Eight blows to Imminence
By R.g.Wallace
Blow #1
Peter must grow old and die.
John 21:18-19
"Truly, truly, I say to you, when
you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else
will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to {go."} Now this
He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when
He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"
How imminent could the Lord's return be
for Peter who was told by Jesus Himself that he would "grow old"
and die a martyr's death?
Would Peter be expecting an "any
moment" return of Jesus next year, the year after, in five years?
Did Jesus teach that He could come back
at any moment and tell Peter at the same time, that he would grow old?
I think not.
How can one justify the act of the Holy
Spirit, communicating through the apostle John the fact of this "prophecy"
that Peter would grow old, and at the same time communicate through others
that Jesus could come back "at any moment?"
2 Peter 1:13-15
And I consider it right, as long as I
am in this {earthly} dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing
that the laying aside of my {earthly} dwelling is imminent, as also our
Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that
at any time after my departure you may be able to call these things to
mind.
Here is some imminence for us. Peter had
grown old. The year is approximately 67 AD and Peter knows that any day
now, he could be captured and led forth to die. What Peter also knows is
that Jesus would NOT come back before that happens.
In fact, Peter even mentions the coming
of the Lord as he remembers being an eyewitness to His "Majesty"
that will be manifested at the Day of the Lord return of Jesus, when He
comes "in power and great glory."
But He does not mention imminence. Instead
he tells them to keep in mind the basic truths of Christianity that they
have learned so that AFTER he dies, they will be able to use them for their
own comfort and encouragement as the expectantly look for the "future"
coming of Jesus.
No, Peter does not teach imminence in
chapter one.
In chapter two, Peter makes it clear that
as the church age continues, there WILL ARISE false teachers who will introduce
destructive heresies.
Yes, there will continue to be an advance
of evil just as Paul said, "evil men and impostors will proceed from
bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived," (2 Tim. 3:13). And through
it all, Peter reminds them that God knows how to deliver the godly from
temptation and encourages them to remember the words spoken previously
by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken
by your apostles," (2 Pet. 3:2).
Peter does not teach imminence in chapter
two. How could he? He was never taught imminence by Jesus.
In chapter three, Peter says an astonishing
thing. He says that there will come a time that can be designated as "the
last days." Days considerably distant from the initial promise given
by Jesus and repeated by the apostles, that Jesus was coming back. Thus,
as "time" has gone by, the mockers will be motivated to say,
"where is the promise of His coming?" Yes, so much time will
have gone by that the mockers will have a "hay day" of ridicule
concerning the promise of Christ's return. So Peter reminds them that God's
time table is not based on man's perceptions of days and years. He says
that God is not "slow" as man views slowness, but that He is
actually "patient," waiting so that mankind might have a maximum
amount of time to come to a change of mind.
And then he repeats the well known warning,
"the day of the Lord will come like a thief" to indicate that
many will be unprepared for its arrival and the return of Jesus.
The phrase, "come like a thief,"
occurs only 5 times and always refers to the return of Jesus at the arrival
of the Day of the Lord (1Thes. 5:2, 4; 2Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3;
Rev. 16:15). The use of this term originated based on the parable
Jesus taught at Matt. 24:43-44
"But be sure of this, that if the
head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming,
he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to
be broken into. "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of
Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect it."
This exhortation and warning follows upon
His teaching that when you see the "signs" of the great tribulation,
you will know that His coming is right at the door, just like we know that
summer is near when we see leaves on the trees (Luke 21:29).
But He immediately tells us that no one
knows the day or hour of His coming. In other words, we can know the "season"
of His coming, when He will be "right at the door," but we cannot
know the exact day of His coming. Thus the exhortation for watchfulness
so we might be prepared when God brings that arrival of Jesus "in
His own timing" (1 Tim. 6:15).
Jesus did not teach imminence here. He
taught that the events of the tribulation would precede His coming and
that once those events transpire, we should know that He is right at the
door and we should "be on the alert, for you do not know which day
your Lord is coming," (Mat. 24:42).
But our watchfulness should not be out
of fear or sorrow, but out of great joy and expectation, knowing that at
His arrival He will take us to Himself so that then we shall ever be with
the Lord. That is why Paul calls this "the blessed hope" (Lit:
the HAPPY confidence, Titus 2:13)).
