Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Signs of nearness but unknown time


Matthew 24:32-41; Mark 13:28-32; Luke 21:28-33

Both Matthew and Mark have what scholars call a “transition passage” at this point in the Olivet Discourse where He purposefully moves from one subject to another in an attempt to answer the two questions posed by the disciples at the beginning of this section. Luke does not have this transition passage in his retelling of the event, but stays on the topic of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Before we look at this transition passage we need to remember that the disciples’ question had two reference points. The first had to do with the destruction of the Temple predicted by Jesus that sparked off this discussion. The second had to do with the end of time or the Second Advent of Christ. It is also helpful to remember that the disciples use the Greek word parousia when asking about His return…in the first section of His reply Jesus consistently used a different word, erchomenai, except in verse 27. This difference is not clear in translation. However, from the transition passage on, Jesus began to use the word parousia. Also two words are used for ‘end’, sunteleia and telos.

Why is this important? This is important as it indicates that there are two distinct forms of reference in this passage, one looking forward to the end of time and the Second Advent and the other towards the end of a very specific historical event that served to vindicate our Lord’s claims of Messiahship. As we have discussed this in the prior sections, we will not rehearse these important grammatical indicators here. Let it suffice to say that we must be aware of Jesus’ choice of words in His reply as it helps us see the different time references, one within the lifetime of that generation (plus minus 40 years) and the other at an unknown point in the future.

It is also instructive to note that Jesus used two very different illustrations as transitional aids. The first has a clear sign that something is about to happen. The fig tree heralds the coming of summer. So everything Jesus had said up to this point served as a sign of the first ‘end’ – His coming on the clouds of judgement as the triumphant King and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. This addressed the ‘when’ part of the disciple’s question. But in stark contrast with this the illustration following indicates that there are no signs of the return of the travelling man. The verses in between these two illustrations make the difference clear.

Both Matthew 24:34-35 and Mark 13:30-31 function as concluding statements that seem to point to an end to the previous discussion. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.” Then both Matthew24:36 and Mark 13:32 begin with a subject matter transition grammatical structure device used to mark off new material, peri de, translated ‘but of, concerning, or regarding’ (see the use of this device in Matthew 22:31; Acts 21:25; 1 Corinthians 7:1, 8:1, 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 5:1). By using this device Jesus was clearly shifting gears, as it were, by reaching back to the disciple’s second question. Having dealt with the first, He now moved on to deal with the second. As such these verses introduced new material. Jesus left the AD 70 prophecy with its many signs behind and began to address His unexpected…no signs…Second Advent (Matthew 24:36-25:46; Mark 13:32-36).

“But of that day and hour…” “However, no one knows the day or the hour…”

What is interesting to note here is that Jesus, in His limited knowledge as the Son Who chose to live His earthly life never more than Man, knew the temporal markers (note the plural use of “days” as opposed to the singular specific “that day”) for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, but He did not know the timing of His own Second Advent! The signs that would mark the timing of the imminent events to come upon this generation are lacking when it comes to that day and hour. Here it seems that the word ‘this’ stands in contrast with the word ‘that’. In the second section there is no imminent temporal indication such as in the first (this generation) – rather Jesus seems to anticipate an unknown and distant future event.

Also, in the preceding sections, Jesus was at pains to inform His disciples concerning historical events they would ‘see’ so that they might be able to know when to leave the city and flee into the Judean hill country. But here no one, including angels and Jesus Himself, know when that very particular day of His Second Advent would occur. Thus the first section urges the disciples to be ready to flee…in the second there is no such opportunity for escape…rather there is just a call for obedience, faithfulness, diligence, and continuance in the faith.

Again, in the previous section, there was a distinct possibility that people seeing the signs could be misled to believe that they were safe by false prophets and false messiahs…but in this section under review, the Second Advent is shown to be something unmistakably visible to everyone and, as such, any attempt at deception would be impossible. Also, the social circumstances are contrasted as the first section reveals a time of great upheaval, chaos, and uncertainty, whereas the second section indicates a time of tranquillity – life as usual continues right up to the unexpected arrival of Jesus…people are marrying and eating and drinking and working – just like at the time of Noah.

