Is Matthew 24 Fulfilled?
Published 20260430 -:- Revised 20260430
Caution! possible spelling
mistakes - Scriptures from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted
otherwise.
AIM
I would like to take a different look at the predictions made by Jesus in Matthew 24. That is, are they fulfilled or are they still ALL future? In other words, ‘How much of Matthew chapter 24 has been fulfilled?’
Reason
1/ Many people place ALL of Matthew 24 as being the events immediately before the return of Christ! WHAT IF that is not the correct interpretation? It could mean that some of Matthew 24 might have already been fulfilled?? If so we are therefore looking in anticipation for future events that will never come to pass! And we will be caught off guard if Jesus suddenly appears at His Second Coming, without any of these events happening! BUT MOST importantly we are perhaps believing lies?
2/ The other issue is that His relatively uneducated disciples asked Jesus a simple question! “When is the temple going to be destroyed?” We know the temple was destroyed in 70 AD! So why would Jesus complicate the answer by talking about events that are some 2000 years off in their future? Or did Jesus just give them a simple checklist for the count down to the destruction of Jerusalem?? Simple and recognizable signs they could understand!
We seem to complicate biblical prophecy far too much! So please join me as I try to debunk the idea that Matthew chapter 24 is supposedly still mostly future. [Get a cut lunch and a thermos of coffee and settle in, it will take some time!]
Overview
Basically if some of the prophecy has been fulfilled in the past, then we should be able to find parts of the prophecy reflected in historic events leading up to 70 AD! And please stay with me because there are a lot of things Jesus predicted which were fulfilled before 70 AD! Also we have three accounts of this story, they are in Matthew 24:1-51, then in Mark 13:1-35, and in Luke 21:5-36! The wording is very similar in all three accounts, but each writer adds a unique touch in some section of his account. But like they say; “Through the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be made sure!” If each account were identical, ‘word for word’, then we would have the right to suspect the authenticity. But they are not identical! So I believe we have three good accounts to which we can refer, and I will give you cross-references to Mark and Luke as we work our way through Matthew 24.
Is This Going To Happen VERY SOON?
Jesus used wording that clearly indicated that what He was telling His disciples was about to happen VERY SOON!
Firstly: - He said the Temple would all be pulled down; “not be one stone on another!” Much the same in Matt 24:2, Mark 13:2 and Luke 21:6. And we know from history that only 40 years after Jesus made the prophecy, the temple was destroyed in 70 AD! (That is within a generation of 40 years). Therefore that part of Jesus' answer happened VERY SOON!
Secondly: - Jesus said in Mat 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.” But many would say, “BUT that hasn’t happened YET! We still haven’t translated the bible into every language!!” I will cover this in a bit more detail further down. But lets just look at the words; ‘all the worldG3625’? Now refer to Luke 2:1 “And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the worldG3625 should be taxed.” Exactly the same word! Now refer to Acts 2:6 “But this sound occurring, the multitude came together and were confounded, because they each heard them speaking in his own dialect.” Then verses 7 to 11 are speaking of where all this multitude had come from. They had come from all over the then known Roman world! Then all those that heard the gospel preached at Pentecost would have returned to their own land and proclaimed the good news as a witness to all nations. So that part of Jesus prophecy has already been fulfilled VERY SOON after His ascension!
Thirdly: - In Matt 24:15-16 it says: - “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). :16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.” But the corresponding verse in Luke 21:20-21 says: - “And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that its destruction has come. :21 And let those in Judea flee to the mountains.” The abomination of desolation, etc is a bone of contention for some. But it seems to match up with Luke’s account, so it is something I will study in detail further down. But either way, “the abomination of desolation” and the “armies around Jerusalem” are somehow linked; and either one of these statements was a clear flag to Jesus' disciples that the destruction of the temple in 70 AD was about to start! So get out quickly. Therefore that part of Jesus answer happened VERY SOON!
Fourthly: - Jesus said this in Mat 24:34 “Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled.” [Much the same in Mark 13:30 & Luke 21:32]. So it would seem that Jesus was confining His answer, time wise, to just the destruction of the temple! Imagine if Jesus had NOT made that statement? You just try reading all three accounts WITHOUT these words, “This generation”! You would have no idea of, ‘when shall these things be?' If I was one of Jesus' disciples and He had left out that statement, then I think I would be asking Him, “Well Ya, but when? Are you talking years, decades, centuries or thousands of years?" “Please Master, we want to know WHEN is this all going to happen?" But His disciples DID NOT ask Him any such question! So they seemed to be quite sure in their minds that these things are all going to start to happen VERY SOON, in their lifetime! Within a generation of forty years!
Here’s an example to compare. Imagine Elon Musk posted on twitter; “We can build warp-drive engines so that we can travel several times the speed of light up to warp 10! That’s 10 times the speed of light! Alpha Centauri is our closest star system to Earth. At the speed of light it takes 4.37 years to get there. At warp 10 we could get there in about 0.44 of a year, that’s about 160 days!” Yes that all sounds good in theory! Pipe Dream stuff! Or you’d think Elon is talking about possible future ideas we can only hope for! But if Elon adds this to the end of his twitter, “So this generation will see this accomplished with a possible colony near Alpha Centauri by the year 2065!” That puts a whole new slant on the story. You would think Elon is off his rocker!! Or he has actually discovered how to build warp-drive engines? He is actually saying that within one-generation of 40 years, we would be able to build warp-drive engines that would get us to Alpha Centauri within a travel time of 160 days.
So when Jesus' disciples heard Him say in Matt 24:34 “This generation”, obviously they knew He meant ALL these things will happen within a generation of 40 years. In other words it will be happening VERY SOON!! Not hundreds of years off!
WHEN WERE THE SCRIPTURES WRITTEN
This got me thinking. ‘When were these three gospels written?’ In relation to 70 AD. So I Googled these links: -
When was the gospel of Mark written
“The Gospel of Mark is widely believed by scholars to have been written around 70 CE (Common Era), with a common range spanning from 65–70 CE. As the earliest of the four canonical gospels, it was likely composed around the time of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.”
When was the gospel of Luke written
“The Gospel of Luke is generally believed by scholars to have been written between 80–90 AD, though many scholars allow for a range between 60 AD and 90 AD. The work is part of a two-volume set (Luke-Acts) likely composed in a Hellenistic environment, such as Antioch or Asia Minor”
When was the gospel of Matthew written
“The Gospel of Matthew was likely written between AD 70 and 100, with many scholars favoring a date around AD 80–90. It was composed after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, reflecting tensions between emerging Christian communities and Jewish synagogue leadership”
You can search those sites for more information if you wish. But from this it would seem that Mark was the only apostle that perhaps compiled his gospel before the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem? Luke on the other hand was a Greek Doctor, who would be more inclined to speak in a logical manner, and it is believed he was writing a legal brief to Theophilus (ref Luke 1:3), for the defence of the apostle Paul. So that is possibly why he says in Luke 21:20 “And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies”, instead of saying as in Mark 13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation”. For Luke that event is past history and he would want Theophilus to understand the history and context. Matthew on the other hand we know is a message to the Jewish community. And he wrote most probably after 70 AD. So I think he would still diligently try to stay as close to the words Jesus used and interlace his writing with all the appropriate prophecies. Hence he used the same, “abomination of desolation” in relation to the book of Daniel, as did Mark. [They are just my thoughts!]