He will come like a thief, only to those
who are unprepared. But for the believer, walking in fellowship with God
(walking in the light) they "are not in darkness that the day should
overtake you like a thief," (1 Thes. 5:5). Accordingly, Paul immediately
follows that up with an exhortation to all believers including himself,
to "not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and balanced,"
(2 Thes. 5:6).
The exhortation then is to watchfulness
and preparedness, not in view of an "any moment" coming of Jesus,
but in view of the DANGER of not being ready when "the signs"
come on the scene.
All the words used to encourage our watchfulness
communicate the attitude of "expectation" and the strong emotion
of longing, in view of His promised arrival, not in view of an "any
moment" arrival.
No, Jesus did not teach imminence at Matthew
24. Instead, He taught that specific events had to occur first. Peter knew
and understood this. And he even knew that the Lord would not come during
his lifetime.
Thus, he exhorts the recipients of his
letter, to be diligent to maintain holy conduct and godliness (2 Pet. 3:11)
and to be found in Him, in peace, spotless and blameless," (v.14)
so that just like John warns, "we may have confidence and not shrink
away from Him in shame at His coming," (1 John 2:28).
2Pet. 3:17-18
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand,
be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled
men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him {be} the glory, both now and
to the day of eternity. Amen.
Peter did not teach imminence in chapter
three. He taught the need for growth, preparation and watchfulness,
"looking for and promoting the coming
of the day of God,"
(2Peter 3:12, BFT).
Blow #2
Paul must witness in Rome.
Acts 23:11
But on the night {immediately} following,
the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have
solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome
also."
Unless, He adds, I decide to come back
FIRST - then, of course, you won't get to Rome - - -
Such a little idea packed into this verse.
Paul is told that he IS going to witness at Rome. That means it is BEFORE
the Lord returns.
Jesus did not say when this would come
about, but the promise stands on its own merits and for any one who was
looking for an "any moment" rapture, the promise would certainly
destroy that idea.
Now while Paul is "waiting"
to get to Rome, what does he teach others about the "imminent"
return of Jesus? Maybe he will have to keep it "hush-hush" since
now, he cannot depend on it himself. Maybe he never had that idea in the
first place. After all, he is the one who wrote 2 Thes. 2:3, which says
that the day of the Lord cannot come until the man of lawlessness is revealed.
The same basic promise is repeated at
Acts 27:24 where we find -
Acts 27:23-26
"For this very night an angel of
the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do
not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has
granted you all those who are sailing with you.' "Therefore, keep
up your courage, men, for I believe God, that it will turn out exactly
as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island."
But of course, the rapture might occur
while they are stuck on the island and make the "promise" of
God a lie. And how long were they on the island? Acts 26:11, "And
at the end of 3 months, we set sail on an Alexandrian ship."
Three months for Paul to be expecting
an "any moment" rapture. Well, no, because God had told Paul
that he had to go to Rome. What then of all the believers throughout the
rest of the world? Where is the reality of their hope in an "any moment"
rapture? Were they to still look for such a thing? Indeed, would God the
Holy Spirit be communicating to others that they should be looking for
an "any moment" rapture, while at the same time having revealed
to Paul that there would not be one?
Of course not. God does not give conflicting
information to His people.
Blow #3
John will have additional public ministry
beyond writing the book of the Revelation.
Revelation 10:8-11,
And the voice which I heard from heaven,
{I heard} again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which
is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land."
And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he
said to me, "Take it, and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter,
but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey."
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was
in my mouth sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made
bitter.
And they said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples
and nations and tongues and kings."
Revelation chapter 10 is a parenthetical
chapter that deals personally with John and specifically with His ministry
beyond the writing of the book of The Revelation.
This is a personal promise to John that
he will prophesy "again" which suggests a ministry beyond the
scope of the present vision he is seeing.
Accordingly, the Lord's return could not
be imminent to John, nor would the Holy Spirit teach Imminency through
him.
He may not know exactly when and where
his future ministry is, but he should know that the Lord will not be coming
back first.
Blow #4
A specific departure from the faith and
the revealing of the man of Lawlessness must precede the return of Jesus.
