The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Matthew 24:1-35

Just a chapter prior to the one under consideration, we read that Christ told some of the religious leaders of the Jewish nation that, upon their filling up the measure of their fathers’ sins, their “generation” would be severely punished (Matt 23:32-36; cf. 1 Thess 2:16; Isaiah 65:6-7). There is no other generation in view here but the one Jesus is addressing. It is significant that the word translated “generation” (genea) is consistently used by Christ elsewhere to refer to his first-century contemporaries (see Matt 11:16; 12:39; 12:41-42, 45; Mark 8:38; Luke 11:49-51; 17:25). Moreover, in Matthew 1:17 we learn just how long a “generation” was thought to be: approximately 40 years. The deportation to Babylon took place around 586 BC; if there were fourteen generations between this event and the birth of Christ as Matthew 1:17 states, then a generation is about 40 years long. In v. 33, Christ refers to this approaching judgment upon that generation as their being sentenced to “Gehenna” (i.e., the Valley of Hinnom). Any Jew familiar with their Hebrew Scriptures would have understood Jesus’ words to be a warning of an impending national judgment, because it is this of which “Gehenna” (or “Topheth,” which was a location within this valley) had, by divine sanction, become an emblem (Jeremiah 19; cf. 7:30-34).

Christ goes on to say (vv. 37-38),

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate…

Here Christ is referring to that terrible judgment that would come upon their guilty nation. Their capital city, Jerusalem, was to be completely overthrown by the Romans, and their “house” (i.e., the temple) would be left to them “desolate.” Shortly after his lament over Jerusalem, we read of Christ’s disciples pointing out the beauty of the temple. To their likely astonishment, Christ proceeds to tell them that it will be utterly destroyed (24:2). Christ’s disciples then ask him when this cataclysmic event would take place (v. 3). Notice how they connect the sign of his coming and of the close of the age with the destruction of the temple of which he’d just spoken:

"Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? ” Matt 24:1-3

“These things” refers to the destruction of the temple and its buildings (which would be the most dramatic aspect of the judgment coming upon their nation). “Your coming” refers to the prophetic vision from Daniel (which the disciples had appropriately applied to Jesus) in which the Messiah comes with the clouds of heaven to appear before the Ancient of Days to receive a kingdom. It is this event that the apostles associated with the national judgment of which Christ spoke, which would bring the present age in which they lived (i.e., the age under the Mosaic Law) to a close. The “sign” of Christ’s coming denotes that event which would indicate that the judgment of which he’d spoken (“these things”) was about to take place.

We can confirm this as the correct meaning of the passage by simply comparing it with the parallel accounts from Mark and Luke:

"And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” Mark 13:1-4

"And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” Luke 21:5-7

Mark’s “the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished” (Mark 13:4) and Luke’s “the sign when these things are about to take place” (Luke 21:7) corresponds with Matthew’s “the sign of your coming and of the close of the age” (Matt 24:3). Again, these are parallel accounts. The judgment that fell upon the nation of Israel, the coming of Christ, and the “close of the age” were understood by Christ and his disciples as being concurrent. The only reason to view them as separate events (taking place more than two thousand years apart) would be because one’s presupposed eschatological view required it. However, neither this text nor the content of Christ’s response that follows in the rest of chapter 24 allows for any such division.

The first sign Christ gave his disciples to look for as an indication that his coming was near was that false messiahs and prophets would begin to appear to deceive his followers: “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matt 24:4). Later on in the discourse, he says, “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” (vv. 24-25). Josephus writes that many false prophets and false Messiahs appeared during the government of Felix (A.D. 53-60) and deluded many (War, b. ii. c. 13). See Acts 8:9-10 and 13:6 for two such examples. Methodist commentator Adam Clarke notes, “A few years afterwards, under the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of Judea, impostors of this stamp were so frequent that some were taken and killed almost every day (Ant. b. xx. c. 4. and 7).” Such figures played a leading role in the Jewish revolt in late A.D. 66 that led to the Jewish-Roman War. And by the time the apostle John began writing his first epistle, he knew it was the “last hour” (1 John 2:18.). On what basis could John make this bold assertion? Answer: John was basing his understanding of the times on Christ’s own prophetic words in the Olivet Discourse. John knew that it was the “last hour” because “many antichrists” (i.e., false prophets and false christs) had already come to lead believers astray (1 John 2:26). They had heard that the “spirit of antichrist” was coming (because Christ had predicted it beforehand), but by the time of John’s writing, this deceptive spirit was “already in the world” (1 John 4:3).

