The Coming Judgment in Matthew 24

Wars and rumors of wars! Earthquakes! Famines! Pestilences! How often
have you heard someone claim these events prove that the end of the
world is near? There should be no doubt that the Bible teaches that the
world will end someday. At the same time, we should be careful to not
misuse the Bible to try to prove a point that the text does not support.
One passage that many are guilty of misusing this way is Matthew 24. In
this chapter, Jesus did predict of coming wars and rumors of wars. He
prophesied of coming famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various
places. He also foretold of coming persecutions against Christians, many
false prophets and an increase in lawlessness. As we look about the
current events in the world, it is easy to understand how one's first
reaction would be to think this is all speaking of our time period.
However, if we will examine the context, we will see that Jesus was
prophesying of events that took place in the first century, not events
in the late 20th or early 21st centuries. The immediate context begins
in Matthew 23 where Jesus severely rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in
the Temple. Jesus called these religious leaders fools, blind guides,
sons of hell, serpents, whitewashed tombs, hypocrites and murderers.
Jesus wasn't a modern denominational preacher who only knows how to "be
positive" and talk about love! Jesus finished this rebuke by telling
them, "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:
some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will
scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you
may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth... Assuredly, I say
to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 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" (Matthew 23:34-38). Jesus plainly warned
the generation that was guilty of both rejecting Him and His Apostles
that judgment would come upon them for their sins. As Jesus left the
Temple with His disciples, some of them began pointing out the beautiful
stones that made up the Temple. The first verse in Matthew 24 tells us,
"Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples
came up to show Him the buildings of the temple." The parallel passage
in Mark 13:1 says, "Then as He went out of the temple, one of His
disciples said to Him, 'Teacher, see what manner of stones and what
buildings are here!'" Jesus was not impressed by these buildings as His
disciples were. Instead of admiring the beauty of the Temple, Jesus told
His disciples, "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" (Matthew 24:2). Jesus was repeating a prophecy He made when
He first arrived at Jerusalem a few days earlier. Luke 19:41-44 tells
us, "Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If
you had known... the things that make for your peace! But now they are
hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies
will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on
every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground;
and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did
not know the time of your visitation.'" Before Jesus came to Jerusalem,
a Pharisee invited Him to his home for a meal (Luke 11:37). While He was
there, Jesus rebuked both the Pharisees and lawyers. While speak ing to
a lawyer, Jesus prophesied of the coming destruction of Jerusalem when
He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!... For you build the tombs of the
prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that
you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and
you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will
send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and
persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the
foundation of the world may be required of this generation... Yes, I say
to you, it shall be required of this generation."  (Luke 11:46-51).
After Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He continued to warn the Jews of
coming judgment on those who rejected Him. In the parable of the
Vineyard, Jesus told of a vineyard owner who rented his property out to
others (Matthew 21:33-45). When it was time to collect the payments due,
the owner sent his servants to the renters. The renters beat, stoned and
killed the servants instead of paying what they owed. Finally, the owner
sent his son, but the renters killed him. Jesus asked the Pharisees what
the owner would do to these renters. They answered, "He will destroy
those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers
who will render to him the fruits in their seasons" (Matthew 21:41).
They answered correctly, and Jesus made the application, "Therefore I
say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a
nation bearing the fruits of it" (Mat thew 21:43). The Jews understood
what He was talking about. Verse 45 tells us, "Now when the chief
priests and Phari sees heard His parables, they perceived that He was
speaking of them." They were the ones who rejected the prophets and now
were about to kill the Son. They were the ones the vineyard owner (God)
would "destroy miserably." Jesus has been continually prophesying of the
destruction of Jerusalem, from the time during His journey to Jerusalem,
to after He arrived into the city, to the time in Mat thew 24 when he
leaves the Temple for the last time. When Jesus told His disciples,
"Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another,
that shall not be thrown down" (Matthew 24:2), they are shocked. The
disciples do not say anything about it until they are sitting on the
Mount of Olivet. There, Peter, James, John and Andrew ask Him, "Tell us,
when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these
things will be fulfilled?" (Mark 13:1-4). This is the context of the
prophecies of Matthew 24. Jesus was predicting the destruction of the
Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD, not the end of the world as
many are teaching today! Another passage that helps us see the context
of Matthew 24 is verse 34. There, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you,
this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take
place" (Matthew 24:34). It is amazing to see to what degree some will go
in their efforts to get around this plain passage. Since they have
preconceived ideas that Mat thew 24 is talking about the 20th century,
they twist the words of Jesus to match their beliefs rather than change
their beliefs to match what Jesus said! One of the most com mon methods
used to twist this passage is the claim that it is referring to the
generation that saw the modern nation of Israel being formed in 1948.
The claim is that the fig tree in verse 32 represents the formation of
modern Israel. A simple reading of this passage will show that Jesus is
just using the illustration of how they know summer is near when they
see fig trees putting out leaves. In like manner, they could know the
destruction of Jerusalem was near wh en they saw the fulfillment of what
He prophesied in verses 4 - 31. It is common historical knowledge that
the destruction of both the Temple and the city of Jerusalem took place
about forty years after Jesus first spoke these words. In 70 AD, the
Roman armies, led by Titus, completely tore down the Temple and did not
leave one stone left upon another, just as Jesus said. The wars,
famines, earthquakes, false prophets and troubled times all took place
in the years just before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Luke's
account tells us, "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, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let
not those who are in the country enter her" (Luke 21:20-21). This cannot
be talking about the second coming of Christ. When He returns at the end
of time, what good will it do to run to the mountains? One prophecy that
confuses some is the one about the gospel being preached to all the
world (Matthew 24:14). They fail to notice that just a few short years
before the destruc tion of the Temple, the apostle Paul wrote he prayed
for the Colossians, "...because of the hope which is laid up for you in
heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the
gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world..."
(Colossians 1:3-6). Just a few verses later Paul told the Colossians
they were reconciled to God. "...if indeed you continue in the faith,
grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the
gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under
heaven" (Colossians 1:21-23). Everything Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24
was fulfilled in that generation! Much of the language in this passage
does sound like it must be referring to the second coming of Christ, but
Jesus was using language similar to past prophesies of the Old Testament
prophets. The wording may cause confusion to 20th century Americans, but
the Jews of the first century who grew up studying the prophets knew
what Jesus was talking about. This is why all the Christians fled
Jerusalem before the Romans destroyed in 70 AD. Be sure to watch "The
Word and the Sword" on December 6th and 20th for further discussion on
this fascinating chapter in God's Word.




Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc