The End of the Old World Order

D.A. Carson, a New Testament scholar, begins his commentary on Matthew 24 with the following words: "Few chapters of the Bible have called forth more disagreement among interpreters than Matthew 24 and its parallels in Mark 13 and Luke 21. The history of the interpretation of this chapter is immensely complex."

As Jesus and His disciples left the temple in Jerusalem, some of His men remarked about what a magnificent temple it was and how splendid were its stones. But Jesus' response must have shocked them to the depths of their souls as they heard Him say that the time would come when one stone would not be left upon another that would not be thrown down! Immediately following their traversing the Kidron Valley and getting seated directly across from the temple, upon the Mount of Olives, they asked Jesus when these things would happen and what sign would be given when these things were about to be fulfilled. In answer to these questions, Jesus spoke about deceivers, wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, world-wide gospel proclamation, the abomination of desolation, and the great tribulation, etc.

Interpretation of Matthew 24, typically referred to as "The Olivet Discourse," generally falls into two positions:

One -- The FUTURIST interpretation:

As a whole, they interpret most of the verse in Mt. 24 about deceivers, wars, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences, etc. as "signs of the times"  that will lead up to the great tribulation period which they believe will be the last seven years of this church age (after the rapture). The abomination of desolation is regarded as an idol of the Antichrist (or the Antichrist himself) which will be set up in the holy of holies of a rebuilt Jewish temple at Jerusalem. When this happens, according to this position, the Jews will flee into the mountains. From that time until Christ returns again (the second stage of the Second Coming) will be especially the great tribulation.

Two - The FULFILLED interpretation:

Those holding this interpretation of Mt. 24. Mk 13, and Lk. 21, believe that the deceivers, wars, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences, etc. were things which Jesus said would soon happen before the destruction of the temple. The abomination of desolation, by comparing the parallel accounts, is seen to refer to Gentile armies which would surround Jerusalem and bring the city to desolation. When these armies would be seen the disciples of Christ were to flee from Jerusalem and Judea. What Jesus called “great tribulation” referred to the judgment that fell upon the Jewish nation, city, and temple in 70 A. D. By the first coming of Jesus, this was to be the end of the old world order of a holy land and holy places. Jerusalem, representative of the nation of Israel and Judaism, with its temple, sacrificial system, priesthood, special feast days, etc, became obsolete by fulfillment and the New World Order or New Covenant of the kingdom of God , was established. (Hebrews 8:13: "In that He says, "A NEW COVENANT," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.")

These two interpretations -- the FUTURIST and the FULFILLED -- are poles apart from each other and there are dear brothers and sisters on both sides. Labeling and name-calling is unacceptable from either side if the consensus is firm on one truth -- Jesus will at some point in history return, literally, bodily, and visibly.

Before we begin to investigate the events prophesied in Matthew 24, we must first consider what I believe to be the interpretative key to understanding Jesus' prophecy: Mt 24:34, "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place."  From this we then understand that the majority of what is prophesied, took place within the lifetime of the generation which was then living. It was this generation which Jesus called "wicked and perverse" (Matt. 12:39, 45; 16:4; 17:17); it was this "terminal generation" which crucified the Lord; and it was this generation, Jesus said, upon which would come the punishment for "all the righteous bloodshed on the earth" (Matt. 23:35).

The questions the disciples asked Jesus was actually due, not just to what they had heard Him say about the temple, but to a culmination of statements He had made about His coming. In fact, Jesus had spoken of His coming twice already in Matthew’s account. In Matthew 10:23, Jesus made this very interesting statement: “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.”

In Matthew 16:27-28, He was even more descriptive about what His coming would accomplish, and within what timeframe it would take place: “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person for what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Matthew 24:34, "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

C.S. Lewis said concerning Mt 24:34, "It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible." The brilliant atheist, Bertrand Russell, in his essay, "Why I Am Not A Christian" said basically Jesus was deceived and thus morally untrustworthy because He believed and taught that He would return in the First Century. Great numbers of liberal scholars, Jewish and Christian alike, have interpreted Mt 24 literally and came to the conclusion that Jesus was mistaken because the end did not come as He predicted.

Did any of the writers of the New Testament proclaim that the time was near? Consider these statements:

“…For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand…” (Romans 13:11-12).

“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5).

“Yet a little while, and the coming One will come and will not delay” (Hebrews 10:37).

“You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:8).

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers” (I Peter 4:7).

“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour” (I John 2:18).