Throughout the Church era there have been people who were convinced they were living in the “last days”…but they were mistaken. Even there are many, one example will be sufficient. In 1918, the Rev Arthur Walkington Pink, a British Bible Teacher who served as a Pastor in the United States, wrote:

“Brethren, the end of the Age is upon us. All over the world, reflecting minds are discerning the fact that we are on the eve of another of those far-reaching crises which make the history of our race…Those who look out on present conditions are forced to conclude that the consummation of this dispensation is at hand…The sands in the hour glass of this Day of Salvation have almost run out. The signs of the Times demonstrate it. ‘But,’ it may be asked, ‘Have not other ages, as well as the present been crowded with signs of distress?’ Undoubtedly…They unduly magnified the evil, and erred in their calculations…But today, the Signs are so plain they cannot be mis-read, though the foolish may close their eyes and refuse to examine them. What these Signs are we have shown at length in chapter six and if the evidence there furnished has not convinced the reader that the Lord is at hand, then there is little hope that any further arguments drawn from Scripture will do so.”[1]

Pink was wrong. Others have been wrong…sincerely wrong…but wrong nonetheless.

We would do well to learn from these historical errors. Final dates and times are known only to our Father and we are not called to speculate about when Jesus will return…we are called to be witnesses to the reality of Jesus present reign as the one who has gained victory over sin and death, who has overcome the world and its ruler, who has triumphed over principalities and powers of darkness, and who has led captivity captive.


[1] Pink, A W, The Redeemer’s Return, Calvary Baptist Bookstore, Ashland, KY, 1918, 318-319.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Coming of the Son of Man


Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-27

Two things were drummed into my head during hermeneutics classes at seminary: “context is king” and “Scripture must interpret Scripture”. What my professors meant was that the Bible is one Word that remains consistent in its message from the opening chapters to the closing chapters and if we are to be faithful in being messengers of the message, we must be diligent in ensuring that what we convey is what it actually says…and not what we or others think it says or ought to say, for that matter!

These two principles are vital in the understanding of our present texts. If we fail to see the larger context…the origin of the prophetic language used by Jesus in these verses…and if we fail to understand the meaning of these statements in the light of their use in other parts of Scripture, we will fail to interpret correctly what Jesus actually said and meant at the time.

The first thing to notice is the time-designate that governs this passage. In Matthew 23:36 Jesus said that the judgment He described would fall on the generation alive at the time. A few verses later, He repeated this: “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34) What things? The things we are about to consider in this study. May we not be guilty of twisting the clear meaning of Scripture to suit ourselves!

In the previous study we saw that, in Scriptural and historical context, the “great tribulation” referred to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Jesus now stated that immediately following this cataclysmic end of the old order something earth-shatteringly dramatic would happen. Let’s look at what Jesus said exactly as He said it as recorded by Matthew:

Immediately after the affliction of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then will wail all the tribes of the land, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory; and He will send His messengers with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather His elect out of the four winds from (the) ends of (the) heavens to (the) ends of them.[1]

Was Jesus referring to a literal cosmic event or was He using prophetic or proverbial language that would have been understood and correctly interpreted by those hearing Him at the time? Personally, I believe the latter and I hope I will be able to demonstrate why as we look at the rest of Scripture. At this point, may I remind the reader that the Jews at the time were well versed in the Scriptures…most of them knew a large part of the Old Testament by heart. Unlike most modern followers of Jesus, they would have been able to recall an entire passage or book or biblical motif or teaching simply by hearing one or more sentences of Scripture. So, we need to ask ourselves, where in the Old Testament is the sun, moon, stars, and general cosmic upheaval mentioned?