The “wars and rumors of wars” of which Christ warned (vv. 6-7) would not have been perceived as an unusual sign during most periods of world history (including our own day), but during the Pax Romana, war was extremely rare. Concerning this time in Roman history, Epictetus writes that “Caesar has obtained for us a profound peace. There are neither wars nor battles” (Discourses 3:13:9). Yet we know from Josephus that, as the time of Israel’s overthrow drew nearer, a state of unsettledness increasingly characterized the Roman Empire as wars and insurrections became more and more numerous and frequent (Ant. b. xviii. c. 9; War, b. ii. c. 10). Regarding famines and earthquakes (v. 7), Josephus writes that during Claudius’ reign (A.D. 41-54) there were four seasons of great scarcity, and in the fourth year of his reign, the famine in Judea was so severe that the price of food became enormous and great numbers died (cf. Acts 11:28). We also know from history that several earthquakes occurred in both Caligula’s reign (A.D. 37-41) and Claudius’ (A.D. 41-54) (cf. Acts 16:25-26). Josephus reports many earthquakes in A.D. 68, in the midst of the Jewish-Roman war. Describing one such earthquake that was accompanied by a lightning storm, Josephus remarked, “Anyone would guess that these wonders foreshadowed some grand calamities that were coming” (Wars 4.4.5). Tacitus reported them throughout Rome as well, and, like Josephus, interpreted them as omens of impending judgment (Histories, 1.2-3).

All of these things, Christ says, are “but the beginning of birth pains” (v. 8). Christ then warns and exhorts his disciples (vv. 9-14),

There was indeed a period of intense persecution and martyrdom leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had told his disciples that, in the near future, they would begin to be persecuted, and some would be put to death (see Matt 10:16-22; Matt 23:34; cf. 1 Thess. 2:14-16; Revelation 6:10-11,17; 16:6, 15; 18:5, 20). In Matt 10:23, Christ told his disciples, “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Shortly after Pentecost, persecution against believers broke out just as Christ prophesied. This persecution of believers (instigated by both the Jewish and Roman authorities) steadily increased up until the destruction of Jerusalem. And as persecution intensified, so did apostasy and false teaching. Throughout the NT we read of believers being warned against apostatizing and giving heed to false teaching (2 Cor 11:13; Gal. 2:4; 5:4; 1 Tim 1:3-11; 4:1; Heb. 2:1-3, 3:6, 14; 6:4-6; 10:26-27; 1 John 2:18-20, 24; 4:1-3; 2 Pet 2:1-2, 20-21; Jude 1:3-4; etc.), which indicates that what Christ had prophesied of had already become a significant problem at this time. But what of the “whole world” throughout which Christ prophesied the gospel of the kingdom would be proclaimed before “the end” came (Matt. 24:14)? The word translated here as “world” (oikoumene) need not denote the entire inhabited planet, but simply the domain and territory of the Roman Empire (see Luke 2:1; Acts 24:5; Rom 1:8 and Col. 1:6, 23; cf. Rom 10:18). The proclamation of the gospel throughout the world (i.e., the “great commission”) was thus fulfilled by 70 AD.

Jesus continues his discourse in Matthew 24 by revealing to his disciples the sign by which they would know when to flee to the mountains for safety: the “abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (v. 15). In Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse, we read (21:20-21): “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.” Here, we find that the “abomination of desolation” refers to the pagan armies of Rome surrounding the holy city of Jerusalem, bent on its utter destruction. According to Eusebius (Eccl. History), when the Romans began advancing toward the city, the disciples of Judea remembered Christ’s admonition and fled to the mountains of Pella, beyond the Jordan, for safety (v. 16). The urgency with which Christ exhorted his disciples to flee from the area when the opportune time came (vv. 17-18) is completely appropriate if Christ is speaking of a local judgment, but makes little to no sense if we understand this judgment in a global sense. Moreover, because the houses of Jerusalem were flat-roofed and situated close together, the Christians would have been able to use them as a means of quickly escaping from the city. In v. 19, Christ speaks of the great difficulty that this time would prove to be for pregnant and nursing women. In v. 20, he tells his disciples to pray that their “flight” (i.e., their fleeing from the city of Jerusalem to the mountains of Judea for safety) would not be in winter or on the Sabbath. Such words are emptied of both force and meaning outside of a first-century Jewish context, when winter travel was especially challenging. And with the gates of Jerusalem being closed on the Sabbath (Neh 13:19), it would have made escape at this time all the more difficult.

