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Matthew Chapter 24 survey Setting The Mood In order to understand the words of Christ as recorded in Matthew 24, we need to back up to the events recorded in chapters 21 through 23 of Matthew's Gospel. It is important to keep in mind that the events recorded in these chapters took place in the temple courts (Matt. 21:23-24:1). At the end of chapter 21 we read of the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees concerning the former's authority to chase the money changers out of the temple courts, to heal, to receive praise and to generally make life miserable for any self respecting Jew of the "old school." Jesus, as usual, gives no ground and rebuffs their loaded questions. Then He directs two parables at them. In the second parable Jesus ends by drawing self condemnation from the listening Pharisees (in the style of Isaiah - cf. Isaiah 5:1-7), and proclaiming that "the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it" (Matt. 21:43). These are strong words. Jesus said that those Jews who rejected Him (as their forefather's rejected the prophets, 21:35-36), would be dispossessed, excommunicated - cast out of the special relationship with God that had been theirs. In a manner of speaking, God was going to do some house cleaning and rid His Church of those who worshiped Him in name only. The result would be a removal of conditional privilege from the participants in the old covenant order and placing that privilege on those who participated in the new covenant order. In Chapter 22 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus continued to direct parables at the unbelieving Jews. He declared to them that those who were originally invited to participate in the Kingdom of God would not be allowed to because of their rejection of the Messiah. Indeed, those who scorned the invitation to join the new covenant order would be "destroyed" and their city burned up (22:6-7). Then in Matthew 23 we read a lengthy discourse of Jesus wherein He pronounces woe upon the hypocritical Pharisees (23:23-ff). In His condemnation of the unbelieving Jews, Jesus reminded them that God had sent prophets to proclaim the truth, but their forefather's rejected them, even while claiming to be worshipers of God. Jesus went on to say that those to whom He was speaking participated in the persecution of the prophets of old in that they likewise rejected the truth of God (23:29-33). Moreover, Jesus said that He would send to them prophets, wise men and scribes but that they would reject them (thus rejecting God), just as their father's did. Because of this they would be found guilty of the blood of all the messengers of God and His Messiah. The cup of iniquity was going to be full in the generation that heard and saw Jesus. The rejection of Jesus resulted in the dam breaking and the judgement of God falling on that people. Hence: "Assuredly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation" (23:36, emphasis added). The patience of God would be expended and He would take the kingdom from them. The temple discourse ends with the lamentation; O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See your house is left to you desolate" (23:37-38). Sounding like a prophet of old, Jesus warned the Jews that they were on the edge of catastrophe. Yes He had wanted to gather a remnant out of the apostate nation, but so few responded during Hisministry. Rejection of their Messiah resulted in judgement, culminating in the physical desolation of the temple; the place that used to be a house for God's name (2 Chron. 2:4, 6:18), but became simply their house, devoid of spiritual significance. And so, in accordance with the promised curse of Leviticus 26:31, the temple was made desolate. The Jews, opposing the work of God, filled up the measure of their sins and brought wrath upon themselves "to the uttermost" (1 Thess. 2:14-16). So, in the pages preceding the record of Jesus' Olivet Discourse, we see that Jesus was warning the Jews that judgement was on the way. They were in danger of being dispossessed. They were in danger of being left out of the wedding feast of the Son. And, they were certain to see the demolition of the temple - a proclamation that the new order had come. It Is Given To You To Understand, Verses 1 To 5 Now then, chapter 24 of Matthew's Gospel opens with what seems like an embarrassed group of disciples trying to divert Jesus from such harsh criticism of the Jewish religious leaders. As He was going out of the temple area they tried to draw His attention to the glory of the building, as if to say: "Why would God leave this wonderful edifice desolate? Are you sure that you wanted to say that Lord?" "His seven woes were pealed out like thunder, and His declaration that their house was left desolate was like a bolt of lightening. But upon leaving, the disciples, like tourists, were exclaiming over the magnificence of the temple. Jesus addressed them with words that made clear that His earlier statements in the temple were not just passing comments. His words carried utmost gravity"when He said: "Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (24:2). Clearly Jesus was speaking of the very stones of the specific temple that He and His disciples were at that moment passing by (Mark 13:1-2, Luke 21:5-6). As we know from the historical record this prophecy was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The short walk from the temple to the Mount of Olives must have allowed the disciples time to recover from their initial dismay over Jesus' apparent ill humor. In 24:3 we read that they (Peter, James, John and Andrew; cf. Mark 13:3), questioned Him further about the timing of this tremendous event. Evidently the disciples understood that the demise of the temple would signal the end of the old covenant age, the sign that "God had divorced Israel, removing Himself from her midst, taking the kingdom from her and giving it to another nation (Matt. 21:43). It would signal the end of the age, and the coming of an entirely new era in world history - Jesus Christ's New World Order." This was so because of the arrival of the Messiah, the One who fulfilled the type provided by the temple and its ritual. Yet is also clear that the disciples did not fully understand the implications of the arrival of the Christ. Indeed at His ascension into Heaven, it seems that they still sought a confirmation that a physical political kingdom of Israel would be set up. It was not until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that they began to realize that the Kingdom was being restored to Israel, but not in the fashion that they had expected. Even then it was a difficult concept for them to grasp (Acts chapters 10, 11, 15). In truth it was not until the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem that the Christian churches were set "free from their Zionist orientation." So, in verse 3, when the disciples ask "when shall these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" we need to recognize this as an inquiry concerning a single event. In other words, "When is this going to happen? What will happen first to tip us off that the old covenant age has ended and that You are about to be revealed as King?" This is not to imply that the disciples believed that Jesus would appear physically to set up His kingdom. They knew the Scriptures well enough to understand that Jesus could "return" through the events brought about by a second agent such as a conquering foreign army. Jesus begins His answer with a warning against deception. He tells them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (24:4-5). In their eagerness to see the consummation of the kingdom, the early Christians would have been susceptible to the message of false prophets and false christs. As the birth pangs of the new covenant order began and persecution increased, the tendency to grasp at any straw promising relief would have escalated. Pax Romana No More, Verses 6 To 8 Having warned His disciples against deceivers, Jesus then begins to answer their question. The first "tip off' that the old covenant age was ending would be widespread fighting and war. This would be a significant sign to them in light of the three hundred years of relative peace enjoyed in the Roman empire which ended with the Jewish uprisings, culminating in revolt in A.D. 66. The wars and rumors of wars that Jesus said His disciples would hear of (24:6), began in A.D. 64 with the coming of Gessius Florus as procurator of Judea. This man robbed and pillaged the Jews and deliberately incited them to rebellion. Meanwhile, the non-Jewish peoples in and around Palestine followed his example and it became "open season" on Jews and thousands were tortured and killed. As we might expect, many Jewish Christians were killed during this time as well, since in the Roman mind, there was a tendency to make "Christian" a secondary designation while "Jew" was primary. Either way there was no hiding from persecution, since it was in A.D. 64 that a Roman persecution of the Christians as Christians began (see below). It is important to remember that the cloak of the Roman empire had been cast over many different nations and ethnic groups. These nations functioned as subject-allied nations under Roman rule: client kingdoms if you will. In other words, although they were under Roman dominion, their national or ethnic identity was retained. Indeed this was the normal practice of the Romans. Each group was allowed their own culture as long as they swore allegiance to Caesar and also accepted at least the rudiments of Roman (Greek), culture. Thus in keeping with Jesus' words in 24:7, Josephus tells us that Jews, Arabians, Idumeans (Edomites) and Syrians were among those involved in the wars that raged throughout the region of Palestine in the mid to late A.D. 60's (Mark 13:8). In addition to the turmoil in and around the land of Israel, the Roman empire saw four emperors in one year (A.D. 68-69), and civil war engulfed the empire until Vepasian captured the throne. Commenting on Matthew 24:7, John Lightfoot wrote: "Besides the seditions of the Jews, made horridly bloody with their mutual slaughter and other storms of war in the Roman empire from strangers, the commotions of Otho and Vitellius are particularly memorable, and those of Vitellius and Vespasian, whereby the whole empire was shaken." One aspect of the wars that took place at that time that is often overlooked is the wholesale slaughter of Jews by fellow Jews. Josephus tells us that there were civil wars throughout Judea, most notable being the bloody infighting between three factions in Jerusalem. In fact one might say that the Jewish slaughter of Jews "destroyed the city and the Romans destroyed the" butchery. This is a fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy as recorded in 14:13-14b. There we read that: "And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will lay hold on the hand of his fellow, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other; even Judah will fight against Jerusalem" (RSV, cf. Deut. 28:20, 28). A more accurate description of the happenings in Jerusalem a generation after the prophecy of Jesus could scarcely be written. In addition to widespread warfare the Roman empire was ravaged by "famine, pestilence, fire, hurricane and earthquake" during the same periodin fulfillment of Matthew. 24:7. A parallel passage in Luke 21:11 tells us that there were "fearful sights and great signs from heaven" foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem as well. According to Josephus, these fearful sights and signs included angelic armies besieging the city; an apparition of a giant sword hanging over Jerusalem; a comet "that continued a whole year"; heavy temple gates opening of their own accord and a "quaking" and "a great noise" in the temple followed by a "sound as of a great multitude, saying, 'let us remove hence.'" Anyone living at that time who was familiar with the prophecy of Jesus concerning the end of the old covenant order would have understood that His predictions were coming to pass. Yet these events were just the "beginning of sorrows" (24:8). The end (of the old covenant age) was not yet. Nor would it signal the end of the persecution endured by the Church. In fact it was just the beginning of the great tribulation that would take place as the old order passed away. Persecution And Expansion, Verses 9 To 14 As with the prophets of the older testament, Jesus does not hold to a strict chronology in His Olivet Discourse. Rather than understand His words as "first this will happen and then this will happen" and so on, we need to understand His prophecy as pointing to certain events taking place during a certain period of time. In other words, Jesus is not saying that persecution would arise only after they had heard of wars and rumors of war. The fact is that the New Testament Church was persecuted from its inception (Acts 4:3, 5:40, 7:59-8:1, 12:1-2, 16:19-24, 19:23-41, 21;19-20). This persecution of true Israel was pressed by apostate Israel and took place throughout the Roman empire (Acts 13:50, 14:2, 19, 17:5, 13, 18:6, 12, Gal. 4:29, 1 Thess. 1:6, 2:14, 2 Thess. 1:4). We do not properly understand the message of New Testament if we ignore the Jewish persecution of the early Church and the reasons behind it. We must also recognize the protection that Rome initially provided for the Church (Acts 12;31-32, 21:31-32, 23:10, 25:10-12, 28:16, 31). However that protection ended after Nero blamed Christians for the burning of Rome in A.D. 64 (a date coinciding with the arrival of Gessius Florus in Judea and the comple-tion of the temple in Jerusalem). At that time the full import of this prophecy of Jesus was felt by His followers: "you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (24:9b). As a result there came a falling away from the faith, (24:10, 12), and an increase in the number of false teachers and prophets (24:11) - specifically the Judaizers (Acts 20:29-30, Rom. 16:17-18, 2 Cor. 11:12-13, Gal. 2:4-ff, Phil. 3:2-11, Col. 3:18-23, 1 Tim. 4:1-11, 2 Tim. 1:15, 3:1-9, 4:9, Titus 1:10-16, 1 John 2:18-23, 2 John 9-10, Jude 4-ff). Nevertheless, Jesus promised His disciples that the ones who endured the tribulations surrounding His revelation as King would in fact be saved (Mark 13:13, Luke 21:19). Truly the events predicted by Jesus served to purge the first century Church of dross. Again quoting Lightfoot, here concerning Matthew 24:9 we read: "To this relate those words of Peter, 1 Peter iv.17, "The time has come that judgement must begin in the house of God;" that is, the time foretold by our Saviour is now at hand, in which we are to be delivered up to persecution &c. these words denote that persecution which the Jews, now near ruin, stirred up almost everywhere against the professors of the gospel. They had indeed oppressed them hitherto on all sides, as far as they could, with slanders, rapines, whippings, stripes &c. ...But there was something that put a rub in their way, that, as yet, they could not proceed to the utmost cruelty; [once Rome joined the persecution] the Jews now breathing their last (and Satan therefore breathing his last effects in them, because their time was short) ...broke out into slaughter beyond measure, and into a most bloody persecution..." (brackets added) Jesus also promised that in the face of this opposition the Gospel would spread throughout the world before the end of the old covenant age (24:14). The record of the New Testament clearly shows that this in fact did happen. For instance, writing about a decade before the events predicted by Christ in His olivet discourse, Paul claimed that the Gospel had gone out into "all the world" and that it had been preached to "every creature under heaven" (Col. 1:6, 23, cf. Acts 1:8, 2:5, 8-11, 8:4, Rom. 1:8, 10:18, 16:19, 1 Thess. 1:8). The "whole world" that Jesus was speaking of was the oikumene (oikoumenh), the "house"of the Roman empire and would have been understood as such by His original audience (we will revisit the importance of the oikumene in our look at the book of Revelation). In the space of a single generation, the entire Roman world had been touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of His kingdom. Christians all over the Roman world were waiting expectantly for the revelation of Jesus as King: waiting for the signs that He said would precede that revelation. Moreover, it was necessary for the Gospel to go out to every part of the Roman empire before the closure of the old covenant order since Jews were found in every place (Acts 13:46, 15:21). God gave every opportunity for repentance before He brought judgement against the apostate nation. When the conditions provided by Jesus were fulfilled - when their cup of iniquity was full - judgement fell. The persecution of Christians led up to and ended during the persecution of the Jews. This was a judgement against the Jews for their rejection of Christ: first while He was on earth and second while He preached the Gospel to them through His Body, the Church. The Abomination Of False Worship, Verse 15 Having given the disciples an overview of the events that would commence in about 34 years, Jesus then tells them how to avoid the worst of it. In 24;15-16 He said that when they saw a certain thing happen, it would be time to flee Jerusalem. He said: "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place ...