In the last installment of the series on eschatology titled “Our Blessed Hope” we began to examine the teachings of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.
We will pick up where we left off in Matthew 24, namely verse 15.
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
Matthew 24:15-20
The Abomination of Desolation
Here Jesus refers to the Abomination of Desolation. One very prominent view of this phrase today involves the future Anti-Christ who will defile the rebuilt temple and kick off the Great Tribulation. Dispensationalists propose that this will happen three and a half years after the Rapture of the church and three and a half years before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Jesus refers to the writings of the prophet Daniel. We read about the Abomination of Desolation in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11. But what does this phrase mean? Well, an abomination is something invokes a reaction of moral disgust. And desolation means destruction. So the Abomination of Desolation is a defiling and morally horrendous thing that brings destruction.
The initial fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy has to do with the defiling of the Temple by the Greek king Antiochus IV, nicknamed “Epiphanes”. Antiochus IV ruled over the Seleucid kingdom, a portion of Alexander the Great’s empire, from 175-164 BC. He persecuted the Jews and sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the Temple altar, thus defiling it with his abominable and idolatrous practice. It is quite reasonable to think that Daniel 11:31 refers to this very act by Antiochus IV.
When Jesus uses the term “Abomination of Desolation” He is referring to a still-future event in the lifetime of His listeners. He tells them to watch and to flee when they see the Abomination of Desolation. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience here so he assumes that they will be familiar with the prophet Daniel’s words. It is revealing that Luke also records Jesus’ teaching but he clarifies the meaning for his largely Gentile audience who would not be familiar with the phrase “Abomination of Desolation”. Luke writes: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.” (Luke 21:20)
So the Bible does not say that the Abomination of Desolation is a yet-future event where the Anti-Christ will enter the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and demand to be worshipped as Dispensationalists propose. It is possible that these prophecies may find fulfillment in a future Anti-Christ but it is not likely. It is more appropriate to take this mention of the Abomination of Desolation in Matthew 24 as a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in AD 70.
Furthermore, the local nature of Christ’s warning should give us an indication that this is the case. He warns that those in Judea are to flee to the mountains. This is exactly what the early Christians did in AD 70 during the siege of Jerusalem.
The Great Tribulation
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
Matthew 24:21-28
These verses continue Jesus’ teaching. It may seem at first to refer to an apocalyptic event at the end of the world. This is how many of us grew up understanding the “great tribulation”. But is Jesus here referring to a worldwide tribulation at the end of history or is He still talking to His disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem?
I believe He is still talking about the siege of Jerusalem that would happen in AD 70. Here are a few reasons why:
- There is no indication in the text that Jesus has changed subjects. If we believe that the Abomination of Desolation was a reference to the siege of Jerusalem, then it would follow that Jesus is still talking about that event here.
- Luke records that Jesus continues to reference the fall of Jerusalem in his account of the discourse: “For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:23b-24)
- The “great distress” of Luke seems to refer to the same events as the “great tribulation” of Matthew. And Luke records Jesus as saying that the “great distress” will be “against this people”.
These reasons from the text seem to indicate that Jesus is still referring to the fall of Jerusalem. But what about the language that Jesus uses in vv. 21-22? Such a tribulation unlike any that came before or would come after? God’s cutting the time short lest no person would be saved? This certainly seems to be apocalyptic language to me!
It is apocalyptic language and I believe Jesus is using hyperbole to stress the suffering that will befall the city of Jerusalem. The distress of the siege and subsequent fall of the city was unbelievable indeed. Josephus was a Jewish historian who recorded the events of the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. And in grave detail he accounts the terrible agony experienced by the Jews in those days.
Jesus is no stranger to hyperbole. He tells His disciples that John the Baptist was the greatest man to live. But in the same breath, Jesus says the least in the kingdom are greater than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). So which is it? Well, we cannot take Christ’s words here literally since they would present a nonsensical contradiction. Instead, we must understand Jesus’ meaning through His use of hyperbole. Likewise, when Christ says that this tribulation is unlike anything that has been experienced in world history, we should note His use of hyperbole while also realizing that He was hardly exaggerating the horrors of the Roman siege. It would indeed be among the worst events in the history of the world in a literal way while perhaps not being literally the very worst.
The Shaking of the Heavens
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31
Once again we come to a portion of the text that has convinced many people that Jesus is talking about events far in the future. How can one possibly say that the Sun has already been darkened when it still shines its light two thousand years after Jesus’ prophecy? The stars are still in the heavens, are they not? How can one possibly say that these things came to pass in AD 70?
To answer this objection we must understand that Jesus is not giving a literal play-by-play account of things that will literally happen. He is using figures of speech to prophecy the destruction coming upon apostate Jerusalem. How can we conclude this? Well, Jesus is quoting from Old Testament prophecies that do the exact same thing:
- Isaiah 13:10 uses this language to describe the fall of Babylon.
- Amos 8:9 uses this language to describe God’s judgment on Israel.
- Joel 3:15 uses this language in reference to the great and terrible “Day of the Lord”.
- Isaiah 24:23 uses this language in reference to the judgment of God on the nations and the hosts of heaven.
The closest parallel in the Old Testament that Jesus appears to allude to is Isaiah 13:10 concerning the fall of Babylon. In this verse we read about the sun, moon, and stars all going dark. Did this literally happen during the fall of Babylon? No. But the complete downfall of the Babylonian system and kingdom was so cataclysmic that God used the language of the heavens themselves being destroyed to describe it. Likewise, Jesus uses this cataclysmic language to describe the destruction of Jerusalem.