Lets Examine Matthew Chapter 24 For Possible Fulfilment
The Disciple’s Questions On The Mount Of Olives
Lets read: - Matthew 24:1 “And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. :2 And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone on another that shall not be thrown down.” [Much the same in Mk 13:1-2 & Luke 21:5-6]
Jesus' disciples collared Him on the Mount of Olives and asked Him 3 key questions! Mat 24:3 “And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?” [NB: A difference with Mark 13:4 & Luke 21:7 But in both of these, the disciples question is more grouped around the temple destruction, and NOT about Christ’s Second Coming!] This is where we start to come unglued! People seem to ignore the fact that there were three questions in Matthew and only ONE question in Mark and Luke?
Also remember that Jesus said about His future, "Coming In Glory", “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father”, ref Mat 24:36! Also in Act 1:7 “And He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority.” Jesus is saying ONLY the Farther knows! But no one else is aloud to know! So Jesus answer to these two questions, “And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?” would appear that He can only go by what He knows from prophecy, and could give no indication of the actual timing. So lets just work on the first question, ‘when shall these things be’? Some of Jesus prophecy may have been speaking of His return and the events leading up to that. But we can keep that in mind as we work through Matthew chapter 24.
When Shall These Things Be
We can now tip toe through the prophecy and pick out key statements, then hunt through Google, scripture or some commentary notes etc. Hopefully we might find in history, the events that Jesus prophesied, and if they happened during the 40 year lead up to 70 AD? I have 35 commentaries via e-Sword free download. Not all of them make some comment. Some give us the futurist interpretation, saying this all happens just before the return of Christ! I suggest you read as many of them as you can to get an all round view of both the historic and the futurist view. But I am just looking for history. The seven commentaries I have found that speak of Matthew chapter 24 as being fulfilled historically, in the lead up to 70AD are these: - Popular New Testament, John Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, B.W. Johnson, Albert Barnes, Joseph Benson & Adam Clarke. There are some others I might add in as we go along. In the process of this study I might jump between Matthew, Mark and Luke. Lets start: -
The Signs
Some of the commentaries as they work through their analogy of Matthew 24 use the terms, “First Sign, Second Sign” etc. I have used these same sorts of things for our major headings. The commentaries do overlap with the headings that I have used; also I have added a few more. But generally Jesus gives His disciples and us these principal thinks or SIGNS to watchout for, and they are in the following order: -
I would like to take a different look at the predictions made by Jesus in Matthew 24. That is, are they fulfilled or are they still ALL future? In other words, ‘How much of Matthew chapter 24 has been fulfilled?’
Reason
1/ Many people place ALL of Matthew 24 as being the events immediately before the return of Christ! WHAT IF that is not the correct interpretation? It could mean that some of Matthew 24 might have already been fulfilled?? If so we are therefore looking in anticipation for future events that will never come to pass! And we will be caught off guard if Jesus suddenly appears at His Second Coming, without any of these events happening! BUT MOST importantly we are perhaps believing lies?
2/ The other issue is that His relatively uneducated disciples asked Jesus a simple question! “When is the temple going to be destroyed?” We know the temple was destroyed in 70 AD! So why would Jesus complicate the answer by talking about events that are some 2000 years off in their future? Or did Jesus just give them a simple checklist for the count down to the destruction of Jerusalem?? Simple and recognizable signs they could understand!
We seem to complicate biblical prophecy far too much! So please join me as I try to debunk the idea that Matthew chapter 24 is supposedly still mostly future. [Get a cut lunch and a thermos of coffee and settle in, it will take some time!]
Overview
Basically if some of the prophecy has been fulfilled in the past, then we should be able to find parts of the prophecy reflected in historic events leading up to 70 AD! And please stay with me because there are a lot of things Jesus predicted which were fulfilled before 70 AD! Also we have three accounts of this story, they are in Matthew 24:1-51, then in Mark 13:1-35, and in Luke 21:5-36! The wording is very similar in all three accounts, but each writer adds a unique touch in some section of his account. But like they say; “Through the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be made sure!” If each account were identical, ‘word for word’, then we would have the right to suspect the authenticity. But they are not identical! So I believe we have three good accounts to which we can refer, and I will give you cross-references to Mark and Luke as we work our way through Matthew 24.
Is This Going To Happen VERY SOON?
Jesus used wording that clearly indicated that what He was telling His disciples was about to happen VERY SOON!
Firstly: - He said the Temple would all be pulled down; “not be one stone on another!” Much the same in Matt 24:2, Mark 13:2 and Luke 21:6. And we know from history that only 40 years after Jesus made the prophecy, the temple was destroyed in 70 AD! (That is within a generation of 40 years). Therefore that part of Jesus' answer happened VERY SOON!
Secondly: - Jesus said in Mat 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.” But many would say, “BUT that hasn’t happened YET! We still haven’t translated the bible into every language!!” I will cover this in a bit more detail further down. But lets just look at the words; ‘all the worldG3625’? Now refer to Luke 2:1 “And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the worldG3625 should be taxed.” Exactly the same word! Now refer to Acts 2:6 “But this sound occurring, the multitude came together and were confounded, because they each heard them speaking in his own dialect.” Then verses 7 to 11 are speaking of where all this multitude had come from. They had come from all over the then known Roman world! Then all those that heard the gospel preached at Pentecost would have returned to their own land and proclaimed the good news as a witness to all nations. So that part of Jesus prophecy has already been fulfilled VERY SOON after His ascension!
Thirdly: - In Matt 24:15-16 it says: - “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). :16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.” But the corresponding verse in Luke 21:20-21 says: - “And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that its destruction has come. :21 And let those in Judea flee to the mountains.” The abomination of desolation, etc is a bone of contention for some. But it seems to match up with Luke’s account, so it is something I will study in detail further down. But either way, “the abomination of desolation” and the “armies around Jerusalem” are somehow linked; and either one of these statements was a clear flag to Jesus' disciples that the destruction of the temple in 70 AD was about to start! So get out quickly. Therefore that part of Jesus answer happened VERY SOON!
Fourthly: - Jesus said this in Mat 24:34 “Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled.” [Much the same in Mark 13:30 & Luke 21:32]. So it would seem that Jesus was confining His answer, time wise, to just the destruction of the temple! Imagine if Jesus had NOT made that statement? You just try reading all three accounts WITHOUT these words, “This generation”! You would have no idea of, ‘when shall these things be?' If I was one of Jesus' disciples and He had left out that statement, then I think I would be asking Him, “Well Ya, but when? Are you talking years, decades, centuries or thousands of years?" “Please Master, we want to know WHEN is this all going to happen?" But His disciples DID NOT ask Him any such question! So they seemed to be quite sure in their minds that these things are all going to start to happen VERY SOON, in their lifetime! Within a generation of forty years!
