Category: The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

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***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 21)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

Other Things Jesus Said About the Timing (continued)

This understanding ties together things that generations of erroneous Bible teaching have torn apart. Jesus – and even John the Baptist before Him – had been preaching all along that the kingdom of God was “at hand” (e.g. Matthew 3:2 and 4:17). Israel had been governed by the Law and the Prophets but, going forward, all things would be governed by the kingdom of God (to which the Law and the Prophets testified). That is why, at the beginning of Matthew 24, the disciples asked about “the end of the age,” because that end was connected with the coming of the kingdom of God. The consummation of the then current age (including the destruction of
Israel, both physical and spiritual, as God’s instrument of revelation) would mark the beginning of the new age. Therefore, in the Bible, whether the questions were about “the end of the age” or about “the coming of the kingdom,” it was always the same set of answers – because the end of
the one age meant the beginning of the other. That is, “the end of the age” would bring with it “the coming of the kingdom.”

As Jesus was approaching Jerusalem and His greatest confrontation with the authorities, some thought the kingdom of God was about to appear (Luke 19:11). To correct that impression, Jesus went on to tell a parable. Based on their messianic expectations, people were still visualizing any war involving Messiah as resulting in the devastation of all opposition to him. The crucifixion, resurrection, and call to repentance would change this perception for those who believed Jesus. So in the parable (very similar to one in Matthew 24-25) Jesus points out that there will be a lapse of time in which their use of His grace would be evaluated. This lapse of time we now know to be the time between the resurrection (to occur within days of this
interaction) and His coming in the kingdom (to occur much later in their lifetimes). We may rightly consider this the church age – the time in which the epistles of the New Testament were written, the time between Christ’s resurrection and His grand coming.

Our understanding that the coming of the kingdom is connected with the coming of the Lord and not with the resurrection (or even Pentecost) is affirmed by something we notice in the parallel accounts of Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In all three gospel accounts, Jesus tells a parable of the fig tree, saying that just as its tender branches putting forth leaves is the sign that summer is near, even so the completion of all the preliminary signs He has mentioned is indication that “He is near.” These signs (temple destroyed, rise of false teachers, etc.), of course, would not have time to have occurred by the resurrection or the day of Pentecost.

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Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 20)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

Other Things Jesus Said About the Timing (continued)

We see this distinction referred to particularly in John 21 where Peter hears Jesus foretell of his death as a martyr. Peter’s fellow fisherman and apostle John is standing nearby, so Peter asks if their fates would be similar, whereupon Jesus answers,

“If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” John 21:22

It was clearer still that some of them would be chosen to taste death and some to endure to the end, and that Jesus Himself would be overseeing who was assigned to which category. Either way, it would be an honor for any disciple.

Also, going back to the Matthew 16 passage (also recorded in Mark 8-9 and Luke 9), we see that the questions the disciples asked at the beginning of Matthew 24-25 (Mark 13, Luke 21) – that is,

“Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your
coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3

– were connected. Not only had the disciples been asking these questions in the context of the messianic age in which they lived, and in the knowledge of Jesus’ identity as Israel’s Messiah, but also in the specific knowledge (He had given them) that He would be coming before they all died. In fact, they had already known He would come in their lifetime by something He told
them even earlier in the gospel of Matthew:

…truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:23

So, having already been informed that His coming would occur while they were still in the process of their lifelong mission, though they now also knew that some of them would die in that process, the questions which prompted the detailed answer of Matthew 24-25 were born of a general knowledge seeking a more particular knowledge. That is, the disciples knew they would
see His coming before their generation passed away but were probably interested in a more precise schedule. When Jesus mentioned the destruction of the temple, emblem of the nation of Israel, it seemed the appropriate time to ask.

Note also from the Matthew 16, Mark 8-9, and Luke 9 passages that “coming,” “coming in His kingdom,” “coming in the glory of His Father,” and “kingdom of God coming” are all synonymous terms. The “Coming One” was even one of the titles for Messiah. In Matthew 11, John the Baptist asked Jesus, “Are You the Coming One?” Jesus was to “come” in His kingdom. England’s kings have a coronation; America’s presidents have an inauguration; Israel’s Messiah “comes” in his kingdom.

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Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 19)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

Other Things Jesus Said About the Timing

Having accepted and understood the master timetable Jesus gave in the Olivet Discourse, we now look elsewhere in the gospels to see any other references Jesus might have made to the timing of His Second Coming. It is reassuring, but not surprising, that what we find fits and harmonizes with what He said in Matthew 24-25 (Mark 13, Luke 21).

