We have been seeking to answer the question: Will Christians go through the tribulation period. This is the eighth message in the series. In this session we will begin an analysis of the Olivet Discourse. The Olivet Discourse is Jesus’s prophetic message recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. It is the most important teaching on end-time prophecy. In it, Jesus provides the overall structure of how history will unfold as it progresses toward the second coming. We will concentrate on Matthew’s account since it has the most end-time material.
I. CHALLENGES in Interpreting the Olivet Discourse:
Before we launch into this study, we must acknowledge some of the challenges in interpreting this portion of Scripture. “Many scholars have claimed that the Olivet Discourse is the most difficult portion of the gospel to interpret.”i D. A. Carson says, “Few chapters of the Bible have called forth more disagreement among interpreters than Matthew 24 and its parallels in Mark 13 and Luke 21.”ii
Why is that so?
(1) The prophetic nature of the material allows for dynamics that we don’t find in in the less ambiguous genres like the epistles. In prophetic material we often have “the law of double reference” at work. We talked about that in our first message. There is often in prophecy a partial fulfillment as a foreshadowing of the complete fulfillment in the future.
In Acts 2:16 Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 and identifies the events on the Day of Pentecost as a fulfillment of the Joel’s prophecy 2:28-32. But it was only a partial fulfillment. Joel 3:1 continues the prophecy: “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.” That part of the prophecy has not been fulfilled. Peter rightly points to the prophecy as predictive of the Acts 2 event. But Acts 2 was not the final, complete fulfillment. In his discussion of this, Gundry writes, “The fulfillment of Pentecost must therefore be the first or precursive part of a double fulfillment.”iii
We have similar pattern in Jesus’s prediction of the abomination of desolation (Matt. 24:15). Its ultimate fulfillment will happen in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week at the end of the age. Paul deals with the event in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and John deals with it in Revelation 13. However, there was a portend to this ultimate event in 70 A.D. at the destruction of the temple. The destruction of the temple foreshadowed events that would occur at the end of the age. While the destruction of the temple is addressed in the Olivet Discourse, the thrust of the narrative moves toward the final consummation preceded three and a half years earlier by the abomination of desolation.
This double application in the discourse must be understood for an accurate interpretation. Gundry identifies Payne’s failure to do this as a fundamental error in that commentary. Gundry writes, “Yet, Payne must disjoin these verses from the end of the age in order to maintain that the fall of Jerusalem exhausted them and at the same time escape the fact that Jesus did not return ‘immediately after’ A.D. 70 . . . we should say that ‘the tribulation of those days,’ ‘immediately after’ which Jesus returns, has to do with a period of persecution and upheaval connected with a yet future abomination of desolation and only foreshadowed by the events during A.D. 66-70.”iv The double application of some of the Olivet material makes the passage challenging to exegete.
(2) Another factor affecting our interpretation of this discourse is the fact that Jesus Himself did not know the day of His return. We tend to read the passage as if that were not the case. But Jesus plainly told us that in the middle of this prophecy. Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Mark 13:32 is more specific. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” That tells us something about the full humanity of Christ in His incarnation. But even more relevant it tells us that Jesus gave this prophecy not knowing that piece of information. Craig Blaising observes how the uncertainty of that timing accounts for the way the predictions in the Olivet Discourse are framed. The return occurs at the Father’s command, no sooner, and no later. This factor of imminence affirms the command for all the followers of Christ whether in the first century or the 21st century to “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44).v
Because of uncertainty about the time of His return, Jesus spoke to his immediate hearers with the urgency of being prepared at all times. One of the hotly debated verses in Matthew 24 is Jesus’s statement in verse 34: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” Preterists hang their interpretation of this discourse on the insistence that Jesus has to be referring to his first century audience.vi So, they claim everything in Matthew 24 was fulfilled when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. That generally forces them to allegorize or spiritualize the coming of Christ and the events surrounding the Parousia. And that violates many other Scriptures. Biasing says the pattern that Jesus gives in verses 4-35 includes “the sign of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.” Speaking of the generation in 70 A.D. he writes, “If it had been the day chosen by the Father, the sign of the Son of Man would have followed the distress of those days and the entire sequence would have been the eschatological day of the Lord, the Parousia of the Son of Man. But the possibility existed for a type/antitype division, with the type fulfilling the prophesied destruction of that temple and the city of their time, and in keeping with the purpose of a type, foreshadowing the greater fulfillment of the Parousia yet to come—a greater fulfillment, that is, of the entire pattern, not just in part.”vii
Douglas Moo takes a similar position concerning Jesus’s uncertainty as to when the Parousia would occur (Matt. 24:36). He writes, “He [Jesus] therefore addresses his followers as if they themselves might be present for all climatic eschatological events. Of course, they were not. . . he [Jesus} does not predict that they will be present for the eschatological climax but simply suggests that they might be. This way of presenting the Parousia, as an event that could take place in any generation (what we have called ‘imminence’ above), is found throughout the New Testament.”viii
We see Paul speaking in a similar fashion when he includes himself and his generation among those who may be raptured. Notice his use of the first person plural in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Did Paul give a false prophecy in that text? No, he spoke with the biblical mindset of imminency. He does the same thing in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
So, we must read Matthew 24 with this understanding of biblical imminency. Jesus would not have told His hearers that He did not know the day or hour of the Parousia if it were not relevant to their interpretation of His prophecy.