From these statements we see that Paul, James, Peter, and John all proclaimed that the time was near. Did they become the very false prophets Jesus had warned about in Luke 21:8, since they uttered the very statement that Jesus warned His followers not to believe? If the signs of the Olivet Discourse are still future and unfulfilled, as futurists insist, then they certainly did become those false prophets. We know, however, that this is not the case. This is actually one more indication that the events predicted by Jesus came to pass within His own generation. They witnessed the predicted signs coming to pass, and on this authority they announced that the end was near. Soon afterwards, that end came, the end of the Old Covenant world and age. Jesus kept His word and His promise.

Professor Craig Keener observes: "Matthew uses the Greek word for "generation" ("genea") in Mt 24:34 for the 10th time, so his use of the term has a range of emphases -- it consistently refers to the time span of a single generation. All the alternative senses proposed here (the Jewish people, humanity, the generation of the end times signs, wicked people) are artificial and are based on the need to protect Jesus from error. This generation is Jesus' generation of contemporaries."

We will approach this first section of Mt. 24:1-35 by noting it in this manner: (1) False Expectations of the End; (2) Firm Observations About the End; (3) Final Devastation at the End.

1. False Expectations of the End -- 24:4-13

Mat 24:3, "Now 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 end of the age?" Mat 24:6, "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."

(I am indebted to Dr. Sam Storms for many of the following thoughts.) The misinterpretation of Mt 24 centers around what Jesus was referring to when He said the end would come and He would come to end it. The end He was coming to accomplish wasn't the end of the world -- but a judgment coming to end the old world of the old covenant. Earlier in His ministry Jesus had said: "An hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father.... But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth" (John 4:21-23). Now Jesus was making it clear that the new age was about to be permanently established upon the ashes of the old.

The disciples urgently asked: "When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" The disciples had one concern, and their questions revolved around one single issue: the fact that their own generation would witness the close of the Old Testament era and the coming of the new age promised by the prophets. All they wanted to know was when it would come, and what signs they should look for, in order to be fully prepared.

Jesus responded by giving the disciples not one, but seven signs that would not indicate the end. (We must remember that "the end" in this passage is not the end of the world, but rather the end of the age, the end of the Temple, the sacrificial system, the covenant nation of Israel, and the last remnants of the Old Testament order of things).

Matthew 24:4-13

These verses are designed to prevent premature excitement and speculation about when the events of v. 3 would occur. "Don't jump to any hasty conclusions," says Jesus. The main point is that these are not signs of the impending destruction of Jerusalem nor are they signs of Christ's second advent. These events are only the beginning of birth pains. They serve no purpose at all in telling us when or how soon Jesus is coming back. They are events which will characterize the period 33 to 70AD.

1. Religious impostors and Messianic pretenders(v. 5)

See Acts 5:36-37; 8:9-10; 13:6; 21:38. Josephus reports that during the reign of Nero deceivers and false prophets were arrested on a daily basis. In his Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius refers to the prevalence of false messiahs in this period.

1. Increased military conflict(v. 6)

The period 33-70 AD witnessed countless military disturbances. An uprising in Caesarea took 20,000 Jewish lives; at Scythopolis (modern Beit Shean in Northern Israel) 13,000 Jews were killed; in Alexandria 50,000 were slain; 10,000 were killed in Damascus. Josephus reports that when the Emperor Caligula ordered his statue to be erected in the temple at Jerusalem (40AD), the Jews refused. As a result, they lived in a state of fearful anxiety over imminent war with Rome and were in such distress that they even neglected to till the land.

The Annals of Tacitus, which describes events from AD14 to AD68 describes the turmoil of this period with phrases such as "disturbances in Germany," "commotions in Africa," "commotions in Thrace," "insurrections in Gaul," "intrigues among the Parthians," "the war in Britain," and "the war in Armenia".

The "end" (v. 6) refers to the end or termination of Jewish national existence; the end of the city; the end of the temple.

1. Political upheaval and turmoil(v. 7a)

Before the fall of Jerusalem, four Emperors came to violent deaths within the space of 18 months. According to the historian Suetonius (who lived during the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second), Nero “drove a dagger into his throat.” Galba was run down by horsemen. A soldier cut off his head and “thrusting his thumb into the mouth”, carried the horrid trophy about. Otho “stabbed himself” in the breast. Vitellius was killed by slow torture and then “dragged by a hook into the Tiber river.” We can understand that such fate falling on the Emperors would naturally spread distress and insecurity through the Empire.

