THE END OF THE WORLD OR THE END OF AN AGE? (Part One)

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 chat that two of them had with Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-27) establishes that they had lost all hope concerning the redemption of Israel 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, the brother of John, died before Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 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. Consequently, He is speaking of things that would occur during their lifetimes, not things that would occur thousands of years after their deaths.

Some think that the time reference must be to 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 that He had instituted through Moses until all the 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 it 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 first surrounding Jerusalem and then entering not only the city but 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.

It was quite common, in those days, for people to be on their rooftops (see Acts 10:9). Expectant mothers and mothers with infants would have greater difficulty fleeing Jerusalem. The winters are severe in that location. The gates of the city would be closed on the Sabbath day. And why would Jesus say "then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” if the events in question constituted the end of all things? The Jewish historian, Josephus, discusses the destruction of Jerusalem at great length, describing in great detail the horrors of what could legitimately be called "the first holocaust." He also reported that those of the Jews who were not slain were sold into slavery. This is why there are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in all parts of the world, today.

[To be continued]

DIVINE PROVIDENCE (Part Fourteen)

The Christian and Providence (Continued)

By Bob Myhan

It was to provide salvation for all mankind that God sent forth His Son into the world.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

But God was not, at that point, finished providing salvation for mankind. After the ascension of Jesus back to heaven, He and His Father sent the Holy Spirit to remind the apostles of what Jesus had taught them and to guide them into all truth. The Holy Spirit also bore witness to the truth by enabling the apostles to confirm their word as the word of God. Jesus told the apostles,

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matt. 28:19-20)

The apostle Paul told Timothy,

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim. 2:1-2

The early disciples took the responsibility to evangelize on a personal level seriously.

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. (Acts 8:4)

[To be continued]