Paul Sends Pastor Phoebe the Church Leader With His Letter: And I commend you to Phoebe our sister -- being a minister of the church that is in Cenchrea -- that you may receive her in the Lord, as does become saints, and may assist her in whatever matter she may have need of you -- for she also became a leader of many, and of myself. Romans 16:1-2 rYLT
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Paul's Instructions for Titus to Give to Female Church Leaders: Likewise with the female elders, lead them into lives free from gossip and drunkenness and to be teachers of beautiful things. Titus 2:3 TPT
An Epistle Written to Female Church Leader Kyria: The Elder to the choice Kyria, and to her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only, but also all those having known the truth. 2 John 1:1 rYLT
I’ve seen so many well-meaning people absolutely botch
Matthew chapter 24. If you don’t understand its chronological order, you can
end up attributing wrong prophetic aspects to the wrong passages. If we follow
the scriptural mandate of using scripture to interpret scripture, then we can
clearly see the chronology of Matthew 24, and then add some fine distinctions,
and you have a detailed understanding of this amazing chapter, and you’ll end
up seeing that it isn’t that complicated. In the below tables, we will be
studying parallel passages to Matthew chapter 24. Specifically, we will be paralleling
Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, and Luke 21. By doing so, things will fall into
place, and you should come away with a proper understanding of Matthew 24.
INTRODUCTION
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
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.
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?
And as he
went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what
manner of stones and what buildings are here!
2 And Jesus answering said unto him,
Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of
Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him
privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
21 5 And as some spake of the temple, how it
was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
6 As for these things which ye
behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
7 And they asked him, saying, Master,
but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things
shall come to pass?
Notice in Matthew 24:3, the disciples asked Jesus three
specific questions – “1) when shall these things be? 2) and what
shall be the sign of thy coming, 3) and of the end of the world?” This gives
us a loose guide to begin seeing the chronology of Matthew 24, as these three
questions are answered by Jesus in the order they were posed. As we continue on
through these passages, I’ll point out where each question is answered.
THE BIRTH PANGS
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
4 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
rumours 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.
5 And Jesus answering them began to
say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the
end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers
places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings
of sorrows.
21
8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my
name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore
after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and
commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but
the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in
divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great
signs shall there be from heaven.
These are the
birth pangs that precede the tribulation. We are currently in these birth
pangs - the beginning of sorrows. “Beginning of sorrows” is a time phrase,
helping us to keep chronological order, as we continue on.
BEFORE
THE BIRTH PANGS
The below passages answer the
first question – “When shall these things be?”
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
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.
9 But take heed
to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the
synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and
kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the
gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when
they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye
shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in
that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the
brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and
children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put
to death.
13 And ye shall
be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved.
21
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and
persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being
brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13 And it shall
turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it
therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will
give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to
gainsay nor resist.
16 And ye shall
be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and
some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall
be hated of all men for my name's sake.
18 But there
shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your
patience possess ye your souls.
Look at Luke 21:18. The word PERISH
– Greek apollymi (appol-ah-mee) can
mean perish, as in ‘die,’ or can also be used as a type of metaphor, meaning
“ to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell”
This must be the meaning here, since the next verse says “in your patience
possess ye your souls.” Therefore, verses 18 and 19 in our Luke passage must mean
the same thing as in Mark 13:13 and Matthew 24:13, where they say “But he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
If they endure, then even though they may die for it, it will not be eternal
damnation, but they will be received into Glory.
Notice I bolded the word “then” in the Matthew passage, and the phrase “but
before all these” in the Luke passage. These are time words/phrases, keeping
us chronologically correct. The phrase “before all these,” is referring to
before all the birth pangs we read about before this section. So far, after
the introduction, we read about the birth pangs, and then jumped back to
reading about what happens before the birth pangs. On the timeline, we are currently
in the birth pangs as I write this.
The sections of Scripture we just
read above, are describing what happened to the early Christians, before the
birth pangs that precede the tribulation. The above passages answer the first
question – “When shall these things be?”
THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
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.
15 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.
26 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.
14 But when ye
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth
understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
15 And let him
that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to
take any thing out of his house:
16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his
garment.
17 But woe to
them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye
that your flight be not in the winter.
19 For in those days
shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation
which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the
Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s
sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21 And then if any man
shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and
false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it
were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed:
behold, I have foretold you all things.
21
20 And when ye
shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation
thereof is nigh.
21 Then let
them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the
midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter
thereinto.
22 For these be
the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe
unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! For
there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24 And they
shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all
nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
“The desolation,” or “abomination of desolation” that all
three above passage show, is another time phrase. This is how we know the
above is during the middle of the tribulation. Daniel chapters 9, 11, and 12
go into the middle tribulation period, and describe the Abomination of
Desolation event in some detail. Daniel 9:27 shows the Abomination of Desolation
occurring during the middle of the seven year tribulation:
“And he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate.”
Daniel chapter 12:11-12 goes into the
timeline of the seven year tribulation, and describes this Abomination of
Desolation happening approximately in the middle of the tribulation:
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a
thousand two hundred and ninety days.12 Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and
thirty days.”
Revelation 12:13-14 describes the woman Zion (Isa. 66:8)
fleeing into the wilderness during the Abomination of Desolation, and places it
about in the middle of the seven year tribulation:
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
Verse 22 in Matthew 24, and verse 20 in Mark 13 both refer to the days being
shortened for the elect. The New Testament defines the elect as true
Christians – the people of God. As we’ll soon see in more detail, as we
continue on, the days are shorted for the elect via the middle tribulation
rapture. The “times of the gentiles” mentioned in Luke 21:24 is describing
what happens as soon as the Abomination of Desolation is set up. And these
days of the gentiles last for the second half of the tribulation, as is clear
from reading Daniel 12, and Revelation 12.
PARENTHETICALTHE SECOND COMING, AND ARMAGEDDON PARENTHETICAL
The below passages answer the second question – “What
shall be the sign of thy coming?”
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
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 carcase is, there will the eagles
be gathered together.
NOT
IN MARK 13
17
20 And
when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come,
he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither
shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is
within you.
22 And
he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see
one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And
they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow
them.
24 For
as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth
unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his
day.
25 But
first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
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 Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed
them all.
28 Likewise
also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought,
they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But
the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even
thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 In
that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house,
let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him
likewise not return back.
32 Remember
Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever
shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life
shall preserve it.
34 I
tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be
taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two
women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two
men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And
they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever
the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
.
This is Armageddon. Look again Matthew 24:28,
where it mentions the eagles gathering at the carcass, and compare that to
Revelation 19:17-18’s description of Armageddon:
“And I saw an angel
standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls
that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the
supper of the great God;18 That
ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of
mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the
flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”
There will be multitudes of dead
bodies at Armageddon, and scavenger birds, such as eagles, invited to eat the
flesh of the fallen men. The Matthew and Luke passages we just read are not
describing rapture, for the birds and carcass make it clear that this is when
Jesus comes back at the battle of Armageddon. This occurs at the END of the
tribulation.
Further, the passages we just read
refer to lightning coming from the east, and shining unto the west, and so
shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. The Bible refers to the Lightning
Coming synonymously with Armageddon, and Jesus’ Second Coming, when His feet
touch the earth.
Rapture, in the Bible, refers to Jesus coming in the clouds, and His feet do
not touch the earth. The passages we just read, clearly are describing the
Second Coming and Armageddon, not Rapture.
Mark 13 omits the passages we just read, as does
Luke 21. The passages we just read are only in Matthew 24, and Luke 17.
LUKE IS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE PROPER chronological ORDER of Matthew 24.
LUKE SEPARATES THE SECOND COMING FROM THE RAPTURE, BY PUTTING THE SECOND COMING
AND ARMAGEDDON IN A SEPARATE CHAPTER, WHILE MATTHEW HAS THEM IN THE SAME
CHAPTER, BUT DIVIDES THEM WITH TIME PHRASES/WORDS.
THE MIDDLE TRIBULATION RAPTURE
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
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.
24 But in those days, after
that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall,
and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall
they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his
angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the
uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
21 25 And there shall be signs in the
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory.
28 And when
these things begin to come to pass,thenlook up, and
lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
“Immediately after the tribulation
of those days,” and “after that tribulation” are both time words in Matthew and
Mark, telling us that the verses we just read are to follow chronologically
after Matthew 24:14-26, and Mark 13:14-23, which are the passages that describe
the Abomination of Desolation. Notice we have two different phrases for the
two halves of the tribulation. The first half is “the tribulation of those
days,” or “that tribulation,” while the second half of the tribulation, as we
saw in earlier passages, is referred to as “the great tribulation,”
“affliction,” and “the days of vengeance.” This is because the second half of
the tribulation is when God’s seven vials of WRATH are poured out, as we read
about in the book of Revelation. Notice that Luke gave us no such time phrases,
of the first half of the tribulation, such as “immediately after the
tribulation of those days,” or “after that tribulation.” This is because Luke
21 goes straight from describing the middle tribulation Abomination of
Desolation, right into the above passages of the middle tribulation rapture.
This is unlike Matthew, which included verses 27 and 28, which are
parenthetical, and describe the Second Coming, and Armageddon. Luke does not
include this in chapter 21, but has it in a separate chapter; that of 17, which
we saw a bit earlier.
Notice the middle tribulation rapture is mentioned
as happening with the “sound of a trumpet.” This is the seventh trumpet of
Revelation 11:15-18. Parallel this with Daniel chapter 12, as both passages
are describing the middle tribulation rapture. This rapture trumpet is told us
to be the last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,52 In
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The last trumpet mystery, via Revelation 10:7:
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath
declared to his servants the prophets.”
