Our second point: Jesus said that all these things would occur before that time. Let me set this comment in context. In Matt 23:36 Jesus said to his followers this: "Amen, I say to you, all these things will come about upon this generation" - and he is speaking of the avenging of righteous blood. Then in 24:2 Jesus asks if his disciples see "these things" - and he is speaking of the Temple and its stones that are about to crumble into a heap. And then the disciples ask him when will these things come about (24:3). We have here the evidence: "these things" must refer in these texts to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Third, we can put this together as this: Jesus predicts that all these things will occur within a generation. Not "some," but "all." This ties in very well with the term "immediately" in Matt 24:29 - immediately after those things (the birth pangs, etc.) then the Son of Man will "come" - whatever that means. This means that Jesus thinks the destruction of Jerusalem will occur before or around A.D. 70. [Italics words accidentally omitted and now edited back in. Sorry.]
Fourth, this leads to what was for me the most startling revelation of what I perceived to be an honest reading of Matthew 24. When Jesus says "all these things" he includes the astral, heavenly wonders and the Son of Man's so-called coming in Matthew 24:29-31. We could stop right here and the case would be made, but we need to go back now to the original quest we had - where does Jesus speak of the destruction of Jerusalem?
The answer to that question, simply put, is this: Matt 24:29-31/Mark 13:24-27/Luke 21:25-28 describe in apocalyptic and prophetic imagery (the) destruction (of Jerusalem) as the vindication of the Son of Man, that is, the vindication of Jesus as Israel's Messiah who has been rejected. In this language, then, we see that the nation's leaders have been judged as was Israel at the hand of Assyria and Babylon and now Rome.
Let me begin with the obvious: the word "coming" in Matt. 24:30 translates the Greek word erchomai, a term that means "coming" but not specific with respect to "descending" or "ascending." To answer the direction of that "coming," we need to look at the source for Jesus' comments, and that source is Daniel 7:13 and there described the ascent of the Son of Man before the Ancient of Days to receive political dominion. I can't tell you how significant this conclusion is for understanding the prediction of Jesus. The plain sense of these words, because Jesus is so clearly appealing to the Daniel text as somehow fulfilled in the future, is that Jesus sees the words of Matt 24:29-31 as his victorious, ascension-like reception of power as King and ruler over a body of people. Jesus is announcing the fulfillment of Daniel 7, that is his exaltation and authorization with power before God, and not his 'return' to earth. That event is in some sense his 'appearing' (parousia; 24:3, 27, 37, 39).
With the term coming settled, we can ask about the astral phenomena, the mourning, and the gathering of the elect. Very briefly, they are also about the same destruction of Jerusalem and the vindication of the Son of Man. When we read of the sun being blotted out, and the moon's light being quenched, and stars falling out of the heavens those who read their Old Testaments will immediately think of passages such as the following: Isa. 13:9-10; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:10 and 3:15. Perhaps one example will suffice: Ezek. 32:7 reads, of Pharaoh: "When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens, and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light." That happened already. In other words, astral disasters are celestial metaphors for earthly political disasters - when Israel, when Judah, or when Egypt falls, when a political kingdom collapses, the ancients resort to heavenly phenomena falling, to the sun and moon failing to give their light, that is to cosmic sympathy and correlation. Incidentally, when Pentecost occurred Peter saw what happened as a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32, and there is absolutely no idea that the sons and daughters speaking was the fulfillment but the astral phenomena yet to come - in fact, the speaking in tongues was simultaneously political disaster for Israel. It began the ending of her national privilege.
As for the mourning ... this much can be said. What Jesus predicts here about mourning sounds very much like Zech. 12:9-10 wherein we read that Israel will wail tribe by tribe over the political disasters occurring around her. But, in fact, that wailing is one of sympathy for the nations being vanquished by God in his battle against those who oppress his people. As the stars, sun and moon correlate with God's acts, so also will Israel wail over punishment - but this time, so suggests Jesus, the wailing will be by those Israelites who follow Jesus and they shall bemoan those Israelites who experience God's just judgment on Jerusalem. That Israel is in view here, and not the world, is virtually proven by the fact that the term "tribe" refers to Israel.
The gathering of the elect has drawn the most fire for this interpretation but I would preface my interpretation with this observation: whatever we make of the gathering of the elect, it occurs within one generation of Jesus and in conjunction with the astral phenomena, the mourning, and the vindication of the Son of Man. I think it most likely that the regathering is a metaphorical description of the re-constitution of Israel as twelve-tribe people - a significant theme among the prophets of Israel and Judah, but now in terms of followers of Jesus and the Twelve apostles he appointed. That is, the destruction of Jerusalem will result in the reconstitution of Israel under the Twelve apostles. A variant interpretation, under the influence of Matt. 13:41, is that this refers to an angelic gathering of non-believing Israelites to Jerusalem for judgment. And yet another view would see this as a metaphor for evangelism of the Roman empire.
The answer to that question, simply put, is this: Matt 24:29-31/Mark 13:24-27/Luke 21:25-28 describe in apocalyptic and prophetic imagery (the) destruction (of Jerusalem) as the vindication of the Son of Man, that is, the vindication of Jesus as Israel's Messiah who has been rejected. In this language, then, we see that the nation's leaders have been judged as was Israel at the hand of Assyria and Babylon and now Rome.