Here’s an example to compare. Imagine Elon Musk posted on twitter; “We can build warp-drive engines so that we can travel several times the speed of light up to warp 10! That’s 10 times the speed of light! Alpha Centauri is our closest star system to Earth. At the speed of light it takes 4.37 years to get there. At warp 10 we could get there in about 0.44 of a year, that’s about 160 days!” Yes that all sounds good in theory! Pipe Dream stuff! Or you’d think Elon is talking about possible future ideas we can only hope for! But if Elon adds this to the end of his twitter, “So this generation will see this accomplished with a possible colony near Alpha Centauri by the year 2065!” That puts a whole new slant on the story. You would think Elon is off his rocker!! Or he has actually discovered how to build warp-drive engines? He is actually saying that within one-generation of 40 years, we would be able to build warp-drive engines that would get us to Alpha Centauri within a travel time of 160 days.
So when Jesus' disciples heard Him say in Matt 24:34 “This generation”, obviously they knew He meant ALL these things will happen within a generation of 40 years. In other words it will be happening VERY SOON!! Not hundreds of years off!
WHEN WERE THE SCRIPTURES WRITTEN
This got me thinking. ‘When were these three gospels written?’ In relation to 70 AD. So I Googled these links: -
When was the gospel of Mark written
“The Gospel of Mark is widely believed by scholars to have been written around 70 CE (Common Era), with a common range spanning from 65–70 CE. As the earliest of the four canonical gospels, it was likely composed around the time of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.”
When was the gospel of Luke written
“The Gospel of Luke is generally believed by scholars to have been written between 80–90 AD, though many scholars allow for a range between 60 AD and 90 AD. The work is part of a two-volume set (Luke-Acts) likely composed in a Hellenistic environment, such as Antioch or Asia Minor”
When was the gospel of Matthew written
“The Gospel of Matthew was likely written between AD 70 and 100, with many scholars favoring a date around AD 80–90. It was composed after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, reflecting tensions between emerging Christian communities and Jewish synagogue leadership”
You can search those sites for more information if you wish. But from this it would seem that Mark was the only apostle that perhaps compiled his gospel before the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem? Luke on the other hand was a Greek Doctor, who would be more inclined to speak in a logical manner, and it is believed he was writing a legal brief to Theophilus (ref Luke 1:3), for the defence of the apostle Paul. So that is possibly why he says in Luke 21:20 “And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies”, instead of saying as in Mark 13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation”. For Luke that event is past history and he would want Theophilus to understand the history and context. Matthew on the other hand we know is a message to the Jewish community. And he wrote most probably after 70 AD. So I think he would still diligently try to stay as close to the words Jesus used and interlace his writing with all the appropriate prophecies. Hence he used the same, “abomination of desolation” in relation to the book of Daniel, as did Mark. [They are just my thoughts!]
Lets Examine Matthew Chapter 24 For Possible Fulfilment
The Disciple’s Questions On The Mount Of Olives
Lets read: - Matthew 24:1 “And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. :2 And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone on another that shall not be thrown down.” [Much the same in Mk 13:1-2 & Luke 21:5-6]
Jesus' disciples collared Him on the Mount of Olives and asked Him 3 key questions! Mat 24:3 “And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?” [NB: A difference with Mark 13:4 & Luke 21:7 But in both of these, the disciples question is more grouped around the temple destruction, and NOT about Christ’s Second Coming!] This is where we start to come unglued! People seem to ignore the fact that there were three questions in Matthew and only ONE question in Mark and Luke?
Also remember that Jesus said about His future, "Coming In Glory", “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father”, ref Mat 24:36! Also in Act 1:7 “And He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority.” Jesus is saying ONLY the Farther knows! But no one else is aloud to know! So Jesus answer to these two questions, “And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?” would appear that He can only go by what He knows from prophecy, and could give no indication of the actual timing. So lets just work on the first question, ‘when shall these things be’? Some of Jesus prophecy may have been speaking of His return and the events leading up to that. But we can keep that in mind as we work through Matthew chapter 24.
When Shall These Things Be
We can now tip toe through the prophecy and pick out key statements, then hunt through Google, scripture or some commentary notes etc. Hopefully we might find in history, the events that Jesus prophesied, and if they happened during the 40 year lead up to 70 AD? I have 35 commentaries via e-Sword free download. Not all of them make some comment. Some give us the futurist interpretation, saying this all happens just before the return of Christ! I suggest you read as many of them as you can to get an all round view of both the historic and the futurist view. But I am just looking for history. The seven commentaries I have found that speak of Matthew chapter 24 as being fulfilled historically, in the lead up to 70AD are these: - Popular New Testament, John Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, B.W. Johnson, Albert Barnes, Joseph Benson & Adam Clarke. There are some others I might add in as we go along. In the process of this study I might jump between Matthew, Mark and Luke. Lets start: -
The Signs
Some of the commentaries as they work through their analogy of Matthew 24 use the terms, “First Sign, Second Sign” etc. I have used these same sorts of things for our major headings. The commentaries do overlap with the headings that I have used; also I have added a few more. But generally Jesus gives His disciples and us these principal thinks or SIGNS to watchout for, and they are in the following order: -
The First Sign - False Christs.
The Second Sign - Wars And Rumours Of Wars.
The Third Sign - Nations And Kingdoms Then Pestilence And Famine.
The Fourth Sign - Earthquakes Or Political Commotions.
The Fifth Sign - Fearful Portents In The Sky
The Sixth Sign - Before All These - Persecution
The Seventh Sign - Gospel Preached In All The World
The Eighth Sign - The Abomination Of Desolation
The Ninth Sign - The Signal To Flee Jerusalem
The Tenth Sign - This Generation
The Eleventh Sign - The Son of man coming in the clouds
1/ First Sign - False Christs
Mat 24:4 “And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. :5 For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.” [Much the same in Mark 13:5-6 & Luke 21:8]
We have scripture references for this being fulfilled soon after the ascension of Jesus they are: -
1Jn 2:18 “Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour.” [An antichrist is one who stands in place of Christ, or they are proclaiming, ‘I am Christ’ or ‘they represent Christ’!] Also John is telling us that “the last hour” was happening in his lifetime, and not some 2000 years down the track in what we call our future!” Also we have this verse…
1Jn 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God; :3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the antichrist you heard is coming, and even now is already in the world.”
Then if we go to the commentary notes there are several of them! But the best couple I have found for this verse were from John Gill and Adam Clarke. This summary by John Gill recaps what Jesus said in Matt 24:5 with such detail, I have put a complete copy of it in here for you. It is lengthy but trust me, it is a real eye opener. Please, please read them both!
