The Hand of God in Prophecy
By Glenn Davies & Clay Willis
Jesus
– the greatest prophet
In another section of this paper, we’ll show you that many of Jesus’ parables were, in fact, prophecies. But now we’ll deal with what some people term the “Olivet Prophecy” and upon which are founded some of the false beliefs of contemporary Christianity.
But first, a small digression:
The Veracity of
the Bible
Many people have claimed that the Apostle Paul’s writings are so radical that they are either too difficult to understand or contradict the other apostles’ teachings. Michael Baigent, author of The Jesus Papers, makes that assertion and attempts to discredit both Paul and the whole New Testament on that basis. (Follow one of the underlined links to read our rebuttal of The Jesus Papers for details.)
The apostle Peter described some of Paul’s writing as “difficult to understand” but he also called it “scripture” [II Peter 3:15-17].
Much of that “difficulty” in understanding Paul’s writing comes from an almost total ignorance on the part of many Christians and even their leaders and teachers of the Old Testament. One cannot understand Paul’s writing without first understanding his background as a Jewish scholar and then understanding the scriptures on which much of his writing is based.
Do we really think God would allow the man specially selected to be the “apostle to the gentiles” to teach anything contrary to the rest of the word of God? Are we really so bereft of thought and logic to make such claims?
Some scholars in their worldly wisdom claim one cannot prove the Bible by the Bible. The Bible contains accounts of things that have no secondary source – many things that cannot be “proven” by secular history. The more-or-less linear (time-wise) portion of the Bible begins at the time of Abraham’s arrival in Palestine at around 1,850 BC – more than three thousand, eight hundred years ago.
The first preserved and provable written history is that of the Greek Herodotus or his contemporary Thucydides
who wrote about the Peloponnesian War in the 400’s BC. There are scant documents covering the next
several hundred years and truly reliable written history only began
after the invention of the printing press in1439 AD. The widespread dissemination of written historical documents could not be reviewed by the writers’ peer and
corrected before that time.
How, then, can what is written in the Bible
possibly be proven as accurate? The
answer to that question is twofold:
1.
Archaeology, mythology and a few written
accounts by non-Biblical writers can ascertain that some parts of the Bible are
true. To date, this author is unaware of
any credible proof that the history contained in the
Bible is false.
For many years, most scholars claimed that
the nation of the Hittites (first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 10:15) were
a fictional people. Archaeology has
proven them wrong – clear evidence of their existence has been established
beyond question.
Another example of the conjecture of
scholars being proven wrong by their colleagues in archeology was the discovery
in 2004 of the pool of Siloam. The Pool of Siloam is the ancient termination point for
King Hezekiah’s famous tunnel [II Kings 20:20-21] that brought water from the
Gihon Spring at the floor of the Kidron Valley into the City of Jerusalem. The
1,750 foot tunnel was dug by two separate teams that miraculously met in the
middle. The famous Siloam Inscription commemorates the engineering marvel that
brought water to the Pool of Siloam and protected Jerusalem’s water supply in
the event of siege.
In the time of Jesus, the Pool of Siloam was the site
where Christ healed the blind man by having him cake mud and saliva in his eyes
and then wash his eyes in the pool [John 9:1-7].
Then, in 2004, archaeologists stumbled upon the true 1st
century Pool of Siloam when sewer engineers uncovered ancient steps during pipe
maintenance near the mouth of Hezekiah’s
ancient water tunnel. The bulldozers were immediately stopped, and by the
summer of 2005, archaeologists carefully revealed the actual Pool of Siloam
from the time of Jesus. Pottery indicates that this was indeed the Pool of
Siloam used during the first century AD.
“Scholars have said that
there wasn’t a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit” to
illustrate a point, said New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the
Princeton Theological Seminary. “Now we have found the Pool
of Siloam…exactly where John said it was.”
2.
The second proof of
the veracity of the Bible is that some prophecies can be established as having
been written before the events they prophesied occurred. The lengths to which scholars go to prove
that the prophecies recorded in Daniel were written in the 2nd
Century BC, after they occurred, is almost farcical when seen in context. Some of the events prophesied by
Daniel occurred even after the latest time claimed by Bible antagonists but
such seeming willful ignorance is often found in their writings.
However, the most
striking example of this is the so-called “Olivet Prophecy” by Jesus recorded
in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 wherein Jesus predicted the destruction of
the temple and the city of Jerusalem by the Roman Armies in 67 – 70 AD.