My first point of reference is the dream of Joseph in Genesis 37:9-11. “Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. ‘Listen, I have had another dream’ he said. ‘The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!’” (Italics mine) Note that his father immediately understood what this dream meant as he said in verse 10, “Will your mother (the moon) and I (the sun) and your brothers (the eleven stars) actually come and bow to the ground before you?” This dream is later fulfilled when they all actually bow down before Joseph, by that time seated at the right hand of Pharaoh in Egypt.[2] This seems to indicate that the sun and moon and stars could be used to symbolically portray those in authority in a family setting at least.

However, it seems that this figurative understand also applied to other authority figures. Isaiah applied this imagery to Babylon and Edom when predicting their destruction (Isaiah 13:10, 13; 34:3-5). Ezekiel used the same figures of speech when describing the fall of Egypt (Ezekiel 32:2, 7-8). Joel also applied this to Israel (Joel 2:1, 10). So, we need not resort to strange literal interpretations of Jesus’s words in this case…He was simply using prophetic imagery to indicate the overthrow of an authority.

It is important to note at this point that, grammatically, what appears (or what becomes apparent) is the “sign” and not the “Son of Man”. “Then Christ defines what the sign signifies: it is the sign that the Son of Man is now in heaven. That is, this sign (whatever it is) will signify that Jesus is in heaven above – despite the Jewish authorities and rulers of the temple killing Him (Matthew 16:21; 20:18; 26:3-4, 59, 65-66; 27:20), sealing His tomb (Matthew 27:62-66), and denying His resurrection (28:11-15).”[3] Jesus spoke about this reality being visible to those who condemned Him to death in Matthew 26:64, “And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

In this statement, it seems that what Jesus was saying was that those condemning Him to death would “see” Him seated at the right hand of God by His coming on the clouds of heaven. It is interesting to note that at this point the High Priest declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy. Why? Because he knew Jesus was quoting from Daniel 7:13 (see also the response of the Jews in Acts 7:56-57 when Stephen used this verse in reference to Jesus). “Coming on the clouds” was an image used only of God coming in judgment (cf. Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1). It is an image, I believe, that has its origin in the Exodus. In Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt, God guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud. When the Egyptians pursued them and seemed to have trapped them on the shores of the Red Sea, this pillar of cloud moved between the two opposing forces. Just before dawn, the Lord looked down from the cloud and judged the Egyptians while protecting and liberating the Israelites (cf. Exodus 14:19-25).

What does this have to do with Jesus’ statement in our passages? The Jerusalem leaders and Temple authorities had condemned Him to death and were actively persecuting His followers. A careful reading of the letter to the Hebrews indicates that many Jewish believers at the time were tempted to abandon their faith in Jesus as it seemed that the Old Testament system was still firmly in place and, as such, there was nothing to suggest that Jesus was, in fact, reigning as King. But it is the destruction of the vestiges of the old order that vindicates all of our Lord’s claims about Himself and it effectively removes any obstacle in the way of spreading the Word in the minds of those who were in doubt.

It is in the judgment of Jerusalem, the fulfilment of Jesus’ words, that He is shown to be King reigning at the right hand of God with authority over both heaven and earth. In this sense, those who had rejected Him, the Cornerstone of the New Temple (Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6-7), would ‘see’ that they had been wrong. This would fulfil what was written by the prophet Zechariah 12:10, “They (the family of David and the people of Jerusalem) will look on Me whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as for an only Son.”, and predicted by Jesus in Matthew 26:64, “…you (the leaders of Jerusalem and Temple authorities) will see the Son of Man…”, and in Matthew 24:30, “…there will be deep mourning among all the tribes of the land.”[4]

In Luke 4:17-21, Jesus indicated that in Him the Messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 61:1-2 was fulfilled. This imagery was drawn from the Year of Jubilee legislation found in Leviticus 25. At the onset of this Sabbath year, a trumpet would be sounded according to Leviticus 25:9. All those who had lost property could return to their land at this time. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, both enemy and follower would finally see the reality of the Jubilee fulfilled in Christ. Now the messengers of the reigning King of kings could continue to go announce the greater liberation from slavery to sin and to gather (note the use of the same word in Matthew 23:37) His elect or chosen ones from the ends of the earth (cf. Matthew 21:43; 22:9; 28:19; Acts 1:8).