CN by John Gill on Matthew 24:5
“For many shall come in my name,.... by his orders, or with delegated powers and authority from him; but should assume the name of the Messiah, which was peculiarly his, to themselves; and take upon them his office, and challenge the honour and dignity which belonged unto him:
saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. This is the first sign, preceding the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem; as there was a general expectation among the Jews of a Messiah; that is, of one that should arise and deliver them from the Roman yoke, which was the common idea tacked to that word; in this period of time, many set up themselves to be deliverers and redeemers of the people of Israel: who had each of them their followers in great numbers, whom they imposed upon, and brought to destruction. Of this sort was Theudas, not he that Gamaliel speaks of, Act 5:36 for he was before this time; but one that was in the time of Claudius Caesar, when Cuspius Fadus was governor of Judea; who persuaded a great number to follow him to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide, by a word of command, and give them a passage over; and thereby, as the historian observes (c), πολλους ηπατησην, "he deceived many"; which is the very thing that is here predicted: but he and his company were routed Fadus, and his head cut off.
There were others also besides these, that set up for deliverers, who called themselves by the name of the Messiah. Among these, we may reckon Simon Magus, who gave out that he was some great one; yea, expressly, that he was the word of God, and the Son of God (e), which were known names of the Messiah; and Dositheus the Samaritan, asserted himself to be Christ (f); and also Menander affirmed, that no man could be saved, unless he was baptized in his name (g); these are instances before the destruction of Jerusalem, and confirm the prophecy here delivered.
(c) Joseph. Antiq. l. 20. c. 2. (d) Joseph. Antiq. l. 20. c. 6. (e) Jerom in loc. Iren. adv. Haeres. l. 1. c. 20. (f) Origen contr. Cels. l. 1. p. 44. (g) Tertull. de prescript. Haeret. c. 46.
CN by Adam Clarke on Matthew 24:5
For many shall come in my name -
1. Josephus says, (War, b. ii. c. 13), that there were many who, pretending to Divine inspiration, deceived the people, leading out numbers of them to the desert, pretending that God would there show them the signs of liberty, meaning redemption from the Roman power: and that an Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men into the desert, who were almost all cut off by Felix. See Act 21:38. It was a just judgment for God to deliver up that people into the hands of false Christs who had rejected the true one. Soon after our Lord’s crucifixion, Simon Magus appeared, and persuaded the people of Samaria that he was the great power of God, Act 8:9, Act 8:10; and boasted among the Jews that he was the son of God.
2. Of the same stamp and character was also Dositheus, the Samaritan, who pretended that he was the Christ foretold by Moses.
3. About twelve years after the death of our Lord, when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, arose an impostor of the name of Theudas, who said he was a prophet, and persuaded a great multitude to follow him with their best effects to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide for their passage; and saying these things, says Josephus, he deceived many: almost the very words of our Lord.
4. A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day. Josephus. Ant. b. xx. c. 4. and 7.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
2/ Second Sign - Wars And Rumours Of Wars.
Mat 24:6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet.” [Much the same in Mark 13:7 & Luke 21:9]
NB: “the end is not yet”, l believe Jesus is referring to the destruction of the temple!
CN by Albert Barnes on Matthew 24:6
“And ye shall hear of wars ... - It is recorded in the history of Rome that violent agitations prevailed in the Roman empire previous to the destruction of Jerusalem. Four emperors, Nero, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, suffered violent deaths in the short space of eighteen months. In consequence of these changes in the government, there were commotions throughout the empire. Parties were formed, and bloody and violent wars were the consequence of attachment to particular emperors. This is the more remarkable, as at the time that the prophecy was made, the empire was in a state of peace.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
3/ Third Sign – Nations, Kingdoms, Famines, Pestilences, Earthquakes And Great Signs From Heaven
Mat 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places.” [Much the same in Mark 13:8 and in Luke 21:10 & Luke 21:11] But Luke 21:11 adds this; Luke 21:11 “…And there shall be terrors and great signs from Heaven.” Albert Barnes and Adam Clarke’s commentaries about these, "terrors and great signs", are really amazing! Please look them up and have a read of them.
CN from Popular New Testament on Matthew 24:7
Nation shall rise against nation, etc. Primarily, national uprisings of the Jews; then, wars of races, political revolutions, migrations, etc. Even the times preceding the dissolution of the Roman Empire have not exhausted this prediction.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
4/ Fourth Sign - Earthquakes Or Political Commotions.
CN by John Gill on Matthew 24:7
and earthquakes in divers places of the world; as, at Crete (n), and in divers cities in Asia (o), in the times of Nero: particularly the three cities of Phrygia, Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colosse; which were near to each other, and are all said to perish this way, in his reign (p); "and Rome itself felt a tremor, in the reign of Galba (q).''
You can also refer CN by Joseph Benson on Matthew 24:6-8. It is a lengthy read but well worth it!
Also CN by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Mark 13:8
Also CN by B.W. Johnson on Matthew 24:6-7
CN by Albert Barnes on Matthew 24:7
Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom - At Caesarea the Jews and Syrians contended about the right to the city, and twenty thousand of the Jews were slain. At this blow the whole nation of the Jews was exasperated, and carried war and desolation through the Syrian cities and villages. Sedition and civil war spread throughout Judea; Italy was also thrown into civil war by the contests between Otho and Vitellius for the crown.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
5/ Fifth Sign - Fearful Portents
Remember I said earlier Adam Clarke produces a startling list of fearful signs in accordance with; Luke 21:11 “…And there shall be terrors and great signs from Heaven
CN by Adam Clarke on Matthew 24:7 “The Fifth sign, fearful portents. -- To these St. Luke adds that there shall be fearful sights and great signs from heaven (Luke 21:11). Josephus, in his preface to the Jewish war, enumerates these.
1st. A star hung over the city like a sword; and a comet continued a whole year.
2d. The people being assembled at the feast of unleavened bread, at the ninth hour of the night, a great light shone about the altar and the temple, and this continued for half an hour.
3d. At the same feast, a cow led to sacrifice brought forth a lamb in the midst of the temple!
4th. The eastern gate of the temple, which was of solid brass, and very heavy, and could hardly be shut by twenty men, and was fastened by strong bars and bolts, was seen at the sixth hour of the night to open of its own accord!
5th. Before sun-setting there were seen, over all the country, chariots and armies fighting in the clouds, and besieging cities.
6th. At the feast of pentecost, when the priests were going into the inner temple by night, to attend their service, they heard first a motion and noise, and then a voice, as of a multitude, saying, Let Us Depart Hence!
7th. What Josephus reckons one of the most terrible signs of all was, that one Jesus, a country fellow, four years before the war began, [That would be 62AD. This continues with the story of Jesus, the son of Ananus as covered above by Albert Barns.]
RESHUFFLE
So far we are up to Matthew 24:8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows”, and Mark and Luke have no similar comment. Unless we assume Matthew meant; ‘All these things I am about to till you are the beginning of sorrows’. That might match up with the other two gospels? Which read; Mat 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake.” And then we have in Luke 21:12 “BUT BEFORE ALL THESE, they shall lay their hands on you,” etc, etc. But for the next few verse in all three gospels they generally speak of the coming persecutions. So I’ve given you all the appropriate verses from each writer grouped together. Starting with Luke because he starts with this phrase, “But before all these”! I think he is virtually saying, But before all these previous signs, the Persecution will starts first. Which if you recall from the book of Acts that is exactly what happened. Pentecost was in Acts chapter 2; the very next verse is Act 3:1 “And on the same day Peter and John went up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.” etc. etc. So this miracle of healing the lamb man at the temple gate, “called Beautiful” happened the same afternoon as Pentecost. Refer these commentary notes below, then I’ll give you the grouped gospels as I said.
Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Acts 3:1
Now Peter and John, &c. — We are not informed when the fact here recorded took place; but it is probable it was during the days of the feast of pentecost, and while the city was still full of people; went up to the temple
3. “At the hour of prayer” went these devout men. But what need had they for prayer, just fresh from the open revelation and spiritual excitement of Pentecost?
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
6/ Sixth Sign – ‘Before All These’ Persecution
Luke 21:12 “But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. :13 And it shall return to you for a testimony. :14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand what you shall answer. :15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. :16 And you shall be betrayed also by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends. And they will cause some of you to be put to death. :17 And you shall be hated by all for My name's sake. :18 But there shall not a hair of your head perish. :19 By your patience you will gain your souls.”
Matthew 24:8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows. :9 Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake. :10 And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. :11 And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. :12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold. :13 But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe.”
Mark 13:9 “But take heed to yourselves. For they shall deliver you up to sanhedrins, and in the synagogues you shall be beaten. And you shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them.:10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. :11 But whenever they lead you away and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what you should speak or think. But speak whatever shall be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speaks, but the Holy Spirit. :12 And a brother will betray a brother to death, and a father his son. And children will rise up against their parents and will cause them to be put to death. :13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but he enduring to the end, that one will be kept safe.”
We don’t need to dwell on the history of the persecution of Christians. But if we focus on the time span of 33 to 70 A.D. we know that there was a peak in the persecution under Nero up to his death in 68 AD. I found this in Google;
Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire “Following the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, Emperor Nero scapegoated Christians, subjecting them to extreme torture and execution to dispel rumors of his own involvement. Tacitus records that Christians were covered in wild beast hides and torn by dogs, or fastened to crosses and set on fire to serve as nocturnal lighting in Nero’s gardens.” Also these following commentary notes: -
Ref CN by B.W. Johnson on Matthew 24:8-9
Shall deliver you up to tribulation. To persecution. Soon literally fulfilled in the Jewish persecutions. The awful persecution of Nero also soon followed….. Ye shall be hated. Tacitus, describing Nero's persecution begun in A. D. 64, says "the Christians were haters of mankind."
Ref CN by Joseph Benson on Matthew 24:9
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, &c. — …..Now the calamities which were to befall the Christians were cruel persecutions, and we need look no further than the Acts of the Apostles for the completion of this prediction. But if we would look further, we have still a more melancholy proof of the truth of it in the persecutions under Nero, in which, not to mention numberless other Christians, those two great champions of the Christian faith, Peter and Paul, fell. Indeed, as Tertullian calls it, it was nominis prælium, a war against the very name. For though a man was possessed of every human virtue, it was crime enough if he was a Christian; so true were our Saviour’s words, that they should be hated of all nations for his name’s sake.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
7/ Seventh sign - Gospel preached in all the world
Jesus said in Mat 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world G3625 as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.” [You would see the same in Mark 13:10 above, but no mention in Luke 21] And many would say, ‘BUT that hasn’t been achieved as YET!!’ And that’s why people say all these bibles are still being translated into different languages every day! And we still haven’t reached every language group as yet! Really?? Do you think God needs us to do all that work? The verse ONLY says; “this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations”! It doesn’t say anything about bibles having to be produced? We touched on this earlier but lets again just look at the words; in Mat 24:14 ‘all the world G3625’? Now refer Luke 2:1 “And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world G3625 should be taxed.” As I said above it’s the same word, the same word number!
Ref CN by Adam Clarke on Matthew 24:14 “In all the world, εν ολη τη οικουμενη. Perhaps no more is meant here than the Roman empire; for it is beyond controversy that πασαν την οικουμενην, Luke 2:1, means no more than the whole Roman empire:”
Could you just humour me for a moment? Let's go to Acts chapter 2. Act 2:6 “But this sound occurring, the multitude came together and were confounded, because they each heard them speaking in his own dialect.” :7 And they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Behold, are not these who speak all Galileans? :8 And how do we each hear in our own dialect in which we were born? :9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, :10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, :11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking the great things of God in our own languages.” I have covered this in another talk entitled, Speaking In Tongues - Acts 2
If you look up all those place names on the map you will see that these people came from the four corners of the Roman Empire. And if they all went back to their hometown and; proclaimed this gospel of the kingdom throughout all the ‘Roman world'. Then this verse in Matthew 24:14 has been fulfilled! Then if you add to that the missionary journeys of Paul, he reached a wide range of the Roman World. Then we also have Philip in Acts 8:26-40, who preached to the Ethiopian. Act 8:27 “And he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship." And that Ethiopian noble would have arrived back home and would have proclaimed this gospel of the kingdom throughout all the kingdom of Ethiopia! So God doesn’t need bibles in every language under the sun. He just wants; this gospel of the kingdom to be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come! But what is this “END" that shall come? I believe that Jesus was obviously referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Which is the very next verse that Jesus starts into in Matthew 24:15.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
8/ Eighth Sign - The Abomination of Desolation
NOW this is the tricky verse I talked about earlier! And I will give you all three gospels' verses here together.
Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand IN THE HOLY PLACE (whoever reads, let him understand). :16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.”
Mark 13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation, that spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let him who reads understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
Luke 21:20 “And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that its destruction has come. :21 And let those in Judea flee to the mountains. And those in its midst, let them go out. And those in the open spaces, let them not go into her.”
How could Luke be SO stupid as to not use the same wording as Matthew and Mark? There must be a good reason? Or as I said above; was Luke writing about what Jesus said to His disciples, from the point of hindsight, which was after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And Luke doesn’t need to describe it in prophetic language because it has already happened?
The other issue is; ‘What is considered to be the “Holy Place”?’ So in going through the commentaries I found this interesting information. May I suggest you go to Ezekiel chapter 45 verses 1 to 6! Eze 45:1 “And, when you make fall the land by lot for inheritance, you shall offer an offering to Jehovah, a holy portion of the land. The length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits long, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy in all its borders all around.” (In KJV, the original was; “the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand.”)?? Just to save you from trying to work out whats what! I have given you the Good News Bible to make the estimations simple. GNB Eze 45:1 “When the land is divided to give each tribe a share, one part is to be dedicated to the LORD. It is to be 10 miles long by 8 miles wide. The entire area will be holy.” So I think it is pretty fair to say that according to scripture, the 80 square mile area on which the temple stood, including the Mount of Olives, was what Jesus was referring to as, “The Holy Place”!! Lets have a look at a few commentaries.
