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Strong words from the Reformed Baptist prince of preachers. The zeal of the church has been dampened. We see it all around us in society and the pews. A society’s moral condition reflects the vigour of the church in that age. Judgment starts with the household of God (1 Peter 4:17 ). Christians once led society with Biblical social reform, encouraging the nations to submit to the crown and covenant of Christ in all things. Reasons for the decline in church influence are numerous. However, one major factor is the ”doomsday” speculation touted by proponents of the dispensational system. Over time your creed works out of your fingertips. It shapes your lifestyle. When the church confesses “you cannot polish brass on a sinking ship”[2] for long enough, she ceases to believe she can fulfil her Great Commission. That of discipling the nations into the obedience of Christ’s commandments. Rather we hear the church’s main thrust is evangelism and the plucking of souls from the fires of hell. End times distortion warps the way in which we view the present and future. It removes the necessity of long term visionary fathers. God fearing men who must remember the law of God and turn their hearts back to their children (Mal 4:4-6 , cf. Lk 1:16-17), to build a family centric long term vision for servitude dominion through their descendants. A right view of the future instils generational thinking. This is a mindset shift for most evangelical Christians. We are conditioned to think in the egalitarian individualistic paradigm of humanism. A shift in our worldview requires us to read the Bible through new eyes. We must recognise the Biblical mandate to build a godly culture (Matt 28 , cf. Gen 1:26 ). Our salvation, “by grace through faith” (Eph. 2:8-9 ), is the starting point. The sensationalist last days madness within today’s church distorts this Biblical distinctive.
Reading Matthew 24:15-34 through the eyes of modern tribulation and rapture sensationalism blurs the text’s significance and meaning. Many people understand these verses futuristically. It eisogetically fits their eschatological (end times) framework through reading this theory back into the text. Remember that Matthew 24:15-33 precedes the time text verses (Matt 23:36 & 24:34. On this basis all prophecies prior to verse 34 must have been fulfilled before the generation Jesus’ contemporaries passed away. It is interesting to note that the phrase “this generation” is used in many other occasions by Jesus and in each of these cases it means the generation to whom Jesus is speaking. To interpret the Bible accurately we must compare Scripture with Scripture and let it interpret itself, or we are in danger of importing our own preconceived ideas into the text. When comparing Scripture we must recognise the type of Scripture we are considering, e.g. prophecy, poetry etc. When we are looking at prophetic Scriptures the time text is the key used to open the door of understanding the context of timeframe fulfilment. If we do not understand and accurately identify the time text we can be in danger of applying the prophecy to any age. Thomas Ice, who has written many books on this subject, does exactly this. In a written debate with Kenneth L. Gentry, Ice writes; “t is true that every other use of ‘this generation’ in Matthew (11:16; 12:41–42, 45; 23:36) refers to Christ’s contemporaries, but that is determined by observation from each of their contexts, not from the phrase itself.”[3] Therefore, what Ice and many dispensationalists are saying is that Jesus used this phrase seventeen times elsewhere to refer to His contemporaries and then on one occasion in Matthew 24:34 He used the same phrase to refer to a future generation. This does not make sense of Biblical interpretation. We must allow the time text to set the timeframe context for the prophecy; not visa versa.
Gary DeMar explains how the dispensational system of Biblical interpretation has lead to many inconsistencies: “Like he does with Acts 2:16 , Ice must add words to Matthew 24: 34to get it to say what he needs it to say. For example, in Charting the End Times, Ice and LaHaye reconstruct Matthew 24:34 to read this way: “The generation that ‘sees’ these things will not pass away till all is fulfilled.”[4] In the LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible…the verse is given this treatment: “[T]he future generation that will live to see all the signs listed in the previous verses fulfilled in their lifetime”[5] will not pass away until all is fulfilled. The near demonstrative “this” is removed, and from 5 to 19 words are added to make the verse refer to a future generation.”[6] As people who want to accurately interpret the Bible we must seek to be faithful to what the text says and not our system of eschatology. It must also be noted that verse 33 (“so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!”) lays the context of verse 34. In verse 33 we find Jesus telling His audience that when they see all that He has prophesied, expect Him to be right at the door. He uses the pronoun “you,” grammatically this means He is referring to the actual people He is speaking with. Therefore verse 33 indicates that when His contemporaries see all the signs He has prophesied, His return is close – for He is right at the door.