There was a reason why Jesus prefaced the “Great Commission” with the words, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”  It is only because Jesus is presently reigning at the right hand of God that we have a message to proclaim at all.


[1] This is my translation directly from the Greek text.
[2] Just as an aside: Most scholars will agree that Joseph is a ‘type’ of Christ…that his life and ministry foretells that of the coming Messiah.
[3] Gentry Kenneth L, The Olivet Discourse Made Easy, Apologetics Group, Draper, VA, 2010, 111.
[4] The Greek word ge is consistently used by Matthew to mean Israel, Matthew 2:6, 20, 21; 27:45. Also, the word fulai is only used twice in Matthew, here and in Matthew 19:28, where it specifically refers to the tribes of Israel.

Abomination of desolation and subsequent distress


Matthew 24:15-28; Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24

Within 40 years of Jesus’ prophetic warning with regard to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Roman armies surrounded the city (cf. Luke 21:20) in order to deal with the great Jewish rebellion. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said that the Gospel was to be preached to all nations and then the end would come. He began His statement in Matthew 24:15 with the words Otan oun (when therefore) which connects the two comments. The end of the Temple and the signs the disciples would witness prior to this ‘end’.

The most important question we need to consider at the outset of this section is simply what exactly did Jesus mean by “the abomination of desolation”? At this point it is imperative that we “keep in mind that the Lord is speaking to His first-century, Jewish disciples (Matthew 24:1, 3), who live in the context of the Old Testament Scriptures and within the old covenant economy. In the Old Testament an “abomination” especially relates to the desecration of worship, either by outright false worship (Deuteronomy 7:25; 27:15) or by the profaning of true worship (Leviticus 7:18; Deuteronomy 17:1).”[1]

So, if we are to understand this statement in terms of the way Jesus meant it and the way the disciples and other 1st Century readers would have understood it, we need to firstly remember that Jesus was speaking very specifically about the Temple standing in Jerusalem at that time. Secondly, we need to remember that while Matthew and Mark (both Jewish authors) used the term “abomination of desolation” taken from a prophecy in Daniel 9:27, Luke (more than likely a Gentile believer) used language more readily understandable by a Gentile audience. In Luke 21:21 Luke interpreted the Hebraic statement “abomination of desolation” by using the words “Roman armies” instead. Lastly, it seems clear that this was the way Jesus and His contemporaries would have understood Daniel’s prophecy, as an eyewitness to the destruction of the Temple, the Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus, like Luke applied Daniel’s prophetic statement to the Roman siege of Jerusalem. “In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate (Italics mine) by them.”[2] Later, when writing about the conquest, Josephus used the same word: “And thus Jerusalem was taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpieus. It had been taken five times before, though this was the second time of its desolation (Italics mine).”[3]

Having understood this, we can move on to look at the identification of the “holy place”. Again from what was written in Luke’s Gospel it seems clear that this refers to Jerusalem as the holy city and not just the temple. Also, Jesus’ warning is for all those in Judea, not just in the temple environs. And this is apparently what Daniel had in mind as in Daniel 9:25 the prophet specifically calls Jerusalem the “holy city”.

Jesus was also very specific as to the location of the great tribulation. He warns only “those in Judea” and tells them to “flee to the hills”. By the time the Roman General Titus began his final march on Jerusalem, the inner strife within the city was so great that Josephus spoke of the outer temple overflowing with blood (Wars, 4:5) and the Zealots had pretty much taken control of the Temple (Wars 5:1:1). In fact he categorically states that the “temple was defiled everywhere with murders” (Wars 5:1:2).