CN by John Wesley on Matthew 24:15
When ye see the abomination of desolation - Daniel's term is, The abomination that maketh desolate, Dan 11:31; that is, the standards of the desolating legions, on which they bear the abominable images of their idols: Standing in the holy place - Not only the temple and the mountain on which it stood, but the whole city of Jerusalem, and several furlongs of land round about it, were accounted holy; particularly the mount on which our Lord now sat, and on which the Romans afterward planted their ensigns. He that readeth let him understand - Whoever reads that prophecy of Daniel, let him deeply consider it. Mar 13:14; Luk 21:20; Dan 9:27.
CN by Matthew Henry on Matthew 24:4-31
(2.) Others choose to expound it by the parallel place (Luk 21:20), when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies. Jerusalem was the holy city, Canaan the holy land, the Mount Moriah, which lay about Jerusalem, for its nearness to the temple was, they thought in a particular manner holy ground; on the country lying round about Jerusalem the Roman army was encamped, that was the abomination that made desolate.
CN by B.W. Johnson on Matthew 24:15-20
“When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation. This is the sign when Christians should flee from Jerusalem. See Dan 9:27; Dan 11:31; Dan 12:11. Luke says, "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies" (Luk 21:20). This was, therefore, Christ's explanation of the abomination of desolation. The Roman army, heathen, with heathen images and standards, ready to sacrifice to idols on the temple altar, working the desolation of Jerusalem and the temple, is what is meant.
In the holy place. Mark says, "Where it ought not;" around "the holy city."
CN by Albert Barnes on Matthew 24:15
The abomination of desolation - This is a Hebrew expression, meaning an abominable or hateful destroyer. The Gentiles were all held in abomination by the Jews, Act 10:28. The abomination of desolation means the Roman army, and is so explained by Luk 21:20. The Roman army is further called the “abomination” on account of the images of the emperor, and the eagles, carried in front of the legions, and regarded by the Romans with divine honors.
Standing in the holy place - Mark says, standing where it ought not,” meaning the same thing. All Jerusalem was esteemed “holy,” Mat 4:5. The meaning of this is, when you see the Roman armies standing in the holy city or encamped around the temple, or the Roman ensigns or standards in the temple. Josephus relates that when the city was taken, the Romans brought their idols into the temple, and placed them over the eastern gate, and sacrificed to them there, “Jewish Wars,” b. 6 chapter 6, section 1.
CN by Joseph Benson on Matthew 24:15
Stand in the holy place — Or, as it is in Mark, standing where it ought not — That is, when ye shall see these armies encamped in the territory near Jerusalem: for, as the city was called the holy city, several furlongs of land round about it were accounted holy, particularly the mount on which our Lord now sat, and on which afterward the Romans placed their ensigns……The doctor, therefore, renders the words, Reader, attend! Let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains — Let them flee as fast as they can from the fortified cities and populous towns into the wilderness, where they will be secure. This important advice the Christians remembered and wisely followed, and were preserved. It is remarkable, that after the Romans, under Cestius Gallus, made their first advance toward Jerusalem, they suddenly withdrew again, in a most unexpected and impolitic manner. “This conduct of the Roman general,” says Macknight, “so contrary to all the rules of prudence, was doubtless brought to pass by the providence of God, who interposed in this manner for the deliverance of the disciples of his Son.” For, at this juncture, the Christians, considering it as a signal to retire, left Jerusalem, and removed to Pella and other places beyond the river Jordan, so that they all marvellously escaped the general ruin of their country, and we do not read anywhere that so much as one of them perished. Of such signal service was this caution of our Lord to his followers!
CN by Adam Clarke on Matthew 24:15
The abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel - This abomination of desolation, St. Luke, (Luk 21:20, Luk 21:21), refers to the Roman army; and this abomination standing in the holy place is the Roman army besieging Jerusalem; this, our Lord says, is what was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, in the ninth and eleventh chapters of his prophecy; and so let every one who reads these prophecies understand them; and in reference to this very event they are understood by the rabbins. The Roman army is called an abomination, for its ensigns and images, which were so to the Jews. Josephus says, (War, b. vi. chap. 6), the Romans brought their ensigns into the temple, and placed them over against the eastern gate, and sacrificed to them there. The Roman army is therefore fitly called the abomination, and the abomination which maketh desolate, as it was to desolate and lay waste Jerusalem; and this army besieging Jerusalem is called by St. Mark, Mar 13:14, standing where it ought not, that is, as in the text here, the holy place; as not only the city, but a considerable compass of ground about it, was deemed holy, and consequently no profane persons should stand on it.
CN from Popular New Testament on Matthew 24:15
In the holy place. Mark: ‘where it ought not;’ Jerusalem was ‘the holy city’ (chap. Mat 4:5). The near approach of the Roman army is probably meant. The Roman eagles, rising on the heights over against the temple, were the sign of the fall of the city. In fact they stood on the Mount of Olives, ‘the holy place,’ in a higher Christian sense, where our Lord was now teaching and whence He ascended. The other view of internal desecration refers the phrase to the temple.
CN from Pulpit on Matthew 24:16
Then; i.e. when they shall see "the abomination of desolation," etc. Them which be in Judaea. Not only in Jerusalem, but in its vicinity, as most exposed to danger from the invading army. Flee into (ἐπιÌ, over) the mountains. The Christians seem to have taken this advice when the city was attacked by Costius Gallus, about A.D. 66, some three or more years before the siege under Vespasian. Gallus had appeared before the walls, and apparently had every hope of taking the city, when, for some reason not certainly known (either owing to a supposed defeat, or ignorance of his own success, or the advice of his generals), he suddenly withdrew his forces (Josephus, ’Bell. Jud.,’ 2.19, 6, 7). The Christians, bearing Christ’s warning in mind, and having, as we may conjecture, seen the predicted sign, took the opportunity of flight from the doomed city, and made their escape to Pella, a town of Decapotis, southeast of Bethshean, and the ruins of which are known now by the name of Fahil.
There seems to be plenty of the old scholars that generally agree with the concept that the phrase, ‘The Holy Place’ is not speaking only of the temple building itself! But it speaks of the surrounding area, including the Mount of Olives, in the same way as I made reference to Ezekiel chapter 45. Now this next sign, “The Signal To Flee Jerusalem”, is also referred to by most of the scholars in the above commentaries, but George Haydock gives us a bit more information on that subject.