1. Natural disasters(v. 7b)

The famine described in Acts 11:28 occurred in 44 AD. It resulted in the disciples at Antioch mounting a huge relief effort to ease the burden of the Christians in Judea (Acts 11:29). Three other famines occurred during the reign of Claudius. The Roman historians Tacitus and Seutonius both mention the prevalence of famines in this period of history (in particular the widespread famine in Rome in AD51).

Earthquakes were also common. See Acts 16:26. There were recorded earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Apamea, Campania, and Rome. The cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae were devastated by a quake in 60 AD. In 58 AD Seneca wrote: "How often have the cities of Asia and Achaea fallen with one fatal shock! How many cities have been swallowed up in Syria! How many in Macedonia! How often has Paphos become a ruin. News has often been brought to us of the demolition of whole cities at once."

(In Luke 21:11 we read about "terrors and great signs from heaven," which when taken in the immediate context of famines and earthquakes probably refers to natural phenomena. In particular, we know that a comet appeared around 60 AD during Nero’s reign, leading to public speculation that some change in the political scene was imminent. Then Halley's Comet appeared in 66 AD. Not long after this, Nero committed suicide. Josephus wrote in The War of the Jews that “there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year” [6:5:3,7:42].)

Josephus records that “On the eighth of the month of Zanthicus, (before the feast of unleavened bread) at the ninth hour of the night [3 AM], there shone round about the altar, and the circumjacent buildings of the temple, a light equal to the brightness of the day, which continued for the space of half an hour.”

Josephus adds even more examples of strange activity in and around Jerusalem before the final siege by the Romans:

“About the sixth hour of the night, the eastern gate of the temple was seen to open without human assistance.” When the guards informed the Curator of this event, he sent men to assist them in shutting it, who with great difficulty succeeded. — This gate, as hath been observed already, ‘Was of solid brass, and required twenty men to close it every evening. It could not have been opened by a “strong gust of wind,” or a slight earthquake;” for Josephus says, it was secured by iron bolts And bars, which were let down into a large threshold; consisting of one entire stone.”

[5] “Soon after the feast of the Passover, in various parts of the country, before the setting of the sun, chariots and armed men were seen in the air, passing round about Jerusalem.”

(As v. 8 makes clear, none of these "sorrows" were meant at any time to mislead Christians into thinking that either his second coming was imminent or that God's judgments against Jerusalem were about to begin.)

1. Persecution and Martyrdom(vv. 9-10)

Mark’s version reads as follows: "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them" (13:9). The reference to "courts/councils/synagogues" indicates that Jesus has in mind first-century fulfillment. After 70 a.d., when the Jewish religious and political systems ceased to exist, there were no councils or synagogues. We see fulfillment of this word in Acts 4:1-18; 5:17-40 (synagogues); 12:1; 23:24; 24:27 (governors and kings). See also Acts 8:1.

Mark and Luke also both speak of Jesus’ followers being handed over to the synagogues, and Mark adds that they would be flogged there. This clearly speaks of persecution at the hands of the Jews, just one strong indication that this was to take place in the first century. Jewish persecution is not a mark of our time, but it was a mark of that time (In fact, it only prevailed up until Israel’s destruction in 70 AD, for after that the surviving Jews were persecuted together with the Christians by the Roman Empire). For example, Paul said this to the Thessalonian believers (I Thess. 2:14-16):

“For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved – so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last!”

The city of Smyrna had the largest Jewish population of any Asian city, and Jesus commended the church there for their patient endurance in the face of Jewish persecution (Revelation 2:9): “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” A very similar statement was made to the church in Philadelphia in Rev. 3:9.

The reality of v. 10 is caused by the pressures and pains of v. 9 (cf. 1 Jn. 2:19; 2 Tim. 1:15 [“all those in Asia have turned away from me”]; 4:10 [“Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world”], 16 [“at my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me”).

1. False prophets(v. 11)

One need only remember that much of what we read in Galatians, Colossians, 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, 1 John, and Jude was written to counter the activity and influence of false prophets in the early church. See especially Paul’s warning in Acts 20:29-30; Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Cor. 11:13; Gal. 2:4; and Peter’s in 2 Pt. 4:1; and John’s in 1 John 4:1.

1. Religious insurrection and indifference(v. 12)

(Perseverance, according to v. 13, is the proof of eternal life. The "end" may mean, "right through, all the way, perhaps to the end of one's life".)

