Correspondence: Matt. 11:29-30; Present War in Europe?

Narrator: Chris Genthree
 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 6
Ans. Read from verse 25. This context tells of our Lord's perfect submission to the Father's will; then He reveals the Father (verse 27), and (verse 28) says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This includes the knowledge of the Father, and gives us the place of children, so that the rest He gives is the result of His finished work. He knows the weary toilers for salvation, toiling for what they can never gain in that way. He gives rest to all who come to Him.
Further blessing He promises in the words, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." His yoke is submission to the Father's will, and He desires us to enjoy the Father's care and love in full submission to His will- "Learn of Me." It was His path; it is to be ours, and rest is found in it. Ye shall find rest unto your souls. Submission to His yoke makes it easy and the burden light. It is rest indeed (see Psa. 16:5, 65The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. 6The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. (Psalm 16:5‑6)).
Ans. Matt. 24:6, 76And 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. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (Matthew 24:6‑7), refers to the time when the Jews will again occupy Jerusalem; when the gospel of the kingdom will again be preached (vs. 14), and they will have their holy place or temple built again (verse 15), in the land of Judea (verse 16).
The wars, earthquakes, pestilences, famines, etc., that have taken place or may take place, ever since the destruction of Jerusalem, are not the fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy centers around Israel and Palestine. God holds the nations in His hand, overruling, till the Roman beast rises again, and that cannot be till the Church is gone from the earth. The beast rises from the bottomless pit (Rev. 17:88The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Revelation 17:8)), and his power is wholly from the Dragon, or Satan (Rev. 13:44And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4)). While the Church is on earth, He, the Holy Spirit, who now restrains will restrain, until He is taken out of the way, and then the lawless one can be manifested (2 Thess. 2:7, 87For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (2 Thessalonians 2:7‑8)).
The hope of the Church is the coming of the Lord to receive her to Himself (1 Thess. 4:15-1815For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18)) and there are no signs given for this, it may take place at any moment. The state of the Church as in 2 Tim.; 2 Pet.; Jude and Rev. 2 and 3, is our sign, and the conditions mentioned in these different Scriptures are already fulfilled. He may come now. Till He comes, we preach the gospel of the grace of God. The gospel of the Kingdom comes afterward for Israel and the Gentiles.