To conclude “this generation” is some future generation you must argue against the contextual/literary rendering of the text, Jesus’ use of the term at every other place in the New Testament and the context of text. There is a heavy burden of proof upon those who want to change the literal rendering of verse 34. To add to this burden, Jesus uses the definite article “this,” which grammatically means He is referring to the actual people He was talking to. If the prophecies were to be viewed as distant future events He would have used “that” generation, which is an indefinite article. He does not. If the text is read at face value and in context it is clear that Jesus is telling His contemporaries that some in the audience will see the events He has prophesied. You have to perform grammatical, interpretive and theological gymnastics to get around the literal rendering of Matthew 24:34 .
But what about verses 29 through 30, surely they sound like the Lord’s second coming? If you import a futuristic theory of end times into the text then these verses can be misunderstood as the second coming of Christ. However, verse 34 tells us they do not refer to this still future event; they took place within the generation of the hearers of Jesus’ words. Immediately after the great tribulation, God’s divorce of Israel as a nation and the destruction of the temple, we read of great upheaval in the heavenly lights. To put these words in context, we must recognise that Jesus was speaking to Jewish people who knew the Old Testament (the Torah) inside out. Therefore, when these words were spoken all would have realised that He was speaking of God judging a nation. Throughout the Old Testament we find that the sun darkens, the moon does not give its light and the stars fall from heaven when God judges a nation. Isaiah 13is a good example of the use of this language, where we are told of God coming in judgement of Babylon. When God judges Babylon the stars, moon and sun will be darkened; this is figurative language that is used throughout the Bible to indicate God’s judgement upon a nation. Ezekiel 32:7-9 tells of God’s judgement on Pharaoh and Egypt. This is expressed by the heavenly lights being darkened. When God blesses a nation the heavenly lights are bright, but when He judges a nation the lights a darkened and the stars fall from the heavens. Read Isaiah 30:26 (and the preceding verses) and you will see that the heavenly lights will be brightened when God blesses the nation of Israel, taking them out of captivity in Egypt. Therefore, we must conclude from Scripture that the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars refers to God judging Israel – it is not the second coming of Christ.
Once this occurs the “sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.” It must be noted that the text does not say that the Son of Man will appear, but rather His sign will appear in heaven. This is important, as many interpret the text as referring to Christ appearing for all to see Him, coming on the clouds to earth. Rather, the text says that His sign will appear in heaven and all of the tribes of the earth, i.e. the tribes of Israel, will mourn. (Note that when the Bible uses “the tribes” or “the tribes of the earth” it refers to Israel. Also, the word “kosmos” is not used here, which would indicate that the entire world will mourn). The tribes of Israel will mourn because the nation of Israel has been judged and the kingdom of God has been given to a nation (i.e. the Church) who will bear fruit in accordance thereof.
Now, to the text I am sure nearly everyone thinks: “how can he believe that ‘they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory’ refers to the first century A.D?” My answer again is quite simple: let Scripture interpret itself. Do not bring an end times system into the text. Matthew 24: 34demands that we view this prophesy’s fulfilment within the generation of Jesus’ contemporaries. We must search the Scriptures to find the context of what Jesus says here. When Jesus says: “coming on the clouds of heaven” He is quoting directly from Daniel 7:13 . The context and structure of this quotation must be considered. Daniel 7:13-14 says: “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Note which way the Son of Man is coming. Is He coming down to earth or up to the Ancient of Days? We tend to read our preconceived ideas into Matthew 24 . It is often asserted that Jesus is coming on the clouds down from heaven to earth. Thus alluding to His Second, consummation, Coming to judge the living and the dead. It must be noted that this is not what Daniel saw. It is not what Christ is alluding to. Daniel instructs us that he saw the Son of Man coming up to the Ancient of Days, not down to earth. Interestingly it is then that the Son of Man asks for the nations as an inheritance (Ps 2:8-12) and receives His kingdom. Thus Christ declares that “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18 ). It is on this basis that the church receives her mandate to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” ( Matt 28:19-20 ). Our confidence is that Christ is reigning at the Father’s right hand (1 Cor 15:26 , Heb 1:3 , 13, cf. Ps 110:1). All His enemies are being placed under His feet and Christ will return once this Great Commission has been accomplished. At Christ’s consummation coming (i.e. Second bodily Coming) He will deliver a completed kingdom to the Father (1 Cor 15:24 ). There is no room for a 1,000 year reign of Christ from a physical rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Thus the coming of the Son of Man in Matthew 24: 30cannot refer to the Second Coming of Christ. It alludes to Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He received His promised inheritance. This has already taken place (Acts 1 ) and the church is now at work discipling the nations to “kiss the Son” (Ps 2:12).
