New Year-2023

2“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (See Temple Slide.)

The temple took 46 years to build.

The smallest stones weighed between 2 to 5 tons, the larger one 567 to 628 tons.

Some of the stones were 6.6 x 39.8 x 26 feet long.

One stone measured 45.6 feet long.

Jesus said that not one stone would be left on another, every stone would be thrown down. Amazing!

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

There are several interpretations for this chapter.

Some say that it is all historical; everything took place and was fulfilled when Jerusalem fell. These folks view the whole of Matthew 24 as saying nothing about the return of Christ or the events of the last days of history. To them Jesus here predicts what will happen from the time of his resurrection to the time of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.

Some say that it is partially historical, and partially related to the end times. There will be two judgments at two different times in history. There will be a local judgment in AD 70, and then (after an unspecified period of time) there will be another judgment, a final worldwide judgment on the last day.

Some say that it is all prophetic and related totally to the end times. To them this text, combined with a few others, depicts the following scenario: “The nation of Israel will be back in the land of Palestine with a rebuilt temple, only to suffer great persecution from the antichrist after the secret rapture and the removal of Gentile believers.”

With each interpretation, respective “scholars” have their Bible verses to support their view.

We’ll not delve into each interpretation at this time but will concentrate on how we are to relate to the coming of Jesus and the end of the age.

The temple was destroyed less than forty years later in 70 ad. The Romans sacked Jerusalem and massacred most of its citizens.

The only stones left intact were the huge foundation stones, which were not part of the Temple edifice proper.

Josephus commented that a person visiting the site after the destruction could not believe that anyone had ever inhabited the place, much less that one of the most magnificent structures of the ancient world had stood there only a short while before.

Matthew 24:4-51 (NIV84)

4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.

Watch out = βλέπω blepō = to take heed; to discern, to understand.

To notice carefully, to be ready to learn about future dangers or needs, with the implication of preparedness to respond appropriately—‘to beware of, to watch out for, to pay attention to.’

The present tense means that believers should constantly watch for signals in the prophetic future. Jesus did not directly answer the disciples’ question, “When?” because the emphasis lies not on when but on what to look for.

When false prophets fix the date of Christ’s return, they deceive believers. They cause them to lose their commitment to the Savior in exchange for escape from the very tribulations intended to glorify Christ’s power.

5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

6You 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.

7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

These signs have been present since the 1st century.

The kind of things Jesus mentions in this section are not the things that mark specific signs of the end.

Things like false messiahs, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have been occurring since the time of Jesus’ Ascension—but were not specific signs of the end. Catastrophes will happen, but these will not signal the end.

In the midst of any great war or any great famine or any great earthquake, it is natural to believe that the world is coming to an end. But Jesus said there is a far more specific sign that would indicate His return, and He describes this later.

“One clear aim of this chapter is to prevent premature excitement about the Parousia (second coming of Christ).” (R.T. France)

12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

The Christian must not be led astray by false teachers, nor offended by the prevalence of scandals, nor let his love be chilled, if he would gain the reward, share in Messiah’s glory, and save his soul.

14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

In the period before ad 70 the gospel was preached around much of the Mediterranean area (which is what most Greek speakers would have understood to be the whole world at that time).

The gospel will be proclaimed until the end.

15“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—

Luke 21:20-21 (NIV84) 20"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.

Verse 15 tells us that they were to expect “the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place.” (Daniel 9:27)

The book of Daniel, as Jesus points out, forms much of the background of this phrase. That is why Matthew says, “let the reader understand.” In other words, let the reader grasp that what Daniel said would happen is soon to happen.

The abomination that causes desolation (Historically) refers to the gory deeds of the Zealots, who, after the war had been carried on for some years, seized the temple, put a stop to the daily sacrifice, deluged the sacred courts with blood, and were guilty of most hideous crimes and excesses, which, as Josephus testifies, were the immediate cause of the city’s ruin.

Josephus gave the tally lists of the thousands slain in various cities and villages and places the number slaughtered at the fantastic total of ELEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND!

This was more than four times the loss of life when the nuclear device destroyed Hiroshima!

Particularly pathetic was the wretched plight of 30,000 young Hebrew men crucified upon the walls and in the vicinity of Jerusalem, so many, according to Josephus, that all the green trees in the area were cut down to make crosses, and all the lumber stores exhausted. The cry, “His blood be upon us and our children,” received an awful retribution in kind and a terrible fulfillment in such a demonic atrocity.

Fulfilled in 70 ad: Idolatrous Roman armies invade Jerusalem and fight and kill many, even in the temple.

Final Fulfillment: Final rebellion against God brings religious abomination and desolation.

16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

This prophecy and counsel strictly addressed believers living near Jerusalem before its destruction. Its prime commands do not and cannot apply to Jesus’ return.

