Matthew 24...is it the end...or History?

Is the Olivet Discourse (as it is often referred to) a conversation that Jesus has with his disciples about what is to happen in the far distant future, just before His second coming? Or, is Jesus giving a clear warning to the men and women sitting with Him that evening of things that were soon to come?

In reading Matthew 24, there is a matter of interpretation and understanding that most people (especially in modern American Christianity) don't have, or possibly ignore, prior to reading.

Historically, the events that Jesus is talking about in Matt 24:4-34 have essentially happened already in and around 70AD when Rome attacked and defeated the city of Jerusalem.

Numerous historical accounts, like those provided by first-century historian Josephus, record in great vivid detail the horrific events and circumstances that surrounded the siege. Some suggest that the Romanic siege on Jerusalem was more horrifying than the Holocaust of WWII, not in numbers but in brutal and barbaric treatment.

The Fall of Jerusalem
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was a decisive event in the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in 66 AD. The city and its famous Temple were destroyed in 70 AD.

The destruction of the Temple is still mourned annually at the Jewish fast Tisha B'Av. The Arch of Titus, depicting and celebrating the Roman sack of Jerusalem and the Temple, still stands today in Rome. It shows the soldiers carrying the Temple’s treasuries, including the Menorah, during Titus's triumphal procession in Rome.

Despite early successes in preventing the Roman sieges on the city, the Zealots (Jewish political activists) fought amongst themselves, lacking proper leadership. They lacked discipline, training, and preparation for the battles that were to follow.

The Battle of Jerusalem
Titus and the Roman army surrounded the city, with three legions on the western side and a fourth on the Mount of Olives to the east. He closed off food and water supplies to city. There was an increased demand in the city for these basic essentials as the armies were allowing Jewish pilgrims to enter the city to celebrate Passover, then refusing to allow them to go out.

In mid-May Titus set to destroying the newly built third city wall, the weakest spot in the city, with a ram. The wall was built shortly before the war began so it wasn’t as protected as other walls. Breaching it as well as the second interior wall, Titus turned his attention to the Fortress of Antonia just north of the Temple Mount. The Romans were then drawn into street fighting with the Zealots, who retreated to the temple to avoid heavy losses. During the fighting inside the city walls, stockpiled supplies of dry food were intentionally burned to induce the defenders to fight instead of negotiating peace; as a result many city dwellers and defenders died of starvation during the siege. Food, water, and other provisions were dwindling inside the city, so much to the point that some imprisoned in their own city turned to cannibalism.

Over the next three months and after several failed attempts to breach walls of the Antonia Fortress, the Romans finally launched a secret attack to take the Fortress. The Antonia Fortress overlooked the Temple and provided a perfect point to attack. The fighting eventually set the Temple walls on fire.

Destroying the Temple was probably not among Titus' goals, after all Herod the Great had done major expansions to the Temple just decades earlier – an appeasement from Rome to keep the Jews quiet. However, the fire spread quickly and was soon out of control. The Temple was destroyed on Tisha B'Av, the 9^th day of the Jewish month Av. Tisha B'Av now is the peak of a three week period of increasing mourning, beginning with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, which commemorates the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem. (Zechariah 7:3). The flames from the Temple spread into the residential sections of the city.

The Roman army defeated the remaining Jewish resistance. Part of the remaining Jews escaped through hidden underground tunnels, while others made a final stand in the Upper City. The city was completely under Roman control by September 7 as Roman soldiers continued to hunt down Jews that had fled the city.

The siege of Jerusalem had begun early in the war, but had turned into a stalemate. Unable to breach the city's defenses, the Roman armies established a permanent camp just outside the city, digging a trench around the circumference of its walls and building a wall as high as the city walls themselves around Jerusalem. Anyone caught in the trench attempting to flee the city would be captured, crucified, and placed in lines on top of the dirt wall facing into Jerusalem. It is estimated as many as five hundred crucifixions occurring in a day.

By the summer of 70, the Romans were within the City of Jerusalem, ransacking and burning nearly the entire city. Tacitus, another historian of the time, notes that those in Jerusalem, men and women alike and every age, engaged in armed resistance. Everyone who could pick up a weapon did, preferring death to a life that would involve removal from their country. All three walls were destroyed and in turn so was the Temple.

The Dispersement of the Jews
Some historical accounts claim that Titus destroyed the Temple to help uproot and demolish the Jewish people. The account of Josephus described Titus as moderate in his approach and suggests that ordered the thousand-year-old Temple be spared. According to Josephus, the Roman soldiers grew furious with Jewish attacks and tactics and, against Titus' orders, set fire to an apartment adjacent to the Temple, which soon spread all throughout. The Roman soldiers then overturned and cast out every stone of the Temple, down to its foundation; thus fulfilling Jesus’ words “Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another” (v. 24) The remaining west wall (the Wailing Wall) is actually not the part of the Temple but rather part of the wall around the city. There are huge foundation stones lying amidst the courtyard areas still evident today.