(3) The redaction of Jesus’s discourse by the inspired writers of the gospel accounts must also be considered when interpreting this passage. This adds a layer of analysis that cannot be ignored. I only mention this now. We will talk about it some more as we get into the teaching. I will only address one more exegetical challenge before getting into the text.
(4) As Jesus’s audience, we must determine who the disciples (Matt. 24:3) represent: Israel, the church, or both.
These men were Jews, so it is possible that they represent the Jewish remanent. Of course, that remanent is particularly important during Daniel’s seventieth week.
Matthew wrote to his fellow Jews with the idea of convincing them that Jesus is the Messiah. Therefore, we would expect to see, and we do see, a strong Jewish orientation in his gospel.ix But was Matthew writing only to Jews? Many of us who are studying his gospel today are gentiles. As Jesus spoke to the disciples, He was shaping them as the foundation of a new community that would be known as the church (Eph. 2:20).
Some pretribulation dispensationalists take Matthew 24 as being spoken to the Jews and not to the church.x This answers certain difficulties that can be encountered in the passage. For example, Jesus says to His hearers in Matthew 24:15, “Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation.'” With the pretribulation model Christians would not see that event. If Christians are already raptured when the abomination of desolation occurs, it does not make sense for Jesus to talk about them seeing it. But if this discourse is only for Jews, Jesus’s statement presents no challenge to the pretribulation theory.
If we take the position that the Olivet Discourse is only for the Jews, then what do we do with the Sermon on the Mount and other discourses that were spoken to the disciples and other members of the Jewish nation? It would be inconsistent to apply the Sermon on the Mount to followers of Christ in the church, but not apply the Olivet Discourse to them. The early church considered Matthew’s gospel as written for them and included it in the New Testament canon. We should not exclude the church from being part of the intended audience for this discourse.
On the other hand, Replacement Theology would say God is finished with Israel as a nation, and this prophecy is only for Christians. We cannot agree with that position either for it allegorizes and spiritualizes much of the prophecies to that nation, in effect nullifying many Old Testament promise. The Olivet Discourse contains instruction to the Jews; that is evident in the statement “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (vs 16). It also speaks to Christians as is evident in the warning, “and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake” (vs 9).
So do the disciples represent the Jewish remnant or do they represent the church. I would suggest that they are representative of both, and we should read the passage with that perspective.xi With that grounding let’s begin our study of the Olivet Discourse.
II. Israel’s REJECTION of Messiah
To get Matthew 24 in context we go back to Matthew 23. In that chapter Jesus pronounced eight woes on the Jewish leadership. As the official representatives of the nation they have rejected Messiah. The common people, except for a small remnant, will confirm this rejection when they demand His crucifixion before Pilate (Mark 15:11-14). The offer of Messiah to the nation of Israel has been rejected. Everything prophesied in Matthew 24 flows out of that reality.
In Matthew 23:37 we get a sense of the emotion Jesus felt over this rejection and the consequences of their decision: “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!”xii Had Israel received her king, Jesus would have led them into the millennial blessing promised in the Old Testament. He would have gathered them under the safety and care of His leadership like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But they “were not willing!” We feel a little bit of what Jesus experienced when we present the gospel and people turn it down. We feel it when our children insist on going a direction that will most certainly be harmful to them.