1. Firm Observations of the End -- 24:14-15
2. The Preaching of the GospelWorldwide (v. 14)

Futurist argue this never took place. How could this possibly have occurred in the period 33-70 AD.' It may at first seem strange, but “fundamental principles of interpretation lead us to bear in mind contextual clues: the time indicator (‘this generation’), the audience (the disciples who ask about the temple), the specific concern (the destruction of the temple), and the harmony of the preceding signs with the first-century experience. All of these should dispose us to seek a first-century fulfillment of this verse” (Gentry, The Great Tribulation, 44). Note two important facts:

The words "whole world" (NASB) are a translation of the term oikoumene, which literally means an inhabited area, a standard term at that time for the Greek world, then for the Roman empire, and subsequently for the then known world. The same Greek word is used in Luke 2:1 – “Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered." This means all "the inhabited earth” (oikoumene). In Acts 11:28 we read that “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.” Again, in Acts 24:5, “For we have found this man (Paul) a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Ken Gentry notes, “a surface reading of these texts suggests global events. Yet we know these ‘world’ events happen within the Roman empire of the first century” (44). The reference to the "nations" also indicates that the point is not that every geographical area on the globe must be covered but that all the nations, i.e., Gentiles, must be reached. Did this occur? This leads to the second point.

Writing before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Paul says to the Colossians: " ... the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:5b-6).

Again, Paul refers to the gospel, " . . . that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister" (Cols. 1:23). "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world" (Romans 1:8; cf. 10:18). Thus, prior to 70 AD the inhabited earth had indeed heard the gospel, precisely in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24.

This was a firm sign that the end of the old world order was imminent, very near.

1. The Presence of the Roman Armies in Jerusalem -- Mat 24:15:

"Therefore when you see the 'ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" 

With v. 15 we come to a critical juncture in the discourse. To this point Jesus has referred to general signs that would characterize the period preceding Israel's collapse. Here in v. 15, though, he refers to one sign that unmistakably signals that the prophesied destruction is at hand. It would serve to alert the people of that generation as to the proximity of Jerusalem's ruin. In response to the question, "When will these things be?" Jesus now answers "When you see . . ." (v. 15).

Abomination of Desolation is literally, the abomination that causes desolation. In the OT, "abomination" = an object of disgust, hatred, something that causes revulsion; an idolatrous offense or affront to the true worship of God.

So what, then, was the Abomination of Desolation to which Jesus referred? I think it is Titus and the armies of Rome. While the city of Jerusalem was still burning the soldiers brought their legionary standards into the temple precincts and offered sacrifices there, declaring Titus to be victor. The idolatrous representations of Caesar and the Roman eagle on the standards would have constituted the worst imaginable blasphemy to the Jewish people. We read in Josephus: “the Romans upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings lying round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple, and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest acclamations of joy” (Book 6, Ch. 6:1). Thus, although the Abomination of Desolation involves the destruction of Jerusalem (beginning with its several encirclings by Cestius, Vespasian, Simon, and Titus), it culminates in this final abominable act within the temple itself” (Gentry, 50).

Note, to those reading these signs, there was an opportunity to escape this great tribulation -- Mt 24:16-20. No Christians perished during this period of great tribulation of Jerusalem's destruction.

III. Final Devastation at the End -- 24:21-22:

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."

1. The Magnitude of the Tribulation -- 24:21

In v. 21 Jesus describes this event to be “such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.” Many insist that this "great tribulation" cannot refer to the events of 70 AD because worse and more severe tribulations have since followed (WW II and the Holocaust, Stalin, etc.). Response:

(1) Assuming Jesus is speaking in strictly literal terms, it is unlikely he is referring to a time of tribulation at the end of the age, because of the phrase "nor ever shall be." In other words, this phrase envisions a time following this tribulation in which other, albeit less severe tribulations, might occur. But if the supposed future tribulation is followed immediately by the millennium or the eternal state, it would be pointless to say that a tribulation of such magnitude will never take place again, for there would be no remaining time to prove the assertion.

(2) Once one grasps the dimensions of what occurred in 70 AD, one realizes that the savagery, cruelty, and the monstrosities that occurred were beyond comparison. Also, never so high a percentage of one city's population was destroyed. Everyone was either killed or sold into slavery. As noted earlier, approximations are that 1,100,000 people were killed and 100,000 were enslaved. Add to this another 350,000 were killed all over the nation during this 3 1/2 year period.