Josephus had acted as a mediator for the Romans and, when negotiations failed, witnessed the siege and aftermath. He wrote:

“Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done), [Titus] Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and Temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as they were of the greatest eminence; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison [in the Upper City], as were the towers [the three forts] also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall [surrounding Jerusalem], it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.

And truly, the very view itself was a melancholy thing; for those places which were adorned with trees and pleasant gardens, were now become desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down. Nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judaea and the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament and mourn sadly at so great a change. For the war had laid all signs of beauty quite waste. Nor had anyone who had known the place before, had come on a sudden to it now, would he have known it again. But though he [a foreigner] were at the city itself, yet would he have inquired for it.”

Josephus writes that some 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege, of which a majority were Jewish, and that 97,000 were captured and enslaved. Many fled to areas around the Mediterranean.

In Matthew 24 the great majority of "bad news" that Jesus was talking about is speaking of events that happened within the 40 years after his crucifixion and resurrection. (He said this around 30-33 AD and the siege of Jerusalem took place around 70AD - 40 years ("this generation") Even the earthquakes, famines, wars and rumors of war...the false prophets, false Messiah's, and great apostasy. It all happened during that generation. It all happened within and around the city of Jerusalem. He was warning his disciples of what was going to be happening in a short time after He left them...ascending into heaven.

There also is evidence of verses 26-29 happening already (in and about 70AD) near the end of the Jerusalem siege and directly after. There were many who were claiming to say they had seen the Messiah – who would rescue them from the Romans. They would often times develop a group of followers who believed them in desperation to get out of the horrific situation they were in, only to be lead out of the city to their most brutal execution. Jesus says to the disciples "in that day"... it suggests to me that v30-34 is also a prophecy of events that has happened already...then he concludes with saying (v 34) I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass until these things take place...(I will dig into these verses later)

With a futurist apocalyptic view of these passages - we have to somehow twist 'this generation' to mean this nation, or this race, or something other than this generation. The word Jesus used was genea...which is the same word He used in Mat 12:39, and Hebrews 3:10 as well as 40 other times in the New Testament where it referred to a specific & chronological group of people at a given time. Some passages (like Acts 14:16, 15:21, Eph 3:5) it is translated as a specific chronological time....

In other words: what has been interpreted as speaking of the end of the world, essentially was the end of Jerusalem in 70AD. And as we study prophecies of the end of the world in regard to the advancement of the Kingdom I find the end (and the years building up to it) to be a time a great moves of God in the earth. Quite the contrary to the grim doctrine of apocalyptic futurism.

In reality, if we study classic world history, the world today is a much better place than it was even 200 years ago. Even more so than 2000 years ago. I do believe that True Christianity - (The Church living out the Power and Glory of God) will grow and become the salt and light in the world that we are called to be. Some say that the world is getting more evil, I would suggest that the world is getting better as the Light of Christ is shining more strongly it exposes evil more clearly exposed so that it can and will be overcome.

Contextually

When we read Matthew 24; Remember to also read Matthew 23 with it, it's all the same event, time & moment. It all subscribes to each other. An important thing for me when reading these passages (or any of the Bible) is to put myself in the reader's/author's/receiver's position....rather than reading it from 'my' perspective.

When we read this passage today, we have a pre-conceived/learned understanding of Jesus' mission - to die for the redemption of all Creation and defeat the powers of Satan through His resurrection. Jesus' disciples essentially had no clue. When they were asking the questions stated in 24:3 (3 distinctly different questions) they were not asking about His second coming. They didn't even think Jesus was leaving. They hadn't even considered that He was going to be dying in a few days. In fact, if you remember when Jesus ascended into Heaven they were standing there asking Him "are you going to set up your Kingdom NOW?" They were still looking for a King to overthrow the Roman oppression and free Israel from Roman rule (Acts 1:6). They weren't looking for Jesus the Author of Salvation.

I don't think the disciples fully understood what Jesus' mission was until Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2 when Peter says "This is what Joel was talking about" and because the Holy Spirit came upon them they finally got it (although still in part because they didn't realize until later that it was not only for the Jews but for all of humanity).

Really, in this chapter - the only thing that Jesus says about His second coming to earth is found in verses 35-44 then 45-51 as an allegorical picture of His return. Jesus' instructions regarding His second coming to earth is simple - don't worry about when it is because I don't even know - just be ready. The only sign of His second coming is; that there will be no sign.

Romans 8:20-24 speaks of the curse that is placed on all of creation (not just man). And that creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God....yes, there will be a New Heaven and A New Earth - just as in Christ we are A New Creation. *yippy*. :)

I must say, for me, coming to this "view" of end times is actually quite liberating It offers so much more hope to see "Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"....and that 'of the increase of His Government and Peace there shall be no end..." (Is 9:7) The increasing will not end! That is pretty exciting to me. Increase here in Isaiah is "marbeh" which literally means abundant increase....

More to come…Obviously, there are many other scriptures that refer to "the end". I will try to address some of the 'major' ones.

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A Thought: His Kingdom is without end.