2Thes. 2:1-3
Now we request you, brethren, with regard
to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,
that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed
either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect
that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for
{it will not come} unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness
is revealed, the son of destruction."
This blow connects only if one will recognize
the proper correlation of terms established within the context.
The subject is "the coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him."
It should be clear that Paul views these
two events as taking place at the same time. He makes the same connection
at 1 Thes. 4:15-17, where we find in v. 15, "we who remain until the
COMING OF THE LORD" and at v. 17, "we shall be caught up together
in the clouds for a MEETING with the Lord in the air."
In chapter 5, Paul then makes the connection
of this "coming" and "meeting" (gathering) with the
term "Day of the Lord" at verse 2.
In verses 3-11, Paul then clearly indicates
that the believer who is "awake," "alert" and "sober"
(balanced) will NOT be surprised by the arrival of the Day of the Lord
which will catch others totally off guard.
But in so doing, he also makes it perfectly
clear that the church will be present on the earth when the Day of the
Lord arrives. In fact, he clearly makes this arrival of the Day of the
Lord refer to the same event mentioned just a few verses before as "the
coming of the Lord" and "a meeting with the Lord in the air."
At 2 Thes. 2:1-3, he makes the exact same
correlation.
Here, he addresses the concern of the
believers that they Day of the Lord has already arrived. Accordingly, they
have been given the impression by false teachings, that not only has "the
coming" arrived, but the "gathering" taught to them in Paul's
first letter, has also occurred.
So, CONCERNING this "coming"
and "gathering," Paul says that they should not be disturbed
about the idea that the Day of the Lord has come and pay no attention to
the false teachings they have heard. He then very clearly tells them that
this "coming of the Lord" and "our gathering together to
Him," known AS the Day of the Lord, WILL NOT come until the apostasy
and the man of lawlessness is revealed. That means that the man of lawlessness,
the "beast" of Revelation and the one so often designated as
the antichrist, WILL come on the scene of human history and be revealed
as the great rebel against God BEFORE the rapture of the church.
And since there is usually little dispute
that the man of lawlessness is revealed as the oppressive beast of The
Revelation, AT the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week and not before it, it
should be clear that such a revealing will precede the "coming of
the Lord."
This issue revolves around whether or
not one has the personal honesty and objectivity to make the proper identification
of the three terms involved as referring to the same event.
Blow #5
The Great Commission:
Jesus said that he church would accomplish a world-wide gospel proclamation
before He comes back.
Matthew 28:18-20,
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age."
This is the general mandate for worldwide
evangelism and probably in itself, does not really mitigate against imminence.
However, in association with Acts 1:8, there appears to be another one
of those "things" which MUST be carried out before Jesus can
or will come back.
"but you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part
of the earth."
Now we know that the "church"
was scattered away from Judea as a result of the persecution that arose
in connection with Stephen (Acts 8:1) and began ministering throughout
the regions of Samaria. This took place about 36 AD and certainly fulfills
the words of Jesus at Acts 1:8.
But the question needs to be asked. Could
Jesus have returned BEFORE that migration of the church to Samaria? And
if so, what then is the purpose and reliability of the words of Jesus at
Acts 1:8?
Furthermore, Jesus said, "and to
the uttermost parts of the earth," which did not take place for several
years later. Paul informs us that it did indeed, happen as he writes in
about 59 AD concerning the Romans, "your faith is being proclaimed
throughout the whole world," (Rom. 1:8).
And in about 63 AD, "the hope of
the gospel . . which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven,"
(Col. 1:23). And at Col. 1:6, "the gospel, which has come to you,
just as in all the world also."
And let us remember what was said of the
apostles by the Jews of Thessalonica in about 54 AD, "these men who
have upset the world, have come here also," (Acts 17:6).
But BEFORE these men took the gospel to
the uttermost parts of the earth,
(say, between 30 and 50 AD) if indeed
the above passages indicate that to be the case, could Jesus have come
back? And if those passages do not indicate such a spread of the gospel,
has Acts 1:8 then, not been fulfilled till later, if indeed, at all? And
if that be the case, could Jesus have come back "anytime" since
His very own words would still be unfulfilled?
Then we have Matthew 10:16-23 with special
focus on Verse 23,
"But whenever they persecute in this
city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish with
the cities of Israel UNTIL the Son of Man comes."