In Matthew 23:38-39 Jesus addresses Israel’s current situation and their mindset at His second coming: “See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” You won’t see me again until you are ready to receive Me. The trouble that Israel will experience, especially in those last seven years before Christ’s return, is not just punishment. It is a preparation for receiving Messiah. It is designed to work such repentance that they welcome Messiah at His second advent.xiii “For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” That is a messianic quote from Psalm 118:26. The crowds had echoed it a few days earlier at his triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:9) but that proved to be a shallow, uncommitted celebration on their part. The great tribulation and the extreme distress prophesied in Zechariah 14 will prepare the nation to wholeheartedly receive Jesus as Messiah. At His second advent Israel will say, “'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” The prophecies in Matthew 24 point toward that climatic day: Christ’s second coming in power and glory. With that in mind, we proceed to Matthew 24.
III. Jesus’s Prediction of the DESTRUCTION of the Temple: In Matthew 24:1-2 Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’” We know this prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem.xiv
We can only understand the conversation that follows when we know how central the temple was to the Jewish faith. They were awed by the beauty and majesty of the structure. But beyond that, the temple represented the presence of God and His favor on their nation. It is hard for us to grasp the significance of the predicted destruction of the center of Jewish worship. The disciple’s response to the prophecy proceeds from that Jewish mindset.
IV. Disciple’s QUESTIONS:
These disciples respond by asking two questions in verses 3: “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’”
In their minds, the destruction of the temple surely meant “the end of the age.” They had no concept that 2000 years would separate the destruction of the temple and the end of the age. So, they run all this together in these two questions. The second question is a compound question. So, we could understand it as three questions:
(1) “When will these things be?” What things do they have in mind? The destruction of the temple that Jesus just prophesied.
(2) “And what will be the sign of Your coming.”
(3) “and of the end of the age?’”
Matthew does not record Jesus’s answer to the first question in the straight-forward way that Luke does. Matthew alludes to the destruction of Jerusalem as a foreshadowing of the greater end-time event. For that reason, we will examine the answer to question one using Luke’s account. Luke 21:7 records the question this way: “So they asked Him, saying, ‘Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?’” Luke is more focused on the destruction of the temple than Matthew.xv
We need all three gospel accounts of the Olivet Discourse for our understanding of the message. Each writer has an inspired theological agenda for his gospel. The material included best serves that author’s purpose.xvi For example, both Mark (13:3) and Matthew (24:3) specify this discourse as on the Mount of Olives and the questions being asked in private. This is absent in Luke’s account.xvii The way Matthew handles Jesus’s answer to the first question allows him to present a broad chronology of the prophetic future without undue attention to the 70 A.D. event. Luke redacted the discourse to fit his theological message. Matthew shared the prophecy in a way that suited his inspired purpose. Matthew is focused on the questions, “And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’”
So, what was Jesus’s answer to their question concerning the temple. We find that clearly stated in Luke 21:20-24: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 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. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” So, the sign that the temple was about to be destroyed was “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies.”
Jesus goes on to tell them what to do when that sign (Jerusalem surrounded by armies) appeared. Get out of Jerusalem: “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” That was contrary to the thinking in the day. When armies appeared on the scene it was customary for everyone to flee into the walled city for protection. But here Jesus tells them to go from Jerusalem into the more remote areas. The historian Eusebius tells us that in 68 A. D. many of the Christian Jews fled to Pella on the other side of the Jordon River and were spared.xviii
One way we know this passage was fulfilled in 70 A.D. is the prophecy in verse 24: “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations [that is the Jewish exile]. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”xix
The city of Jerusalem would be controlled by gentiles “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” That’s exactly what has happened for almost 2000 years. Then as a result of the 1967 war, Jerusalem was recaptured by Israel. That was an amazing prophetic event moving the world closer to the end. Gentiles still trample Jerusalem. The Muslim Dome of the Rock is still there. But history is rapidly moving toward the conclusion of “the times of the Gentiles.” We live in amazing times.
Now let’s see how Jesus answered the compound question asked in Matthew 24:3: “And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’”
V. Signs leading up to the Great Tribulation
Jesus began His answer in Matthew 24: 4-14:
“And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
In those verses Jesus is prophesying the conditions in the world leading up to the tribulation period. What are the clues that tell us that? In verse 6 Jesus interjects this statement: “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Wars, pestilence, earthquakes can seem like the end of the world. I’ve never been in level 8 earthquake but, at least momentarily, it would be easy to think the end has surely come. However, as Jesus lists these signs, His statement is: “the end is not yet.” Verse 14 also indicates the possibility of an extended time when these things are going on, prior to the end. Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” That is our primary concern in this current church age: preaching the gospel in all the world” (Mark 16:15). So, in 4-14 Jesus describes what will be happening from the time of this discourse up to the end time.
