; “Wherefore, my beloved as ye have always obeyed, not as in my PRESENCE only, but now much more in my ABSENCE, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Here the word “presence” is contrasted with “absence.” The fact is, these two words can never mean the same. And, of course,”𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 ❜𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮❜ 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 ❞𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴❞ 𝗼𝗿 ❞𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.❞

Here Paul was saying that people should not think that his letters contain more strong words than when he is physically present with them. So the presence of Christ, as promised, cannot be mistaken for His coming in a future date.

This is why the church world keeps expecting a physical Jesus for over two housand years and yet can’t see Him. Yet His presence is everywhere now presently working signs and wonders in relation to that aspect of His promised coming.

For Israel, it was for judgment. Even as Peter earlier stated, 1Pet. 4:17,

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, (the Jews then) what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” KJV

Somebody is asking so Christ is not coming? Why not? He is coming and He keeps coming largely and ultimately through His Body, the Church.

Msg. Eph. 1:23, “The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”

So of His coming in judgment to Israel in AD 70 which the scoffers where talking about we read in Matt. 24:34,

“Verily I say unto you, 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬, 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝…
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;the 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆;; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Luke 17: 26, “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹.” KJIV.

Luke 17:26, “As it was in the time of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 Everybody kept on eating and drinking, and men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat and ”𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹.❞ GNT

Now this is one of the passages that the church world has used over time to propagate the Doctrine of the Rapture. But 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 ❞𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻❞ 𝗼𝗿 ❞𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆❞ 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵. It means those who will not listen to what He said in Matt. 24, verses 1 down, who were now the scoffers, eating and drinking (a word for living in an unspiritual state and just fulfilling the lusts of the flesh) were destroyed, killed in the Days of Noah.

Even so those who will not hearken to what He was saying to the Jews then will suffer the same fate of being destroyed by His coming in judgment which is what took place with Him using the Roman soldiers who invaded Jerusalem in AD 70 and leveled down the city.

And so He describes this His coming as judgment to Israel, His servant, in Matt. 24:47-51.

Isa. 42:19, “Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant?”

But..
Matt. 24:45, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

So here is Israel facing this judgment for failing to keep to their responsibility of dispensing justice and truth through a uniquely called covenant to the other nations (Deut. 4:6). 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗝𝗲𝘄𝘀) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, because they gave themselves over to unspiritual details of a sensual life.

To be continued…