The hyperbolic language (i.e., exaggeration for emphasis and effect) employed by Jesus in vv. 21-22 was common among the Jewish people, as can be seen from the following references: Exodus 10:14 (cf. Joel 1:2); 11:6; Ezekiel 5:8-9; 2 Kings 18:5 (cf. 2 Kings 23:25); Daniel 9:12; John 21:25. But even if taken literally, Christ’s words in these verses need not be understood to emphasize so much the mere number of deaths per se, as the nature of the carnage and the intensity of the event. In addition to Josephus’ estimate that 1.1 million Jews perished during this time (Wars 6.9.2), we are also told of the starvation and cannibalism that took place during the final five-month siege of Jerusalem (Wars 5.12.3 and 6.5.1). And by the end of the war, we are told that Jerusalem, the temple, the Mediterranean, Sea of Galilee, Jordan, and Dead Sea were covered with blood and gorged with bodies (Wars 3.9.3; 3.10.9; 4.7.6; 4.1.10; 4.5.1; 5.1.3; 6.8.5; cf. Rev. 8:8-11). Josephus also reports that the Romans laid waste to Israel, and set fire to towns, cities, and trees (Wars 6.1.1; 3.7.8; 5.6.2; 3.7.1; 3.7.8; 5.6.2; 3.4.1; 6.6.2; 7.5.5; cf. Rev. 18:8). Even if we allow for a degree of exaggeration in Josephus’ words, the awful severity of the judgment that fell upon the Jewish nation at this time cannot be denied.

In vv. 23-25, Christ again warns his disciples of deceivers. Significantly, his words in vv. 26-28 are for the purpose of cautioning his followers from being deceived into thinking that this “coming” would be a personal one, in which he would be bodily present somewhere so that they could find and meet with him. Because the coming of which he was speaking in this chapter was to be a national judgment (and consequently wouldn’t involve his personal presence in some secret location), it would be obvious to all, like lightening that comes from the east and shines as far as the west. On this verse, Adam Clarke notes in his commentary: “It is worthy of remark that our Lord, in the most particular manner, points out the very march of the Roman army: they entered into Judea on the East, and carried on their conquest Westward, as if not only the extensiveness of the ruin, but the very route which the army would take, were intended in the comparison of the lightning issuing from the east, and shining to the west.” Moreover, Christ’s ominous words in the next verse may easily be applied to this national judgment: the “corpse” of which Christ speaks was the spiritually dead Jewish nation, and the gathering birds of prey (variously translated as “vultures” or “eagles”) represent the Roman armies gathering around the doomed city.

In v. 29, Christ describes disturbances of a cosmic nature as taking place at his coming: “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.” When Jesus used this kind of language in his Olivet Discourse, we can be sure he was not giving his disciples a weather forecast. He was simply using the same sort of language employed in the judgment prophecies of the Old Testament to describe a judgment that was going to be taking place in their day, before that generation passed away. Being first century Jews who knew their inspired Scriptures, his disciples would have understood that such imagery involving atmospheric phenomena and cosmic/earthly upheaval denoted the violent overthrow of whatever people or nation was in view (Judges 5:4-5, 20; 2 Samuel 22:6-17; Isaiah 13:10, 13; 34:4-5; Jer 4:23-29; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Nahum 1:4-6; Joel 2:10, 28; 3:15; Amos 8:9). The imagery of “clouds,” especially, was employed in the Old Testament to represent divine power and glory, especially as manifested in a judgment being carried upon a nation through the instrumentality of another nation (e.g., Psalm 18:9-12; 97:2-5; 104:3; Isaiah 19:1-3; Jer 4:13-14; Eze 30:3; 34:12; Nahum 1:3; Joel 2:1-2; Zeph 1:15). Thus, Christians who are well-acquainted with the language of the Old Testament have no reason to understand similar prophecies of judgment made in the New Testament in a literal sense. Note also Christ’s words, “Immediately after the distress of those days.” There is no gap between those events leading up to Jerusalem’s destruction, and the coming of Christ with the clouds of heaven referred to in v. 30. But this immediacy should not be surprising, for we’ve already seen that the “coming” of Christ about which his disciples inquired at the beginning of chapter 24 is inseparable from the destruction of Jerusalem and the close of the age.