This is similar to Acts 1:8 in that it
indicates a certain accomplishment BEFORE the return of Jesus. If at a
certain point in time, they are only part way through reaching "the
cities of Israel," are they to be looking for an "any moment"
return of Jesus? I think not.
Let's back up to Verse 18,
"And you shall even be brought before
governors and kings for my Name's sake, as a testimony to them and to the
Gentiles."
In view of this, can they have been looking
for an "any moment" return of Jesus during the 6+ years when
they were ministering in Judea?
No, there needs to be a "worldwide"
ministry of the church BEFORE Jesus will come back.
Indeed, Jesus again tells us at Matthew
24:14,
"and this gospel of the kingdom shall
be proclaimed in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and
then the end shall come."
Of course, once again, this requires having
a certain understanding of the context.
The understanding that "the end"
correlates with Matthew 10:23 where Jesus relates it to "the Son of
Man comes," and with Matthew 24:29, "immediately after the tribulation
of those days."
And the understanding that the "coming"
of Jesus that is in view here is the ONLY coming of Jesus that He Himself
taught about. But that is another subject. However, I suggest that all
the passages in the New Testament refer to the one and only coming of Jesus
when He will come in the clouds of the sky and gather His elect from the
earth and NOT his "later" descent to the earth at Armageddon
which is only referenced at Rev. 19:11.
Anyway, I trust that it can be seen to
be unlikely, in view of the promises and commands for a worldwide evangelistic
outreach, that the Christians of the early church did not believe in an
"any moment" return of Jesus. Expectancy does not require imminence.
Blow #6
The predicted progress of historical trends
which must take place, as the "beginning" of birth pains, militates
against the idea of Imminency.
Mankind has always been preoccupied with
the future, and of course, the disciples of Jesus were no exception. During
the week prior to the crucifixion in 30 AD, Jesus frequented the temple
in Jerusalem every day. And it was on one of these days, the 12th of the
month Nisan, that it appears as though He actually baited the curiosity
of the disciples by speaking of a future destruction of the temple with
very strong language.
The occasion, according to Mt. 24:1 and
Luke 21:5, was the disciple's enamorment with the temple structure. The
"bait" then, appears to be recorded at Mt.24:2 and Luke 21:6.
Do you not see all these things? Truly
I say to you, there shall surely not be left one stone upon another, which
will not be torn down.
The disciples respond with several questions,
one of which was, "when shall these things be." Ie, when will
this destruction of the temple occur? Matthew chooses not to record Christ's
answer to this question, but simply deals with the time period from the
cross until that destruction in 70 AD, via verses 5-6.
Luke, on the other hand, records the
answer that Jesus gave and also gives us a general time-frame for understanding
it.
In addition, they asked what would be
the sign of His coming, the very coming He had been teaching them about
for 3 1/2 years.
The answers of Jesus, recorded for us
in Mt. 24 and Luke 21, give us an outline for the history of the church
up until the gathering of the elect (church age believers) out from this
world at the arrival of the Day of the LORD which is the event that triggers
the end of the age.
Matthew 24:4
The possibility of deception requires
specific information so that the church might be oriented to the progress
of history and not be distracted from her evangelistic purpose.
If the church, or more specifically, individual
believers, get too distracted and discouraged at the progress of evil in
the world, they will lose sight of the true objective for their continued
sojourn here on the earth (1 Peter 2:9).
Thus, we have the Olivet Discourse, wherein
Jesus orients us to the historical trends that will occur during the church
age, leading up to His return at the Day of the LORD.
As this is studied, it is imperative to
properly harmonize the three accounts that we have in the synoptic gospels.
And as they unfold it will be clear that the progress is viewed from 30
AD, as an uninterrupted history of the church, until Matthew 24:29-31,
when Jesus returns in association with the Day of the LORD signs and gathers
His elect from the world.
Jesus breaks down the historical trends
into three periods.
1. Those before 70 AD.
2. Those between 70 AD and the great tribulation.
3. And those during the great tribulation.
The very fact that He so presents this
information indicates the intent to communicate watchfulness for the "signs"
of His coming and not to advocate an "any moment" return. In
fact, His wording DEMANDS a delay of that return until at least the fall
of Jerusalem. CHURCH AGE TRENDS - General trends both before and after 70 AD:
Mt. 24:5, For many will come in My name,
saying, I am the Christ,
(Lk. 21:8, I am He, and, The time is at hand) and will deceive many.
