Matthew 24 & 25, an Indepth Study

[Theophilus]

I recently completed an indepth study on Jesus' Olivet Discourse, which is recorded in Matthew chapters 24 & 25. Since I will be teaching on this shortly, I typed up my findings into a handout, and figured some here might be interested in reading it. My conclusion is that Matt. 24 & 25 is entirely concerned with the events leading up to and concluding in 70AD, and it does not teach at all on the rapture, the resurrection, or the judgment of the whole world.

Sense it is lengthy, I will break it up into more than one post.

Matthew Chapters 24 & 25

Sometimes referred to as Jesus' "Olivet Discourse," chapters 24 & 25 of Matthew is a very important passage in understanding Biblical prophecies. How one interprets this passage affects the interpretation of many other passages, so it is important to correctly understand these chapters.

Chapters 24 & 25 of Matthew speak only of Jesus' "coming" in judgment upon the Jews of His generation, which was fulfilled in 70 AD. This passage does not teach on the Second Coming, the rapture, the resurrection of the dead, or the final judgment of the world. Those things, which are still in the future, are taught in many other Bible passages, but not in Matthew 24 & 25.

Matt. 23:34-39 - Jesus speaks of God's wrath being poured out upon Jerusalem. The word "earth" in v. 35 is better translated as "land," as in "the Holy Land." Jesus' reference to the righteous blood of Abel to Zechariah refer to the first and last righteous people who were murdered in the Holy Land as recorded in the OT.

Matt. 24:1-3 - See Mark 13:1-4 & Luke 21:5-7. The Apostles ask Jesus about when the Temple would be destroyed, the sign that this destruction was just about to happen, and thus the end of the "Jewish age." Jesus' words in Matthew 24 & 25 must be read in their context - answering the question concerning the destruction of the Temple, and not the end of the world.

Matt. 24:4-14 - See Matt. 10:16-23, Mark 13:5-13, & Luke 21:8-19. This is referring to the years leading up to 70 AD, especially the 60s AD, when Christians were persecuted both by the Jews and the Romans. Many Christian leaders were executed during this timeframe: James the half-brother of Jesus, Paul, & Peter. The Apostle John was exiled to Patmos.

Before 70AD, the Gospel was preached to the whole known world. See Rom. 1:8 & Col. 1:23.

Matt. 24:15-28 - See Dan. 9:27, 12:11, Mark 13:14-23, Luke 17:22-25, & 21:20-24. The "abomination of desolation" refers to the Roman armies that would bring desolation upon Judaea. "Standing in the holy place" refers to when the Roman armies would come into the Holy Land, Judaea, and Jerusalem in particular. The Jewish rebels sent out many false prophets urging the Jews to enter Jerusalem. They promised God would provide deliverance from Rome at the Temple. Many Jews believed these false prophets and entered Jerusalem, leading to their destruction. The Jewish Christians, however, recognized the warnings of Jesus, fled the city in time, and survived the destruction of Jerusalem.

Matt. 24:29 - See Mark 13:24-25, Luke 21:25-26, & Acts 2:19-20 (quoting Joel 2:30-31). This passage is not literal. It does not talk about the actual destruction of the sun, moon, and stars, but refers to the destruction of a nation. The sun, moon, and stars symbolize the rulers of a nation, a land. Compare to Gen. 1:16, Isa. 13:10, Eze. 32:7, Dan. 8:10, & Joel 2:10.

[Theophilus]

Matt. 24:30 - See Dan. 7:13-14, Matt. 26:64, Mark 13:26, 14:62, Luke 21:27, 22:69, & Rev. 1:7. This passage is often mistranslated. Correctly translated, Matt. 24:30 begins "And then the sign will appear of the Son of Man in heaven..." It doesn't say that a sign will appear in the sky, but that the sign will appear that proves the Son of Man is in heaven, that the Son of Man is seated upon the throne of God and is reigning over the world. Matt. 24:30 includes a quote from Dan. 7:13 referring to the Messiah being given authority over all nations.

Jesus did not literally come or appear in 70 AD. He figuratively "came" in judgment, through providentially having the Romans come and destroy Jerusalem. See Rev. 17:17, where God has the Beast (Rome) "execute His purpose" by handing over the kingdom of the "harlot Babylon" (Jerusalem) for destruction. God "coming in the clouds" is a symbol for judgment, and does not necessitate miracles or a physical, visible manifestation of God. Compare to Psa. 18:7-15, 104:3, Isa. 19:1, & Joel 2:1-2.

This is not referring to the Second Coming. At the Second Coming, the whole world will be judged on the same day (Acts 17:31), including all nations and all generations (Matt. 11:21-24 & 12:41-42). In Matthew 24 & 25, only the Jews of Jesus' generation in and around Jerusalem are judged (Matt. 23:36). The "tribes of the earth" should be translated as the "tribes of the land," as in the twelve tribes of Israel of the Holy Land. The word "tribe," when in the context of talking about the land of Judaea (Matt. 24:1-3, 16), indicates the tribes of Israel.