What about the “tribes of the earth” of which Christ speaks in v. 30, who would witness this event? The apostle John speaks of these “tribes of the earth” in Rev 1:7: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will mourn on account of him.” This imagery is derived from Zechariah 12:10-14:

The Hebrew word for “family” here (mishpachah) can also mean a “tribe,” “clan,” or “people.” Thus, the “tribes of the earth” which Christ prophesied would see the “sign of the Son of Man” refers to the people of Israel. This passage from Zechariah also helps us identify the “earth” (or “land”) referred to by Christ: it is the land of Judea, where the inhabitants of Jerusalem dwelled.

Regarding the “angels” that would be sent out at this time to “gather the elect,” it should be noted that the word simply means “messenger,” “minister” or “emissary,” and is used to describe both human and supernatural beings. It does not so much describe a nature, but an office, and refers to human beings in at least the following places in the NT: Matt 3:1; 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; Phil 2:25; 2 Cor 8:23; James 2:25; Rev 2:1, 18; 3:1, 7, 14. Though some see this verse as referring to the “rapture,” it is not necessary to understand the gathering of the elect of which Christ speaks as being a supernatural event being performed by supernatural power. Instead, Christ is more likely talking about appointed Jewish believers spreading the word to the Gentile Christians that the age of the Messianic reign had begun, that they might all be gathered together for worship and rejoicing.

Finally, what seems to fix the timeframe for when all of this would transpire is what Christ exclaims to his disciples in v. 34: “Truly, I say to you,this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” As noted earlier, genea appears to have been used consistently by Christ to refer to his first-century contemporaries (see Matt 11:16; 12:39; 12:41-42, 45; Matt 23:32-36; Mark 8:38; Luke 11:49-51; 17:25). All the things which Christ said would take place before that generation passed away would have included, of course, Christ’s coming on the clouds of heaven, as well as all the events that would lead up to it.

Christ has been coming in the clouds for a long time :wink:

You must mean that the results of Christ’s coming in the clouds have lasted for a long time ago :wink:

Or, coming from the clouds doesn’t mean what many think it means. :wink:

Well you’ve piqued my curiosity, Craig. :slight_smile: As a non-preterist, what do you think Christ’s “coming with the clouds” means, and how/when do you see it as being fulfilled?

Yes Jesus has been coming for some time and will continue

“Behold! He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him” (Rev. 1:7).

Now let us look at the two words that follow: HE COMETH. “Behold! He cometh.” This phrase is from the Greek ERCHOMAI. It is the third person singular, present indicative. Any reader who knows the conjunction of verbs knows what that means. First, it means HE COMES as a present tense reality. The verb is present indicative. He comes. He is in the act of coming. Behold! He is (now) coming! In other words, He has been coming, He is still in the act of coming, and He continues to come. This is extremely important. More than once the coming of the Lord is spoken of in this tense throughout the book of Revelation. It’s not a future thing, not something that shall happen somewhere down the course of history, but it is something that IS. Oh! that God with flames of His holy fire would burn this truth indelibly upon the hearts of all who read these lines.

The Church world is either looking back to an historical Christ, or forward to a futuristic coming of Christ, and they miss this word ERCHOMAI altogether, their spiritual understanding never being quickened to this grand truth that HE COMES, He is coming, He continues to come, He will continue to come. It is something that can happen right now. It can happen in your life right now. It means that He comes from one place to another. He comes out of the realm of spirit to be manifested in flesh, expressed and revealed in a visible, tangible way to the physical creation. ERCHOMAI means to come, to make one’s appearance come before the public. It means that He comes and appears before the view of the people round about. And this coming has already happened, it is happening now, and shall continue to happen. This is the revelation that so captivated the apostle John that he could only exclaim with amazement, “Behold! He comes!”
Eby

Hi John,

Given the fact that, in Matthew 24, Jesus seems to be describing an actual historical event that was still future at the time he spoke as opposed to a present, ongoing reality; and assuming that John is referring to this same “coming” in Revelation (which to me seems more than probable), I think a more likely explanation of John’s use of the present indicative is that he was simply describing what he was then seeing taking place in his vision. In other words, if someone were to have asked John at the moment he was receiving his vision, “What do you see, John?” he would have responded, “Behold! I see him coming with the clouds!” (which would have been true, and is what he consequently wrote for his readers). And of course, the hypothetical inquirer would probably not have assumed that John meant that Christ was actually coming with the clouds at that moment, or that Christ would continue to come with the clouds into the indefinite future.

But anyways, that’s just my thoughts.

The author is talking about an appearance - not a state of perpetual ‘coming’ - whatever that is…

So the question is WHEN will He (or the sign of Him) appear. Six sentences earlier the author’s readers of the letter learn it will happen SOON in…70ad.

