Matthew 24 is one of the most abused passages in the Bible. Premillennialists use this chapter as a springboard for all sorts of fanciful teaching and wild speculation. In this article, we want to examine the context of the chapter and observe its application to Jerusalem's destruction in 70 A.D.
On the Tuesday before His crucifixion, our Lord went into the temple and denounced its inhabitants, calling them the "sons of those who murdered the prophets," a "brood of vipers," and those destined for the "condemnation of hell." (Matthew 23:31, 33) He ended His scathing rebuke with the words: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" (Matthew 23:37-39)
Consider what happened as Jesus left the temple. "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple." (Matthew 24:1) As they gazed at Herod's temple, Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down." (Matthew 24:2) After they crossed the Kidron Valley, Jesus and His disciples sat upon the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to Him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3)
The destruction of the temple was such an unimaginable event that the disciples could only think of it happening in connection with their Master's second coming. Jesus addressed their misunderstandings and answered their questions in the order asked. First, he told them about the various signs to be given prior to the temple's destruction. Second, Jesus explained that no signs would occur prior to His return and the end of the world. The events described in Matthew 24 are also recorded in Mark 13:1-27 and Luke 21:5-36.
Key to the Discourse
It is my contention that everything spoken in Matthew 24:4-35 relates to Jerusalem's destruction, and that the remainder of the chapter deals with Christ's second coming. After explaining the signs that would transpire prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." (Matthew 24:34) Jesus warned His followers that Jerusalem would be destroyed within their own generation.
Joseph Henry Thayer defines the Greek word for generation as (1) a begetting, birth, nativity (2) passively, that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family the several ranks in a natural descent, the successive members of a genealogy. B. metaph. A race of men very like each other in endowments, pursuits, and character; esp. in a bad sense a perverse race. 3. The whole multitude of men living at the same time; Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32. 4. An age (i.e., the time ordinarily occupied by each successive generation), the space of 30-33 years." (Greek-English Lexicon of New Testament)
W.E.Vine says the word generation is "connected with ginomai, to become, primarily signifies a begetting, or birth; then that which has been begotten, men of the same stock, a family; or successive members of a genealogy or a race of people, possessed of similar characteristics, pursuits, etc. (of a bad character) or the whole multitude of men living at the same time, Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 1:48; 21:32. Transferred from the people to the time in which they lived, the word came to mean an age, i.e., a period ordinarily occupied by each successive generation, say thirty or forty years." (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
A generation is a period of time somewhere between thirty and forty years. Jesus gave the Olivet discourse in about 30 A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, the Roman general, in 70 A.D.
Flavius Josephus
In this article, we will be quoting at length from the first-century historian Flavius Josephus, a Jewish priest who led a revolt against Roman oppression in Galilee. He was captured by the Romans at the fall of Yotapata in 67 A.D., and held as a prisoner in Caesarea till 69 A.D. He returned to Jerusalem with Titus in A.D. 70 and became an eyewitness to the final siege of Jerusalem. Vespasian made Josephus a Roman citizen. An excellent biography of Josephus by Steve Manson recently appeared in Biblical Archaeology Review (September/October 1997, pp. 58-69).
Let us now examine the sins Jesus said would appear prior to Jerusalem's destruction.
False Christs
Jesus warned His disciples, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." (Matthew 24:5) As was predicted, many false prophets did arise.
Josephus claimed, "There was an Egyptian false prophet that did the Jews more mischief than the former; for he was a cheat, and pretended to be a prophet also, and got together 30,000 men that were deluded by him; these he led round from the wilderness to the mount which was called the Mount of Olives, and was ready to break into Jerusalem by force from that place." (The Wars of the Jews, 2:3-5)
Josephus also wrote: "Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; and many were deluded by his words." (The Antiquities of the Jews, 20:5:1)
Wars and Rumors of Wars
The disciples were warned: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." {Matthew 24:6}
Today, every time a firecracker goes off in Jerusalem, some preacher starts sweating and telling his congregation that the end of the world is at hand-you'd think the Middle East had never before experienced conflict. It is hard to picture a time more trying than that just prior to Jerusalem's destruction.
Tacitus, a Roman historian, said of this period: "The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors fell by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars, and often both at the same time." (The Histories, 1:2)
Josephus told of a day in which "the people of Caesarea had slain the Jews that were among them on the very same day and hour [when the soldiers were slain], which one would think must have come to pass by the direction of Providence; insomuch that in one hour's time above twenty thousand Jews were killed, and all Caesarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants." (Wars, 2:18:1)
Famines and Pestilences
Jerusalem's destruction was to be preceded by a time of "famines and pestilences" (Matthew 24:7). You do not have to leave the pages of the New Testament to find the fulfillment of this prophecy. Luke, writing by the Holy Spirit's inspiration, recorded, "And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar." (Acts 11:27-28).