Matthew 24: 31speaks of angels gathering the elect from all over the world. The Greek word used for angel is the same as that for pastor or messenger of the Gospel. It is quite likely that verse 31 refers to the call of the Gospel – which goes out to the ends of the world. Now many interject that the Gospel cannot have gone out to the entire world prior to A.D. 70. Again, we must search the Scriptures for our answer. The Apostle Paul alludes to this in his epistles to the Colossians and Romans. He exhorts the Colossians to understand they have been reconciled to God. Having been made holy and just they must “continue in the faith…which [they]…heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven” (Col 1:23 ). Again Paul alludes to the spread of the Gospel in his benedictory conclusion to the epistle to the Romans. “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith” (Ro 16:25-26).
The parable of the fig tree is also interpreted by many dispensationalists as a sign of Israel becoming a nation again. This cannot be so; Israel is never referred to as a fig tree in the Scriptures. The tree used to describe Israel is the Olive tree and we (Gentiles) have been grafted into that one Olive tree. In essence the Kingdom of God is one people, the true Israel. In the New Testament it is revealed that there is now no more distinction between Jew and Gentile, all are one in Christ. In Luke’s rendition of this sermon he identifies that Jesus refers to the leaves of all the trees. Therefore the Fig tree in and of itself is not of great importance, but rather the analogy is drawn with the sign of its leaves being the closeness of summer. When Jesus refers to the Fig Tree and its leaves He is telling the audience that when you see leaves on the tree you know summer is near. The leaves are a sign of the nearness of summer and fruit. Thus when they see the signs He has prophesied the judgement of Israel is at hand and the Old Covenant will be made obsolete. It is already waxing and waning away, but when Christ comes in judgement against socio-political Israel the end of the Old Testament world will occur. A new administration will direct and head the kingdom of God, Christ Himself. The writer to the Hebrews articulates the framework for how the New supersedes the Old.
We must therefore conclude that the Scriptures interpret Matthew 24:1-34 as occurring in the first century A.D. It is important that we do not read our own preconceived end times theories into the text. Let the Scriptures interpret themselves and accept the conclusions in and by faith. What we believe about the future of God’s kingdom shapes how we “get to work.” If you view the kingdom as some near and literal millennial reign of Christ from Jerusalem, using force to destroy His enemies, you will not desire to have all nations discipled prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Hopefully this short study in Matthew 24 will challenge you to search the Scriptures about these matters. We need more men to take a generational outlook. It may be many hundreds or even thousands of years before Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. It takes many stones to build a beautiful cathedral. Men need to start turning their hearts back to the Law of God and their children. Strong families, who are lead by prayerful and dominion (through servitude) oriented men will lead to revival and reformation in our land.
End Notes
[1] Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: An Expository and Devotional Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 86:9 , viewed at http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps086.htm.
[2] Peter Lalonde as cited in Gary DeMary and Peter Leithart, The Reduction of Christianity - Dave Hunt’s Theology of Cultural Surrender, Dominion Press, 1988, p. 106 (footnote 31).
[3] Thomas Ice, The Great Tribulation is Past: Rebuttal, The Great Tribulation: Past or Future? (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1999), p. 125.
[4] Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Charting the End Times: A Visual Guide to Understanding Bible Prophecy, Harvest House Publishers, 2001, p. 36.
[5] Tim LaHaye, gen. ed., LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible, AMG Press, 2000, p. 1040 (note on Matthew 24:34 ).
[6] Gary DeMar, Letting the Bible Speak for Itself, The Literal Meaning of “This Generation,” viewed at http://www.americanvision.org/.