All scholars who
acknowledge that Jesus existed admit that He was killed before 35 AD. Not one of the writers of the New Testament
mention, even in passing, the actual destruction of Jerusalem. Since all but Luke were Jews, we’re on solid
ground in stating that all of the New Testament was written before 67 AD and
therefore the recorded prophecy of Jesus describing that destruction lends
great credibility to all the scriptures of the New Testament.
The Olivet Prophecy
Jesus
Answers Three Questions from His Disciples
Just before the Olivet Prophecy began, Jesus had finished delivering a long discourse in the temple against the religious leaders of His day and directed much of His anger against the Pharisees – the Jewish sect to which most of the Sanhedrin (the group of 70 leaders, headed by the high priest), the ruling body of the Jews at the time of Jesus.
He warned those people of the dire consequences of their actions – that they were repeating the sins of their fathers in rejecting, persecuting and killing God’s spokesmen.
"Woe to you, teachers of
the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate
the graves of the righteous. And you say, `If we had lived in the days of our
forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of
the prophets.'
So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of
those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your
forefathers!
"You snakes! You brood
of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending
you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;
others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so
upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from
the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar.
“I tell you the truth, all
this will come upon this generation.” NIV Matthew 23:29-36
There can be no doubt as to which generation Jesus was referring. A “generation” was considered to be 40 years at the time of the Christ. These words were spoken by Jesus sometime between 27 and 32 AD.
That sets the stage for the beginning of the Olivet Prophecy.
Jesus left the temple and was
walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its
buildings.
"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.”
As 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?" NIV Matthew 24:1-3; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6
Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21 contain the answers to these three questions.
1. “When will this happen?” Jesus had said of the temple and its buildings:
"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."
NIV Matthew 24:2
2. They also asked, “What will be the sign of your coming”,
3. And “what will be the sign of the end of the age?”
As with much of the Bible these answers are not linear, i.e., Jesus did not answer the first, then the second and then the third in order. In fact, the answers to these questions are inter-related and the answers to one question may also be part of the answer to another question.
We (Glenn Davies and Clay Willis) believe that much of Christianity has failed to follow important Bible principles in dealing with this scripture:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. NIV John
17:17
Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will never pass away. NIV Matthew 24:35
Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15
NKJV
The words of Jesus are truth – in this case the words of the Olivet Prophecy – but that truth must be “rightly divided”. Since Jesus was answering three questions, there must be three answers given and we must “rightly divide” the Olivet prophecy to determine which words are the answers to each of the three questions.
Question I: “When
will this happen?”
The full question (paraphrased) is, “When will all the stones of the temple and the buildings surrounding it be thrown down and not one stone left on another?”
Did Jesus directly answer the first question the disciple’s asked? If you think so, study the scriptures to find where that question was answered exactly – did Jesus give a year in which that destruction would take place?
No! Not directly! Surprised? Take a look for yourself – read every word of Matthew, Mark and Luke from start to finish and tell us where that answer is to that part of the disciple’s three-part question. Can’t find it? Read Matthew or any of the other gospel accounts as many times as it might take for it to sink in.
The Sign
Mark adds more detail than Matthew or Luke in the phrasing of the disciple’s original questions as follows:
“Tell us,
when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all
about to be fulfilled?” NIV Mark
13:4
Did Jesus give “a sign” that the destruction of the Temple – and Jerusalem and all its great buildings – were about to be destroyed sometime in the disciples near future? He certainly did! What was that sign?
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. NIV Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10
Was the gospel preached in the entire world as a witness [KJV] to all nations back in the apostolic age?
The fact that we have a New Testament added to the Old Testament prophetic writings making a complete “Holy Bible”, which itself has gone to all the world as “a written witness” is testimony enough to the fact they did not fail to preach the gospel to the entire world of that age. The fact is that complete manuscripts and/or fragments of the four gospels and the writings of Paul have been found all over the world known at that time.
After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples to spread the gospel to “the whole world”:
Later Jesus appeared to the
Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their
stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe
will be condemned. NIV Mark 16:14-16
Did they do so? In the mouth of two or three witnesses a
thing is established. Here is the
testimony of Luke (who wrote the book of Acts) and the apostle Paul:
But the Jews were jealous; so
they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and
started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and
Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
But when they did not find
them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials,
shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now
come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying
Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” NIV
Acts 17:5-7
Five days later the high
priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named
Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor.