Let me begin with the obvious: the word "coming" in Matt. 24:30 translates the Greek word erchomai, a term that means "coming" but not specific with respect to "descending" or "ascending." To answer the direction of that "coming," we need to look at the source for Jesus' comments, and that source is Daniel 7:13 and there described the ascent of the Son of Man before the Ancient of Days to receive political dominion. I can't tell you how significant this conclusion is for understanding the prediction of Jesus. The plain sense of these words, because Jesus is so clearly appealing to the Daniel text as somehow fulfilled in the future, is that Jesus sees the words of Matt 24:29-31 as his victorious, ascension-like reception of power as King and ruler over a body of people. Jesus is announcing the fulfillment of Daniel 7, that is his exaltation and authorization with power before God, and not his 'return' to earth. That event is in some sense his 'appearing' (parousia; 24:3, 27, 37, 39).
With the term coming settled, we can ask about the astral phenomena, the mourning, and the gathering of the elect. Very briefly, they are also about the same destruction of Jerusalem and the vindication of the Son of Man. When we read of the sun being blotted out, and the moon's light being quenched, and stars falling out of the heavens those who read their Old Testaments will immediately think of passages such as the following: Isa. 13:9-10; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:10 and 3:15. Perhaps one example will suffice: Ezek. 32:7 reads, of Pharaoh: "When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens, and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light." That happened already. In other words, astral disasters are celestial metaphors for earthly political disasters - when Israel, when Judah, or when Egypt falls, when a political kingdom collapses, the ancients resort to heavenly phenomena falling, to the sun and moon failing to give their light, that is to cosmic sympathy and correlation. Incidentally, when Pentecost occurred Peter saw what happened as a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32, and there is absolutely no idea that the sons and daughters speaking was the fulfillment but the astral phenomena yet to come - in fact, the speaking in tongues was simultaneously political disaster for Israel. It began the ending of her national privilege.
As for the mourning ... this much can be said. What Jesus predicts here about mourning sounds very much like Zech. 12:9-10 wherein we read that Israel will wail tribe by tribe over the political disasters occurring around her. But, in fact, that wailing is one of sympathy for the nations being vanquished by God in his battle against those who oppress his people. As the stars, sun and moon correlate with God's acts, so also will Israel wail over punishment - but this time, so suggests Jesus, the wailing will be by those Israelites who follow Jesus and they shall bemoan those Israelites who experience God's just judgment on Jerusalem. That Israel is in view here, and not the world, is virtually proven by the fact that the term "tribe" refers to Israel.
The gathering of the elect has drawn the most fire for this interpretation but I would preface my interpretation with this observation: whatever we make of the gathering of the elect, it occurs within one generation of Jesus and in conjunction with the astral phenomena, the mourning, and the vindication of the Son of Man. I think it most likely that the regathering is a metaphorical description of the re-constitution of Israel as twelve-tribe people - a significant theme among the prophets of Israel and Judah, but now in terms of followers of Jesus and the Twelve apostles he appointed. That is, the destruction of Jerusalem will result in the reconstitution of Israel under the Twelve apostles. A variant interpretation, under the influence of Matt. 13:41, is that this refers to an angelic gathering of non-believing Israelites to Jerusalem for judgment. And yet another view would see this as a metaphor for evangelism of the Roman empire.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
Oops! I forgot how Beliefnet reckons URLs. The booksite is http://thisbookwillchangeyourworld.com
ChrisE@11,
the close of the age/the end was the close/end of the pre-messianic age. This was a hot topic among the Jews of Jesus' day; it's a way of asking the question, "Who is the messiah?" Because when the messiah comes, the old age will be over and the new -the age to come- will be inaugurated.
The suffering and violence in Jerusalem in AD 70 was certainly the greatest tribulation the Jews of Jesus' day had ever seen. Imagine how it was for them to see the Temple with no stone remaining on top of another, if nothing else. It was an unmitigated disaster, and still mourned by pious Jews.
Dana
Scot,
I have enjoyed this series on eschatology so much, that I felt compelled to finally comment after spending the past couple of years merely reading the posts on this site. I just want to say amen! I’m very much encouraged by your comments, and looking forward to the rest of the series.
Chris E #10,
When Luke said that “all the world” was registered in Caesar’s census, he clearly meant the Roman Empire (the NIV, for this reason, actually translates Luke 2:1 thus). The Apostle Paul said the same thing ... “all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing ... the gospel ... has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven” (Col 1:6, 23).
The reason Jesus could describe the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple as the greatest tribulation the world had ever seen is due to the covenant implications of that event. The passing from Old Covenant to New Covenant, from Israel to the Church, was a momentous, unique and eternally significant event. As it relates to God’s plan for the redemption of the world, the destruction of Jerusalem (and all the spiritual reality that was signified by this earthly event) truly was the greatest judgment of God the world would ever experience.
Scot,
I agree with the comments above that understanding the hermeneutics of biblical apocalyptic imagery will help diffuse the cultural fascination with tabloid eschatology in its current pre-Trib form.
Chris E,
I did my final research paper on Jesus' Kingdom ideas in Mark's Gospel for my Matthew/Mark course last semester. Needless to say, I've been overwhelmingly (as much as can be) convinced of a Partial-Preterist reading. Mark 13:10 par cannot be read literally as "all the world" or "all the known world" as a definite, and fit into the context. The context is about persecution, and faithfulness in the face of that persecution. The most natural reading is that the evangelism of the entire world with the good news must be a persistent goal, and nothing should stand in their way of accomplishing this.
As ar as "Greatest Tribulation the world has ever seen," I still think we're pushing for too literal a reading of the text. I think it is clear here that Jesus (or Mark) is directly referencing Daniel 12:1, it was standard language in such prophecies to speak of a coming tribulation as being so extreme. This just seems to be what i've gathered.
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.