Matthew 16 records the meeting between Jesus and His disciples when He asks them about His identity. After Peter rightly identifies Him as the Messiah (i.e. the Christ), Jesus tells them about the crucifixion and resurrection to come. He also tells them about the Second Coming. He uses the expression “The Son of Man will come” which is the same way He repeatedly spoke of His Second Coming in Matthew 24-25 (see specifically Matthew 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; 25:31). Here is what Jesus said in Matthew 16 and the other two gospels that record the incident:

“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:27-28 [emphasis added]

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” Mark 8:38-9:1 [emphasis added]

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:26-27 [emphasis added]

You can see that Jesus clearly promises to come while some of the disciples were still living – and He emphasizes that promise by preceding it with “Truly I say to you.” In Mark’s version He even uses the words “this generation” adding the adjectives “adulterous and sinful” that characterized it as a whole. As we know, some of the disciples present (most of them, in fact) died for Him in the course of the mission. The sinfulness that characterized the age would manifest itself against these disciples in the same murderous persecution that crucified Jesus. We would not be surprised therefore if Jesus had to choke back some emotion when He came to the words “some standing here shall not taste death” knowing therefore that some of those present indeed would taste it on His behalf.

***

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 18)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

The Consequences of Rejecting Jesus’ Timetable

If someone does not accept the timetable for the Second Coming Jesus gave, then elaborate schemes of dates and events have to be established and verses have to be quoted out of context and given new meaning they never originally held in order to produce a teaching on the subject. For example, some have taken the verse “of that day or hour no one knows” out of
context and presented it as if Jesus was saying no one could have any idea when the Second Coming would occur, when all He meant was that the exact day or moment could not be pinpointed. To say that no one could know when, is to contradict the clear and comprehensive answer Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 24-25.

If you understand what the Second Coming was about, you realize that a pinpoint date was not necessary. I cannot give you a pinpoint date for when He came (though, of course, there is one) and I am not the least bit interested in determining it. The important thing is to know the sun has risen, not to be able to quote the exact moment it broke the horizon (though, of course,
there was such a precise moment).

“Prophecy experts” also do mental gymnastics with the word “generation” saying that it means something other than its plain sense. For instance, they say it means “race” and therefore Jesus was saying the Jewish race would not pass away until all these things took place, which would render all that he said prior to this as utter nonsense. For if it could occur anytime the Jewish race was in existence, why did He give them all these signs to watch for? Why didn’t He just say, “You can’t really know when – it could be over 2,000 years from now”? But everything in His answer indicates that the events under consideration would take no longer than a lifetime. There is no “and to your seed after you” language like the Bible uses when God’s instructions extend beyond a generation, as they do in the Law of Moses. In this context, to say the word “generation” means “race” would also make the statement itself say almost the exact opposite of itself. Think about it. “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” would then become to their ears, “This generation may very well pass away before all these things take place.” Ridiculous.

Other teachers, recognizing these absurdities, seize on the word “this” for
reinterpretation. They say that there is a generation in which all these things would come to pass but Jesus was not promising it would be the generation of His listeners. Therefore, each generation should look for the signs because it might be the one generation in which Jesus would come. Apart from the violence this does to the obvious sense of Jesus’ words, the approach falls
flat on its face because the disciples’ generation was the only one which did see all the signs fulfilled, for theirs is the only generation in which the temple to which Jesus pointed was destroyed. No other generation can see that sign fulfilled. The temple was standing as He spoke. It fell just as He said it would. All historians, religious and secular, confirm it happened in 70 A.D. How then can anyone stand up today and say, “We may very well be the generation of which Jesus spoke”?

I certainly mean no disrespect to those who promote these tortured interpretations and unjustified timelines for the Second Coming. I simply say that there is no reason to take Jesus’ straightforward answer to His disciples’ straightforward questions in some non-straightforward way. Our choice is simple: believe Jesus’ straightforward timetable or believe someone else’s
convoluted timetable.