The war that broke out in 66AD between Rome and the Jewish people was simply an intensified continuation of hostilities that had been brewing for years. Jerusalem, the last Jewish stronghold, was the focus of Rome’s most brutal rage. Multitudes of thieves, zealots, and murderers had flocked to the city seeking refuge. The city was without law and order. Chaos and anarchy reigned. The city divided into warring factions who took turns attacking each other. In one incident, more than 12,000 of the city’s nobles and leading citizens were tortured and killed by the zealots. Those who tried to escape had their throats slit and their bodies were left to rot in the streets. Burial became an impossibility. Huge piles of cadavers filled the streets or were thrown from the city’s walls. In addition, the civil war raging inside the city walls of Jerusalem during the Roman siege resulted in the different sides burning and confiscating most of the food reserves, so that before it was all over, masses of people starved to death.

"Any tribulation the Jews experience in other countries is not in view here.  The death of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis did not take place in the land of Israel.  The great tribulation is a description of what happened to Jews living in Israel in the first century.  Over one million Jews died at the hands of the Romans.  Nothing will ever compare to it because of Israel's special covenantal status.  Her sin was great, therefore her judgment was great."  (Last Days Madness, p. 129, n 22.)

"Furthermore, the tribulation period cannot be global because all one has to do to escape is flee to the mountains.  Notice that Jesus says "let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matt 24:16).  Judea is not the world; it's not even the nation of Israel!" 

Thus Jesus basically said in Matthew 24:23-28: "Don't look for the Second Coming of Christ in the chaotic events surrounding Jerusalem's fall. Such troublesome times would prove to be a golden opportunity for false prophets to lead people astray with false expectations of Christ's appearance. But Jesus says, "Don't be swayed by their miracles or their message" (24:24)."

1. The Manifest Exaltation of the Son of God- 24:29-31:

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Phenomenal events involving sun, moon, stars, and the powers of heaven don't sound to the 21^st century mind like a description of what happened in 70 AD. The reason for that is because we mistakenly seek to interpret and understand prophecy by reading the New York Times or Newsweek or watching the evening news rather than by reading the Bible. Remember, Jesus was speaking to a people saturated by Old Testament language, concepts, and imagery. From the earliest days of their lives they memorized and were taught the OT. Thus, when Jesus spoke to them of things to come he used the prophetic vocabulary of the OT which they would instantly recognize.

Consequently, if we are to understand the meaning of Mt. 24:29-31 and its parallel in Luke 21:25-26, we must read and interpret them through a biblical (i.e., OT) lens.

Luke refers to "signs" in sun, moon, and stars. Matthew says "the sun will be darkened, the moon lose its light, and the stars will fall from the sky." Are these literal, physical, astronomical events that one might see with the naked eye? I don't think so.

In the OT, such language was used to portray not what is going on in the heavens but what is happening on the earth. Natural disasters, political upheaval, turmoil among the nations, etc., are often described figuratively through the terminology of cosmic disturbances. The ongoing and unsettled, turbulent state of affairs among earthly world powers is portrayed symbolically by reference to incredible events in the heavens. In other words, astronomical phenomena are used to describe the upheaval of earthly dynasties as well as great moral and spiritual changes. As one author has put it: "In prophetic language, great commotions upon earth are often represented under the notion of commotions and changes in the heavens" (Adam Clarke). As we shall see, when the sun and moon are darkened or the stars fall from heaven, the reference is to the disasters and distresses befalling nations on the earth.

Some examples of how cosmic events are used as symbolic portrayals of earthly realities (whether blessing or cursing) include Isa. 60:20; Amos 8:2-9; Zeph. 1:4,15; Isa. 5:30; Jer. 4:23,28;13:16; Joel 2:10.

In Isaiah 13:9-10 we read of the impending judgment of God on Babylon, which he describes in this way:

"The stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light."

R.T. France notes, "Jesus is using Daniel 7:13 as a prediction of that authority which he exercised when in AD 70 the Jewish nation and its leaders, who had condemned him, were overthrown, and Jesus was vindicated as the recipient of all power from the Ancient of Days....Jesus, exalted after his death and resurrection to receive his everlasting dominion, will display it within the generation ... by an act of judgment on the nation and capital of the authorities who presumed to judge him. Then they will see ... for themselves that their time of power is finished, and it is to him that God has given all power in heaven and earth”

I believe that a mistranslation of v. 30 has contributed to a misunderstanding of what Jesus said. Literally, Mt. 24:30 reads as follows: "And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then will mourn all the tribes of the land and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

In other words, Jesus was not telling his disciples that He would appear in the sky. Rather, "He told them that they would see a sign that proved He was in heaven, sitting at His Father's right hand (Acts 2:30-36). Those who would witness Jerusalem's destruction would see the sign of Jesus' enthronement when they saw Jerusalem's destruction" (Demar, 159). In other words, the "sign" of the Son of Man being enthroned and vindicated in "heaven" is the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple “on earth”. It is the sign that appears, not the Son of Man. What does the sign signify? It signifies that the Son of Man is in heaven, exalted, vindicated, and enthroned at God’s right hand.

