| End Times Madness: Part 3 |
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| Written by Mr. Trev McCallum | |
| Friday, 05 June 2009 | |
 This article is the third of perhaps four. You need to read article one and two for context. Understanding how the New Testament writers use the Old Testament is crucial. Our conception of the future shapes how we live now. There are so many, well simply, weird eschatological ideas being touted. Prophecy gurus seem to have won the multitudes. It must be rather amusing for the heathen to look upon the church and see/hear an incoherent babel. Especially when time and time again the babel over the world’s end simply has not come to pass. Many believers offer proof texts to display the imminent, catastrophic climax of world history. Matthew 24:15-28 are some of those texts. This is lazy hermeneutics. Although proof texts have their place, we need robust hermeneutical study to understand the “big picture.” The old path of Scripture interpreting itself is important. It is a real paradigm shift to think along these lines. It is also hard work. It is far easier to bring our twenty first century western thought paradigm to a text and pronto the end is nigh. We have been well trained in the secular humanism religion. Extreme pessimism and false hope in works salvation permeates humanism. Global catastrophe is imminent but man has the god-like ability to pull himself from the mud and mire. I suppose this fits the whole emerging from the slime pool of evolutionary history.
Jesus describes the great tribulation in Matthew 24:15-28. To assert this passage refers to the world’s end on the basis that it fits neatly into an end times system is circular reasoning. That which is to be proved is assumed in the premise. A case needs to be built. Our interpretation must not beg the question. We must ask and answer some fundamental questions surrounding this text, chiefly; "what is the great tribulation and when does it occur?" Are we dealing with our future or not? So, how is the timing determined? Do we assume a futuristic timeframe in the premise of our interpretation? Or, do the Scriptures provide more objective premises? Biblical objectivity is required. My thoughts must be made subject to Christ’s. I must learn to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” The immediate context of Matthew 23:36, 24:34 set the timeframe for the prophecy. A plain reading of these verses shows that the events in Matthew 24:15-28 occurred within the first century A.D. This timeframe may challenge our eschatological paradigm. The argument should not look like this; this passage speaks of things that can only describe the end of the world therefore lets apply what we read in a modern framework. This is isogesis not exegesis. The time text has established the fulfilment timeframe. Now we are to set about understanding the passage through Biblical eyes.
Verse 15 introduces the abomination of desolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel. “Jesus was referring to Daniel 9:26-27, 11:31 and 12:11”.1 The Judean audience is instructed to flee upon seeing the “abomination that causes desolation.” Flight is to the refuge of the surrounding mountains. If we read the parallel account in Luke’s Gospel clarity will resonate. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” ( Luke 21:20-21). From this passage it can be asserted that “Jesus connected the Roman armies which surrounded the city with the ‘desolation...’Jesus Himself regarded those pagan armies as the ‘abomination of desolation’ or the abomination that makes desolate.’”2 In A.D. 70 the Roman army under General Titus destroyed the Temple and captured Jerusalem, killing over one million Jews and taking many others captive. The Roman army brought utter desolation to the city and burned the Temple to the ground. They “brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifice to them.”3 They did not leave one stone upon another. History attests to this. Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, vividly describes the siege of Jerusalem and the Temple’s destruction. He was an eye witness to what happened. The remarkable event in all of this was that the Roman armies marched to Jerusalem, surrounded the city but then retreated and returned some time later. Why is this remarkable? It gave Christians in Jerusalem an opportunity to flee to the surrounding mountains of Judea. And history attests that is exactly what happened. The faithful Christians saw the Roman armies surround Jerusalem. Miraculously these forces retreat for a time. This gives the Christians enough time to flee. Therefore, the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 fits the prophecy Jesus declares in Matthew 24:15-22. If this truly were the end of the “kosmos” (world) fleeing to the local Judean Mountains would be of no use. It must also be noted that throughout Matthew 24:3-34 (at least) Jesus was speaking with the disciples on the Mount of Olives ( Matt 24:3). When speaking of the judgement to come he speaks to the disciples in the first person. He