***

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 17)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

The Master’s Timetable

Once again we state the obvious: Jesus said that not too long after the temple was destroyed, while tribulation was prevalent and false teachers abounding, He would come. He made no mention that He might come in some succeeding generation but went out of His way to assure them it would be in that generation. Jesus raises the hope that, if they would endure, they themselves would see His coming. Which do you think had more risk of failing: their endurance or His promise? Of course, their endurance. Since, however, they did endure (save Judas, and the ones He chose to give their lives in martyrdom, including Peter and Paul), how much more did He come! We will really get mixed up if we start thinking we are the sure thing and God is the maybe. If He said (and He did) “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” (and His coming was the most essential of all the “things”) then we may rest assured that by the time that generation passed away all these things had taken place. And not only had they all occurred, but in the exact sequence He outlined. How can we say we believe Him and see it any other way?

As you read through the rest of the New Testament, you can see that the apostles follow their Master’s timetable exactly in what they say to people. For example, in his second letter to Timothy, when Paul is writing about the last days, he says to Timothy that “difficult times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1). Now when a guy who’s encountered the level of tribulation that Paul has (Have there been many other guys who’ve encountered that much tribulation?) tells you that difficult times are coming, you really have to call it “great tribulation.” And isn’t that just what Jesus called it (Matthew 24:21)?

In this same passage (2 Timothy 3), Paul speaks of the false teachers in these difficult times as being like “Jannes and Jambres” who “opposed Moses” (2 Timothy 3:8). This would bring to Timothy’s mind the magicians of Pharaoh who reproduced some of the signs and wonders of Moses and Aaron – a definite allusion to Jesus’ prophecy that the many false Christs and false prophets at the end would even in some cases perform great signs and wonders, seeming to imply divine authority was with them.

This is only one example of how the apostles always speak and write according to the timetable Jesus gives. Though they may use different words and phrases, they always stick to the same ideas and timing.

We will not only see that the apostles teach the same timetable, but that they, because they are writing through the period from the Lord’s resurrection to His return, can confirm to us that certain portions of the Lord’s prophecy were fulfilled before their eyes. For example, they tell of the various forms of personal tribulation they endured (mostly in an indirect way, for they were wanting to call attention to the Lord and not to themselves) and even of the false teachers near the end (e.g. 3 John 1:9, which we’ll examine below). Therefore, we will see that the apostles not only accepted and taught the Master’s timetable, but also verify for us portions of its fulfillment.

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Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 16)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

Other Signs To Be Fulfilled, Too (continued)

History will also tell us that there were wars, famines, and earthquakes that occurred, just as Jesus had said. We should probably not, however, regard these words as prophecy per se for these things have always occurred throughout human history with some periods of time being more intense with them than others. Jesus’ point, therefore, was that He didn’t want His
disciples distracted from their mission when wars, famines, and earthquakes arose with greater intensity – the disciples must keep on going with His message of love.

Just before His ascension into heaven, Jesus told His disciples,

“It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority…“ Acts 1:7

In other words, the disciples should not be concerned with which nation was rising against which nation, which would include not being concerned about which nation would be the one to destroy Israel.

Paul said the same thing to the believers in Thessalonica:

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 1 Thessalonians 5:1

Such curiosity would serve no useful purpose for God, and only distract the disciples from their mission of preaching the good news about Jesus.

Note how many of those who preach a “future, physical” Second Coming do this very thing Jesus and Paul said not to do. For example, such “prophecy experts” will say ”Iran is going to come against Israel in fulfillment of prophecy.” A quarter of a century ago, they uttered the same sentence except that it was the Soviet Union instead of Iran. God does not use His
people to be geopolitical prognosticators and commentators. Rather, He uses His people to proclaim His name and demonstrate His righteous character.

History also tells us that, just as Jesus predicted, the apostles were hated and persecuted on account of His name. Most of the twelve died a martyr’s death. If you look up an account of their lives, you will see that they left very little information about themselves. They devoted their all to making known their Master. Whoever succeeded at so difficult a mission, or at a greater personal price, as they did? What we don’t know about Jesus is our fault, not theirs.

***

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 15)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

Other Signs To Be Fulfilled, Too (continued)

Let’s review what we’ve learned to this point from the Olivet Discourse: As to when these things would happen (the question of timing the disciples first asked), Jesus could not have been clearer. As they preached the gospel throughout the world there would be wars, famines, and earthquakes. As the movement of disciples grew, they would be subject to persecution and even betrayed within the ranks (Judas, in a matter of days, would foreshadow this dynamic). The destruction of the temple would mark the beginning of the most intense period of their tribulation. (And if anyone should doubt that these dark times would qualify as “great tribulation,” as Jesus called it, let him read the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who gives gory details of the horrors that came on Jerusalem.) After that, the false leaders would appear
everywhere in the Christian movement, tearing up what the apostles had worked so hard for…and then Messiah would come. We have confirmation in the New Testament that these false teachers did actually gain prominence (Jude 1:4-19; 1 John 2:18; 4:1). Though none of the disciples could know the day or hour, all of them could be sure that (excepting those who died as
martyrs first, by His choice) if they endured to the end, they would see it. No soldiers going into lifelong battle could have asked for clearer marching orders.

