Message for Akron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OH, June 22, 2025.
For the “Live in Church” audio of this message, select HERE.
Whether you are new to reading the Bible or a seasoned veteran reader, a lot of what you see can sometimes be perplexing. As a fellow Berean (see Acts 17:11), I find myself looking through the Bible for answers. But I have learned a couple of principles within the fundamentals of Bible reading and interpretation. The principles are rooted in the following statement by Alistair Begg:
“The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things.”1
This phrase suggests that the most important concepts in the Bible are also the clearest ones, emphasizing that essential truths are straightforward and accessible. It encourages readers to focus on these clear messages rather than getting lost in complex interpretations.2
To summarize this quote, here are my two principles in reading and interpreting Scripture that you’re free to borrow (in addition to reading the Bible every day):
1.) Don’t overthink it.
2.) Don’t embellish it.
As we begin in Revelation, we read that the Lord is going to send two men to witness to the people on earth during the second half of the tribulation, but they are not mentioned by name.
Revelation 11:3-4 NLT
3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”
4 These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth.
Now, there is a lot of speculation as to who these two men are. They were mentioned prophetically in Zechariah 4:14 as “the two anointed ones who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth”. Some have speculated that they are Moses and Elijah, and others have said Enoch and Elijah. Enoch and Elijah are the only referenced prophets who were taken up into heaven by God without dying (Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11-12, Hebrews 11:5), and the reason that some believe the men are Enoch and Elijah comes down to the following passage of Hebrews 9:27:
Hebrews 9:27 NLT
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.
Scripture notes that the two men in Revelation will be slain by the dragon and lie in the streets for three and a half days before God breathes life into them and calls them home with the words, “Come up here!” (Revelation 11:11-12)
But what about Moses and Elijah? Moses was responsible for bringing God’s law to the people. Elijah represents all the prophets.3 But what about Moses when he died on Mount Nebo? He did indeed die as noted in Deuteronomy 34:5-7, but it was the Lord who buried him and no one knows the location. This was a bone of contention for Satan because in Jude (1:9), we’re told that the archangel Michael contended with Satan over Moses’s body. Satan tried to claim Moses as his own, worthy of death, but Michael said, “The Lord rebuke you!” We don’t have any other information about this in Scripture. Why would there be an issue with Moses’s body if he remained dead? Perhaps Satan contended over Moses because he believed that he could be one of the two witnesses. We also know that Moses and Elijah were mentioned by name by Peter when they gave counsel to Jesus at the transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9.3
All of this does not conclusively prove that the two men in Revelation will be these particular men. They literally could be anyone that God chooses. His sovereign nature is in full effect. All of this makes the point that some things we read in the Bible will not be resolved in our lifetime. We will eventually find out when we are with the Lord.
Conclusion: Don’t overthink it. The Word of God stands on its own.
It’s great to learn as much as you can in Scripture. We are challenged to read the Bible every day, as that opens up the opportunity to learn and grow in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit readily provides wisdom, knowledge and understanding. What we need to be cautious of is any effort to get ahead of the Spirit in the rush to understand or make conclusions about what we’re reading. This is where we need to meditate on what we read—and do it daily. We need to be in the Word every day, and take some time over what we have read. In other words, pray and seek the Spirit’s wisdom.
Psalm 1:2 NET
Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;
he meditates on his commands day and night.
Don’t allow reading God’s Word to be a checklist item. If you’re not in the Word to get something out of it, you just won’t.
You won’t get it when you are less led by the Spirit and more led by your own wisdom. It would be great when the moment we believe we know more than we really do that the Spirit would sound an alarm in our minds. It comes down to the fact that the process of learning more and more about Jesus Christ and His Word is not a short-term endeavor. It is a lifelong process. The more that I realize when I read Scripture is that I need to read Scripture even more.
Here’s another subject of Biblical prophecy, a real hot button topic for a lot of people today. The problem with interpreting Biblical prophecy is that our imaginations can sometimes get the better of us. We can spend a lot of time trying to figure out something that may not really be within the message. We’re much better off looking at what the Word says, cross referencing it with other passages, and allowing the Spirit to help us remain grounded.
Let’s go to Matthew Chapter 24 and look at a prophetic message from Jesus. We’ll set this up with the first eight verses:
Matthew 24:1-8 NLT
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
The prophetic words of Jesus in verse two were fulfilled with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple complex in 70 A.D. After five years of fighting in the First Jewish-Roman War, the city’s walls were breached by the Roman army and the temple was destroyed.4 Anyone living at that time would truly think that such an event meant the end of the world as they knew it, which led to the question in verse 3 that we likely would ask Jesus Himself, especially in the context of today’s world. We’ve witnessed yet another threat of war in the Middle East, of course. We also know that there are famines in many places where countries are under civil war conflicts, including Sudan, Afghanistan and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.5 In the last month, there have been significant earthquakes in Peru, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Greece, Columbia and Chile.6 Even if there were media outlets covering these events, there would be no time to see it all. But I love Jesus’s words here…“don’t panic”. Even with this, many of us now are ready for Jesus to come back.