There is no other explanation. Otherwise Revelation is a disobedient and pretentious act of pretending to know when His final return is (only the Father knows when.) Or it is what it is - a book depicting the end of the Jewish age and the uncontested dominion of Christ.

If SOON means 2000 years or 20,000 years later than deceitful can be added to being disobedient. Biblical prophesy has gotten a bad, bad name from the way people read Revelation. If Christ says something will happen to a generation - it will happen. If He says there will be a guy in the village with a donkey - both will be there - not 20 years later.

Ranran, think of it as Christ coming in you. His comings are continual and varied, my friend.

I don’t worry much about eschatology because the Kingdom is inward and that occupies me.

I understand and I think that is the key to healthy (and real) faith. It’s about presence not speculation, and enjoying the moment we are in - that is, surrounded by Love, like the air we breath.

I think so RanRan. Christ keeps speaking from within me, “He is taking those that trust Him explicitly and have a single eye on Him, into the deepest realms of His Glorious Kingdom.”

Aaron,

This study for me is still on the back burner at the moment but I am curious how you would interpret vs 40 and 41.

40Then two men shall be in the field, the one is received, and the one is left;

41two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left

Did the “rapture” happen in AD 70?

If all the believers left the world at that time, where is the historical mention and how did christianity continue to spread?

Hi Steve,

While I do believe in a “rapture,” I don’t think it took place in 70 AD. I believe that at Christ’s personal return from heaven there will be a universal “catching up” of mankind from the earth (John 14:1-4; Acts 1:10-11; 3:21; 1 Cor. 15:21-28, 50-55; Phil 3:20-21; 4:13-18). When this takes place, none will be “left behind,” and Christ will have subjected all to himself so that God may be “all in all.” But this event will, I believe, take place at the end of Christ’s reign, rather than at the beginning (as “full preterists” believe).

Regarding Mt. 24:40-41, I agree with Adam Clarke and other commentators who understand these verses to refer to the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. On these verses, Clarke notes, “The meaning seems to be, that so general should these calamities be, that no two persons, wheresoever found, or about whatsoever employed, should be both able to effect their escape; and that captivity and the sword should have a complete triumph over this unhappy people.”

Most preterists understand the word “taken” in a negative sense. According to this view, Jesus was referring to the siege of Jerusalem as if it were a “flood” sweeping through the nation of Israel. Understood in this sense, those “taken” were those who perished during the judgment, being “swept away” by the judgment in that day as the wicked were swept away by the flood of Noah’s day (v. 39). Those “left” were the survivors (i.e., who heeded Christ’s words and were thus able to escape the judgment - Mt. 24:15-20). The following is an article written by a “partial preterist” in response to a futurist who understands this verse to refer to the “rapture” of believers: realapologetics.org/blog/201 … -kurshner/

Other preterists (while still denying that Christ was referring to anyone’s being caught up into heaven/earth’s atmosphere) understand the word “taken” in a positive sense. According to Strong’s, the word translated “taken” (paralambanō) means “to receive near, that is, associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation).” Understood in this sense, those “taken” may simply be those who made their escape when God provided an opportune time to do so. According to this view, the word “taken” may refer to the believers finding refuge with other believers and entering into the newly-established kingdom of God (God’s reign in and among his new covenant people) at the time of its commencement (Lk 21:28-31). Or, it may more specifically refer to their receiving supernatural assistance to make their escape, and being accompanied and protected by heavenly beings (as Lot was, except less obviously, perhaps - Gen 19:16) . It is likely (and perhaps suggested by other texts, such as Mt. 13:41) that the angels of heaven played an important role in ensuring the temporal salvation of God’s elect during this tumultuous time, guiding those 1st century Jewish Christians to safety when the time came for them to flee. In this way the heavenly angels “separated the wheat from the weeds” (or the sheep from the goats), so that the believers were “gathered into the barn” and the unbelievers were “thrown into the fiery furnace.”

Hope that helps.

What about verse 37 which introduces all of this?

As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Did Christ’s coming occur in 70 A.D.? If so, does that mean He is not coming physically in the future?
Or did He have a special coming in 70 A.D.? And if so, what historical evidence is there of such a coming?

Excellent, Thanks Aaron.

This begs the question, would you then view** all **of Jesus references (in the Gospels) to Ghenna as the 70AD judgement?

I am reading through Matthew since the bulk of the “hell texts” are found there and am seeing this as a possibily but remaining Neutral while I study.

