The End of a System Not the End of the World (1)

By Bob Myhan

While it is widely held that Jesus [in Matthew 24 and Mark 13] is talking about the end of the world, the context actually shows that He is discussing the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and Herod’s temple and the end of the Jewish system of religion.

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 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." (Matt. 24:1-2)

Clearly, Jesus is referring to the temple and its adjacent structures.

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?" (Matt. 24:3)

It is doubtful that the apostles are asking Jesus about the second coming for they did not yet understand that He was going back to heaven. They mistakenly thought that He would reign from Jerusalem. Even after His resurrection, none of the apostles accepted the testimony of those who had already seen Him (Mark 16:14). Rather, each had to see Him before they would believe. The discussion that two of them had with Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-27) shows that they had lost all hope concerning Israel’s redemption when He was put to death.

Thus, when Jesus spoke of the end of the Jewish system they, naturally, thought He was speaking of the end of the world.

And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:4-8)

From the response of Jesus - up to this point - "these things" would occur during the lifetime of at least some of the apostles. As far as the Bible is concerned, only Judas Iscariot and James, brother of John, died before Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. He is telling them that they are not to be overly concerned, when such things occur, about the destruction of the temple and the city being imminent.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 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.” (Matt. 24:9-14)

Notice again Jesus’ use of second person plural pronouns. These things would affect the apostles, personally. Therefore, He is speaking of things that would occur during their lifetimes, not things that would occur thousands of years after their death.

Some think that the time reference must be the end of the world because of Jesus' statement that the "gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world" before the end. But this was done in the first century (Col. 1:3-6, 23). This is indicative of the longsuffering of God. He would not - and did not - destroy Jerusalem, the temple and the Jewish system, He had instituted through Moses until all Israel had an opportunity to hear and obey the gospel.

"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” (Matt. 24:15-28)

Again, notice the second person plural pronouns. Jesus is still speaking of things that would occur during the lifetime of some of the apostles. What is “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet”? This must be considered in its immediate context of the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem. There is a similar passage in Luke 21:20-24.

"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, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 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. 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.”

Thus, "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet," refers to the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem and entering both the city and the temple itself. It is clear that Jesus is speaking of a national catastrophe not a universal climax. Everyone likely to be directly affected would be in Judea. &

The Death of an Infant

By Bob Myhan

Should the death of an infant be the occasion of sorrow or of joy? When David lay with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, a child was conceived. After a failed attempt to deceive Uriah into thinking the child would be his, David had him killed.

Then … the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!" When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, "What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food." And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Sam. 12:15-23)

David’s servants misunderstood his fasting, praying and weeping during this time. When the child was sick, David had hope that the child might recover. But when the child died, David returned to his daily routine, knowing that continued fasting, praying and weeping could not bring the child back. It is sad when infants precede their parents in death but we know they are going to heaven, for we must be like them to enter into the kingdom. (Matt. 18:1-4) &