Now may be as good a time as any to note that it was not just the physical building of the Temple that was destroyed in AD 70. It was the Old Covenant order itself. The prophet Haggai recorded the words of God to the people of Judah, promising that He would “shake the heavens and the earth” (Haggai 2:6). This verse is quoted in Hebrews 12:26-29 where the author of Hebrews exhorts his readers to stay strong in their faith because the Old Covenant (which they were tempted to return to) was being done away with. The kingdom that will be soon shaken, according to the author of Hebrews, is the Old Covenant, represented by Mount Sinai (Heb. 12:18, cf. Exod. 20:18, Deut. 4:11). The kingdom that cannot be shaken is the New Covenant represented by the Heavenly Mount Zion (Heb. 12:22-24).
When the Temple in Jerusalem was torn down, the Old Covenant order was completely done away with. There were no more temple sacrifices. The New Covenant had taken its place.
The Coming of the Son of Man
As we read further in v. 30 we understand more about the establishment of this Kingdom. Indeed, the sign of the Son of Man coming on the clouds is not meant to be a literal description of Jesus “cloud-surfing” at His second coming. The language of “coming on the clouds” is also a quotation from the Old Testament. Daniel 7:13 speaks of this event: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” This refers to the ascension of Jesus Christ. He comes before the Ancient of Days. He receives an everlasting kingdom in v. 14. These things refer to Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the Father and His reign over the everlasting Kingdom of God.
Jesus told the chief priests that they would see this event take place in Matthew 26:64. One could say that the destruction of Jerusalem (and with it the Old Covenant order) in AD 70 was the vindication of Jesus Christ over the people who had rejected Him. Hence, the reason why the tribes of the land will mourn. (The Greek word here for “earth” is gē which could also be translated “land”.) Revelation 1:7 says that this event will be witnessed by “those who pierced Him”.
Simply because this is not in reference to Christ’s second coming does not mean that Scripture does not teach the second coming of Christ as a future event at the end of history. Unfortunately, some have embraced an over-realized understanding of the Bible’s eschatological teaching and they have concluded that Christ really did return in AD 70. We ought to reject this notion as heresy. However, we can conclude that Christ’s “coming on the clouds” in Matthew 24:30 should be understood as the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy which referred to the beginning of Christ’s sovereign rule over the everlasting Kingdom of God, not to His final bodily coming at the end of history.
The Gathering of the Elect
Finally, in v. 31 we read about the gathering of Christ’s elect from the four corners of the Earth. Many dispensationalists take this as a reference to the rapture of the saints at Christ’s coming. But once again, it is a quotation from the Old Testament. This time, two references in the book of Isaiah help us to understand this verse.
And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Isaiah 27:13
He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 11:12
These references are not referring to a rapture of Christians into the air but rather to the gathering of God’s elect people from all nations to worship God. The church is the fulfillment of this promise. The Gospel is for all peoples and nations.
“This Generation”
One final note should conclude our examination of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew. We have concluded that Jesus is speaking of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 throughout the course of the discourse in vv. 3-31.
This is an admittedly confusing passage. And from our vantage point, it seems obvious that Christ is talking about His second coming. It is understandable why so many conclude that this is the case. Why would we work so hard to make these prophecies fit with AD 70?
The answer is Matthew 24:34. This verse alone has practically convinced me that Jesus’ words relate to AD 70 and not to the end of history. This is what Jesus says in v. 34: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” This is repeated (or at least recorded separately) in Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32. Jesus’ teaching is clear: the events He has just prophesied will be fulfilled within one generation of His prophesying. The generation alive when Jesus spoke these words would be the generation that these things would come upon. And sure enough, within one generation, the Romans besieged and sacked Jerusalem.
Some liberal interpreters have proposed that the events that Jesus prophesied were literal events that never took place as Jesus thought they would, thus making Christ a false prophet. We cannot take this view since the rest of Scripture clearly teaches otherwise.
Other conservative interpreters have taken these events literally which forces them to twist the clear meaning of “this generation”. They propose that Jesus means that the generation that is alive when these things start to happen will also see the fulfillment of all of them. In other words, these events will all transpire within one generation, regardless of when that generation will be. Others take the generation as “race” and conclude that Jesus is promising that the Jewish race will not pass away before the end of history when these things would be fulfilled.
But Jesus use of “this generation” elsewhere in the Gospels makes these interpretations invalid or at best hard to argue for.
- Matthew 12:45 pronounces that the sweeping out of Satan by Christ will only lead to a vacuum in those whom reject the Messiah. Jesus refers to “this evil generation” speaking of that generation of Jews who rejected Christ.
- Matthew 23:36 refers to the judgment on the Pharisees and chief priests. They will suffer the consequences of killing their Messiah and all the righteous blood of the prophets spilled. Jesus says it will come upon “this generation”.
- This promise is also recorded in Luke 11:50, referring to that generation that rejected and killed the Messiah.
- Luke 11:29 also refers to the generation that Jesus spoke to when Christ says that it is an “evil generation” that “seeks for a sign”.
These passages in Matthew and Luke are not talking about the last generation on Earth and they are also not referring to the Jewish race as a whole. They are referring to that generation of Israel which rejected and killed their Messiah. Therefore the plain meaning of Matt. 24:34 should be taken to mean that generation. Therefore, we are left to conclude that the mysterious events of vv. 29-31 are not literal events but rather are symbolic hyperbolic descriptions of the fall of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Old Covenant.