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
9/ Ninth Sign - The Signal To Flee Jerusalem
CN by George Haydock on Matthew 24:15
“But what then was this desolation, which by the following verse, was to be a sign to the Christians to fly out of Judea? Some expound it of the heathen Roman army, approaching and investing Jerusalem, called the holy city. Others understand the profanation of the temple, made by the Jews themselves, a little before the siege under Vespasian; when the civil dissensions, those called the Zealots, had possessed themselves of the temple, and placed their warlike engines upon the pinnacles; and a part, at least, of the temple was defiled with the dead bodies of those killed there. It was at that time that the Christians, according to Christ’s admonition, left Jerusalem and Judea, and fled to Pella, beyond the Jordan. See Eusebius, lib. iii. Hist. chap. v. (Witham)
We know from history that Cestius Gallus ‘enclosed Jerusalem’ in 66 or 67 AD. then he withdrew his army?. Later Vespasian arrived in 70 AD and sealed the fate of Jerusalem. So for those who had knowledge of this warning from Jesus, they would most likely have fled at the first sign, after the withdrawal of Gallus. If they had waited and saw the desecration of the Temple by the Zealots as mentioned by George Haydock, that would be a second sign to flee! Then if they waited until Vespasian arrived it could have been TOO Late for them to make their escape; unless they bolted as soon as they saw the Romans on the horizon! If they still would not flee, they would have been trapped in the city like all the rest! So the only signs for the church to, ‘Flee Jerusalem’ would have been the change of heart of Gallus, or this occasion of the Zealots mentioned by George Haydock. It would seem that God gave the church two; maybe three clear signs, only a few years apart to, ‘Flee Jerusalem’? Isn’t God GOOD?
Now lets just work through Matthew 24 from verse 16. The Jews have seen ‘the sign’ to flee, so what does Jesus tell them about the urgency to escape and the pending disaster? Lets look at each of the gospels separately. Please read each one through and note the phrases I have marked or underlined. It is similar wording in each of them, and towards the end it is very easy to think Jesus is speaking of the Second Coming? But He uses wording like “immediately after the tribulation of those days”? I believe He is saying, that immediately after the fall of Jerusalem, these other things are going to happen. So it gets to be quite a tangle to work out the transition from the prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem; to the prophecy of the Second Coming? And I have finished each passage with this ‘Flag’; [END Of The Prophesy Of The Fall Of Jerusalem]! Which is where I think the prophecy changes to speak of the Second Coming! Then I have shown the very next verse, which so clearly speaks of the Second Coming.
Also it would appear from all three gospels that Jesus is telling His disciples that after the fall of Jerusalem there would be a second wave of false prophets etc. He then reassures them with other signs that will accompany His return at the Second Coming, such as; “to seduce, if possible, even the elect.” And “Do not believe it. :27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Now lets look at each of the gospels: -
Matthew 24:16 “Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains. :17 Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; :18 nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes. :19 And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! :20 But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day :21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. :22 And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. :23 Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. :24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect. :25 Behold, I have told you beforehand. :26 Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it. :27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. :28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered :29 And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” [END Of The Prophesy Of The Fall Of Jerusalem]
:30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory.”
Mark 13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation, that spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let him who reads understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. :15 And let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. :16 And let him who is in the field not turn back again in order to take up his garment. :17 But woe to those with babe in womb, and to those who give suck in those days! :18 And pray that your flight is not in the winter. :19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be. :20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, whom He has chosen, He has shortened the days. :21 And then if anyone shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, lo, there! Do not believe him. :22 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give miraculous signs and wonders in order to seduce, if possible, even the elect. :23 But take heed; behold, I have told you all things beforehand. :24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, :25 and the stars of Heaven shall fall, and the powers in the heavens shall be shaken.” [END Of The Prophesy Of The Fall Of Jerusalem]
:26 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”
Luke 21:21 “And let those in Judea flee to the mountains. And those in its midst, let them go out. And those in the open spaces, let them not go into her.:22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. :23 But woe to those who are with child, and to those suckling in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath on this people. :24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. :25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; :26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” [END Of The Prophesy Of The Fall Of Jerusalem]
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
The Prophetic Wording Of The Destruction
I think you would agree with where I put my ‘Flag’ [END Of The Prophesy]? Did you notice this statement from Jesus in Matthew 24:29 “And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” You have similar wording in Mark 13:24-25 and in Luke 21:25-26. It is very common wording that the prophets us to speaking of HUGE political upheaval. (Just do a word search in the bible for yourself, using the words; ‘stars, fall, heaven powers or shaken’ etc,)! So don’t let people confuse you, or get you worried with some baloney that we will see ‘STARS’ fall from heaven. Have a read of this commentary: -
Albert Barnes on Matthew 24:29
Times Of The Gentiles?
But this key phrase is of great significance because it was fulfilled in 1917! And it is only found in Luke 21:24 “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” And I think a lot of people DO NOT know how to interpret this! I think it’s because this hinges on the; “time times half a time” befuddlement. Let me give you my thoughts on this, and then I’ll give some commentaries.
Now I have published an article about this entitled: - The Day For A Year Conundrum. In which I look at biblical prophecies, which use the terms days, weeks, months, seasons and years etc. This is so easily cleared up if you simply go to Daniel chapter 7:25 “And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and plot to change times and laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time.” And EVERYONE BELIEVES that is speaking of a future coming antichrist, who will rule for a literal three and a half years! It is also interpreted as 1260 days or 42 months etc.? But if you back up a few verses to Dan 7:12 “And the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away. Yet their lives were made longer for a season and time.” If you apply the same reasoning of ‘Literal time’ to both verses then we have to assume that the ‘beasts’ or empires continued for only a season and time; Which is only 15 months?? Which is ridiculous! But if you apply the day-year rule then those empires continued for some 450 plus years. Why? Well a season is 90 days plus a ‘time’ is 360 days which equals 450 prophetic days or 450 literal years! So you would have to apply the same day-year rule to both verses! Therefore the three and a half times, or 1260 days or 42 months would have to come out to 1260 prophetic days, which equals 1260 literal years of fulfilled prophecy!
Now with that logic establish, lets go back to Leviticus 26:18 “And if you will not yet listen to Me for all this, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins….Lev 26:21 “And if you walk contrary to Me, and will not listen to Me, I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins….Lev 26:24 “then I will walk contrary to you and will punish you seven times more for your sins….Lev 26:28 “then I will walk contrary to you also in fury. And I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.” So what does God mean when He says He will punish Israel 7 times? The only way you can make sense of it is; a time equals 360 literal years! Therefore 7 x time = 7 x 360 = 2520 literal years! Therefore God said in Leviticus He will punish Israel 2520 literal years if they totally refuse to obey Him.
Back to Luke 21:24 “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”? Jerusalem lost Her sovereignty 604 BC when the Babylonians took her. From then on Jerusalem was to be ‘trodden down of the Gentiles’ for a total of ‘seven times’, which was 2520 literal years. Lets do the maths, 2520 – 604, plus one year because there is no year zero, that comes to 1917? WOW that happened to be the same year that the Ottoman Turks fled Jerusalem without firing a shot! They were the last Gentile kingdom to rule over Jerusalem. Then after the Belfour Declaration 1917, from then on the Jews started to flood back into Jerusalem! Right in line with God’s time table! This commentary below is from F.B. Meyer and he lived from 1847 to 1929. So he may have written this before 1917? Which means he might have died just before that glorious year?
CN by F.B. Meyer on Daniel 12:1-13
“Daniel’s prophecies were to be sealed, because their entire fulfillment was not to take place for many days. Three and a half probably stands for three and a half prophetic years, which, on the year-day system, gives 1260 days or years, and is therefore equivalent to the forty-two months of Rev 11:2; Rev 13:5. This is the time of the world-power, half the perfect number seven. The supremacy of the Gentile kingdoms is 2,500 years, of which the latter half has nearly expired, and the Chosen People will not much longer be scattered. It is an interesting fact that, calculated on the lunar measure, these concluding dates have-according to the calculations of the late Dr. Grattan Guinness-just expired. Let us go our way, watch and pray, and at last stand in our lot.”