Now, here’s the really cool part. Take a look at the above Luke 21 passage, in
verse 28. See where I have it bolded? Look up, for your redemption draweth
nigh. That’s middle tribulation rapture – clear and simple.
ESTABLISHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH
The below passages answer the third question – “What
shall be the sign(s) of the end of the world?”
NOTE: I add some of my commentary directly in the below passages, via a smaller
font size, and brackets.
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21/17
32 Now learn a parable of the fig
tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that
summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see
all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. [Things fulfilled: When Christ
finishes Armageddon, and sets up His Kingdom on Earth.]
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away.| [Heaven and earth are destroyed and recreated without
the curse, one thousand years after the seven year tribulation, as we read
about in Revelation chapters 20 and 21.]
36 But of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. | [The day and hour when all things
are fulfilled. The coming of the Son of Man.]
37 But as the days of Noah 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; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the
one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the
mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman
of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig
tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that
summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall
see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this
generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but my words shall not pass away.
32 But of that day and that hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but
the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for
ye know not when the time is.
21 29 And he spake to them a parable;
Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see
and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see
these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. |[The physical realization of the
Kingdom of God will occur on the Day of the Son of Man, of which we read
about in Luke 17. This is referring to Christ’s second coming, at Armageddon.
]
32 Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but my words shall not pass away.
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest
at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all
them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. | [The escape is the middle
tribulation rapture, which will happen around 3.5 years before Jesus’ Second
Coming at Armageddon. Verse 34 is a warning, because else we could miss the
rapture, and still continue on clueless, and then the Day of the Son of Man
could come upon us unawares. In other words, we should be sure of our
salvation, and be following the true will of God for our lives.]
The generation that shall not
pass until ‘all these things’ are fulfilled, is the generation that sees the
tribulation coming to pass. They see the signs described in these chapters. “These
things” are fulfilled when Christ returns to the earth, to physically set up
His kingdom, which takes place after the tribulation.
The passages we just read above are clearly referring again
to Armageddon, as was also briefly mentioned in Matthew 24:27-28, and mentioned
in detail in Luke 17:24-37.
Notice how Luke 17, earlier, mentioned it all together, but Matthew jumped
backwards to describing the middle tribulation rapture in verse 29, and then picked
back up on topic from verses 15-26.
The passages we just
read cannot be referring to the rapture, because it mentions the physical
coming of the Kingdom of God. This happens when Jesus comes back to this
earth, not when He catches Christians away in the clouds. Also, the people
being taken, as we read about in Matthew, are taken where? Remember we read
this in Luke 17:37:
“And they answered and said unto
him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will
the eagles be gathered together,"
referring to them being taken via
death, at Jesus’ Second Coming, and Armageddon, as described in Revelation
chapter 19.
Jesus doesn’t come as a ‘thief in the night’ at Rapture – the thief scriptures
always refer to Armageddon, and the Second Coming. The day and hour we don’t
know of is not the rapture, but when exactly the Second Coming occurs. The ‘no
one knows the day or hour’ scriptures never refer to the rapture, but always to
the Second Coming. This may have something to do with the time discrepancy in
Daniel chapter 12. We most definitely can know when the rapture will be, as we
see the signs unfold.
Notice that our Luke 21 passage
wraps this all up, by stating “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that
ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man.” To escape these events, which are in the
second half of the tribulation, we must be raptured. The rapture happens in
the middle of the tribulation, and those who are worthy – true, born again
Christians, will be raptured at the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:51-52,
Revelation 10:7 and Revelation 11:15-18, which occurs during the middle of the
tribulation period.
As you can see, Matthew and Mark cannot be properly understood chronologically,
without the aid of Luke 21 and 17. This is why most people completely botch
Matthew 24, when they lead studies on that chapter.
After you've read the Gospel of John, go on to read Acts, and then Romans. These three books will bring you through the Gospel, the early church, and basic Christian doctrine. After you've read these three, then turn to the beginning of the New Testament, and read it all the way through. After that, read both the Old and New Testaments.
You should also follow the Lord and get baptized in water. A Believer's Baptism doesn't save you. Only faith in Christ saves you. A Believer's Baptism is an outward showing of your salvation. It symbolizes you being born again. When you are lowered under the water, it shows you dying to your old self, and when you are raised up out of the water, it symbolizes you being born again, as a new creature in Christ. This is called a Believer's Baptism, because, according to the Bible, a person is supposed to get baptized after they have believed on Christ. Anyone who was "baptized" before having faith in Christ just got wet - nothing more. You don't need to find a church to get baptized in. Any born again Christian can baptize you in any acceptable body of water - even a public swimming pool.
Find a good, local church congregation to attend. Search in your area for a Nazarene church, Foursquare church, or non-denominational Full-Gospel church.
Immerse yourself in the Bible. The Bible is God's love letter to you. It is also your Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