What is the sign, the proof that Jesus is the Son of Man? The destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus accurately predicted in detail, decades in advance, the events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem that came in 70 AD. Jesus ascended into Heaven and received the throne back in 30 AD (see Matt. 28:18), gave the Jews 40 years to repent (see 2 Pet. 3:3-15), and then exercised His authority by destroying His enemies.

[Theophilus]

Matt. 24:31 - See Mark 13:27 & Luke 21:28. This is not talking about the rapture found in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 & 1 Cor. 15:50-57. The rapture will have Jesus "Himself descend from heaven" (1 Thess. 4:16), whereas Matthew 24 & 25 doesn't speak of Jesus descending from heaven. When Jesus descends, people will see Jesus with the naked eye (1 John 3:2, Acts 1:11), whereas Matthew 24 & 25 describes His "appearance" as figurative (they saw His "sign," but they did not actually see Him). At the Second Coming, the dead will be raised and the living transformed (1 Thess. 4:16-17, 1 Cor. 15:51-52), and yet neither of these are talked about in Matthew 24 & 25. In regard to the trumpet blast and angels, those things could be said of any day of judgment.

Reading Matthew 24:31 in context, the "elect" does not refer to all Christians everywhere. The "elect" of Matt. 24:31 refers back to the "elect" in Matt. 24:24. These are the Jewish Christians in Judaea at that time, see Matt. 24:16.

According to Luke 21:28, these Jewish Christians are about to be redeemed, for it says "your redemption is drawing near." The word translated "redemption" is apolutrosis. According to Thayer's NT Lexicon, apolutrosis is defined as "a releasing effected by payment of ransom; redemption, deliverance, liberation procured by the payment of a ransom." In the context of Luke 21:28, Thayer's says it means the "deliverance from the hatred and persecutions of enemies by the return of Christ from heaven." See also Luke 18:7-8. So the "redemption" isn't the salvation of spirits or the redemption of bodies, but deliverance from persecution. Jesus "delivered" the Jewish Christians from the persecution of the Jews by gathering the Jewish Christians safely in one place, while gathering the Jewish persecutors together in another place, where they would all be killed.

In Matthew 24:31, Jesus says the Jewish Christians will be gathered together "from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." Mark 13:27 renders it as "from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven." In context, this is not talking about the whole earth, but the entirety of the Jewish land; see Matt. 24:15-28.

Matt. 24:31 corresponds perfectly to Rev. 7:1-4. In Revelation chapter 6, the four horsemen, the four agents of destruction, are released upon the Holy Land. In Rev. 7:1, the four forces of destruction are held back long enough for God's people to be sealed, so that they would not suffer the coming destruction. The number that are sealed is 144,000 = 12 x 12 x 1,000. One 12 represents the twelve tribes of Israel, and the other twelve represents the twelve Apostles. The number 1,000 symbolizes "fullness, totality, a great multitude;" see Psa. 50:10 & 105:8. Thus the 144,000 refers to all of the Jewish Christians in the Holy Land. They were spared from the destruction that came upon Jerusalem. In the final days of the siege of Jerusalem, the Jewish rebels hid among the underground caverns, just as described in Rev. 6:15-17. Thus all of the "elect" were gathered together and protected from the four winds - the four forces of destruction that were about to come.

Where were these Jewish Christians gathered to? The early Church historian Eusebius records that they all fled to Pella, which is on the other side of the Jordan river. And so the Jewish Christians were spared from the destruction of that time.

This "gathering" by the Lord and His angels is in direct contrast to those who refused to be "gathered" by Jesus in Matt. 23:37-39.

[Theophilus]

Matt. 24:32-33 - See Mark 13:28-29 & Luke 21:29-31.

Matt. 24:34 - See Mark 13:30 & Luke 21:32. This does not refer to the human race, or the Jewish race, but of Jesus' own generation. See Matt. 23:36 & Luke 23:28-31. All of the events talked about in Matthew 24 & 25 were fulfilled approximately 40 years later, within the lifetime of some of Jesus' contemporaries. The only reason to suppose "generation" really means "race" is if Jesus' words do not fit with one's theology.

Matt. 24:35 - See Mark 13:31 & Luke 21:33. "Heaven and earth" passed away in 70 AD, see Isa. 51:6, Matt. 5:18, Heb. 12:26-29, 1 Pet. 4:7, 2 Pet. 3:3-18, & Rev. 21:1. What passed away? Not the universe! What passed away was that which was created in Genesis chapter 1. Genesis 1 does not talk about the creation of the universe or the planet. Don't worry, we will talk more about this in a later class when we get to the last two chapters of Revelation. The old heavens and earth had to be destroyed in able to establish the new heavens and earth; see 2 Cor. 5:17, Heb. 12:28, 2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1. The new heavens and earth, the new Jerusalem, came down to earth, out of heaven, back in 70 AD. Christians on the earth today live in the new Jerusalem.

Matt. 24:36 - See Mark 13:32. Like a pregnant woman expecting the birth of her child, they had a general knowledge concerning the timeframe of when these things would happen, but they did not know the exact day or hour.