When Paul was called in,
Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of
peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation.
Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with
profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that
you be kind enough to hear us briefly.
“We have found this man to be
a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He
is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so
we seized him NIV Acts 24:1-5
First, I thank my God through
Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over
the world. NIV Romans 1:8
We always thank God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of
your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the
faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven
and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has
come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing,
just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood
God’s grace in all its truth. NIV Colossians 1:3-6
The “whole world” in these contexts obviously does not mean at every spot on the globe that we call “the world”. It would have been physically impossible for the apostles and disciples to travel to North and South America, Australia or even the distant parts of Asia, Africa and Europe.
The “whole world” at the time of the apostles was the Roman Empire. It controlled all the territory beginning with the British Isles and covering the southern part of Europe, across the Middle East, through Egypt and into the northern parts of Africa.
When was the gospel preached to the whole world? Most scholars agree that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans around 57-58 AD and the letter to the church at Colossae around 61-63 AD.
This Generation
There is another “sign” that Jesus gave that buttresses the late 60 AD time frame as the time in which Jesus said the temple would be destroyed. All three gospel accounts carry this exact same statement:
I tell you the truth,
this generation will certainly not pass away until all these
things have happened.
NIV Mark 13:30
This is the same statement Jesus made to the Pharisees earlier:
“I tell you the truth, all
this will come upon this generation.” NIV Matthew 23:36
Putting these two statements together, there can be no doubt as to which generation Jesus was referring. A “generation” was considered to be 40 years at the time of the Christ. These words were spoken by Jesus sometime between 27 and 32 AD.
The time frame is thus established as 67 – 72 AD. What happened in that time?
The “Great
Tribulation”
After a long-suffering God gave Jerusalem and the religious leaders of Jesus’ time 40 years – a “generation” – to repent and found them still denying the Messiah and persecuting His followers, the Roman Army under Vespasian surrounded Jerusalem in 67 AD and over the next 3 ½ years, 1,260 days just as prophesied, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and hundreds of thousands were slaughtered — just as prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 as well as by Daniel in the 11th and 12th chapters of his prophecy.
Secular history states that in 66 AD, the Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire. They set up their own government, struck their own coins and mustered their own army. Thus, the Jewish government became the “king of the south” as prophesied by Daniel.
The word “south”
here is translated from the Hebrew word Negeb or Negev which
means “south” and specifically means that section of land in and around
Jerusalem and further south. Today, the “Negeb” is a triangular wedge of
desert touching the Gulf of Aquaba in the southern part of the land of
Israel.
They “pushed” at the “king of the north”, the Roman Empire, and destroyed the Roman armies in Jerusalem. When Nero (the Roman Emperor) found out, he was furious! Nero chose his best commander, Vespasian, to put down the rebellion. Vespasian took his army and passed through many countries [Daniel 11:40], over the Hellespont and into Syria.
Another
commander (Titus who was Vespasian’s son) sailed to Alexandria, Egypt bringing
the Roman 5th and 10th legions. Vespasian and his armies stood
at the borders of Judea in the spring of 67 AD. Jerusalem fell in the autumn of
70 AD 3½ years, 42 months, 1,260 days later. [Josephus’ Wars of the
Jews, Book II, chapters XIV-XXII and Book III, chapters I & IV, and
Chaim Potok’s History of the Jews]
In the middle of Vespasian’s campaign, Roman Emperor Nero (the letters of whose name Nero Caesar when translated into numbers equals either six hundred and sixteen or six hundred, sixty-six about which is another prophecy that needs to be reexamined) died and there was chaos in Rome.
Vespasian’s troops persuaded him to accept the title of Emperor and before he left for Rome, he confirmed the loyalty of Egypt and other countries to him [Daniel 11:42, 43]. Rome (the king of the north) received “tidings out of the east and the north” [Daniel 11:44] which troubled him.
Gaul (France – Germany) revolted while Nero was still Emperor; the revolt from the east was that of the Scythians. Before he could leave for Rome, Nero died of natural causes (no one “helped”, i.e., murdered him) [Daniel 11:45].
Vespasian’s
son, Titus, finished the military campaign, leveled the temple [Matthew 24:2],
burning it to the ground along with the rest of Jerusalem. [Josephus, Wars
of the Jews, Book IV, chapters VIII & X, Book VII, chapter IV]
Of the temple, Jesus prophesied that every stone would be thrown down [Matthew 24:2]. There are those who think that the “wailing wall” on the temple mount is part of that temple and another temple will be built in our age and yet be torn down again in some future conflict.