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." In order to understand Jesus' meaning, we need to look at what the Bible has to say about the "abomination that causes desolation" and specifically at the passages in Daniel 11:31 that Jesus is referring to. The word we want to focus on first is "abomination." In other words our aim is to find out what it is that caused desolation of the "holy place." The Hebrew word translated as abomination in Daniel 11:31 is sheqets and is used in several places in the older testament, sometimes translated as "abomination" ("abominations" Deut. 29:17, or "abominable" 2 Chron 15:8), or as "detestable" ("detestable things" Ezk. 5:11). For example, in Deuteronomy 29:17 the children of Israel are warned against being enticed by the false gods of the pagan nations and by the "apparatus" (the false, i.e. ungodly ritual), used in worshiping those false gods. In 1 Kings 11:5, 7 we are told that Solomon apostatized due to the influence of his wives and "went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites" and he "built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab ...and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon" (cf, 2 Kng. 23:13). In 2 Kings 23:24 we are told that king Josiah rid the land of mediums and spiritists and of "the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book" of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 15:8 tells us that Asa king of Judah "took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin" (removed the false worship), and that he "restored the altar of the Lord" (restored the proper worship). Jeremiah declared that the Judeans had done evil in the sight of God, setting their "abominations in the House that is called by My name, to pollute it" (see also 32:34). God had seen the apostasy of the people, their adulteries against Him their harlotry and their "abominations on the hills in the fields" (13:27, cf. 16:18, Ezk. 20:30). God, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel said that the people of Jerusalem had defiled the temple with their abominations (Ezk. 5:11), that they had made abominations and detestable things out of the temple ornaments (7:20). Moreover, Ezekiel is shown (in the Spirit) the apostasy of the Jews left in Jerusalem and the abominations that they committed in the house of God - worshipping false gods even while they claimed to be worshiping God. (Ezk. 8). Now, the main point that runs through all of the above passages is that false worship is an abomination. In the case of the children of Israel, they were told to be sure that they did not worship God in the way that the pagans worshiped their gods (Deut. 12:1-4). Solomon, while retaining a so-called allegiance to God, mixed pagan practices with the true worship of the true God. In the days of the divided monarchy, the people of Judah retained a superficial commitment to God, even while they mixed the worship of false gods into their daily life. Just before and after the initial conquest of Judah by the Babylonians, the Jews claimed the favor of God because of the presence of the temple (Jer. 7:4), even while bringing forms of pagan worship into the cultic practices of the temple. In short, it is an abomination to apostatize from the true faith and to compromise with the pagan ways of the world. It is an abomination to reject God (for allowing other gods is to reject God), even while "worshiping" Him in a way that is of our own choosing. Hence it is debatable whether a pagan can commit an abomination (sheqetes), in the sense discussed here. Isaiah 66:3-4a sums up the principle: "He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dogs neck; he who offers a grain offering as if he offers swine's blood; he who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in abominations. so will I choose their delusions and bring their fears on them." In other words, simply performing prescribed acts of worship is not true worship. False worship is to offer mixed or hypocritical "devotion" to God and that is an abomination. Thus when Daniel says that there was a time (future to him) when the daily sacrifice would be taken away and "the abomination of desolation" (or the abomination that causes desolation), would be in the temple (Dan. 11:31), we need to look for a event wherein the true worship of God was compromised and the nation fell into apostasy. A common interpretation of this prediction is the attack and slaughter of Jerusalem and the desecration of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanesin about 168 B.C. Yet, rather than consider just the desecration of the temple and altar by Antiochus Epiphanes we need to back up a step . Why? Because false worship is called an abomination in connection with those who are supposed to be the people of God. As we have seen from our survey of related passages, the false worship of the pagan nations is termed an abomination when the people of God adopt that worship, particularly when they adopt it and "mix" it with the worship of God. In other words, they claim, or proclaim the name of God as followers of Him even while practicing false worship. Thus the abomination that brings desolation is a hypocritical allegiance to God. When we do back up a step from the activities of Antiochus we find that the abomination that Daniel was probably referring to was the activity of the false high priests. False worship began when Onias, a Zadokite and a righteous manwas put out of the priesthood (Zadok was a descendant of Eleazar, the third son of Aaron [1 Chron. 6:1-ff, 50-ff], thus Onias was a legitimate high priest). The brother of Onias, Jason by name, bribed Antioch-us and so secured the position of high priest in Onias' stead. This Jason encouraged heathen ways in Jerusalem and pushed the people to adopt Greek practices. Later Jason lost his position when Menelaus, a Benjamite,offered a larger bribe to Antiochus. Thus the false worship of God took another step into apostasy. This Menelaus had the "mind of a cruel tyrant and the rage of a savage beast." From the time of his achieving the high priesthood, until the Maccabeean revolt, the office of high priest was held by the highest bidder. Menelaus lost the position for a time when he failed to pay his promised bribe. He later regained the post when he pillaged the temple for the gold to pay the agreed price. When Onias rebuked him for his sin, Menelaus had him murdered. Here was a man who "claimed" the name of Jehovah while making a mockery of the true worship of God. Indeed it was "Menelaus, that traitor to the laws, and to his country" who actually took Antiochus into the temple and the holy placeand so participated in the sacrifice of swine's flesh on the altar of God. With his knowledge and consent sacrifice to false gods, the prohibition of sabbath observance and of circumcision, the destruction of the "books of the law" and the murder of those pious Jews who resisted, all took place. Thousands of Jews were killed or enslaved during this time. Menelaus then remained as an agent of Antiochus to see that the new norms were enforced. Thus the worship of God fell into apostasy. It was not true worship of God but false, offered by illegitimate priests and mixed with the paganism of the surrounding nations. This was the abomination of desolation that Daniel wrote about. So, the abomination of Daniel 11:31 was the false high priesthood (culminating in Menelaus) which caused desolation of the land with hypocritical "worship" of God. This interpretation provides us with a pattern that aids us in understanding the meaning of Matthew 24:15. Now then, what is it that Jesus meant when He said, "when you see the 'abomination of desolation' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (Matt. 24:15)? To begin with we are able to rule out the Roman armies on two counts. First, they do not qualify as those who may commit an abominable act as discussed above. Second, the Romans did not achieve the temple until Jerusalem had been overthrown and temple worship had long ended. At that point it would have been about three years too late to "flee to the mountains" (24:16). Instead we must consider what activity would have been defined as false and hypocritical worship of God? The answer is actually quite obvious. After Christ fulfilled the promises of the old covenant order, all worship of God that was not in and through Jesus was false and hypocritical. Jesus said that he "who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:23); that he "who hates Me hates My Father also" and that the unbelieving Jews "hated both Me and My Father" (15:23-24). John said that anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ also denies the Father - to deny the Son means that you do not have the Father (1 John 2:22-23). In other words, there can be no true worship of the Father without worship of the Son. A look at Daniel 9:27 gives us further insight into this discussion. Here we read that Jesus brought an end to sacrifice by His final sacrifice for our sins. However, Daniel writes of an event that would follow: "on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." The phrase "wing of abominations" has posed a problem for Christians for centuries. Yet if we allow the Scripture to interpret this obscure phrase for us, its meaning becomes clear. The Hebrew word translated as "wing" in Daniel 9:27 is kanaph and is found in several other Old Testament passages. For instance in Numbers 15:38-39 the children of Israel were told to make tassels on the corners (wings) of their garments so that they might look at them and remember to follow God's commands, "and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined." This command is repeated in the second giving of the law without comment: "You shall make tassels on the four corners (wings) of the clothing with which you cover yourself" (Deut. 22:12). In Jeremiah 2:34 we read that one of the sins of the people of Jerusalem was that the skirts (wings) of the garments of those who were in a position to help the less fortunate were covered with the blood of the "poor innocents." Indeed the very wing that was to be a covering of refuge (Ruth 3:9, kanaph [wing], translated as covering), had become a net to deceitfully ensnare. We also read of the wings of the cherubim which overshadowed the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:20) and of the wings of the cherubim in the temple of Solomon - wings that stretched from one wall of the holy place to the other (1 Kngs. 6:24-27). The seraphim that Isaiah saw (Is. 6:2) and the "living creatures" that Ezekiel saw (Ezk. 1:5-ff) are described as having wings as are the "living creatures" of John's vision (Rev. 4:6-ff). It is important to note that the wings of the seraphim and living creatures are not given primarily to enable them to fly. They have several wings and they are used to cover their face and feet or bodies. Thus their wings were used to show the humility of the angelic beings before God and their worship of Him. Additionally, God bore the children of Israel on eagle wings out of Egypt (Ex. 19:4). Moreover, the Bible says that we may find refuge under the "wings" of God (Ps. 36:7, 57:1, 61:4, 63:7, 91:4). What emerges in this brief overview of the uses of the Hebrew word kanaph is that wings, or those things that are called wings, symbolize worship and humility before God, and, the "God like" activity of protection and care for the weak. Therefore, when we read of the wing of abomination in Daniel 9:27, we are back to a discussion of false worship; abominable acts in God's name. Once Jesus brought an end to sacrifice, the worship and sacrifice offered by the Jewish priests became false worship and sacrifice. It was worship that was supposedly directed to God, but it was hypocrisy and thus an abomination to God. The "wing of abomination" is none other than the wing of the Jewish garment (especially the garment of the priest), that was supposed to remind the Jew to obey the law, worship God and to provide the "God like" care for the weak demanded by the law. The Jews, however, rejected the law of God in their rejection of the Messiah (Matt. 5:17-48, John 5:38-47), and they rejected the demands of the law to care for the weak yet continued to hypocritically claim that they worshiped God (Matt. 23:13-14). An abomination causes spiritual desolation and is always manifested in physical desolation. So, when Daniel said that "on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate" he was referring to the spiritual desolation that came upon the Jews for their rejection of the Messiah and false worship of God there-after. The "consummation which is determined" was the physical manifestation of that spiritual desolation - the destruction of the temple by the Romans in A.D. 70. This was the judgement of God "poured out on the desolate", those who were spiritually already desolate, or dead. Now then, the "abomination of desolation" that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15 was the false worship of God that continued in the temple after Jesus' death and resurrection. Why then did Jesus say that when His disciples saw this happening that the end of the old covenant order was about to be made known? After all, the false worship of God continued for about 34 years from the time of Christ's resurrection to the beginning of the great persecution in A.D. 64. It was 40 years after the resurrection that the destruction of the temple took place in A.D. 70. Looking back again to the abomination that caused desolation in the second century B.C. we are reminded that the false worship of God went on for some time before Antiochus came and desecrated the temple, killed thousands of Jews and enslaved others. Yes, the abomination (false, hypocritical, mixed worship) took place, or was taking place, but God gave time for repentance before He revealed the spiritual desolation in a physical desolation of Jerusalem and the temple. So it was in the first century A.D. During the 40 years that followed the ascension of Jesus, there was an overlap of the old order with the new. The writer of the book of Hebrews said that the old covenant order was "becoming obsolete and growing old" and was "ready to vanish away" but even at that late date (early to mid A.D. 60's), it still existed. In other words, the early church lived in a time of "already but not yet" They already lived in the new covenant order but the old order had not yet passed away. It was an unusual, never to repeated time when the Jews as a corporate body still enjoyed a special, exclusive favor of God. Because of that favor, the old age continued until the Gospel had gone forth into the entire Roman world and every Jew had opportunity to hear and respond. Once that condition had been met (a condition met by the early A.D. 60's, see Col. 1:6, 23, Rom. 1:8, 10:18, 1 Thess. 1:8), the misguided worship of the Jews became false worship, an abomination to God (Rom. 10:1-ff). In addition, it seems that the patience of God extended until the completion of the (third) temple in A.D. 64. Once that false temple was finished, it was no longer an open question as to whether or not the Jews would abandon their stubborn devotion to the old order. If they had discontinued work on the temple in recognition of the coming of the true temple (Jesus), they would have averted the judgement of God. This was the time when the abomination of desolation could be recognized. Priests ministering in a completed temple would be the fulfillment of the warning of Jesus. When the disciples saw that, they were to "flee to the mountains" (Matt. 24:16). It was proof that the apostate Jews were not going to turn from their false worship of God and so the abomination that brings desolation would be complete. At that point the great tribulation (24:21) of the Church began. The tribulation did not end until the days of vengeance were under way some three and one half years later (Luke 21:22). The old order would not be closed with the persecution of the Church. There was still more to come. As Luke said, the events that Jesus spoke of introduced the days of vengeance, when there "was great distress in the land (of Palestine) and wrath upon this people" (Luke 21:23b, parenthesis and italics added). The final persecution of the Church by the apostate nation filled her cup of wrath and vengeance was poured out on "this people", the Jews who rejected Jesus and the message of His Church. "Neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness that this was, from the beginning of the world" (Josephus, Wars, V:X:5). The devastation of the land and the carnage was almost unbelievable. It is no wonder that Jesus continued to warn the Jews, even on the way to calvary, saying; "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!' They will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'" (Luke 23:28-30). Get Out While The Getting Is Good, Verses 16 To 22 Although the unbelieving Jews persecuted the followers of Jesus from the very beginnings of the Church , it was not until the completion of the temple in A.D. 64 that the persecution was joined by the Romans and it became a time of great tribulation for Believers. (In Luke 21:12 Jesus said that before the wars and rumors of war, the earthquakes, famine and so on, the disciples would be persecuted: it was an ongoing reality for the Church in the generation after Christ's ascension.) From that point forward until the outbreak of the Jewish war with Rome, Christians were killed by the thousands by Jewish and Roman persecutors alike. For it was in July, A.D. 64 that Rome burned and the conflagration was blamed on the Christians by Nero. Soon after, the Roman persecution of the Church began. Jesus begins His instructions pertaining to the great tribulation with "permission" to flee the crisis (24:16). When it became clear that the Jewish Priest would continue to offer worship in a completed temple, Christians were to "flee to the mountains." Often times Christians have the idea that the godly thing to do in times of upheaval is to stay put and "go down with the ship." That may be what God calls certain