What possible meaning could that verse have to anyone who does not live in that region of the world? We can allegorize “Judea” (and also “flee” and “mountains” for that matter), but that only leaves us with 100,000 possibilities and perhaps 100,000 exegetical absurdities. It is most natural and reasonable to believe that Jesus is talking about some event that would not affect the whole world but only those who live in and around Jerusalem, only those who can flee to mountains.

When he comes, there will be no opportunity to flee to the mountains or to do anything else.

Unbelievers will wish to hide but find it impossible (Rev. 6:16), and believers will want to come to Jesus, not flee from him.

Pregnancy, motherhood, and weather will be inconsequential on the last day. But in AD 70 it was very important for Christians to flee the wrath of Rome’s armies, and pregnancy, cold weather, and children would magnify the problems of refugees.

The second coming will be a good thing for the followers of Christ. There will be no need to run if Jesus and his obvious and somehow universal presence is coming to town.

The phrase, “let the reader understand,” (Matt. 24:15) means that Matthew’s first readers must stand by, ready to flee whenever the Romans arrive.

Eusebius, the early church historian, says the Christians of Jerusalem did flee, preserving many lives. When the Romans came, “the church at Jerusalem … left the city, and moved to a town called Pella.”405

The Christians seem to have taken this advice when the city was attacked by Cestius Gallus, about a.d. 66, some three or more years before the siege under Vespasian.

The Christians, bearing Christ’s warning in mind, took the opportunity of flight from the doomed city, and made their escape to Pella, a town of Decapolis, south-east of Bethshean, and the ruins of which are known now by the name of Fahil.

Eusebius: Owing to a certain revelation given to holy men among them, the whole body of the Church, before the war, removed across the Jordan to Pella, and dwelt there in safety during those troublous times.

17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.

18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.

19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

In winter the roads would be impassable, and on the Sabbath, gates would be shut and provisions unobtainable.

The statements in verses 15 through 20 are related specifically to the ad 70 experience. The abomination of desolation (Dan. 11:31), as when Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple by offering sacrifice to the pagan god Zeus, was predicted to reoccur. Jesus’ prediction had a near fulfillment with the sack of Jerusalem by Titus, but Paul suggests a future fulfillment. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4.)

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NIV84) 1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

R.T. France: Verses 15–22 speak of the coming siege of Jerusalem, which would precede the temple’s destruction.

Had the time not been cut short, no one would have survived. The time of suffering will be shortened “for the sake of the elect.”

23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.

24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

25See, I have told you ahead of time.

26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming (παρουσία parousia) of the Son of Man.

28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

The events in verses 23-28 have been occurring since the time of the 1st century.

Some theologians interpret verses 23-28 as referring to the End Times; others dispute this because of verse 27.

R.T. France: “Jesus was not talking about the Parousia, as some interpretations suggest; v 27 is saying precisely that this period is not that of the Parousia.”

The coming of the Son of Man will be clearly visible, just as lightning in the east is clearly visible in the west.

29“Immediately after the distress of those days “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30“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 (ἔρχομαι erchomai) on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Some theologians interpret verses 29-31 as referring to the End Times.

Others say that this is an historical event.

See the two Greek words for coming in verses 27 and 30.

32“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

34I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Jesus proclaimed that within forty years, in a.d. 70, Jerusalem would fall, and the temple would be destroyed. It happened just as he said it would.

Some theologians interpret verses 32-35 as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 ad.

Verses 15-28 and 32-35 have occurred in history.

Christ’s prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem was clearly a prediction, but a prediction for a reason. Those who believed Christ’s words were to obey his instructions. They were to flee, without trying to rescue goods from their homes, even a cloak.

36 (ESV) “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Remember, Jesus chose to lay aside His divine powers, when he became flesh. (Philippians 2:7)

Yet, many claim to know the date of Jesus’ return, ignoring what Jesus had said, No one knows.

So many say that you may not know the day or the hour, but you can know the season.

A SECOND- AND THIRD-CENTURY Roman clergyman calculated that Jesus would return in AD 500. His prediction was based on the dimensions of Noah’s Ark. Christ did not return at that time.

On January 1, 1000, many Christians in Europe, as you can imagine, predicted the end of the world. Sadly, some Christians, if they can be called that, reacted to that millennial mark in a military fashion. As the first of the year approached, Christian armies traveled to some of the pagan countries in Northern Europe in order to make converts, by force, if necessary, before Christ returned. Christ did not return then.

In 1415 the Taborites, a group greatly influenced by the apocalyptic writings of Joachim of Fiore (ca. 1135–1202), thought that Christ would return once they shed “the blood of the enemies of Christ”—i.e., defeated their persecutors. The group disbanded after they didn’t fare so well against the German army. Christ did not return.

Also in the Middle Ages, Pope Innocent III took the number 618 (the year Islam was founded) and added the number 666 (the number of the beast) to get 1284 as the year of Christ’s final judgment. Christ did not return.

On February 14, 1835, Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of the Latter Day Saints, called a meeting of Mormon leaders. He announced that Jesus would return within fifty-six years (History of the Church, 2:182).