Matt. 24:37-41 - See Luke 17:26-36 & 2 Pet. 3:4-7. Was Noah's flood global? If Genesis 1 isn't concerning the whole planet, then neither is Noah's flood. In Luke 17:26-35, the flood of Noah is sandwiched between two local/regional judgments: Jerusalem and Sodom. 2 Pet. 3:3-18 is also talking about a local judgment (70 AD). We will discuss 2 Pet.3:3-18 in much greater detail in a later class.

Matt. 24:42-44 - See Mark 13:33-37, Luke 21:34-36. A parable pointing towards 70 AD. Jewish Christians must be on the alert so that they are not trapped in Jerusalem when the time comes.

Matt. 24:45-51 - See Luke 12:41-48. A parable pointing towards 70 AD. The good slave is going about the Lord's business, teaching the Gospel and keeping alert for the signs of the "coming" of the Son of Man. The wicked slave doubts the Lord will return and thus starts beating the other slave. This points to the Jews that did not believe Jesus and thus persecuted the Jewish Christians. These would be put to the sword, which they were in 70 AD.

[Theophilus]

Matt. 25:1-13 - See Luke 12:35-40. Those who are alert and prepared will enter into a wedding feast when the Lord comes. The rest will be cast out into torment. This matches with what we find in Revelation chapters 17-22. We'll talk more about this in a later class.

Matt. 25:14-30 - See Luke 19:11-27. The Jewish Christians who are going about doing the Lord's work are contrasted with those Jews who were selfish and hated the Lord. Those who produced "fruit" were rewarded, but those who refused to bear "fruit" for the Lord were tormented.

Matt. 25:31-46 - See Matt. 10:16-42 & Mark 9:38-41. This does not talk about the final judgment at the Second Coming. This passage is still, in context, dealing with the Jews of Jesus' generation. "All the nations" in v. 32 does not refer to all of the nations of the world, but to all the nations of the Jews. In the first century, when Jesus spoke these words, and when these words were fulfilled, the Jewish people and land were split into different provinces under the Roman Empire. Thus, the "one Jewish nation" was split into different nations with different rulers; see Luke 3:1.

These people are separated into two groups, just like the people in the previous parables. It is also like the "elect" from Matthew chapter 24 - the Jews that believed in Christ were gathered together at Pella, and the Jews that did not believe in Christ were gathered together in Jerusalem.

That this is talking about the judgment in 70 AD and not the judgment of the whole world is made even clearer on the basis by which they are judged. They are not judged according to whether or not they committed idolatry, adultery, told lies, etc., but specifically on the basis of how they treated Jesus and His followers. It was how the Jews of Jesus' generation treated Christ and His Apostles and that was the cause of their destruction in 70 AD - Matt. 23:34-36.

[MoGrace2U]

"My conclusion is that Matt. 24 & 25 is entirely concerned with the events leading up to and concluding in 70AD, and it does not teach at all on the rapture, the resurrection, or the judgment of the whole world."

When you have time, I would be more interested in where you do find the rapture, resurrection and judgment of the whole world taught in scripture, that clearly makes it distinct from what these passages are teaching.

[mellontes]

Mar 10, 2010 11:46:51 GMT -5 MoGrace2U said:

"My conclusion is that Matt. 24 & 25 is entirely concerned with the events leading up to and concluding in 70AD, and it does not teach at all on the rapture, the resurrection, or the judgment of the whole world."

When you have time, I would be more interested in where you do find the rapture, resurrection and judgment of the whole world taught in scripture, that clearly makes it distinct from what these passages are teaching.

Mograce,

I quite agree. In every chat group I have ever attended, I have asked why they believe in a "entire world" judgment and where they develop this belief. Never have I gotten an answer.

That is why I keep asking the question "What do the last days refer to?" as I have here (forums.carm.org/vbb/showthread.php?3697-The-Last-Days-etc...) and here (www.biblewheel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1547). If one does not know what the last days were and who they affected, one will go quickly astray chasing physical fulfillments...

There are not two last day time frames, two Parousia events and two judgments...or two kingdoms of differing natures and timing...

[Theophilus]

Mar 10, 2010 11:46:51 GMT -5 MoGrace2U said:

When you have time, I would be more interested in where you do find the rapture, resurrection and judgment of the whole world taught in scripture, that clearly makes it distinct from what these passages are teaching.

mograce2u, mellontes, in the thread Why Partial-Preterism Is Correct, I've already done just that. For example, see my arguments for John 11 & 21, Acts 17, etc. Arguments that none here have been able to refute.

On the other hand, full-preterists can cite no passage to prove that the rapture, the resurrection, the judgment of the whole world, and the once for all defeat of death and hades are connected to (and happened in) 70AD.

Above, I have already explained how none of these things are found in Jesus' Olivet Discourse. That basically leaves you with 1 Thessalonians. But I have already shown in the Why Partial-Preterism Is Correct thread why 1 Thessalonians does not establish a connection between these things and 70AD, either.