However, in verse 8 He says, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The Greek word translated sorrows is odin. It more specifically means birth pains.xx That’s why the NIV is a better translation of this verse: “All these are the beginning of birth pains.” This labor pain metaphor was also used in 1 Thessalonians 5:3: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” The NIV says, “. . . as labor pains on a pregnant woman. . . .” Of course, the emphasis there is on the inevitability of what will follow. But the metaphor of labor pains also implies something else. Every mother knows that labor pains grow in intensity and frequency the closer one get to the end.
All these signs Jesus lists in Matthew 24:4-11 will be happening during the church age. But they will be building in frequency and intensity. Jesus lists 14 signs in this portion of Matthew 24. It’s tempting to comment on each one, but we want to get an overview of the chapter and not get too bogged down in the detail. I do want you to be aware of the warnings against deception in this passage and be aware that the Bible predicts and increase in deception and apostasy (2 Thess. 2:3) as we move toward the end.
Here are the 14 signs:
(1) Deception (vs 4-5, 11)
(2) False Christs (vs 5)
(3) Wars and rumors of wars (vs 6-7)
(4) Famines (vs 7)
(5) Pestilences (vs 7)
(6) Earthquakes (vs 7)
(7) Persecution of Christ followers (vs 9)
(8) Offenses (vs 10) The Greek word here is skandalizo. We get our English word scandal from it. It means to trip someone up. One definition is “to cause to fall away.”xxi
(9) Betrayals (vs 10)
(10) Hatred toward one another (vs 10)
(11) False prophets (vs 11)
(12) Lawlessness abounding (vs 11)
(13) Love growing cold (vs 11)
(14) World evangelism (vs 14). While all kinds of negative things will be going on, the gospel will be going forth and many will come to Christ. With the massive increase in communication through television and internet, this is happening on a scale never before experienced. So, what is the evidence that we are moving toward the end. It’s not the existence of these realities; it’s the increased frequency, intensity, and universality of them that points to the end.
In the book of Revelation, we see these elements released during the tribulation period with such magnitude that one fourth of the world’s population is killed (Rev. 6:8)! Do you remember our discussion of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2? Something or someone is holding back the Antichrist until God’s timing for the tribulation period. We are not told who or what the restrainer is. Because it has to be something or someone powerful enough to hold back Satan’s plans, my best guess is that it is a reference to the Holy Spirit, but not necessarily through the church. Pretribulationists contend that the Holy Spirit in the church is restraining the manifestation of the Antichrist, and when the church is raptured Revelation 6:1 can happen. That is a possibility, but it cannot be proven from the text. At any rate, the restraint on the Antichrist is removed and in verse 1 he comes to the forefront.
Each of the four horsemen in this passage represent the Antichrist and his activities. These first four seals probably happen in the first half of the tribulation period. Revelation 6:1-2: “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals [notice the restrain on this is removed as Christ opens the seal]; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” This depiction of the Antichrist looks so much like Christ that some teachers think it is representing Christ.xxii He is riding a white horse like Jesus does in Revelation 19. But this is the Antichrist coming with deception. He conquers without firing a shot. He has a bow, but he needs no arrows because at this phase his weapon is deception.
Verse 3 releases the next phase of his activities. “When He [Christ] opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.” The red horse represents war and bloodshed. And there will be a lot of it.
With verse 5 comes the black horse. “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’” A denarius was a day’s wages.xxiii The black horse represents famine. A person would work all day to barely get enough to eat for one person. The scales in the hands of the Antichrist probably represents rationing by the government. The Antichrist will measure out what people get, and because of all the wars, the resources will be scarce.
The palexxiv horse in verses 7-8 represents death, widespread death from disease, pestilence, and a variety of causes represented at the end of verse 8. “When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
When the fifth seal is opened in verse 9-11, we see the result of the persecution of God’s people during this first half of the tribulation people. Whether they are Christians or Tribulation Saints depends on whether you are a pretribulationist or posttribulationist. But they are people martyred during this tribulation period. We know that because “their murders are still live in the earth.”xxv Revelation 6:9-11: “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” So, there is the end-times intense persecution that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24.