Now some have said that Jesus’ coming was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D. You have seen that this is not so, for Jesus said the temple’s destruction was only the sign of worsening tribulation before his coming, and therefore was preliminary to, and not a climax of, His coming. People who see the destruction of Jerusalem as the Second
Coming, however, are at least on the right track, honestly acknowledging that the destruction of the temple is a key piece of the timetable. Jesus said the subsequent tribulation would be so bad it would have to be cut short. By “cut short” do you think He meant a period of time longer than 1,946 years? This is just how many years have elapsed since 70 A.D. If that were the actual
timeline, not even Methuselah (who attained to the age of 969) had he been an apostle, could have endured to the end!

The disciples rightly recognized the destruction of the temple as the sign of the end for Israel. Jesus explained to them exactly where it fit into the timetable of events. How can we today ignore so obvious a fact as its destruction? Hardly a week goes by that you don’t see a picture of the Muslim structure that dominates the temple’s former site and the shred of a wall (called “the wailing wall”) that sits humbly beneath it. All history testifies that Jesus’ prophecy about the temple was fulfilled. How can today’s “prophecy experts” ignore such realities and say that Jesus’ prophecies are meant instead for our age or beyond?

***

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 14)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

Other Signs To Be Fulfilled, Too

The temple was the key sign, but there were others as well. Jesus goes on to tell His disciples that no one could know the exact day or hour of His coming, which makes sense given the kind of timetable He gave them. The temple’s destruction was a sign, but the proliferation of false Christs and false prophets was also a sign. Jesus’ coming could not occur before the first sign. It would definitely occur sometime after the temple was destroyed and while the false brethren were in prominence.

These unfolding events were all backdrop to the essential mission of the apostles. Jesus made clear in His discourse that the conclusion of the timeline would be driven by the fulfillment of their mission.

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

The Acts of the Apostles and other New Testament books give evidence that the gospel was considered spread around the world even in that age. Paul could write to the Romans,

“…your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.” Romans 1:8

And to the Colossians Paul writes,

“… the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing…” Colossians 1:5-6

Such an effective job was being done by the apostles of Jesus, that even unbelievers were aware of its worldwide influence, for when Paul finally arrived in Rome (the “Big Apple” of its day), he was asked about the movement of which he was a part:

“…this sect…is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.” Acts 28:22 [emphasis added]

And it is no wonder, God Himself having paved the way for them, for even on the day of Pentecost when Peter first spoke about the resurrected Messiah there were Jews from all over the world present for the feast in Jerusalem to hear him (Acts 2). Of course, God would have to remain the final judge of when all the nations had heard enough and judgment should begin. He’s the only one who could be completely fair and impartial about it.

Someone may argue at this point that I am not dealing with everything that is written in Matthew 24 and 25 – that is, with all of Jesus’ answer to the disciples question. That’s right. I am only dealing with timing, or when these things would happen. In the next part of the book, we will deal with what would happen – that is, the nature of the Second Coming. If we can’t accept
the when, about which the Scriptures are straightforward, clear, and emphatic, how will we ever accept the what?

***

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 13)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

The Key Sign

The key sign of the temple being destroyed was now understood. It was Jesus’ mention of this fateful event that prompted the disciples’ questions in the first place. Note also what came before His bringing it up: His indictment of the scribes and Pharisees.

Matthew 23 (of course, the Bible wasn’t written in chapter and verse – those markers were added later) is Jesus’ stark warning to his fellow religious leaders in Israel. “Woe to you,” He repeatedly declares…and then explains. He finishes by saying,

“Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” Matthew 23:38

As He leaves the Pharisees, Jesus tells His disciples that the house that was being left desolate to the Pharisees was going to be completely torn down. Not only do we now see the flow of thought connecting Matthew 23 with 24 and 25, but also get a hint about what Daniel’s expression “abomination of desolation” meant. Jesus had taught, “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,” (Matthew 16:25). The Pharisees could not let go of the temple God had given, even though its time had elapsed; its period of usefulness had expired. Rejecting the greater glory of Jesus, they clung to the lesser glory, and fading glory, of the temple. But having tried to save their life (that is, cling to the temple), they were only to lose it in utter devastation. “But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (continuing in Matthew 16:25) Jesus had gone on to say. And so those humble Jews who followed Jesus, though they lost the temple and the land, would inherit the presence of God…and the whole earth as well (see Matthew 28:20 and Matthew 5:5).