The temple and altar and those who worshipped therein were to be “measured for destruction”, but the outer courtyard (where Gentiles had to stay) was to be left intact.
The apostle John wrote of this time:
I was given a reed like a
measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar,
and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure
it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the
holy city for 42 months. NIV Revelation 11:1-2
The temple was destroyed in 70 AD every stone thrown down! The “wailing wall” which was the wall of the outer courtyard where the Gentiles had to stay and the temple mount still stand, and are still being trodden down by the Gentiles.
The church, having understood and heeded the warning given in the “Olivet” prophecy by Jesus [Matthew 24:14-22 et al], fled Jerusalem in 68 AD [Daniel 12:1]. This was the “time of the end” the end of the “age” of the Old Covenant until which the prophecies were “sealed” [Daniel 12:4]. It took 3½ years for Rome to totally scatter the church of God and the Jews [Daniel 12:7].
All of these things were foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24:4-34, Mark 13:5-30 and Luke 21:8-32.
There is a prophecy from Daniel that must be inserted at this point to buttress what we’ve shown you concerning this “great tribulation”.
The Seventy Weeks
Prophecy
Although many
are thoroughly familiar with the “seventy weeks” prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 we
are going to show there is a vital clue
contained in the latter part of this prophecy that everyone seems to have
missed in its connection with the dating of “the great tribulation” – the
destruction of Jerusalem and temple in 67 – 70 AD. We are going to quote the
entire prophecy to understand the context for that latter part.
20 While I was speaking and praying,
confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while
I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came
to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He
instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and
understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an
answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.
Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city
to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to
bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to
anoint the most holy.
25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there
will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It
will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After
the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.
The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and
desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many
for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice
and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that
causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:20-27 NIV
The King James translation and many others translate the Hebrew word shabuwa as “weeks” instead of “sevens” as does the NIV. There is no doubt of its meaning, i.e., it refers to seven “days”. We have already explained the meaning of “days” in prophecies – the “day for a year” principle – and it applies here.
We’ll now repeat the last two verses and show the time frames specified in the prophecy. We’ll also introduce some other translations of the words of this prophecy for clarity.
IMPORTANT
NOTE ABOUT DATES: NONE OF THESE DATES IS ABSOLUTE BUT ALL ARE APPROXIMATE.
25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One [Messiah], the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ [weeks] and sixty-two ‘sevens’ [weeks].
Sixty-two weeks plus seven weeks equals sixty-nine weeks. Sixty-nine multiplied by seven equals four hundred and eighty-three days.
From the time of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of the Messiah would be 483 years.
It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of
trouble.
The book of Nehemiah chronicles the troubles the Jews had with the Samaritans and others who did their best to prevent the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Read the article on Ezra, Nehemiah et al presented earlier in this series.
This is a different decree from the one given by King Cyrus to Ezra to rebuild the temple. That decree was issued around 538 BC [Ezra 1:1]. That decree was rescinded and another issued under King Darius in around 515 BC [Ezra 6:1-5].
This decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given because of the request of Nehemiah and took place late in sometime around 456 BC [Nehemiah 2:1].
Add the time from 456 BC to “zero” BC/AD and add the remaining 27 years and you arrive at 27 AD. It is likely that Jesus was born sometime in 3 BC and began His ministry when He was 30 years old. Such was the custom of the Jews at that time.
There are some who claim this to be a prophecy of the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes but that time frame is off by more than 200 years.
26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One [Messiah], will be cut off and will have nothing.
Since verse 25 says the Messiah will come after sixty-two weeks and seven weeks), 69 weeks (483 years), it seems safe to assume that the “After the sixty-two ‘sevens’” above refers to the entire 69 week period – just not repeating the “seven weeks and 62 weeks” statement.
Jesus’ ministry lasted just 3½ years – from the time of His baptism by John to His death on the stake. Keep these things in mind as we deal with the rest of verse 26 and verse 27.
As with many prophecies, this one is not linear – sequenced with event 1, then event 2, then event 3 and so on. This trait is not uncommon and with a little “common sense”, the meaning will appear. To our linear understanding, the order of the phrases below must be changed. I have numbered the phrases for easy reference.
Here’s the order in which they appear:
(1) 26 After the
sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One [Messiah], will be cut off and will have nothing.