Dr. R.C. Sproul summarizes the import of the 70Ad coming of Christ in judgment: “The coming of Christ in A.D.70 was a coming in judgment on the Jewish nation, indicating the end of the Jewish age and the fulfillment of a day of the Lord. Jesus really did come in judgment at this time, fulfilling his prophecy in the Olivet Discourse” (The Last Days According to Jesus, p. 158, 1998). “The most significant, redemptive, historical action that takes place outside the New Testament, is the judgment that falls on Jerusalem, and by which judgment the Christian Church now [clearly] emerges as The Body of Christ”

1. The Marvelous Prospects of the Future -- 24:32-35

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

The "fig tree" (v. 32) does not refer to the nation Israel (some argue that the budding of the tree refers to the rebirth of the nation in 1948). But there is nothing in the context to indicate he is equating the fig tree with Israel. This line of thinking is based on the assumption that Mt. 24 is future.

1. The Budding of the Fig Tree is a Promise that Summer, not Winter is Coming! - Luke 21:29-31

"Then He spoke to them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near."

The promise of the fig tree parable is that the best, not the worst is ahead! The great tribulation is past, the old world order is obsolete and the new world order of the kingdom of God is present now and growing extensively.

The New Covenant is operative because the final, complete, decisive, lasting act of divine salvation happened when Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world. He was the final Adam (Romans 5:12-21), and the final prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22; 7:37), the final and ultimate Israel (Matthew 4:1-11), the final high priest (Hebrews 7:23-24), the final Passover sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:7), the final manna from heaven (John 6:31-32), the final suffering servant of Isaiah 53 (Mark 10:45), and the final Son of Man of Daniel 7 (Matthew 24:30). His blood was the blood of the promised final new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31 (Luke 22:20). He therefore was the final, decisive “Yes” and “Amen” to all God’s promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).

As "kerux" or heralds of the King, we announce that through the death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of King Jesus in Heaven, a new order of things has come into being.  Not just something in an individual’s heart, but a new reality in history. The fullness of time has come; a new creation has been birthed; the long-anticipated age of the Spirit foretold by Joel has arrived. Now the last days of this present evil age has come as well as the new world order of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The reason to believe and repent isn’t just to go to heaven when you die, get peace in your heart now, or a have happier marriage and better kids.  The reason to repent and believe is quite simple, “God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” and this being true there are no other options other than rebellion and more religion; repent or perish!

For too long, Christians have been characterized by fear of the future, despair, defeat, and retreat in the present because of the way they have been taught about the future.

For too long, Christians have heeded the unbiblical doctrine which teaches that we are doomed to failure, that Christians cannot win - the notion that, until Jesus returns, Christians will steadily lose ground to the enemy. The future of the Church, we were told, is to be a steady slide into apostasy. Some of our leaders sadly informed us that we are living in a "Laodicean age" of the Church (a reference to the "lukewarm" church of Laodicea in which Jesus is seen on the outside knocking to get in, spoken of in Rev. 3:14-22).

Any new outbreak of war, any natural upheavals such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, different colors of the moon, etc, any rise in crime statistics, any new evidence of the breakdown of the family, has often been oddly viewed as progress, a step forward toward the expected goal of the total collapse of civilization, a sign that Jesus might come to rescue us at any moment.

Summer has come in my understanding of Biblical eschatology. My confidence is not based upon things getting better, or men fixing everything, but upon the successful labors of Christ at His First Advent, the power of the gospel of God, and the present ministry of the Holy Spirit in His empowering the People of God with the Word of God, so they are expecting to see the ever-increasing victories of the kingdom of God grow more and more.

In Christ, we are truly the people of the New World Order; the people of a New Age, a New Heaven and New Earth, a New Israel, a New Kingdom, a New Jerusalem, a New Sanctuary, and of a New Inheritance! Because resurrection life is abundantly available and powerfully active, our uplook to King Jesus can be rightly focused and our outlook for ministry can be fruitfully exercised! When resurrection power fills me this hour, our obedience will be active and our outreach will be progressive, our prayers will be effective, our joy will be contagious, and our hope will be motivating!