individuals to do. However, one principle we learn from this passage is that our Lord allows - even commands - the Church as a corporate body to flee certain crisis and persecution. This in order to survive and "fight" another day. There are times to stand fast and there are times to get away and find a safe haven. Although there will never be a tribulation of this magnitude again, there will be times when the wise decision is to flee and wait out the storm. In Matthew 24:17-18 Jesus impresses the urgency of the hour upon His disciples them when He tells them that they should not go back into Jerusalem to collect their belongings (cf. Mark 13:14-16). He further impresses them with the harsh realities of the coming judgement on Jerusalem when He says, "woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!" (24:19). Nonetheless, we may expect that Jesus is using the language of hyperbole here as was common with the prophets. This is not to say that the great tribulation would have been anything less than Jesus said (24:21). It is simply to say that those who paused long enough to gather belongings would not be immediately swept away in the persecutions that began in A.D. 64. Jesus' admonition for them to pray that their flight would not take place in winter or on the Sabbath (24:20), has very practical reasons behind it. Undertaking a journey in the cold and wet of winter would draw attention to oneself (not to mention that travel would be more difficult). Likewise, a journey of any distance on the Sabbath would make the Christians stick out like a sore thumb. In either situation they would be made more conspicuous targets. As we conclude this section, we see that Jesus described the tribulation of those days as the worst to ever come upon a people in the history of the world (24:21). To our way of thinking, the Jewish and Roman persecution of the first century Church can not be compared to the "horror experienced by the Jews and others under Nazism, the horrors of the GULAG prison system in the Soviet Union, the horrors experienced by the Chinese in the Great Cultural Revolution, the horrors experienced by the Cambodians under the Pathet Lao, and the horrors of the endless war of the Hutus and Tutsis in West Africa" and yet Jesus "tells us that His people underwent worse in the years between A.D. 64 and 68" when Rome, formerly the protector of the Church abandoned its proper role and joined the harlot nation in her ravaging of the true Israel. It has to do in part with who is experiencing the persecution. The bride of Christ is of far greater concern to God than any other nation or people group. Also, the phrase "since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor shall there ever be" demands "a comparison of the present with both past and future miseries. It most certainly contemplates a period after the event - that there would be additional sufferings, less in intensity for sure, but other sufferings nevertheless." In other words, the idea that this great tribulation will take place at the end of human history is negated by the fact that it is compared with times of suffering that would take place after the great tribulation has passed. A great tribulation that takes place at the end of history does not allow for any future suffering and makes Jesus' comparison frivolous. In Matthew 24:22 we see that Jesus promises relief for the Church (24:22). He declares that if God had not shown mercy and ended the tribulation, there would have been no elect (true), Jews left. Yet for the sake of the elect (Is. 10:22), the great tribulation of the Church came to a close and the days of vengeance against Israel commenced in ernest (Luke 21:22). A Second Warning Concerning Deception, Verses 23 To 28 Once again Jesus warns His disciples to be on gaurd against deception. As He did at the beginning of His discourse, Jesus tells them that they should not expect Him to appear physically at the end of the old covenant order. The Bible tells us that there were false teachers that arose in the early Church trying to deceive, "if possible, even the elect (24:24, cf. Acts 21:38 and etc.). Eusebius, drawing from the account of Josephus, says that the "Egyptian imposter" mentioned in Acts 12:38, assumed "the authority of a prophet." This false prophet, who may have been posing as the Messiah, led his followers "forth from the Mount of Olives, determining to enter Jerusalem by force:" and seize governing authority. He failed but escaped with his life, thus the confusion on the part of the commander of the Roman garrison who "rescued" Paul from the Jerusalem mob (Acts 21). In fulfillment of this prophecy of Jesus, the false prophets tried to draw followers to desert locations and to "inner rooms" (24:26). So called prophets continued to give the Jews false hope right up to the end. As Josephus writes: "Now, there was then a great number of false prophets suborned by the tyrants to impose upon the people who denounced this to them, that they should wait for deliverance from God: and this was in order to keep them from deserting, and that they might be buoyed up above fear and care by such hopes." In Matthew 24:27 we read: "For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." As we have seen in earlier portions of this manuscript, this sort of language is used to describe the "coming" of God in judgement to end the old order and begin the new (Is. 30:27, Zech. 9:14). Unlike the false Messiahs, the coming of Jesus was not localized but was manifest all over the Roman world. "(T)he Redeemer is sent to diffuse his grace suddenly and unexpectedly through every quarter of the (Roman) world." The end of the old covenant age opened the doors of salvation to all of mankind. The world wide (Roman world) upheaval that preceded the close of the old order was a sure sign that a new age was being birthed. In addition; "Christ's taking vengeance of that exceeding wicked nation is called Christ's 'coming in glory,' and his 'coming in the clouds,' Dan. vii. It is also called 'the day of the Lord.' See Psalm i.4, Mal. iii.1,2 &c.; Joel ii.31; Matt. xvi.28, Rev. i.7 &c. ...The meaning, therefore, of the words before us is this: While they shall falsely say that Christ is to be seen here or there ...he himself shall come like lightening, with a sudden and altogether unexpected vengeance." In 24:28 Jesus said that "wherever the carcass is there the eagles will be gathered." Many commentators see this as a reference to the Roman armies with their eagle ensigns surrounding the doomed "corpse" of Jerusalem and Judaism. However, the context contrasts the coming of the false prophets and false christs with the coming of the Lord Jesus. In other words, the eagles - or vultures - that gathered around the corpse of Judaism were the false prophets and false christs. Jesus is telling His disciples that another sign of His impending return in judgement will be the gathering of these imposters to the false worship of God. What was "becoming obsolete and growing old (was) ready to vanish away" (Heb. 8:13). The smell of death was upon that generation that had called down a curse upon themselves (Matt. 27:25, John 3:18, 2 Cor. 2:14-16), and Satan's false christs and false prophets - his vultures - were flocking to the scene. Regrets And Rejoicing, Verses 29 To 31 Matthew 24:29 tells us that "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (emphasis added), the old covenant order came to a close with the fall of Jerusalem and of the temple. It was not until the great tribulation of the first century Church had passed that the old covenant age ended. As we have seen in our discussion of the Old Testament cosmic phenomena passages, when the Bible says that "the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken", we know that it is not to be taken literally. Instead it signifies "the putting down of all rule, authority and power" associated with the Jewish nation. The Bible shows us that this sort of language is used by the prophets to tell of the end of a socio-political and religious order. This was to be a source of encouragement to the disciples. Although the early Church would have to endure horrible tribulation, they could have hope in the fact that after that tribulation had passed and the cup of iniquity of apostate Israel was full, there would be relief and apostate Israel would be judged. More than that, they could rejoice in the fact that the great tribulation signaled the turning of the page of history. In other words, right on the heels of the great tribulation of the Church, the fall of the Jewish nation and its temple religion took place and thus the fall of the old covenant order (remember, the great tribulation of the Church and the days of vengeance against apostate Israel overlap, but they are not the same thing). When the destruction of the elements of the old order was complete, then the world would know that the Son of