LESSON 13 - Matthew 24 and The End of the World

On the back cover of his book The 1980's: Countdown to Armageddon, Hal Lindsey dramatically attempts to capture the reader's attention with the following words:

WE ARE THE GENERATION THE PROPHETS WERE TALKING ABOUT! WE HAVE WITNESSED BIBLICAL PROPHECIES COME TRUE: 

• The rebirth of Israel 
• The decline of American power and morality
• The rise of Russian and Chinese might 
• The threat of war in the Middle East
• The increase of earthquakes, volcanoes, famine and drought

THE BIBLE FORETELLS THE SIGNS THAT PRECEDE ARMAGEDDON: 
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains º when you see all these things; you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth; this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

WE ARE THE GENERATION THAT WILL SEE THE END TIMES ... AND THE RETURN OF JESUS. It is not by accident that Lindsey references Matthew 24 in setting forth his proposal that the end of all things is at hand. So sure is he that this chapter contains the key to ascertaining the Lord's return that he emphatically states, "The decade of the 1980's could very well be the last decade of history as we know it." (p.8). That you are reading these words in 2004 indicates the error of Lindsey's approach to this subject. With the runaway success of two who have picked up where Lindsey left off æ Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, authors of the "Left Behind" books that purport to reflect future events in novel form æ it would do us all some good to take a closer look at Matthew 24. Helpful in setting Matthew 24 in context is the analysis provided by Dr. Stafford North in his book Armageddon Again? He approaches the text by dividing it into ten sections to get at the meaning of Jesus' words.

1. The Occasion (Matthew 23:9-24:3)The scathing rebuke by Jesus of the Pharisees will culminate in his promise that "upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abelº to Zechariah º I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation"(23:35-36). As Jesus weeps over the city, he pronounces doom upon it. The disciples draw his attention to the magnificent temple, but Jesus predicts that it, too, will be destroyed. 

2. The Question (24:3) These stunning words prompt the disciples to ask Jesus, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Luke and Mark's gospels record the same question, but ask about when these things will be accomplished or come to pass. A Glance Ahead at Verse 34. Before studying Jesus' answer to their question it is important to note how 24:34 serves as a critical boundary line: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." Jesus used the same words in Matt. 23: 35-36 to describe those living at the time he was speaking. Seven other times in Matthew Jesus used the term "generation" (11:16, 12:39, 41, 45; 16:4; 17:7). In every case the context makes it clear that Jesus was speaking of those whom he was addressing, those alive in the first century. All the events described before 24:34 would happen to those then alive æ "this generation."

3. The Misleading and Preliminary Signs (24:4-14) It is instructive that, before giving the disciples the signs heralding the temple's destruction, Jesus first issues this warning: "Watch out that no one deceives you." Reading the Lord's words, does it appear that he intended "wars and rumors of wars, etc." were the signs that the end of the world was at hand? The very opposite is true.

4. The Real Sign (24:15) The time to flee Jerusalem is connected to a reference in Daniel 9:27: "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation' spoken of through the prophet Daniel æ let the reader understand æ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (24:15-16). A few issues deserve some explanation:

• Daniel's "seventy weeks" are usually understood as a figurative reference to 490 years.
• According to Daniel's prophecy the last week or seven years will see the coming of "the anointed one, the prince" which is the Messiah. (Dan. 9:25).
• During this final week the anointed one will be "cut off, and have nothing (Dan. 9:26) æ descriptive of Christ's sudden end in crucifixion and apparent defeat.
• Another prince will enter the city to "destroy the city and the sanctuary," coming on "the wing of abominations" to plunge the city into war (Dan. 9:26-27).
• Luke's account of Jesus' words includes this explanation: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near." (Luke 26:20).
• Just as Daniel predicted, forty years after the Messiah was cut off, in 70 A.D., Roman armies marched on Jerusalem. After a siege of 134 days, they broke through the walls, destroyed the city and burned the temple. They raised their ensigns over the eastern gate of the temple and offered sacrifices to them. The precise fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus are corroborated by history. Even the stones of the temple were cast down as he predicted. The sign to watch them is when the disciples see an army marching on Jerusalem. That was the time to make their move.