(2) The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city
and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the
end, and desolations have been decreed. 27
(3) He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In
the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
(4) And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination
that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:25-27 NIV
Look what happens when they are rearranged to make more sense:
(1)26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed
One [Messiah], will be cut off and will have nothing.
(3) He will confirm a covenant with many for
one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and
offering.
The Messiah did not come to destroy the city and the sanctuary. The Messiah was “cut off”. The Messiah (Jesus) did confirm the “new” covenant with many (His apostles and disciples) and in the middle of the last seven years of the prophecy (in the middle of the week), He was killed (had nothing), was resurrected and put an end forever to the Old Covenant practices of “sacrifice and offering”. Since it emphasizes by symbols that this happened at the moment of Jesus’ death, we’ll quote these scriptures (in the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing is established):
And when Jesus had cried out
again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of
the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the
rocks split. NIV Matthew 27:50-51
With a loud cry, Jesus
breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
NIV Mark 15:37-38
It was now about the sixth
hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And
the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud
voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said
this, he breathed his last. NIV Luke 23:44-46
The “curtain” that was torn in two – from top to bottom – was the curtain between the “Holy Place” and the “Holy of Holies”, when only the high priest went and then only once a year.
(2) The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city
and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the
end, and desolations have been decreed. (4) And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination
that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
The “ruler” who came to destroy the city and the sanctuary did NOT make a “covenant” with the people and he did set up an “abomination that causes desolation” – the pagan, emperor-worshipping Roman Army that burned the temple and Jerusalem to the ground.
Furthermore, Nero (the ruler) did have the “decreed” end “poured out on him”.
This prophecy, written almost 500 years before Jesus was born, gives not only the time frame when the Messiah, Jesus, would begin His ministry but predicts that the Messiah would die and that shortly after His death (one generation – 40 years) would come the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and the final end of the Old Covenant.
Now let all the “scholars” and language critics and the naysayers claim that the book of Daniel was written in 200 BC. Even if that ridiculous and nonsensical claim were true, here is absolute proof of its prophetic veracity.
Question 3: “What will be the sign of the
end of the age?”
As we mentioned above, Jesus’ answers to the three questions are not given in linear sequence. Therefore, we need to show Jesus’ answer to question 3 before His answer to question 2.
Did Jesus say
the end of the age would come immediately
after the preaching of the gospel to the whole world? Jesus gave no definite date or time but He
did say:
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. NIV Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10
Another statement made by Jesus adds a qualifier in the very next verse:
"So when
you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,’
spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand-- NIV Matthew 24:15
esus then describes in Matthew 24:16-22, Mark 13:15-20 and Luke 21:20-24 the actions of that “abomination” that led to the destruction of the temple and the “end of the age.
What was “the abomination that causes desolation”? An examination of the parallel scriptures answers that question.
"When
you see `the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not
belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains. NIV Mark
13:14
And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then
know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luke doesn't
mention the “abomination” of the Daniel prophecy but speaks of
"armies". Matthew and Mark mention "the abomination" but
they don't mention "armies". They are the same thing. The
"abomination that makes desolate" was the pagan, Caesar -
worshipping, hierarchical, pompous, proud Roman army. The Roman Army was
the "abomination" which made Jerusalem desolate.
The "holy place" is mentioned by Matthew; Mark calls it the
place where the abomination "ought not" stand; and Luke spells out
that the "holy place" is Jerusalem. Jerusalem was "holy"
because this is the place where God chose to "place His name". [I
Kings 8:43, 48; 9:3, 5, 7]. After Jerusalem rejected Jesus and killed Him, God
refers to Jerusalem as "Sodom and Egypt" [Revelation 11:8], hardly
"holy" places.
Could this part of the prophecy about the "abomination that brings
desolation" be still for our future?
The reference to the "abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet...” [Matthew 24:15] presents quite a problem for those thinking this is a "dual" prophecy yet to be fulfilled.
The Bible very clearly declares the change of priesthood under the New Covenant from the physical, Levitical priesthood to the eternal physical and spiritual Priesthood of Jesus Christ [Hebrews chapters 5-10]. There has been a change of law [7:12] from the ceremonial ordinances mandating animal sacrifice "the blood of bulls and goats" [9:13] to the law of Grace through the blood of Jesus Christ [9:11-15]. The place the sacrifice was offered was changed from the physical "holy of holies" in the physical temple [9:3-10] to the heavenly "holy of holies" [9:11].