Man had ascended to heaven, to rule the universe from the right hand of God. This is what is meant by 24:30: "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven", or as a literal rendering of the Greek says: "And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven." This literal translation is significant because: "...the location spoken of is heaven>, not just the sky; second, it is not the sign which is in heaven, but the Son of Man who is in heaven. The point is simply that this great judgement upon Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, will be the sign that Jesus Christ is enthroned in heaven at the Father's right hand, ruling over the nations and bringing vengeance upon His enemies. The divinely ordained cataclysm of A.D. 70 revealed that Christ had taken the Kingdom from Israel and given it to the Church; the desolation of the old Temple was the final sign that God had deserted it and was now dwelling in a new Temple, the Church." The result of this sign that the Son of Man is in heaven is mourning on the part of the tribes of the land. The NKJV translates the Greek word ge (gh), as "earth." The correct translation is "land" as in all the tribes of the land of Israel. And why would the tribes of Israel mourn? They mourned because they were under the lash of the Messiah whom they had rejected. When the old order finally came to an end and the elements of that old order were destroyed, they realized - at last - that the wrath of God had been poured out upon them from His glory cloud of judgement. When the judgement of apostate Israel was complete, the Gospel broke forth on the world in power. In Matthew 24:31 Jesus said that once the outpouring of wrath was over, He would send out messengers of the Gospel back into all the world. The word translated as "angels" in 24:31 is aggelos (pronounced angelos), simply means "messengers." It is used at times in the new Testament to refer to human messengers (Matt. 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:24, 27, 9:52, Jms. 2:25 and etc.), and means here that Christ would send out His missionaries into all the world. The "great sound, of a trumpet" reminds us that this too is glory cloud language. As the Gospel goes forth, Jesus is proclaimed as the Lawgiver and Judge who must be recognized as Lord and obeyed (Acts 6:7, Rom. 1:5, 10:9, 15:18, 16:26, 2 Cor. 10:15). This may also refer to the blowing of the trumpet in the year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:9). Jesus, of course, inaugurated the Jubilee (Luke 4:17-21), setting men free and calling them to "return to their possession" in the true land, Jesus Christ Himself. The meaning of this verse, then, is that after the old passed away, the messengers (missionaries) of Christ would go forth into all the world and gather out a people for Jesus. That activity continues to this day. The End Is At Hand, Verses 32 To 35 In Matthew 24:32-33 we see that Jesus told His disciples that when they saw that these events were beginning to unfold, they should know that the culmination of those events would quickly follow. In other words, "when Pax Romana is no more; or when false christs, prophets and teachers arise; or when you see the abomination of mature false worship; or when Rome begins to join the Jews in persecuting the Church: when these start to happen, get ready because the end is near!" In 24:34 Jesus made it clear that the things He spoke of would take place within a generation of His prophecy: "Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." The Greek word translated as "generation" is genea (genea) and means here, "the whole multitude of men living at the same time, an age (i.e. the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), the space of from 30 to 33 years." That "the contemporaries of Jesus and His disciples must live to see (the) events" He described is clear enough. As we have seen in this chapter, the prophesied events did in fact take place within a generation of the original audience ( Matt. 10:23, 21:43, 23:31-39). This is why Jesus was able to say in another place that some of them would live to see Him coming in His kingdom (Matt. 16:18). In other words, some (or at least one) of the disciples would live to see Jesus revealed as King by the events surrounding the closure of the old covenant age. As the nobleman who went away to receive a kingdom and later returned to slay those who hated Him, Jesus would return to slay apostate Israel (Luke 19:12-27). In Matthew 24:35 Jesus declares that: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." This is not a break with the context of the preceding verse, but an expansion on the same theme. As we have already seen, "heaven and earth" in the language of the prophets refers not to the literal creation but to authority and systems of government. This is why Jesus said that "till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Now, the fact is that many jots and tittles passed from the law once Jesus accomplished the purpose for which He had come to earth (John 12:27). Indeed, the writer of the book of Hebrews says that with the change of the priestly order there came a change in the law (Heb. 7:12) and that "there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness" (7:18). Clearly Jesus spoke of the passing of the old age when He said that all aspects of the law would stand until heaven and earth passed away. He speaks of the same thing here in His Olivet Discourse So then, Jesus promised that although the old order would pass, His words - His authority - would never pass. The kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Dan. 2:44, Heb. 12:28). The Signs Will Begin Suddenly, Verses 36 To 44 In this portion of His discourse Jesus tells His disciples that no one would know when all the things that He had told therm about would start to happen. In other words, although the signs would let them know that the end of the old order was near, it was an open question as to when those signs would begin. In 24:36 Jesus made clear that even He (in His human nature) did not know exactly when the signs would commence. Jesus illustrated this by using the example of the Flood. The Flood had been predicted and we might imagine that Noah had warned his neighbors about it during the century it took him to build the Ark. Nonetheless, when the flood waters actually began to rise, it would have been quite a shock to the scoffers of Noah's day. Until that time, life had gone on pretty much the same as always. This is how it was in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. The state of the Jews at that time was like "theirs in the time of Noah and ...their ruin should be like also." Peter wrote of this very topic in his second epistle, probably having in mind the words that Jesus spoke that day on the Mount of Olives. Peter said that "scoffers will come in the last days" (of the old covenant age), "walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming (in judgement)?'" (2 Peter 3:3-4 and etc.). Peter went on to compare the destruction of the old covenant order with the destruction of the pre-flood order. Both came upon the unrepentant with sudden fury. In 24:40 Jesus uses the hyperbole that is common to prophetic speech and says that: "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left." Contrary to popular belief this verse (and 24:41), has nothing to do with a "secret rapture." Hopefully it is clear to the reader by now that the whole of this chapter has to do with events that took place some 2000 years ago. The point that Jesus is making here is twofold. First, there is the element of suddenness that he continues to press home. In addition, He is saying that on the surface there will be no difference between the elect and the apostate Jew (concerning their normal work-a-day life, not their witness). Both will go about their daily business until that day when Christ will be revealed as King by the events already described. In fact, rather than a rapture out of the mess, this being "taken" refers to being taken by the judgement. In other words, to be taken in the context of this discourse (cf. 24:39), is to be swept away by the judgement of God upon apostate Israel. The shift from a day to day mundane existence under Roman rule to war and tribulation took place almost over night. And even though there were messengers of warning,the apostate Jews would not be ready and there would not be time for a change of heart once the tidal wave of tribulation hit the city. Nor would there be time for vacillation once the signs predicted by Jesus commenced. Jesus is also warning against divided loyalties in these verses. In a parallel passage in Luke 17:31-32 Jesus told His disciples to "remember Lot's wife." Remember what happens to those with divided loyalties, "(f)or lot's wife was changed into a pillar of salt, ...because hesitating whether there were good reasons