states “when you see ‘the abomination of desolation’” ( Matt 24:15). Christ was not speaking to the Jews in general (i.e. race) or any other generation of Jews. He spoke directly to the disciples and told them (i.e. the disciples) that they would see this “abomination of desolation.”4 Therefore, we cannot conclude with Lahaye and Hindson that; “that future generation of the Jews will also see the temple desecrated by ‘the abomination of desolation.’”5 The tribulation spoken of is identified as the Great Tribulation (v 21). The Lord tells us that none has ever been like it and none ever will be. The futurist concludes from this verse ( Matt 24:21) that this must therefore be the end of the world (“kosmos”). However, the time text of verse 34 does not allow for this interpretation. Therefore, we cannot attribute the Great Tribulation to the end of the “kosmos”, but rather the end of the Old Covenant age. This tribulation is the greatest judgement that God had ever placed on His bride, socio-political Israel. Not only were over one million Jews slaughtered in the siege of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) but many were taken away into captivity and the Temple was utterly destroyed. The language Jesus uses in this passage is judgement language, the unfaithful bride (Israel) was being judged by her husband (the Lord Jesus). The end was coming to the Old Testament age, the Sacrificial Law and the Levitical Priesthood. The administration of the covenant of God was being changed. The old shadows were waxing and waning as The fulfilment rode on His clouds of judgement. I believe these verses and much of the book of Revelation describe how God divorces Himself from socio-political Israel (on the grounds of her adultery and idolatry) and takes a new bride, the Church. But this can be left for another study series. The passing away of the Old Covenant was the greatest judgement God had ever passed against the Israelites. The siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple was Christ's judgement coming against the unfaithful nation of Israel. God gave them forty years (one generation) to repent and receive the promised Messiah, they did not and therefore the exalted Jesus came upon clouds of judgement. The Roman armies were the means of judgement employed by Christ. This is consistent with judgement comings of God in the Old Testament. God uses nations to judge His people (e.g. the Babylonians, Assyrians, etc.). Therefore, the Great Tribulation spoken of in Matthew 24:15-28 refers to God, the Second Person's, judgement coming against socio-political Israel in A.D. 70. It does not refer to the consummation (2nd bodily) coming of Christ in world wide judgement. The verses where judgement language is strongest is Matthew 24:27-29. Whenever the Bible describes lightening flashing, the stars, sun and moon it is analogous nations and God's blessing or judgement of them. When the stars, sun and moon are bright God is blessing a nation but when they are darkened He is judging that nation. I will deal more fully with verses 29-31 in the next article. One of the most misunderstood verses of perhaps the entire Bible is Matthew 24:27: "For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." The futurist combines this with verse 30 and declares that is must be the second consummation coming of Christ. This is simply not so. The flashing of lightening from east to west is a sign of God's judgement on the nation of Israel. Whenever lightening or thunder is used in the Old Testament it refers to God judging a nation. This is what is happening in Matthew 24, God (Jesus Christ) is judging Israel through the means of the Roman army. The "coming of the Son of Man" is not Jesus' second coming. This is simply reading an end times theory into the text. The language ("the coming of the Son of Man" in Matt 24:27, 30) is a direct quotation of Daniel 7:13. Read Daniel 7:13and determine which way the Son of Man is coming. He comes up to the Ancient of Days, receives His kingdom and sits at the right hand of God the Father (Ancient of Days). It does not describe Christ coming down to earth but rather up to heaven. Where do we find, in the Bible, Christ going up to heaven? Acts 1tells us exactly this – Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven, up into heaven to take His seat at God the Father's right hand. Therefore, the coming of the Son of Man in verse 27 describes Jesus coming to judge the nation of Israel – through the means of the Roman armies – and verse 30 alludes the ascension of Jesus into heaven. I will deal with verses 29-31 more extensively in the next article.
Notes
1 Bray, J L, Matthew 24Fulfilled, American Vision Press, Inc, 2008, p. 37.
2 Ibid., p. 45. 3 Whiston, William (trans), The Works of Josephus, 2004, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, p. 743 (6:6:1). 4 Op., cit, Bray, p. 48. 5 Lahaye, T, Hindson, E, General Editors, The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary, Harvest House Publishers, 2006, p. 358.
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