This Generation Will Not Pass Away (2)

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place”

Matthew 24 is divided into two main divisions. The first division has to do with the destruction of Jerusalem (24:4–35). This destruction takes place in 70 A.D. The second division begins in 24:36 and goes all the way through to 25:46. This second division is concerned with the Second Coming of our Lord. The first section is characterized by signs. These various signs will be seen and heard (24:6, 15, 30). The second division is characterized by the lack of knowledge. No one knows when the Son of Man is coming (24:36). It will be sudden and will take people unawares. People will continue doing what they have always done— getting married, eating and drinking. It will be like the days of Noah when the flood came and wiped them all away (vs. 39).

Jesus tells us what his coming will be like. It will be sudden and unexpected. Jesus urges his disciples and all future disciples to stay alert and be watching (24:42, 44; 25:13). How foolish it is when people try and predict the coming again of our Lord. Jesus says twice that no one knows the day or the hour (24:36; 25:13). We are to “watch” because we don’t know. I believe that this two-fold division is the logical, literal and simplest way to interpret Matthew 24 (also Mark 13; Luke 17, 21). At the same time, I recognize that there are some difficulties that must be dealt with. These difficulties are found in the first division (24:4–35). We have these difficulties because the prevailing eschatological viewpoint of the Church has connected all of these verses to the Second Coming. The modern church is riveted by sensationalism, from blood moons to antichrists.

People have the greatest difficulty people in understanding different views on these passages because we tend to read back into the text what the text does not say. The second difficulty is that we tend to think that Jesus said, thought and interpreted Scripture the way we do. Jesus thought in terms of the Old Testament. We tend to think in terms of the events of the times. The first textual issue to deal with is verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” This verse is in the context of suffering and persecution (vv. 9–13). The disciples will be delivered up to tribulation and even death. This time period will be a period of proclamation and not passive waiting. It is about enduring to the end, but before that end comes the gospel will be preached throughout the whole world. There is a connection between proclamation and persecution. If you preach the gospel, then persecution can and may very well occur.

The thrust of the gospel into Gentile nations had already begun with our Lord. He went into gentile territory and did many works there as he preached the gospel of the kingdom to them (Matt. 15:21). Matthew is simply pointing out the extent of the proclamation of the gospel. It will go to the nations. This is precisely what the apostles did before 70 A.D. They went into all the world and preached the gospel as Jesus had commanded them (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8). The temple will not be destroyed until the good news has gone beyond Israel. Those who see this as applying to the Second Coming have to say that Jesus is delayed because the gospel is not preached to all. What constitutes all, and what constitutes the preaching of the gospel to all? Is it a tract given to someone in a remote mountain village or a radio broadcast or a Twitter feed? And what constitutes a nation, and which nations are involved, since nations have come and gone? These questions don’t help us at all. It is easiest to see that the context is connected to there being no stones left upon another as far as the temple is concerned, and that destruction has already happened. This verse is not a verse of unfulfilled prediction, but rather a verse of intention. Jesus says the gospel must be proclaimed, not will be (Mark 13:10), and here in Matthew 24:14 it is in the future passive. The gospel shall be preached.

The second textual difficulty is in verse 15: “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).” This is a much more difficult verse. Most Christians automatically put this verse into the future. Remember for Jesus and the disciples it was still future, but how far into the future is the question. And even more significantly, what does the phrase mean? Wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes are described as the “beginning of birth pains” (vs. 8). Suffering, persecution, betrayal and hatred will lead many to fall away, but the “one who endures to the end will be saved” (vs. 13). Verse 15 begins with “when you see.” The disciples will see all the previous signs (vv. 4–14), but the “abomination of desolation” which they will see means that that they should flee—get out of Jerusalem. Those who are in Judea should go to the mountains (vs. 16). Get out of house and field (vv. 17, 18). It will be difficult for a pregnant woman to flee (vs. 19). The Sabbath day will present difficulties also (vs. 20). In verses 4–14 Jesus spoke about endurance, but now he speaks about flight, because verse 21 says: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” This verse will be the third textual difficulty to be dealt with. The flight of the disciples (vv. 16–21) is the consequence of the “abomination of desolation.” Luke 21:20 is quite specific: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.” After this verse in Luke, Jesus speaks about the same flight as in Matthew 24:16–21, so desolation is connected to armies surrounding Jerusalem. In Luke 21:22, Jesus calls this time “days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written.” This desolation of Jerusalem is an act of vengeance. In Luke 21:23 Jesus says: “for there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.” This great distress and wrath in Luke 21 is seen in Matthew 24:21: “for then there will be great tribulation…” There will be desolation and destruction for the city and the temple, because the context is about no stones being left upon another (Matt. 24:2).

The “abomination of desolation” is a sign more visible and specific compared to the previous signs (vv. 4–14). From a period of delay, events are picking up speed toward fulfillment. These events pertain to “this generation” (vs. 34). The “abomination of desolation” finds its background in Daniel 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11. Daniels’s usage of the phrase is in connection with some profanation of the temple and its sacrifices. The “abomination of desolation” in Matthew 24:15 marks the beginning of a process that culminates in the temple’s destruction and the cessation of sacrifices. Daniel 8:13 lists three events linked to a period of time: “for how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” This trampling underfoot of the sanctuary finds its echo in Luke 21:24 when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies: “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Daniel 8 is clearly an historical reference to the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C., and Luke 21 a reference to the armies of Rome. The similarities have to do with desolation of the temple and its sacrifices. The disciples are to look for something similar to that which Daniel speaks about—some repetition of the sacrilege of 167 B.C.

The question, then is, what precisely causes sacrilege or desolation (Part 3—coming on a wing)?