This table will help you visualize the parallel of Matthew 24 with Revelation 6.
Rev. 6 verse--------------Seal-------------------- Imagery-----------Matt. 24 verse
Rev. 6:2--------------------#1 White horse----Deception --------Matt. 24:4-5, 11
Rev. 6:4--------------------#2 Red horse-------War-------------------Matt. 24:6-7
Rev. 6:5--------------------#3 Black horse-----Famine-------------Matt. 24:7
Rev. 6:7--------------------#4 Pale horse-------Death---------------Matt. 24:7
Rev. 6:9--------------------#5 Martyrs------------Persecution-----Matt. 24:9-10
So, we have seen in Matthew 24, events that would follow Christ’s crucifixion and intensify as history moves into the tribulation period.
Now Jesus mentions an event that serves as a milestone in prophetic history: the abomination of desolation. We know from previous studies, that event occurs in the middle of the seven-year tribulation period (Dan. 9:27).xxvi In Matthew 24:15-22 Jesus said, “Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains . . . 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
We will continue our study in the next chapter beginning with the abomination of desolation.
ENDNOTES:
i Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 212.
ii D. A. Carson, “Matthew” in Matthew, Mark, Luke, EBC, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8, F. E. Gabelein and J. D. Douglas, eds. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 488.
iii Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, 196. Kaiser uses this same passage to make the point (pp. 143-144). He writes, “‘Prophetic perspective’ occurs quite frequently in the Old Testament prophets. It is the phenomenon of blending together both the near and the distant aspects of the prediction in one and the same version.” Walter C. Kaiser and Moises Silva, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 143.
iv Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation, 199. Cf. J. Barton Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1962).
v Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 37-40.
vi There is an exegetical basis for taking this position. Bauer understands it this way in Matthew 24:34. Bauer, Walter, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, translated and edited by W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, and F. W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University Press of Chicago, 1979) “genea, 2” 191. However, he also recognizes the fact that this term is sometimes used to indicate “those exhibiting common characteristics, race, kind gener., as in Luke 16:8....” Nolland also understand the term to be referring to “a single human generation,” but also acknowledges that Matthew’s “use of the term has a range of emphasis.” John Nolland,
The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, I. H. Marshall and D. A. Hagner, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2005) 988-989. Scofield acknowledges the common use of the term in Scripture for those living at one time but says it “could not here mean those alive at the time of Christ, as ‘these things’—i.e. the world-wide preaching of the kingdom, the tribulation, the return of the Lord in visible glory, and the regathering of the elect—occurred the. He continues, “The expression ‘this generation’ here (1) may mean that the future generation which will endure the tribulation and see the signs, will also see the consummation, the return of the Lord; or (2) it may be used in the sense of race or family, meaning the nation or family of Israel will be preserved ‘till all these things be fulfilled,’ a promise wonderfully fulfilled to this day.” C. I. Scofield, The New Scofield Reference Bible, 1909 (London: Oxford University Press, 1967) 1035. Chafer (vol. IV, 316) and Pentecost (281) understand it in Scofield’s second sense (race or family). In the light of Old Testament promises to Israel like Jeremiah 31:37 and the Satanically inspired antisemitism seen, for example during WWII, this could be the thrust of the promise. In his commentary on Luke I. Howard Marshall surveys the many conflicting interpretations of the Olivet statement and identifies three that he thinks is most likely correct. I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, 7 I. H. Marshall and D. A. Hagner, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1978) 79-781. Given the diversity of interpretations of this statement (Matt. 24:34) it would seem unwise to base one’s whole understanding of the discourse on this one verse.
Mounce correctly understands “the events of the immediate period leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem portend a greater and more universal catastrophe when Christ returns in judgment at the end of time.” He agrees with Gundry’s (p. 491) assessment that the double fulfillment “involves an ambiguity that needs to be accepted as fact rather than objected to on literary grounds.” Mounce puts this in perspective when he writes, “The discourse began with two questions: the first asked when the temple would be destroyed, and the second, what would be the sign of Jesus’ coming (24:3). The answer to the first is that it will take place in the lifetime of the present generation. The answer to the second is that the events connected with Jesus’ return (vv. 5-29) are like the budding of a fig tree that indicates the arrival of summer. The exact time, however, (that day or hour), is known by no one (not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son), but only the Father (v. 36).”