Let’s continue in the text:
Matthew 24:9-14 NLT
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
From here, Jesus is still answering the question of the disciples but now leaps ahead in time to show what is going to take place for those who follow Jesus just before His return. He is now moving into the early tribulation period, which will be just after the church, or the age of the Holy Spirit, is raptured out. Verse 9 shows that lawlessness will be the order of the day, but the gospel will still be preached throughout the world. This affliction will be against Israel. Have you noticed the steady rise of anti-Semitism all over the world? If the church is pulled out of the world, who will stand for Israel? Today, a lot of people from the nation of Israel are not believers in Jesus. Thankfully, the gospel will still be preached everywhere, and Jesus’s return completes the end of the age.
To be clear, Jesus is not making any reference of the rapture to his disciples. He is only speaking about what will happen to Israel during the tribulation. Remember the words of Jesus in the fulfillment of His mission that while He did come to “help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel (Matthew 15:24), He certainly made Himself available to those Gentiles who exercised faith and believed in Him as the Messiah.
Luke 19:9-10 NIV
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Back to Matthew 24. Jesus is still in the midst of answering the question about His return:
Matthew 24:37-44 NLT
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Now, this passage can be confusing if we try to inject anything beyond the intent of Jesus here. We can understand His words about the sudden return of Jesus likening to the day of Noah. His return will be sudden and without warning.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NIV
1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Jesus’s Second Coming is all about judgment. Look again at verses 40 and 41:
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
This occurs at the time of Jesus’s Second Coming after the tribulation. Seven years after the conclusion of the Church Age, and accordingly, the rapture of the believers in Jesus, referred to as the Church. This is a time of judgment for those who are not believers in Jesus. What happened during the days of Noah? The human race, outside of Noah and his family, was wicked and evil.
Genesis 6:5 NIV
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
Noah and his family remained on the earth. Everyone else perished in the Flood. The people who were taken were REMOVED from the earth for judgment. In verses 40 and 41, the ones who remain will be the ones to enter the millennial Kingdom.7 Those REMOVED will go directly to judgment. (If you search for the word ‘rapture’ on the internet, search results and even AI incorrectly reference Matthew 24:40-41.)
Verse 42 is a reassurance to the disciples that He will be returning one day. They had a different expectation of Jesus’s return than we do today, but the lesson is the same for all of us.
The story of Jesus’s Second Coming stands on its own. No need to embellish it. Stay with the truth in the Word.
As far as the rapture, there is a distinct difference from the description of Jesus’s return in His Second Coming as referenced in Acts 1:9-11.
The rapture, in contrast, involves the departure of His Church by going up into the air to meet Him. The English word “rapture” is a reflection of the Greek word ἁρπάζω (harpazó), which literally means, “to seize, catch up, snatch away”.8
We have to remember that the rapture was revealed to Paul through the Spirit as a way to encourage all believers who live, or will live and die in Christ:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Jesus will be IN THE AIR when He receives His believers. The Second Coming is Jesus’s feet on the ground, and He will establish His millennial kingdom here on earth.
This was a lot to process in one sitting. But hopefully, it is enough to really challenge you to get more acquainted with Jesus. All that it requires is your time and effort in the Word. The indwelling Spirit will take care of the rest.
The main things are the plain things in God’s Word. Just don’t overthink or embellish it.
Copyright © 2025 Melvin Gaines.
1 Goodreads. (n.d.). A quote by Alistair Begg. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/447719-the-main-things-are-the-plain-things-and-the-plain
2 Blog listing. BibleRef.com. (n.d.). https://www.bibleref.com/blog/2016-2-blog.html
3 BBC. (2023, January 4). The transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) – the identity of jesus – CCEA – GCSE religious studies revision – CCEA – BBC bitesize. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zvxtgwx/revision/10
4 Wikimedia Foundation. (2025b, June 17). First Jewish–roman war. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Jewish%E2%80%93Roman_War
5 Global Food Crisis: 10 countries suffering the most from hunger. World Food Program USA. (2024, June 25). https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/global-food-crisis-10-countries-suffering-the-most-from-hunger/
6 Recent earthquakes. Artemis.bm – The Catastrophe Bond, Insurance Linked Securities & Investment, Reinsurance Capital, Alternative Risk Transfer and Weather Risk Management site. (2024, April 7). https://www.artemis.bm/recent-earthquakes/
7 McGee, V. (1984). Thru the Bible: Genesis through Revelation (Matthew 24:32-51). Thomas Nelson. Retrieved from https://www.perlego.com/book/552882/thru-the-bible-genesis-through-revelation-pdf (Original work published 1984)
8 mswilso. (2021). Rapture definition. Reddit. June 19, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/Bible/comments/qjhffo/where_is_the_rapture_at_in_the_bible
Melvin Gaines 