The End According to Jesus, Part 3

The points we looked at last week: v.6- Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple.

v.7- When will these things take place.

The discourse to come is the answer to that question.

v.22 & Luke 19:44

The reason this is happening is vengeance on the people for the rejection of the messiah.

v.32- Jesus gave a time frame that everything must happen within.

This generation, and the many you’s that are used.

v.20- The abomination of desolation was fulfilled with Titus coming to destroy Jerusalem.

v.22

These were the days of vengeance.

The days of the wrath of God being poured out on those who rejected Jesus as the messiah and crucified the Lord of Glory.

Fall by the Sword

v.23

Those who are pregnant or have young babies. It’s harder to flee with.

If your one in the city with a child. The reality was that you would have to watch them suffer and die.

v.24

Titus repeatedly offered clemency to the Jews and sent Josephus to the walls to appeal for their surrender.

Titus had the granaries set on fire and the water sources polluted causing a famine within the city.

People sold their homes and children to obtain food. People regularly ate from sewers, cattle and pigeon dung, leather shields, hay, clothing, and things scavenger dogs wouldn’t touch.

If someone was accused of hiding food they were tortured.

Some would leave the city at night to scavenge for food but were captured by the Romans. Thousands were crucified in plain sight of the city walls, often at rates of 500 per day.

After Titus failed to obtain the city after a few attempts he ordered the troops to surround the city and cut off the last avenues of escape. Probably what is meant in Luke 19:43

Luke 19:43 ESV

43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side

The famine progressed to where the lanes of the city were full of dead bodies. The multitudes of bodies heaped one upon another produced a pestilential stench which slowed the attacks on the city.

When the walls were finally breached it was said that the Romans “grew weary of killing.”

It was said that the streets ran such with blood that the fire of many houses was quenched with their blood. In the end 1,100,000 died during the seige and 100,000 were taken into slavery.

All of these are things that were described in Luke v.23 as “great distress.”

Matthew 24:19-28

v.19

We see a repeat of the context once again, that women who are pregnant or nursing should be worried.

v.21

Great Tribulation

For there will be great tribulation.

Matthew is describing great tribulation. But the great tribulation that he is describing is the same type of destruction that we just saw being brought about by Titus on Jerusalem.

The suffering that was unthinkable within the city.

It wasn’t very often that a city was left in utter desolation, such as this.

Everyone was either killed, or taken as a slave. No one was left.

Never been, and never will be

This is an interesting statement that Jesus makes.

Never been

That’s easy, this is worst tribulation that has ever taken place.

Never be

This assumes 2 things

1) That no other tribulations will compare in the sorrow that was experienced.

This could have been prophetic hyperbole:

Exodus 10:14, Joel 2:2, Ezekiel 5:9

The expression meant to describe the degree of suffering.

Or

Not worse in the number of people killed, but the degree suffering and total desolation on a city that was experienced was worse than any others to follow.

2) There will be tribulations to follow.

The statement, “and never will be” is a statement that this isn’t the end of time.

That tribulations will follow after this one.

Great Tribulation

Other References of Great Tribulation

In Revelation we see other places where Great tribulation is mentioned.

Revelation 6:9–11 ESV

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Revelation 7:13–14 ESV

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Here we see believers who have been slain for their witness. Believers who have stood the test of time and endured to the end.

I don’t believe that this is the same event.

Some take the scripture in Matthew and attribute it to the end becasue the same word, “Great Tribulation” is used.

However in Matthew there is no textual reason to take this passage and move it to the end.

Matthew, it is a specific event and it is the wrath of God being poured out on the Jews for the rejection of the messiah.

In Revelation it is the wrath of man being poured out on the elect.

In Matthew and Luke it is the Great Tribulation becasue of the severity of the distress that is happening.

In revelation I see the great tribulation not as a singular event, but as Revelation 6:9 says, “slain for the word of God and the witness they had born.” This could be the persecution of the church from the ascension of Christ till the return of Christ.

In Revelation it isn’t the Great Tribulation becasue of the severity, but because of the length of the tribulation.

In this sense the saints killed in the great tribulation would be:

Stephen that were killed by the Jews

Saints like Polycarp who were killed for not worshipping Cesar.

Saints like Perpetua who died in the Colosseum

Saints like William Tyndale who died for translating the bible and

the saints who are dying today in Afghanistan for saying we will continue to meet together for church.

Regardless of what the Great tribulation is, we as believers must be ready to stand strong, to be able to face tribulation when it comes.

John 15:20

John 15:20 ESV

20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Our Lord was persecuted. He warns us to be ready to face trials.

Paul even says.

2 Tim 3:12

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

If we desire to live for Jesus. If our citizenship is in heaven. We should expect to be persecuted. It shouldn’t be a surprise when we face persecutions.

Regardless of when or how the great tribulation will come to pass. Prepare for trials.

Will you be able to stand strong on that day?

How are we dealing with the present situations?

We know we are called to meet together, but all it takes is Covid to drive us apart.

The threat of covid is real, we have lost loved ones from it. We do also need to be wise,

However, we do have brothers and sisters around the world that stand a far greater chance of dying for their faith than we do. Yet they still say it is worth the risk to gather together.

To encourage one another to stay the course, to keep the fight.

Facebook is a great tool, but it isn’t the same as meeting together.

I love you, and want to see you stand strong is you face persecution.

But a close walk with Jesus isn’t something that happen’s last minute.

You need to have a strong walk with Him today.

Be taking your faith seriously now, be pursuing Godliness now.