Earlier, in or around the year 1832, Smith wrote in Doctrines and Covenants, 130.17, “I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written—the Son of Man will not come in the clouds till I am eighty-five years old.” Smith would have been eighty-five in 1890. Unfortunately, a mob murdered him before his thirty-ninth birthday. Christ did not return.

William Miller, founder of a popular end-times movement that bore his name—“Millerism”—predicted that the second coming would occur sometime between 1843 and 1844. Christ did not return.

In 1874 Charles Taze Russell, founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement, from which came the Jehovah’s Witnesses (Watchtower and Tract Society) and other organizations, predicted the rapture in 1910, followed by the end of the world and Christ’s invisible return in 1914.2 Christ did not return (or at least no one saw him).

In 1986, the group The Children of God predicted that Russia would defeat the United States and Israel, establishing a worldwide dictatorship. Then, in 1993, Christ would return. Christ did not return.

In 1988, Edgar Whisenant wrote the book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Is in 1988, and Colin Deal wrote Christ Returns by 1988. Those books sold over four million copies. Christ did not return.

Lee Jang Rim of the church Mission for the Coming Days prophesied that Jesus would return through the Sydney Harbor on October 28, 1992. Christ did not return (and sadly, Rim did not return as well, walking away with 4.4 million dollars from his followers’ life savings).

In 1998, a Taiwanese cult in Texas claimed that Christ would return and invite the faithful followers aboard a UFO. Christ did not return (and to my knowledge, no UFO was spotted).

Also, in 1998—a good year for such prophecies, as 666 times three equals 1998—psychic Edgar Cayce taught that a secret, underground chamber would be discovered between the paws of the Great Sphinx in Egypt. Within that chamber would be documents about the history of the lost city of Atlantis. This new revelation would activate the second coming of Christ. Christ did not return. In 2000 … well, the list of prophecies is too long. Each time Christ did not return.

Scripture is plain: No one knows the day or the hour of Christ’s return, except God, the Father.

37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Took away = αἴρω airō = To take away or remove out of the world by death.

40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

Keep watch = γρηγορέω grēgoreō = to stay awake, be watchful.

It doesn’t matter who you’re around on that day, as homes, neighborhoods, communities, and nations will be divided among two groups: those who truly know Christ and those who do not know Christ. On that final day, it won’t matter what home you’re in, whom you’re married to, or what your parents believed; your life will stand alone.

24:23–41 After the Lord answered the question of the disciples concerning the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, He begins here to answer them concerning His Second Coming.

43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Some theologians interpret verses 36-51 as referring to the End Times.

On the day Noah entered the ark people were completely engrossed with their own plans, with no time for God. They thought that day was going to be the same as any other day, but it was not. That day the Flood came.

So, it will be when Jesus comes again. There will be no outward indication or sign that the day has arrived. Suddenly, Jesus will appear.

Those who are absorbed in their own plans for this life will be caught off guard and unprepared.

The people in the days of Noah did not heed the warnings of judgment that were given to them. They continued to carry on in the everyday activities of eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children in marriage.

These activities were not sinful.

The people were so wrapped up in everyday activities that they were caught off-guard, because they had no concern for righteousness and spiritual realities.

Noah and his family went about with preparations for the coming flood, even though they saw no specific signs of its coming and did not know when it would arrive.

If no one knows the day, we can and should tune out those who say they do know. We should stop thinking about when Jesus returns and live as if every day could be that day.

Scripture never promotes the question, “When will Christ return?” Rather it asks, “Will you be ready?”

Jesus declined to answer the disciples’ “when” questions. He did not state when Jerusalem would fall, nor did he reveal when he would return.

We must not be duped by dire predictions of the end of the world. Because reports of disaster draw an audience, because they sell, such reports get more play than they deserve.

[When Jesus returns], there is no possibility of acting on what is seen. Nothing will be seen until it is too late to do anything about it. Once Jesus has come it will be too late to repent, prepare, or do anything else. They will not, and cannot, correctly predict or expect his return.

45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?

46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’

49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.

51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Those who are unprepared will not be looking for Christ when He returns and will not be ready for death or anything else important.

About half of Matthew 24 deals with signs that are not true signs of Christ’s return (vv. 4–26, 32–35).

A very small section describes the return of Christ itself (vv. 27–31).

But a third of chapter 24 (vv. 36–51) and all of chapter 25 (vv. 1–46), a total of sixty-two verses, warn us to get ready since we do not know when that day of final reckoning will be.

The application is clear: Are you watching? Are you ready for Jesus Christ’s return?

Matthew 24:42 (NIV84)

42“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

The followers of Christ are to remain in a state of constant readiness.

Keep watch = γρηγορέω grēgoreō = to be in constant readiness, be on the alert.

Keep watch connotes not simply looking for but being prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. Thus, the watching involves an active dimension, namely, the faithful, righteous conduct of the disciples.

That should be our focus.

2 Timothy 4:1–8 (NIV84)

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.

7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.