5. What to Do When They See the Sign (24:16-20) When the army marches toward Jerusalem, Jesus tells the disciples to run, not stopping for any reason to pack belongings or to retrieve anything. It will be more difficult for pregnant women and nursing mothers, or if it happens to fall in winter or on the Sabbath, when the gates of the city would be closed. All of these circumstances make sense if applied to the coming destruction of Jerusalem. They make no sense if applied to the end of the world. When Christ returns, what difference will it make if you have small children or if it is winter or on the Sabbath? 

6. The Nature of the Coming Event (24:21-28) The "great distress" Jesus predicts is seen in the description of Josephus in The Jewish War. The years 66-70 A.D. were a time of unspeakable suffering, privation and cruelty. The vultures (or eagles) are gathering around the dead body æ punishment upon the nation by God for rejecting his own Son.

7. Striking Events to Follow Immediately (24:29-31) The list of events which will immediately follow what Jesus has just described are nearly identical to the figurative, apocalyptic used elsewhere in the Bible to signify important events like fall of nations or the end of an era. (Isa. 34:4-5; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16). One verse that needs an explanation, though, is "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory" (24:30). The sign of the Son of Man is that his shocking prediction of Jerusalem's fall coming to fraction is proof of his power and omniscience. As for the Son of Man's coming, several passages in scripture speak of God or Christ coming when the reference is clearly not to a visible coming or to the end of the world:

• Isaiah speaks of the Lord riding upon a "swift cloud" to overpower Egypt (Isa. 19:1).
• The Psalms speak of the Lord riding the clouds as a chariot when he exercises his power (Ps. 104:3).
• Daniel prophesies of a vision where "one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven, approaching the Ancient of Days" (Dan. 7:13-14).
• Jews tells the high priest, "In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26: 6a).
• In Revelation Jesus frequently says, "I come quickly" (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). If he is speaking of his "coming" to exercise his judgment on the Roman Empire by doing what he said in Revelation, he did. If he was speaking of his second coming, he failed to keep his word since it has been nearly 2,000 years since he spoke those words.

8. "In This Generation" (24:32-35) When the fig tree begins to put out leaves, you know that summer is coming. In the same way, Jesus has given his disciples the answer to their question of when the destruction of the temple would happen. All these things will happen during "this generation." He was speaking about 30 A.D. and the events he described culminated in 70 A.D. with the fall of Jerusalem æ certainly within the lifetime of those to whom Jesus spoke.

9. "But of That Day and Hour º" (24:36-40) Passing the boundary marker of verse 34, Jesus changes the subject by shifting gears. "But of that day and hour" is a transition suggesting a demarcation between the "before" of the days leading to verse 34 and the "after" of the singular day to follow. Jesus is no longer speaking of judgment against Jerusalem, but of the final judgment that will come upon all men. Note the contrast between the fall of Jerusalem and the second coming:

• Unlike the fall of Jerusalem, no one knows when the second coming and final judgment will be.
• There is the possibility of escape from the destruction of Jerusalem; there will be no escaping the Lord's second coming.
• One is moving toward a resolution; the other overwhelming all with its suddenness.

10. "Watch Therefore" (24:41-51) "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (24:42). Jesus goes on to relate parables stressing the necessity of being ready at any time for the master's return. The good servants are always ready, but the wicked servants are never ready. Since we do not know the time of our Lord's return, Jesus warns us to be in a constant state of readiness.

Conclusion:To use Matthew 24 to set the dates for the end of the world is an approach to this passage that will always be doomed to failure. The fact that hundreds of predictions have failed should be ample evidence that Jesus was not giving a way to predict when the end will come. When Jesus specifically says that not even he knew the day nor the hour and that "the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matt.24-44), surely we have no business trying to predict anything about when he will return.