Daniel prophesied that "the sacrifice and oblation" would cease in the time of the Messiah [Daniel 9:25-27] and one sign of this cessation was the rending of the veil (which separated the "holy of holies" from the "holy place" inside the temple) at the moment of Christ's death [Matthew 27:51].
Although the sacrifices continued until the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, they were meaningless in terms of the New Covenant, which went into effect at the moment of Jesus' death [Hebrews 9:16,17].
The "holy of holies" was a representation of God's throne [Exodus 26: 33, 34; Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:9]. God chose to "put His name" upon the temple and His presence was in the "most holy place". [II Kings 3:2; 5:3-5; 8:16,29,44; 9:3; 14:21; 21:4] and this was the physical location where the children of Israel were to bring their sacrifices [Deuteronomy 12:5-27; 14:22-26].
But, with the ending of the Old Covenant came the cessation of the Levitical priesthood, the cessation of animal sacrifices and the removal of the name of God from the temple, the altar, the "holy of holies" and from Jerusalem [II Kings 21:4,7; II Kings 23:27; II Chronicles 7:20; Psalms 74:7; Jeremiah 7:14; 25:29]
Since the death of Christ, there has not been a "holy of holies” or any “holy place” on this earth.
If a temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem today, and sacrifices started again, it still would not be a holy place. It cannot be a "holy place" unless God is there and He has removed His presence and His name!
The whole Roman army was standing in the "holy place" – Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the city on which God chose to place His name and that was what made it "holy". The Roman army was part of the "Babylonian" system of government, i.e., the hierarchical structure of government designed by man, which always leads to corruption. The stronger the government, the more corrupt it becomes. The Roman army leveled the "holy" city, Jerusalem, making it desolate.
The "abomination that causes desolation" [Matthew 24:15 NIV] was the Roman army surrounding the "holy city". The "abomination of desolation" can never again "stand in the holy place" because there is no physical "holy place" on this earth and cannot be until the return of Christ! In fact all of God’s people offer their bodies as a “temple of God” [I Corinthians 3:16].
At the end of the age of the first covenant, God removed His name from the earth and from the nation of Israel when He "divorced" that nation [Jeremiah 3:8] and the only thing "holy" on this earth are those people who are in the process of becoming the sons of God. The bodies of the children of God are the "temple of the Holy Spirit" and the abode of God on this earth.
Even if there were an "abomination of desolation" today, there is no "holy place" in which it could stand.
This was the "end of the age" [Matthew 24:3] – the end of the old covenant!
Question 2: “What will be the sign of your
coming?”
It is abundantly
clear that Matthew 24:4-34, Mark 13:5-30 and Luke 21:8-32 constitute Jesus’ answer about (1) the destruction of the temple and (3)
the end of the age because that was perhaps their chief concern. Since the “sign” given told them these things
would happen within their lifetimes – one generation – that time frame would
have been of great importance to them.
Jesus’ answer to
this question is more difficult to comprehend because His “coming” has two complete different fulfillments.
1. Jesus’ “Coming” On The Clouds of Heaven
To understand this we need to show a statement Jesus made to the high priest when they brought Him up in that mock trial for His life.
Those who had arrested Jesus
took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the
elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the
courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see
the outcome.
The chief priests and the
whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they
could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses
came forward.
Finally two came forward and declared, "This fellow said,
`I am able to destroy the temple
of God and rebuild it in three days.'"
Then the high priest stood up
and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony
that these men are bringing against you?"
But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I
charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
"Yes, it is as you
say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: 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."
Then the high priest tore his
clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more
witnesses? Look, now
you have heard the blasphemy. NIV Matthew 26:57-65
Jesus told the high priest and the Sanhedrin that they would see Him “coming on the clouds of heaven.” This statement is also recorded in Mark 14:62
This is echoed by the apostle John.
Look, he is coming with
the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all
the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. NIV Revelation 1:7
“Those who pierced Him” could refer to the Roman soldier who stuck the spear into Jesus’ side [John 19:34] or to the religious leaders who demanded His death by the Roman government.
In any event, Jesus prophesied that they would see Him
“coming with the clouds of heaven”.
We will show you
now that this happened in 67 – 70 AD and this includes Jesus’ answer to the
question asked by His disciples.