At the end of the siege Josephus reported that 1,100,000 Jews had perished. Some of his comments are worth comparing with Jesus’ statements in verse 21-22. “…neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the beginning of the world.” (Wars 5:10:5)[4] “…the war which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the greatest of all those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a manner, of those that were ever heard of…” (Wars, Preface 1)[5] “Accordingly it appears to me, that the misfortunes of all men, from the beginning of the world, if they be compared to these of the Jews, are not so considerable as they were…” (Wars, Preface, 4).[6]

Josephus also spoke about false Messiahs and false prophets and false signs. “A false prophet was the occasion of these people’s destruction, who had made a public proclamation in the city that very day, that God commanded them to get up upon the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of their deliverance. Now, there was a great number of these false prophets suborned by the tyrants to impose upon the people, who denounced this to them, that they should wait for deliverance from God…”[7]

What is interesting to note at this point is that Jesus contrasts this judgment of Jerusalem with His Second Advent in verse 27 in His warning to His disciples not believe reports that He had returned already. The word gar (for) here indicates that the reasons they ought not to believe the rumours was that His Second Advent would be visible to all…it would not be hidden or limited or confined to a small geographical area.

Having made that comparison, Jesus returned to the coming destruction of Jerusalem, likening it to a gathering of eagles (sometimes translated as vultures, but the Greek word is specifically aetos or eagles) around a bloated, rotting carcass. Again, we need to turn to Josephus for an eyewitness account of what happened in AD 70. He said, “Nor was there any place in the city that had no dead bodies in it, but what was entirely covered with those that were either killed by the famine or the rebellion; and all was full of the dead bodies…” (Wars 6:7:2)[8] And later, “Now, as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury…Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple…” (Wars 7:1)[9]

But what is interesting to note is that once the temple was burned to the ground, the soldiers “brought their ensigns (images of eagles on poles) to the temple, and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest acclamations of joy.” (Wars 6:6:1).[10] The Roman ensign, known as an “aquila (Latin for "eagle") was a prominent symbol used in ancient Rome, especially as the standard of a Roman legion. A legionary known as an aquilifer, or eagle-bearer, carried this standard.”[11]

It is amazing how the simple study of ancient texts and other historical records can help one get a better perspective on what the Scriptures meant to those who spoke, wrote, or heard the words at the time they were recorded! Surely this is a lesson for all disciple makers. Too many times the Word of God has been abused – used to support an agenda, political or otherwise, used to frighten people into the kingdom, used to win an argument – but for us who wish to equip workers to do the work of the ministry in the church and beyond, this is simply not an option. We cannot plead ignorance and simply pass on half-truths to others and expect God to bless a word that isn’t His!

However, just because a passage had a specific application at a specific time for specific people in a specific place, doesn’t mean it has no meaning for us or that it has no bearing upon the way we live as followers of Jesus. The principles underlying the original intension remain the same. Just as Jesus’ 1st Century followers were not to panic in the face of widespread wickedness and upheaval, so we too must learn to focus on the reality that is ours in Christ. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly Jerusalem (Acts 2:33), and He is reigning ever to place all His enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25, Acts 3:21). He has overcome the world and has given us a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:22-29)…therefore we too can live with unfailing hope in our hearts…and we can continue to make disciples who make disciples because the King of kings is with us even to the end of time as we know it (Mathew 28:20b).



[1] Gentry, Kenneth L, The Olivet Discourse Made Easy, Apologetics Group Media, Draper, VA, 2010, 89.
[2] Josephus, Flavius, The Complete Writings of Josephus, Translated by William Whiston, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1981, Antiquities of the Jews, 10:11:7, 277.
[3] Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 6:10:1, 588.
[4] Josephus, 564.
[5] Ibid, 427
[6] Ibid, 428.
[7] Ibid, 582. He also speaks of other signs in this section.
[8] Ibid, 585.
[9] Ibid, 589.
[10] Ibid, 583.