Josephus told of queen Helena's relief effort for Jerusalem. "Now her coming was of very great advantage to the people of Jerusalem; for whereas a famine did oppress them at that time, and many people died for want of what was necessary to produce food withal, queen Helena sent some of her servants to Alexandria with money to buy a great quantity of corn, and others to Cyprus, to bring a cargo of dried figs." (Antiquities, 20:2:5)
Tacitus wrote: "Many prodigies occurred during the year. Ominous birds took their seat on the Capitol; houses were overturned by repeated shocks of earthquake, and, as the panic spread, the weak were trampled underfoot in the trepidation of the crowd. A shortage of corn, again, and the famine which resulted, were construed as a supernatural warning." (The Annals of Imperial Rome, 12:43) Pestilences usually accompany periods of famine.
Earthquakes
In addition to the havoc brought about by famine and pestilences, our Lord said that great earthquakes would shake the region prior to the siege of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:7).
J. Marcellus Kik said, "And as to earthquakes, many are mentioned by writers during a period just previous to 70 A.D. There were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, and Judea. It is interesting to note that the city of Pompeii was much damaged by an earthquake occurring on February 5, 63 A.D." (An Eschatology of Victory, p. 93)
Fearful Events From Heaven
Luke's account of the Olivet discourse records Christ's warning, "there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven." (Luke 21:11)
One night, "there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continual lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder; and anyone would guess that these wonders foreshadowed some great calamities that were coming." (Wars, 4:4:5)
Of another occasion, Josephus wrote: "Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year. Thus also, before the Jews' rebellion so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day time; which light lasted for half an hour. Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the] temple, which was of brass armed with iron, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night." (Wars, 4:4:5)
Gospel Preached to All Nations
Jesus said that prior to Jerusalem's destruction, "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations," (Matthew 24:14). This occurred in the first century. Paul wrote to the saints at Colosse and spoke of the gospel, "which was preached to every creature under heaven," (Colossians 1:23).
"Tradition assigns the following fields to the various apostles and evangelists: Andrew is said to have labored in Scythia; hence the Russians worship him as their apostle. Philip spent his last years in Hierapolis in Phyrgia. Bartholomew is said to have brought the gospel according to Matthew into India. The tradition concerning Matthew is rather confused. He is said to have preached to his own people, and afterward in foreign lands. James Alphaeus is said to have worked in Egypt. Thaddeus is said to have been the missionary to Persia. Simon Zelotes is said to have worked in Egypt and in Britain; while another report connects him with Persia and Babylonia. The evangelist John Mark is said to have founded the church in Alexandria." (Lars P. Qualben, History Of The Christian Church)
Standing Before Kings and Rulers
Jesus told the apostles to "watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. And you will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them." (Mark 13:9)
You do not have to leave the pages of the New Testament to see the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4). An angry Jewish mob stoned Stephen to death (Acts 7:54-60). Herod Agrippa "killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also." (Acts 12:2) Paul stood before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (Acts 18:12), Felix, a Roman governor (Acts 24), and King Agrippa (Acts 25). Finally, Paul presented his case before Caesar himself.
Abomination in the Holy Place
Jesus warned his disciples, "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15-16)
Josephus, the first-century historian, told of the sad state into which the temple fell prior to the arrival of Titus, the Roman general. "And now, when the multitude were gotten together to an assembly, and everyone was in indignation at these men's seizing upon the sanctuary, at their rapine and murders but had not yet begun their attacks upon them Agnus stood in the midst of them, and casting his eyes frequently at the temple, and having a flood of tears in his eyes he said, 'Certainly, it had been good for me to die before I had seen the house of God full of so many abominations, or these sacred places that ought not to be trodden upon at random, filled with the feet of these bloodshedding villains'" (The Wars of the Jews, 4:3:10)
Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple became a gathering place for wicked men. Jesus instructed His disciples that, when they saw the "abomination of desolation" they were to "flee to the mountains." This passage does not, in any way, refer to the future return of our Lord. When this "abomination of desolation" took place, those in Judea (not modern-day America) were to flee to the mountains!
Jerusalem Surrounded
In Luke's account of this discourse, he quoted Jesus as saying, "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies..." (Luke 21:20-21).
Here, Jesus warned the disciples that when the Roman army approached Jerusalem, they were to flee for their lives. Christians received ample warning about the approaching invasion. Josephus said, "And now Vespasian had fortified all the places round about Jerusalem, and erected citadels at Jericho and Adida, and placed garrisons in them both. And now the war having gone through all the mountainous country, and all the plain country also, those that were at Jerusalem were deprived of the liberty of going out of the city. Now as Vespasian was returned to Caesarea, and was getting ready, with all his army to march directly to Jerusalem, he was informed that Nero was dead. Wherefore, Vespasian put off at first his expedition against Jerusalem, and stood waiting whither the empire would be transferred after the death of Nero, the Roman Empire being then in a fluctuating condition, and did not go on with the expedition against the Jews." (The Wars of the Jews, 4:9:1, 2)
When the Roman legions finally reached Jerusalem, they camped at the Mount of Olives (The Wars of the Jews, 5:2:3). Immediately after their arrival, they cast a trench about Jerusalem. In three days, they constructed a nine-mile-long wall that totally enclosed the city (The Wars of the Jews, 5:12:2).
(Will finish in the February Messenger)