for departing from the city, she looked behind her." In the days of the revelation of Jesus as King it would have been foolish to look back upon Judaism with a longing eye. Jesus warned His disciples that it would cost them their very lives. He repeats this idea in 24:41 and 43 to remind His disciples to be watchful and single-minded. This was no idle warning. The Bible tells us that it was a struggle for even the Apostles to remain unencumbered with the apostasy of Judaism (Gal. 2:11-ff). Thus Jesus tells them three times that no one would know exactly when the predicted events would begin and so the need to remain faithful at all times. The only time frame that He gave them was "this generation." Do Your Job And Do It Right, Verses 45 To 51 The chapter ends (although this discourse extends through the end of chapter 25), with Jesus telling His disciples that their job, while waiting for His revelation as King, is to act as faithful stewards of God's house (1 Cor. 9:17). They were to shepherd the Church through the difficult times that were ahead for them (24:45). He told them that if they were diligent in teaching and leading the infant Church, He would bless them with a foundational position in the new temple of God (Eph. 2:20, 1 Cor. 3:17). This privileged position as part of the foundation structure of the Church was a one time honor, never to be repeated with any other group of men. Christ referred to this in Matthew 19:28 when He told His disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (see the further discussion in our look at Revelation below). By this he meant that they would have a special place as the ones who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to "lay down the law" of the Gospel of the Church, the true Israel. Many of the original twelve disciples died before the events prophesied in Matthew chapter 24 took place. Jesus Himself hinted that the only Apostle who would survive until He was revealed as King would be John (John 21:22-23). Yet, even those who "died in the harness" before the fulfillment of the predictions made in the Olivet Discourse, could rest in this promise of Jesus: they would be made a "ruler" over the Church of Jesus Christ (24:47). Their witness, their teaching, their writing would set the direction of the Church and rule as the inspired word of God. It would be a time of reward for faithful followers of Christ as the kingdom of God in Christ came into full bloom (24:46, cf. Matt. 16:17). Luke 22 links the Lord's Supper with Christ's judicial rule in history. It is a means of exercising spiritual and covenantal judgement among men (cf. 1 Cor. 11:22-34)." Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., He Shall Have Dominion, (Tyler TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), 485-486. Jesus made clear that His coming in judgement against apostate Israel would also serve to reveal false brethren (Matt. 22:11-14, 25:12, 30). Therefore, any so-called disciple of Jesus who turned away from the Gospel would be caught red handed in that day of tribulation and pay the same price as the rest of apostate Israel (24:48-51, cf. 22:12-13). For Jesus, the term "hypocrite" was a favorite designation of the unbelieving Jewish religious leaders and their followers and pointed to their practice of the abomination of false worship (Matt. 12:15, 15:7, 16:3, 22:18, 23:13-29, Luke 12:1). Certainly for them and their kind (including false Christian brethren), the revelation of Jesus as King through the events foretold in Matthew 24, would be a time for weeping and gnashing of teeth (24:51). Conclusion Clearly the destruction of Jerusalem and the events that directly proceeded it were designed to herald the victory of the King of the Universe: the despised Man of Nazareth who died on a cross outside its walls only a generation before. The old order had finally come to an end. The new order was seen in full bloom. Things would never be the same again. ____________________ 1. Myron S. Augsburger, The Communicator's Commentary: Matthew, (Dallas: Word Inc., 1982), 268. 2. Josephus, Wars, VI:X:1 and etc. 3. David Chilton, Paradise Restored, (Ft. Worth: Dominion Press, 1985), 88, italics in original. 4. Douglas, "Nero," 827. 5. Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History Of Christianity, 2 vols., (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1975), 1:21. Tim Dowley et al, Eerdman's Handbook To The History Of Christianity, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977), 68. 6. Josephus, Wars, II:XIV:2, II:XVIII:1-7. 7. Josephus tells of Roman citizens, men who were of the equestrian order, being whipped and crucified because they were Jewish by birth. This was in direct violation of Roman custom and law. Hence, the jewishness of the people was primary in the minds of their enemies in Palestine at that time. This helps to explain why - in God's providence - the persecution of Christian Jews was easily dropped once the great tribulation had run it course and an effort to exterminate the Jews as Jews took its place Wars, II:XIV:9. 8. Josephus, Wars, III:I:3, IV:IX:1 and etc. 9. Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, 246-279. 10. Lightfoot, 2:311. 11. Josephus, Wars, IV:III:2, V:I:1. 12. Josephus, Wars, V:IV:3. 13. Roderick Cambell, Israel And The New Covenant, (1957; Phillipsburg NJ: The Presbyterian And Reformed Publishing Company, Geneva Divinity School Press, no reprint date), 14. William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Matthew, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1973), 853. See also the various phenomena mentioned in, Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, 213-291. 15. Josephus, Wars, VI:V:3 16. Lightfoot, 2:312. 17. James Jordan, "Jesus' First Eschatological Discourse", Studies in The Revelation, April 1998. Jordan uses the term to mean the "empire or commonwealth. The oikumene was set up by God as a social order or 'world,' and lasted from Nebuchadnezzar to AD 70... It is the same as the God-ordained guardian beast." (September 1998). I view the term more broadly: post AD 70 I think of it as referring to the "house" or "world" that contains the Church. 18. Thayer, 441. 19. Jordan, Studies in The Revelation, January 1997, July -October 1997, March -April 1998. Jordan has written quite a bit on this topic and I am indebted to him for getting my thinking started in this direction. The later discussion concerning "wings" also draws from his insight. 20. 2 Maccabees 5:11-17 21. Sinclair Ferguson, Mastering The Old Testament: Daniel, (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1988), 230-231. 22. 2 Maccabees 3:5, 4:33, 35 23. 2 Maccabees 4:8 24. 2 Maccabees 4:9-10 25. 2 Maccabees 4:25 26. 2 Maccabees 4:27-34 27. 2 Maccabees 5:15 28. Josephus, Antiquities, XII:V:4 29. 1 Maccabees 1:45-67 30. 2 Maccabees 5:22-23 31. Josephus, Wars, VI:VI:1 32. Ferguson, Daniel, 200-ff. Calvin, Commentaries, XIII:226. 33. Geerhardus Vos, The Pauline Eschatology, (pub. by the author, 1938), 38, cited in, McCarrtney and Clayton, 193. Gordon Fee also draws on this insight of Vos in his commentary on 1 Corinthians as does Douglas Moo in his commentary on Romans. None of these authors, however, recognize the "already but not yet" as pertaining to the old covenant and the new covenant, but instead try to force a new age that does not begin until Christ's second coming into the present time, calling the age after Christ's second coming the "not yet" which we already experience in Christ. To my thinking, this is a classic example of blindly forcing the text into a presupposed mold and really makes no sense. It is much more simple - not to mention more biblical - to recognize that we do in fact live in the new age of Jesus Christ, an age that began with Christ's first advent. The new covenant age began before the old covenant age was over (thus Heb. 8:13), and that answers nicely for the "already but not yet" tension found in the new Testament. 34. I believe that it was James Jordan who said that we should expect that a public celebration of some sort took place at the completion of the temple. This would have been public notice to the Christians that it was time to seek sanctuary. 