Jesus told His disciples:
"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. NIV Matthew 24:30 [also Mark 13:26 and Luke 21:27]
But He also told them moments later
:
I tell you the truth, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
NIV Matthew 24:34
We’ll repeat what He told the high priest that he (the high priest) would see Him (Jesus) “coming on the clouds of heaven”, again showing the time frame of this prophecy.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I
say to all of you: 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." NIV
Matthew 26:64
Because we must take our Master’s words for their clear meaning, and not try to twist them to make them fit something we believe, one must conclude that the event described in Matthew 24:30 and 26:64 had something to do with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 67 – 70 AD, the end of that generation.
Such allegory and rich imagery is not uncommon elsewhere in the Bible:
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man,
prophesy and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: "`Wail and say, "Alas for that day!" For the day is near, the
day of the LORD is near--a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. A
sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and
her foundations torn down. NIV Ezekiel 30:1-4
(This
prophecy was fulfilled for Egypt in March and April of 587 B.C., including the
destruction of the towns mentioned in Ezekiel 30:13-19, according to secular
history.)
Did the Lord appear to the Egyptians? No! He used Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to demonstrate His anger to Egypt. [v. 10]
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my
holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is
coming. It is close at hand--a day of darkness and gloom, a day of
clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large
and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to
come. NIV Joel 2:1-2 (This may be a
prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 67 – 70 A.D., when the Roman Army
laid siege to and destroyed the city and its temple.)
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD
takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his
foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger
and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way
is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. NIV
Nahum 1:2-3 (This is a prophecy concerning Nineveh
and its king, Sennacherib, who came against Jerusalem because they were
seeking an alliance with Egypt, as described in II Kings chapters 18 and
19, around 718 – 701 B.C.)
Did the Lord physically
appear at this time? No!
An oracle concerning Egypt: See, the LORD rides
on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before
him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them. NIV Isaiah 19:1 (This prophecy was for Egypt in the time
period 718 – 701 B.C., when the King of Judah sought an alliance with Egypt
against Assyria.)
Did the Lord actually, physically ride on a “swift cloud” to Egypt? No!
Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are
very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in
light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the
beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind. NIV Psalms 104:1-3
Once again, the Psalmist uses the image of God using “clouds” as “His chariot”.
"In my vision at night I looked, and there
before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given
authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every
language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not
pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. NIV Daniel
7:13-14 [This
prophecy is related to the period of the destruction of Antiochus Epiphanes
(175-163 B.C.), as explained by the angel who interpreted Daniel’s vision for
him. [Daniel 7:23-27] Antiochus was the
ruler who sought to change “seasons and the Law” to conform to his ban on
Sabbath and feast day observances (verse 25).]
Did the high priest actually, physically “see” “the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven”? Probably not, though the Bible doesn’t cover the period 67 – 70 A.D. and the destruction of Jerusalem, but the prophecy is no more literal than the others cited here. But since the high priest was schooled in the Old Testament scriptures, he probably understood very well what Jesus meant at the time Jesus spoke.
Then the high priest tore his
clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more
witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. NIV Matthew 26:65
Would that priest have been so upset simply because Jesus claimed to be the messiah? Probably not, because there were many people who had claimed to be the messiah. he was most likely upset because Jesus had told him, in the same terms used in the Old Testament prophecies to describe the destruction of nations, that the high priest would see that He (Jesus), as God, would destroy the nation of Israel.
That is exactly what happened in 67 – 70 A.D.
2.
Jesus’ “Coming” To Establish His Kingdom
Even after the
disciples of Jesus saw Him killed by the Roman Army and just before they saw
His final ascension back to heaven, at least some of them still expected Him to
establish a physical, earthly kingdom at that time.
So when they met together,
they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom
to Israel?" NIV Acts 1:6
His answer to them fits completely with parts of the Olivet Prophecy.
He said to them: "It is
not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth." NIV Acts 1:7-8
There is no reason why the disciples would be asking about events several generations from theirs or nearly 2000 years into the future. The fact that Jesus waited until last to answer that question about the signs of his second coming is significant therefore.
He had told them about the destruction of the temple and
the “end of the age” brought about by His “coming on the clouds of heaven” [Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27] but he also told them about another “coming” that they
did not understand at all at that time.
In fact, some of His apostles, including Paul, may have still been confused
many years later.
13
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to
grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God
will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15
According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that
we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord,
will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself
will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first.
17
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Paul clearly
states that he knew Jesus would bring those who had died [fallen asleep] with
him when he returns at the time of His second coming, as verse 14 shows. Paul also knew exactly when the second
coming would occur i.e. at the time of the last trump as is also shown [v. 16].