CN by C.I. Scofield on Luke 21:24
“Trodden Down Of The Gentiles --- The "times of the Gentiles" began with the captivity of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar 2Ch 36:1-21, since which time Jerusalem has been under Gentile overlordship.”
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled! Even If It Has Taken Nearly 1900 Years To Happen!
10/ Tenth Sign – This Generation???
HAY!! Wait a tick; you’ve left out the bit that all three gospels talked about, “The Son of man coming in a cloud of heaven”! This bit: - Mat 24:30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. :31 And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” You forgot that BIG bit!! Well trust me, read the next few verses!
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
Mat 24:32 “Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is still tender and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near.:33 So you, likewise, when you see all these things, shall know that it is near, at the doors. :34 Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled. :35 The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.” [That is almost word for word in Mark 13:28-31 & Luke 21:29-33] see here below: -
Mark 13:29 “So you also, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, at the doors. :30 Truly I say to you that this generation shall not pass away until all these things occur. :31 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.”
Please think this through! Are we to assume that Jesus was telling His disciples the whole story in an accurate chronological sequence of events?? Therefore He has gone from talking about the fall of Jerusalem straight into His Second Coming, then this bit about ‘This Generation’? BUT if you assume that; then the whole study falls apart! Unfortunately that is why a lot of people think the whole of Matthew chapter 24 is ALL future! Because they grab those few verses Matthew 24:30-31 above and say that is speaking of The Second Coming, so it must still ALL be future! Some have the idea that the prophecy is about present day Jerusalem being destroyed, followed by The Second Coming? Some people, (and I find this really hared to believe!), some even say that at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. that Christ appeared immediately after that? But ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too!’
Read ‘The Lesson of the Fig Tree’ again, in particular verse 33. Jesus is speaking to His disciples when He says, “So you, likewise, when you see all these things..” What things is He talking about? The lead up to The Second Coming? Continue reading.. “shall know that it is near, at the doors”!?? What is near and at the door? Do you really think He is talking to His disciples about His Second Coming? And that THEY WILL SEE IT HAPPEN? Come on now, He has just gone through a long dialogue about all these pending disasters leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD., then He says “So you, likewise, when you see all these things”. It is what I call typical ‘bible hopscotch’! God follows a certain line of thinking; then introduces a new line of thought. Then He jumps back to finish the first line of thought. That same sort of thinking pops up all over the bible, if you have ever noticed it. We even covered that in section; 6/ Sixth Sign – ‘Before All These’ Persecution. And we looked at Luke 21:12 “But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you and persecute you.” So you can see that Jesus is speaking to His disciples about all these coming horrors that will fall on Jerusalem by 70 AD! (He makes a brief reference to His Second Coming), then He reverts back to the coming horrors which will befall Jerusalem, and says to THOSE, standing there with Him; verse 34 “Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled.” That is the only logical answer!
So This Part Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
11/ Eleventh Sign - The Son of man coming in the clouds
At this point in our study we can defiantly say that ALL the issues that Jesus has talked about so far, have been fulfilled!! And we have now arrived at the same statement that is in ALL three gospels; “The Son of man coming in a clouds of heaven”! Remember, according to Matthew, Jesus disciples asked Him three questions? Lets recap Matthew 24:3 “And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying,” First question: - “Tell us, when shall these things be?” (That is the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple?).. Second question: - “And what shall be the sign of Your coming,” Third question: - “and of the end of the world?”
I believe we have proven the fulfilment of Jesus answer to the first question. Now we are at the second question His disciples asked, “And what shall be the sign of Your coming?” Therefore all the rest of Matthew, Mark and Luke are now speaking of The Second Coming! So it is ALL future from now on!
So EVERYTHING Up To This Point Of The Prophecy From Jesus Has Been Fulfilled!
If we look at all three of the gospels you will find that Mark and Luke both seem to very quickly wind up their account of what Jesus said. Matthew on the other hand leads into a few of the well-known parables. Lets bake peddle to Matthew 24:30. Remember I said that God, in His word leads into a second line of thought, then back flips to His first line of thought! Then He finishes the first; then continues with the second? Lets just read Matthew and see how He does that. Then we will follow it through to the end to examine all the parables.
The Coming of the Son of Man
[The lead into the second line of thought]… Mat 24:30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. Mat 24:31 And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
[Now back to the first line of thought]… Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is still tender and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. :33 So you, likewise, when you see all these things, shall know that it is near, at the doors. :34 Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled. :35 The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.
No One Knows That Day and Hour
[Now back to the second line of thought]… Mat 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father.”
Mat 24:37 “But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man. :38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. :39 And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Mat 24:40 “Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. :41 Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. :42 Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.”
Mat 24:43 “But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. :44 Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of Man comes. :45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to give them food in due season? :46 Blessed is that servant whom his Lord shall find him doing so when He comes. :47 Truly I say to you that He shall make him ruler over all His goods.”
Mat 24:48 “But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming, :49 and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, :50 the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for Him, and in an hour which he does not know. :51 And He shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew has finished his account of Jesus prophecy, lets just quickly cover Mark and Luke, then we will wind up.
No One Knows That Day or Hour
Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father. :33 Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. :34 As a man going away, leaving his house, and giving authority to his servants, and each man's work to him, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. :35 Then you watch, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or early; :36 lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. :37 And what I say to you, I say to all. Watch.”
Watch Yourselves
Luke 21:34 “And take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts are weighed down with headaches and drinking and anxieties of this life; and that day should suddenly come on you; :35 for it shall come as a snare on all those sitting on the face of the whole earth. :36 Watch therefore, praying in every season that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which shall occur, and to stand before the Son of Man. :37 And in the days He was teaching in the temple. And in the nights He went out, and lodged in the mount called the Mount of Olives. :38 And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple, in order to hear Him.”
CONCLUSION
It is very difficult to ask people to look at this as being mostly fulfilled between the years 33 to 70 AD. Why? Because most people do not know the historical events. I hope that now that you have seen some of them, that you might be enticed to delve more deeply into the commentary notes, Josephus or Google some more information for your own interest sake.
Hope you found that of interest, it took me quite some time to compile all that stuff. Below I have given you the links that I made reference to throughout this talk, Plus I have given you a few links to some of my other talks that you might find of interest.
When was the gospel of Mark written
When was the gospel of Luke written
When was the gospel of Matthew written
Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire
Speaking In Tongues - Acts 2
The Day For A Year Conundrum
Jerusalem lost Her sovereignty 604 BC
Belfour Declaration 1917
IS There A RAPTURE?
Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem
Temple of God Verses the Temple
REVELATION – The Fine Print
Plus a FUNNY
The ‘Futurist Interpretation’ Automobile
GBY (God Bless Ya!) Yours Adrian
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