"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?' And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am christ; and shall deceive many.' "

• will come: find a place, come forth, show itself, influence, name; name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e.: for one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds, etc.

• christ: anointed

Alternate translation of verses 3-5: During the last days a great many people will become influential by using the name of Jesus, claiming to be working under His authority, for His interests, and doing His good pleasure, and claiming to be especially anointed (christ). Jesus is saying that we will need to be especially careful of those who come forth or are established as Christian ministers; the great deception He is warning about, then, will come from within the church, and not from without. Note that these ministers are not claiming to be "THE Christ", but to be "christ" (anointed).

Matthew 24:23-28

(23-26)Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Therefore, if they shall say to you, behold, he is in the desert; do not go; behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (27)For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (28)For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Verse 23-26:  Jesus is saying that to go chasing after the anointing is asking for trouble. Many false anointings and those who herald their coming (false prophets), are going to arise – indeed, are already here. These ministers are claiming that the anointing can be found by going to this place and that place – chasing after the anointing by chasing after the minister who is supposed to be especially anointed.

Verse 27:  Lightning illuminates the clouds from within, until the entire sky is brightly lit. The same for the anointing (revelation) – it comes from within us (in our spirit), not from without. We don't have to go chasing "here and there"; we have the anointing (Holy Spirit) within our spirit to give us revelation (illumination). Jesus "comes to us" means that He gives us progressive revelation of Him from within our spirit (see I John 2:18-20, 27). Those who look to outward sources for the anointing are leaving themselves wide open to counterfeit or deceitful spirits. Only the Holy Spirit can bring revelation (illumination). We cannot look to, or trust in, any man to give us special revelation from God – to do so is to place that person in the very place of God in our lives.

Let's take this article as an example. The Lord by means of His Spirit within me illuminated my inward man with understanding of these Scriptures. The "glow" from that illumination is this article. As you read this article – mere words on paper – your inward man will likewise be illuminated with understanding because of the anointing that lives within you. If you do not possess that anointing or if, perhaps, it is not the Lord's time for you to receive this knowledge, the message is "short-circuited" by the Holy Spirit; this article will then be mere head knowledge, something that you may want to debate or dispute. For me to enter into such a debate would be futile. If your inward anointing didn't reveal the truths to you, then nothing I say is going to make any lasting difference. It's the Lord's job to teach you, and not mine. Even if I managed to convince you that my view is correct, it would be mere head knowledge. We don't need anymore of that! We need saints who are illuminated from within by true Godly understanding and perspective. Now that’s power!

Verse 28:

• carcass: dead church

• eagles: original word is vultures, NOT eagles (a true eagle is not a carrion eater); spiritually symbolic of demons/deception. The demons of deception will feed on the saints who once had true life, but are now just 'dead flesh'. (It is my personal belief that the 'dead church' are those saints who put their trust in man and man's traditions, the religious system; but it can be larger than that.)

Is Matthew 24 and the "tribulation" futuristic or has it already occurred? The "tribulation" or "distress" Jesus prophesied occurred during the Jewish/Roman war of 67-70 A.D. when the Jewish Temple was literally destroyed and the Jewish State dismantled. Over 1,100,000 Jews perished, and 100,000 others were taken into slavery. The Jews have been scattered all over the world since, as scripture prophesied.

Will there be another "tribulation?" I don't know. I do believe Satan's efforts will intensify in the last days. But the tribulation Jesus prophesied definitely occurred in the first century. In my opinion, it would take someone with a doctrinal agenda to get a future "tribulation" out of Matthew 24. Luke makes this even plainer, in Luke 21:20: "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by [Roman] armies, you will know that its desolation is near."

But what about verse 14? It reads, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." The great and mighty Roman Empire was considered "the world" by its citizens, inasmuch as a large percentage of the earth at that time was encircled by the Roman Empire. And "then the end will come" refers to the end of the Jewish Temple and Jewish State.

Jesus even spoke of how difficult it would be for pregnant women and nursing mothers to escape this calamity. He said, "Pray that your flight will not take place in the winter or on the Sabbath" (verses 19 & 20). Why all this? Because it would be extremely hard for pregnant women and nursing mothers to flee the pending onslaught; the winter would make it harsh, and the gates of the city would be closed on the Sabbath.