Therefore Paul
was clearly referring to the second coming, the one to establish His
world-ruling kingdom – without doubt.
Paul’s only
mistake (not a serious one at all) was in thinking that he himself was still going to be alive at Jesus’ second coming as
verses 15 and 17 show clearly as well.
The Thessalonians passage is not the only scripture that shows Paul’s mistaken belief that he would still be alive at that time.
50 Now this I say,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
52 In
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.
53 For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality.
54 So when this
corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. KJV 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
From all these quotes it does seem that Paul believed he would be alive at Jesus’ second coming at the last trump – it therefore follows logically that if that is indeed the case that he really believed that, he must have believed the second coming was going to occur very soon – in his day and age.
It’s a reasonable conclusion for Paul to make because Jesus said He was coming “soon”. All of the New Testament scriptures were written before 67 AD; otherwise at least one of them would have mentioned the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. It’s reasonable that they mistook the time of the “coming in the clouds” to be the return of Jesus to establish His kingdom. It’s easy in hindsight to see the difference but completely understandable that those living before the destruction of Jerusalem could have been confused.
We can certainly understand why Jesus’ followers wanted Him to return soon. They had experienced persecution and they saw many of their fellow believers die because they were following Jesus.
We know that the apostle Peter shared Paul’s fervent hope and conviction that Jesus would arrive in their lifetimes to establish His kingdom.
The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that
you can pray. NIV 1 Peter 4:7
First of all, you must
understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following
their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised?
Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning
of creation."
But they deliberately forget
that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of
water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and
destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for
fire, being kept for the day of judgment and
destruction of ungodly men.
But do not forget this one
thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a
thousand years are like a day.
The Lord is not slow in
keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.
But the day of the Lord will
come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be
destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since
everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God
and speed its coming. That day will
bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt
in the heat.
But in keeping with his
promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of
righteousness. NIV 2 Peter 3:3-13
In his second letter Peter seemed to be acknowledging that Jesus’ return to establish His kingdom was not going to happen soon as shown in verses 8 and 9 underlined above.
It is very
possible that Jesus never corrected that belief by his servants (disciples)
until he had the Apostle John do so when he gave the book of Revelation visions
to John in 67-70 AD – because he had already described both “coming in the
clouds of heaven” and His return to establish His kingdom in the Olivet
Prophecy. It didn’t seem to “take” with
disciples at that time – otherwise Paul would have written himself out of these
epistle accounts as being alive at Jesus’ second coming.
He would have known he was going to die and would then not have written those words indicating that he thought he was still going to be alive at the time of the “last” trump.
It is extremely poignant to see these followers of Jesus so sadly yearning for His coming to establish the kingdom. Yet even today, there are many of us who also fervently hope that Jesus will return in our lifetimes. Over the past 2,000 years there have been many of Jesus’ followers who shared that hope.
We can almost understand the actions of those who have brought shame upon the name of Jesus by setting the date and time of His return only to be proven wrong and ridiculed by the world.
It may be Paul’s thinking that Jesus was coming soon and he would be alive to see it that kept him going and gave him the enthusiasm and courage to face all the trials and tribulations he suffered until his final execution. One of the reasons he is so esteemed by all of us who study his writing is that he seemed totally positive no matter what trial he faced.
In the Olivet Prophecy, the foretelling of
the coming of Jesus to establish His world-ruling kingdom on this earth begins
with Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:31 and Luke 21:33.
One way to ascertain the truth of that statement is to notice
the expansion of the areas that will be aware of this “coming”.
34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be
weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that
day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will
come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be
always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about
to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke
21:34-36 NIV
This time, the “whole earth” is translated from the Greek word ge, from which we get the English word geography and it refers to the globe, i.e., the whole planet upon which we live.
In Matthew 24:14 the (“this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world”), the “whole world” is a translation of the Greek word oikoumene which, as we have already explained meant the “known world” or the Roman Empire.
After cautioning His disciples to “be on guard” and “be alert” because no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels in Heaven; not even the Son (Himself)); but only the Father, Jesus then rhetorically asks His disciples a question and the provides the answer. It is the beginning of a group of parables.
These parables are familiar to students of the Bible but they have been read and understood in isolation – no consideration is given to their being a part of the Olivet Prophecy. That mistake is corrected in the next section of this paper.