35. An excursion into Luke 21:20-22 is necessary at this point. The Lukean account reads: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." It is important to note that Luke does not use the word "abomination" in his statement (Mark's account corresponds with the record of Matthew), nor does he write of a great tribulation, but of "days of vengeance." Also, Luke says that "when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near." In other words, when the city is surrounded, it will not be long before it is destroyed as evidence of its spiritual desolation. Matthew never writes about armies surrounding Jerusalem, but about the false worship taking place in the temple and the spiritual desolation it caused. Taken together, we see that Luke simply explains the physical desolation that Matthew hints at. Matthew keeps his focus on the "spiritual side" (and the earlier stages of the event), while Luke fixes his attention on the physical manifestation (and the later stages), of the spiritual reality. Moreover, Luke records Jesus' description of the later stages of the events, after the great tribulation (or near its end actually), but before the final end of the old covenant order. Really then, Luke records a second, separate warning of Jesus, a warning delivered in much the same way as the one recorded by Matthew. The difference is that Luke writes of the days following the commencement of the great tribulation when the days of vengeance (against apostate Jews) were fully arrived. Luke's warning would have ben relevant to any Christian who had remained in Judea or Jerusalem throughout the tribulation. Prior to Vespasian and Titus engaging the Jews in war, the Roman general Cestius had come and besieged Jerusalem. At that point the Jews were not prepared physically nor mentally for a siege of any duration and were ready to surrender. Had Cestius "but continued the siege a little longer" he would have "certainly taken the city; but it was I suppose, owning to the aversion God had already at the city and the sanctuary, that he was hindered from putting an end to the war that very day" (Josephus, Wars, II:XIX:6). So, instead of holding his ground, Cestius "retired from the city without any reason in the world" (II:XIX:7). The result was a warning to any Jew who was still "riding the fence" and an opportunity to escape the doomed city before the return of the Romans under the command of Titus. And, in fact, "many of the most eminent of the Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it is going to sink" (II:XX:1). This event also served as a final warning to any Christians who still remained in the city. The Church historian Eusebius (fourth century A.D.), tells us that the (remaining), Christians left at this time as well: "The whole body, however, of the church at Jerusalem ...removed from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan, called Pella" (Eusebius Pamphilus, Ecclesiastical History, trans., Christian Frederick Cruse, [n.d.; Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990], 86.) Nevertheless, the vast majority of the Jews were not so wise and remained in the city and underwent the lash of God's judgement. Imagine the rush to quit the city at the retreat of Cestius among those who recognized that the end had come. Imagine the horror and anguish of the apostates who stayed behind as they were reduced to cannibalism, mothers eating their own children in a desperate attempt to stay alive (Josephus, >Wars, VI:III:4-5). This was in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28:53 were God declared that if Israel turned away from Him, He would send an army to lay siege to their cities, and that; "You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you." Hundreds of thousands of the Jews died during the Jewish War with many more sold into slavery or killed in the games later (Josephus, Wars, VI:IX:1-ff). The rejection of Jesus was a rejection of God (John 5:23, 1 John 2:23). The events that culminated with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70 were punishment for that rejection. It seems that the temporary siege of Jerusalem by Cestius is the event that Luke had in mind. Matthew wrote of an event that took place about 2 1/2 years earlier. This means that there was an overlap of about a year between the tribulation of Matthew 24:21 and the days of vengeance of Luke 21:22. The warning to flee given by Luke was designed to save Christians from being caught in the vengeance poured out on apostate Israel (cf. Matt. 27:25). The warning of Matthew was designed to save Christians from persecution at the hands of Rome and apostate Israel. Thus, Jesus told His disciples to look for the abomination that causes desolation and when they saw it, to flee. Any Christian who stayed behind (and survived the great tribulation) had a second opportunity to flee when he saw the agent of that desolation. The old order would not be closed with the persecution of the Church. There was still more to come. As Luke said, the events that Jesus spoke of introduced the days of vengeance, when there "was great distress in the land (of Palestine) and wrath upon this people" (Luke 21:23b, parenthesis and italics added). The final persecution of the Church by the apostate nation filled her cup of wrath and vengeance was poured out on "this people", the Jews who rejected Jesus and the message of His Church. "Neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness that this was, from the beginning of the world" (Josephus, Wars, V:X:5). The devastation of the land and the carnage was almost unbelievable. It is no wonder that Jesus continued to warn the Jews, even on the way to calvary, saying; "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!' They will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'" (Luke 23:28-30). 36. Contrary to the opinion of many preterists, the great tribulation was a persecution of the Church, not a judgement against apostate Israel. The judgement of apostate Israel was called the "days of vengeance" (Luke 21:22). 37. Jordan sees more symbolism in this section than I do. By his way of thinking, the mountains pertain to the Church, the housetops to prayer, the clothes to Judaism and the babies to "baby" Christians. An inviting approach: but at this point I believe that it finds more there than Jesus intended. Jordan, Studies in The Revelation, May, 1998. 38. Jordan, Studies in The Revelation, May 1998. 39. Stanley W. Paher, Matthew 24: First Century Fulfillment or End-Time Expectation?, (Las Vegas: Nevada Publications, 1996), 100. 40. Eusebius, 73. 41. Josephus, Wars, VI:V:1-2 42. Josephus, Wars, VI:V:2 43. Lightfoot, 2:319. 44. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary, 6 vols., (McLean VA: MacDonald Publishing Company, n.d.), V:358. 45. Zane C. Hodges and Arthur L. Farstad, eds., The Greek New Testament According To The Majority Text, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985). The word order is the same in the Nestle-Aland text. 46. Chilton, Paradise, 100, italics in the original. 47. Thayer, 112, parenthesis in original. 48. C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary On The Old Testament, 10 vols., (1866-91; Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 1996), 9:751. 49. Lightfoot, 2:321. 50. Those who see being "taken" in this passage as a positive event simply need to read their Bibles more carefully. If it is a blessing to be taken as Christ describes it here, then it was a blessing to be swept away by the Flood as well. 51. Josephus tells us about a rather odd fellow who, "for four years before the war began, and a time when the city was in very great peace and prosperity, came to" the feast of tabernacles and began to cry out: "A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against this whole people!" This he continued even under severe persecution for seven years and five months. He was killed during the war when he was struck by a stone from a Roman catapult. 52. Calvin, Commentaries, XVII:158. 53. "As a consequence of His bestowal of the kingdom, the Lord holds out the promise to them 'that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel' (Luke 22:30). The reference to the eating and drinking at His table must speak of the Lord's Supper, which He had just instituted a few moments before (Luke 22:13-20). Though He is about to die (Luke 22:21-23), they should not despair, for He will be with them spiritually. This will be particularly evident as they gather for 'communion' (1 Cor. 10:16; Rev. 3:20) with Him at the 'Lords Table' (1 Cor. 10:21). Since the kingdom is a present, spiritual reality, we may not take the sitting on thrones in a literal sense, for the apostles never really sat on thrones. This sitting on thrones has spiritual implications, of the order of the Pharisees sitting in 'Moses' seat' (Matt. 23:2) - which certainly was not a literal chair. Although here the express reference is to the Apostles themselves, elsewhere there is a sense in which all Christians sit on thrones. He 'raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus' (Eph. 2:6; cf. Rev. 20:4-6). Luke 22 links the Lord's Supper with Christ's judicial rule in history. It is a means of exercising spiritual and covenantal judgement among men (cf. 1 Cor. 11:22-34)." Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., He Shall Have Dominion, (Tyler TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), 485-486. The End Was Near The Purpose Of This Study The Seed Of Abraham, Israel, The Land And All That The End Is Near The Sky Is Falling Prophetic Licence Survey of Matthew Chapter 24 |