vii Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 40. In a footnote, Blaising adds, “. . . this explains why there are first-century features in the pattern.” 227-228.
viii Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 217.
ix “There is a ‘Jewishness’ about this Gospel, as we see, for example, in Matthew’s emphasis on the fulfillment of what is written in Scripture.” Leon Morris, New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1986) 115.
x Cf. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. V, 1948 (Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 1974) 114-117.
xi Cf: Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 112-115, 217-222.
xii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
xiii Ladd writes, “This is a saying that anticipates the repentance of Israel so that when he comes at the end of history to carry out God’s judgment and final redemption, a repentant Israel will welcome him.” George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed. 1974 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1993) 201. See Isaiah 66:7-8; Zechariah 12:10-13:1 and Romans 11:25-29.
xiv Josephus, Josephus: Complete Works, trans. by William Whiston, The Wars of the Jews, Book VI, (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1981) 570-588. The phrase “not one stone shall be left here upon another” is hyperbolic language indicating utter destruction. Cf. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993) 111-112.
xv However, Bock says, “The plural tauta is also significant, since it shows that, although the temple’s fall is the question’s focus, it is not the only topic.” Certainly, in verses 27-31 Jesus addresses end-time events. This fact is important to our understanding of Matthew 24 because the same term is used in the question stated in Matthew 24:3. Therefore, even if Jesus did not address the destruction of Jerusalem in that account, the question was addressed as it surely included things accompanying the end. Darrell L. Bock, Luke, vol. 2, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Moises Silva, ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004) 1663.
xvi “They [the gospel writers] select events of Jesus’ life and his teachings, guided not by comprehensiveness but by their purpose in writing. They arrange material not always on the basis of sequential order but with a view to impress upon the readers certain specific truths.” Walter C. Kaiser and Moises Silva, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 107.
xvii Cf. I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, TNIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1978) 759. For a brief explanation of redaction criticism see Grant R. Osborne, “Redaction Criticism” in New Testament Criticism & Interpretation, David A. Black and David S. Dockery, eds. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1991) 197-224.
xviii Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.5.3. Cf, Robert H. Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1973) 133.
xix Green writes (p. 739), “. . . ‘the times of the Gentiles’ would mark a temporary season in which the Gentiles would occupy center stage in God’s purpose, after which the spotlight would return to Jerusalem. On the other hand, with v 25 Jesus’ eschatological discourse turns not to consider the place of Israel in God’s plan but to the end time, marked by the coming of the Son of man.” This message focuses on the Matthew account. So, we will not explore the structure in Luke 21 which is provided by Green in The Gospel of Luke. Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, N. B. Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, G. D. Fee, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1997) 731-732. Leon Morris notes, “There are some puzzling exegetical problems, notably those posed by the fact that part of the address seems to apply to the end of all things and part to the destruction of Jerusalem.” Leon Morris, The Gospel According to St. Luke, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, R. Tasker, ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1980) 295.
xx G. Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. IX (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) s. v. “odin ,” by Bertram, 667-674. See also Robertson’s Word Pictures for Matthew 24:8. The labor pain metaphor is used in the Apocalypse of Isaiah (Isa. 26:17).
xxi Strong’s Concordance #4624.
xxii Cf, George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed. 1974 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1993) 674.
xxiii Smith’s Bible Dictionary, “denarius.” Matthew 20 seems to imply this.
xxiv The color chloros is “pale or yellowish like the grass when dried up in the heat.” Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, 1992 (Iowa Falls, IA: World Bible Publishers, Inc., 1994) 1477. Bauer has it as “pale, greenish gray . . .as the color of a pers. in sickness contrasted with the appearance in health. . . .” Bauer, Walter, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, translated and edited by W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, and F. W. Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University Press of Chicago, 1979) 1085.
xxv W. A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation: Five Volumes Complete and Unabridged in One, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: 1966) 102.
xxvi See chapters 1 and 2. The classical interpretation of Daniel 9:27 is to see Antiochus Epiphanes’s defilement of the temple in about 167 B.C. as the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27. But that is negated by the fact that in Matthew 24:15 Jesus speaks of this “abomination of desolation” as a future event. The event in 167 B.C. was a type of the ultimate fulfillment prophesied by Jesus in our text to be followed by “ great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). Jack W. Hayford, ed., The New Spirit Filled Life Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2002) s. v. “Dan. 9:26, 27, One who makes desolate” by Coleman Phillips, p. 1136.
