A Study Of Premillennialism

             Appendix

Matt 24:34 in Context...

"Verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled..."

A MAJOR passage in the premillennialism view of Christ's return is this chapter. The failure to place it in its proper setting must be given primary status for misapplying its message. Much of the false teaching associated with its inclusion in the Premillennialism debate would have been avoided if a thorough study was made of the circumstances involved, and the questions it is designed to answer. We offer the following information in the interest of seeking the true meaning of these verses.

1 --THE QUESTIONS THE DISCIPLES ASKED:

a. Grew out of a continuing discourse regarding the future of the Jewish nation,

-Parable of the "husbandmen" and the "householder" - 21:33-46 (kingdom taken from you…)

-Final doctrinal confrontation with Jewish leaders (Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees) -- ch. 22

-Final denunciation of that rebellious generation--23

- "ye art the children of them that killeth the prophets..." 23:31

- “fill ye up then the measure of your fathers... "23:32

- “upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth..." 23:35

- "-ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION..."  23:36

--"your house is left unto you desolate..." 23:38 b. Arose from Christ's ultimate warning of the total destruction of the temple...24:1, 2

- “SEE YE NOT ALL THESE THINGS? V 2

 “shall not be left here one stone upon another...," v. 2 c. Sought an answer as to the time of fulfillment of this promise:

-“tell us. WHENSHALL THESE THINGS BE?.,.” v. 3

-the parable of the fig tree (v.32,33 "so likewise ye, when ye shall see ALL THESE THINGS , know (that it is near, even at the doors."}

d. Assumed that ONLY the 2nd coming of Christ, and the end of the world would bring about powers

sufficient to bring such utter destruction... e. In both Mark and Luke, only the time of "these things" is recorded as   sought—Mk 13:4; Lk 21:7

The fact is, while the disciples associated the two events, Christ SEPARATED them. In reality, the chapter answers TWO questions, the first concerning the destruction of the temple (and including the THESE THINGS "which were involved in the passing of the Jewish nation); and the second concerning "the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world".

Thus, the 'TIME" verse, which identifies the first 34 verses as dealing with the FIRST question and supplying abundant "non-signs" and signs which would signal its occurrence, and the remainder of the chapter, PLUS chapter 25, as dealing with the second (indicated by the "TRANSITION" verse 36, which says "OF THAT DAY AND HOUR knoweth no man..")

Despite the apparent clarity of v. 34, the symbolism and phraseology used by Christ to depict the final end of the nation have caused many to "chop up" the previous verses—determining their time frame by whether or not one could "reasonably" identify the descriptions with the events of A.D. 70, or ANY judgment falling short of the total destruction of the FINAL one. Thus, for example, v. 21 is forced to refer to the FINAL end, since "great tribulation" of a unique kind can only describe THAT time, even though v. 17-20 is conceded to refer to the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem!

     And, since the language regarding the "coming" of Jesus Christ is so comprehensive, it too is seen as capable of fulfillment in no "lesser" event that the final end. Yet, similar terms are used to describe even LOCAL and TEMPORAL visitations from God in judgment:

 

1. In describing the "burden of Babylon" (its destruction):

Isa. 13:1, lOff— 'for the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her lace..."                                                             

2. In describing the judgment of Idumea:

Isa 34:4— "And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment... "

3. In foretelling the end of the glory of Egypt:

Ezek 32: 7, 8— "And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God...”

In the first thirty-four verses, Christ provides indications of the coming destruction of the temple, and warns of both "non-signs" ("the end is not yet"), and signs of its nearness. Evidently, the most obvious indication, and the point at which true believers must take warning and flee, occurs in fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel:

Mt 24:15,16- 'When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains...."

Thus, the warning sign for the disciples to flee to the mountains (how useless to thus flee at the FINAL judgment!) was the "abomination of desolation standing in the holy place"...Luke plainly shows that this will be when the Roman army surrounds the city:

. Lk 21:20,21 — "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.. "

Significantly, the use to be made of such signs indicates that to act upon them would result in physical preservation, and involves the hope that physical conditions (winter, sabbath, expectant women, etc.) will be such as would expedite efforts to flee the destruction-none of these would matter if it were the final judgment, from which none can flee!

'THAT DAY AND HOUR                                              

--in contrast with "those days" of v. 4-35...(v. 19,22,29)                                                                        .   

--"the day", "that day", "the great day", "that day and hour" are used to refer to the FINAL judgment:

           'Matt7:22--"many will say to me in THAT DAY..."

Matt 11:22, 24--"more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in THE DAY of judgment..." Man 12:36 - "every idle word… they shall give account in THE DAY OF JUDGMENT"

FACT: Nowhere is the plural "DAYS" EVER used in connection with the final judgment, in the NT!

FACT: The "last days" is frequently used in reference to the gospel age—Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:1

Peter (l Pet 1:20), and John (1 Jn 1:18, 19) refer to these as the “last time (s)”

                           

The reality is that while there are some passages in the first section which are hard to "fit in" with the temporal nature of the judgment, and some in the second which are equally hard to_... "fit in" with the final nature of the judgment, we are told clearly that the "before" and "after" of v. ,34 and v. 36 as to which of them these apply. The response of faith will be to acknowledge the place of each as GOD HAS ASSIGNED THEM, and patiently await the full explanation when all matter solved....Acb

 

 

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