Paidon, Ill let Aaron answer your question regarding the historical evidence of Jesus coming with the clouds and Angels in AD 70 but on the preterist.org site on their FAQ section they do record some of Josephus words regarding something reported at that time. A few other historians also note this sighting, I have also heard RC Sproul refer to it.

Actually its not to long so Ill copy it here:

Josephus Wars Book 6, Chapter 5, Sections 2 and 3)
War 6:286 (6.5.2.286) Now, there was then a great number of false prophets suborned by the tyrants to impose upon the people, who denounced this to them, that they should wait for deliverance from God: and this was in order to keep them from deserting, and that they might be buoyed up above fear and care by such hopes.

War 6:288 ¶ (6.5.3.288) Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these deceivers, and such as belied God himself; while they did not attend, nor give credit, to the signs that were so evident and did so plainly foretell their future desolation; but, like men infatuated, without either eyes to see, or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them.

War 6:289 (6.5.3.289) Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year.

War 6:290 (6.5.3.290) Thus also, before the Jews’ rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Xanthicus [Nisan], and at the ninth hour of the night, 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.

War 6:291 (6.5.3.291) This light seemed to be a good sign to the unskillful, but was so interpreted by the sacred scribes, as to portend those events that followed immediately upon it.

War 6:296 (6.5.3.296) So these publicly declared, that this signal foreshowed the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the twenty-first day of the month Artemisius [Jyar],

War 6:297 (6.5.3.297) a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it,

War 6:298 (6.5.3.298) and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen

War 6:299 (6.5.3.299) running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the] temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise,

War 6:300 (6.5.3.300) and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, “Let us remove hence.”

Hi Paidion,

I think the “coming of the Son of Man” referred to in v. 37 took place in 70 AD, but I also believe in a future, personal coming of Christ on the “last day,” when the dead are raised (Jn 14:1-4; Acts 1:10-11; 3:21; 1 Cor 15:21-28, 50-55; Phil 3:20-21; 4:13-18). I think there are far more references in Scripture to Christ’s coming in 70 AD than there are to his future, personal coming, however (not because the latter coming is less important, but because the former was so close at hand in the days of the apostles, and was understood to be tied to the anticipated establishment of the “aeonian kingdom” of the Messiah in and among God’s new covenant people).

The following is a simple, logical argument from Scripture that I believe demonstrates that the “coming of the Son of Man” spoken of by Christ in Mt 24:37 took place in the first century at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

In Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse, we read (21:20-21):

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it."

We find in Matthew a parallel account of what we read in Lk 21:21, above. In Mt 24:16-18, Jesus tells his disciples,

"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 him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak."

Finally, we find that these verses in Mt 24:16-18 are parallel to Lk 17:30-31:

“…Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away. And likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.

If Lk 21:21 parallels Mt 24:16-18, and Mt 24:16-18 parallels Lk 17:30-31, then the rules of logic demand that Lk 21:20-21 (in which Christ prophecies the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple) is referring to the same event as that spoken of in Lk 17:30-31 and Mt 24:37. In other words, the time when the Judean Christians were to flee the city and countryside places “the day when the Son of Man is revealed”/“the coming of the Son of Man” within the general timeframe of 67-70 AD.

As far as historical evidence of this coming, I think the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple is probably the best historical evidence, for it is the fulfillment of this event that I believe signified that the “coming” prophesied by Christ had taken place. I also think the supernatural events described by Josephus as taking place at this time are good collaborative evidence for the preterist position.

Yeah, that’s my understanding.

Hi Aaron.
I am struggling to understand your first paragraph.
Are you saying rapture is at Christ’s personal return
AND rapture is at end of Christ’s reign
THEREFORE Christ’s personal return is AFTER Christ’s reign?

Barry

Hi Barry,

I believe Christ’s reign will end when he abolishes death (the “last enemy”), and that death will be abolished when, after personally returning from heaven, Christ confers a sinless immortality upon mankind. After being immortalized, I believe all people will then be “raptured” from the earth to join Christ in the clouds.

Thanks for your answer Aaron.
I don’t have much time to spend reading forums like this, but when I do I just love reading your contributions.
You seem to have a good mix of “partial preterism” with “christian universalism”, which appeals to me very much.

Do I assume from your answer above that you think Christ will reign (during the millenium ?) from the heavens, not from earth as many/most think?

Do you have anywhere (on this forum or elsewhere) a fuller description of your eschat views than in this posting that I can read without having to ask questions that you might have already given comprehensive answers to previously?

Thanks. Barry

Thanks for this one Aaron. Great work as usual.