God’s signs are not just signs of timing but of meaning as well. Fortune-telling, horoscopes, and the like have in common with the Bible the element of predicting the future. But anyone who had read from both types of literature notices the vastly different way they approach the subject. One aspect of this difference is that a Bible sign is not something you
check off your list unemotionally, but rather is full of meaning, emotion, and your own experience. The destruction of the temple is something to be pondered and understood – something that is meant to communicate to us even today. Just as there is more to understand about Jesus’ healing a blind man than that God loves people and has the power to cure blindness. (For example, what does it illustrate about spiritual blindness?)

The temple was convenient as the key sign because it is a fixed, historically ascertainable structure – and its destruction a historical ascertainable event. That is, Jesus picked something that would be easy for subsequent generations to verify. But it was not merely convenient; it was immeasurably significant. And since its destruction has lasted even until our day, perhaps we should be pondering its significance even in our day.

Before going on, let’s remember that though the temple may have been the most notable sign, it was not the only one, nor was it the immediate sign of His coming. Jesus goes on to show this later in the chapter when He tells a parable of a fig tree. His point will be that a fig tree’s tender branches and new leaves tell you that summer is near. Summer is something you can’t see; rather, you experience it. It is a change in conditions, the results of which you see. When you look out your window, you can’t “see” summer or winter. You see a street, trees, and so on. Just so, Jesus was giving signs that led up to the Second Coming – signs they would be able to see. But the Second Coming was like summer – something you couldn’t see. It was a change in spiritual conditions (as summer would mark a change in meteorological conditions).
This will become more clear when we discuss the spiritual nature of the Second Coming. For now, let’s return to the signs that would lead up to when “He was near.”

***

Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life

Bible Reading Plans

• Plan One: New Testament Only
• Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
• Plan Three: New Testament + History
• Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3

Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.

Extras

Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute

Overflow

***

(Today’s Reading)

The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact

(Book Installment 12)

Part Two – The Timing of the Second Coming

Chapter 2 – What the Gospels Say

“When Are You Coming?” (continued)

Jesus has completed the whole timetable without mentioning the temple so now He comes back to it in verse 15. He says that when they see the “abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (Matthew 24:15) they should flee Judea (the region in which Jerusalem was located). In giving his version, Luke says
“when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.” (Luke 21:20) and then goes on likewise telling them to flee Judea. Since our main concern in this chapter is timing, we will not bog ourselves down with determining exactly what Daniel meant by “abomination of desolation.” Whether the disciples saw what was “in the holy place” or “the armies” lining up outside, the instruction was the same: flee Judea!

The reason for fleeing Judea was that a great tribulation would be about to ensue. There would be no deliverance from it except to escape to some other location. Normally, under such circumstances the people of Israel would flee to Jerusalem, seeking safety within her walls. Jesus wanted to make absolutely clear that such a strategy would be fatal in this case – for this destruction of Jerusalem was inevitable – even to the foundation of the temple.

Therefore, the fall of the temple was not the end, but it was the beginning of the end. There would be tribulation before that event, but it would be small compared to the tribulation after it. This tribulation would be so great that God would cut it short by finally bringing about the glorious kingdom of Messiah for which heaven and earth had been waiting for so long.

At this point in Matthew’s narrative (we are about halfway through Matthew 24), the disciples realize when Jesus would come: it would be some time after the temple was destroyed, but not too long after. Jesus went on to confirm to them that their generation would not pass away until all these things took place. Here are His words:

“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Matthew 24:34

It would be hard to construct a sentence which communicated more clearly and emphatically that all the things that Jesus was talking about would occur in that generation. We know that Jesus spoke these words around 33 A.D. and that the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Since Jesus promised to come sometime not too long after the tribulation that was ignited with the destruction of the temple, we see how the promise that His generation would experience all these events was to be fulfilled. The simplicity and consistency of his remarks on this timeline make us marvel at how we have so misunderstood them! There was only one century in which He told His followers to look for His return – the one that He and they lived in!

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