(do not go after them. LK)
(For the mystery of lawlessness is already working - 2 Th.2:7)
Verse 6
And you will be hearing of wars and rumors
of wars; see that you are not disturbed, for it must happen, but it is
not yet the end.
(Lk. 21:9 And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be alarmed;
for these things must happen first, but the end is not immediate.)
These "wars and rumors" have
been occurring since 30 AD, and are to be viewed as general trends without
placing any specific significance upon them. In fact, Jesus calls them
"the beginning of birth pains at verse 8. "Beginning birth pains"
are those intermittent pushes and shoves which indicate that a pregnancy
is moving toward its "end." However, before that "end"
can occur, there must be the "breaking of the water" and the
final birth pains which are the body's actions to bring that baby into
the world and "end" the pregnancy.
Imminency is excluded by the fact that
Jesus says these things MUST happen and yet that is not the end. Now, once
the beginning birth pains occur, the idea of Imminency would in that regard
be present. But that is the whole idea. There is no Imminency UNTIL the
birth process begins with beginning birth pains.
The "pregnancy" is God's plan
to establish the Messiah's reign on the earth via His return at the Day
of the Lord.
The beginning birth pains are those historical
trends which progress from Messiah's first advent until the revelation
of the beast, the man of lawlessness at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week.
The final birth pains take place during
the oppressive reign of the beast which is called the tribulation, the
great one.
The end of the "pregnancy" is
when Jesus returns at the Day of the Lord and administrates divine wrath
upon the world in preparation for establishing His 1000 year earthly kingdom.
At verse 6, Jesus said, "the end
is not yet." This clarifies that when the "wars and rumors"
occur, the oriented Christian should not be deceived into thinking that
it portends the end of the age. To explain why it is not yet the end, Jesus
amplifies at Mat. 24:7 and Luke 21:10-11. Here, He describes trends that
take place on a much larger scale than the ones just mentioned - -
For nation shall rise against nation and
kingdom against kingdom - - .
There are two things in this passage which
tell us that these "larger scale" trends are those which will
occur after AD 70.
1. The idea of "kingdom against kingdom"
conflicts does not describe the conflicts that took place within the Roman
Empire prior to 70 AD.
2. At Luke 21:12, the phrase, "but
before all these things."
Here Jesus backs up in His discourse in order to describe the events leading
up to and culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
By saying, "before all these things,"
Jesus is placing the following information before the "larger scale"
trends just described.
And so, chronologically, these events should be viewed first.
As we approach this study, a very important
point needs to be recognized in order to properly correlate the language
Jesus uses as He tells of the events that will take place. Jesus taught
about two different times of persecution and two different times of crisis
for Jerusalem. He uses similarity of language to describe both, and we
must be careful to make the separation between the two situations or else
we will miss the true intent of His teaching.
When Jesus talks about the persecution
between 30-70 AD, he uses language that is very similar to what He uses
to describe the persecution of the great tribulation. But by careful analysis,
the distinction between the two periods can be preserved. The same principle
applies to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the oppression by
the beast in the great tribulation.
SPECIFIC PERSECUTION BETWEEN 30-70 AD
(based on Luke 21:12, "But before all these things")
Verses 12-19,
"they will lay their hands on you
and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing
you before kings and governors because of My name. It will provide you occasion
for a testimony. Therefore establish in your hearts, not to practice
to defend yourselves; for I will give you speech and wisdom which all of
your opponents will be unable to resist or refute. But you will be delivered
up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will
kill some from among you, and you will be hated by all because of My name.
Yet a hair from your head will not perish. By your endurance you will possess
your lives."
Mark also records this information at
Mark 13:9-13 and it is best to take that passage as paralleling Luke 21:12-19.
It should further be recognized that Matthew records this same teaching
much earlier than the Olivet discourse at Mat. 10:16-23.
But at Mat. 10:23, Jesus takes the persecution
and the gospel proclamation beyond the immediate time frame of the apostolic
era and applies it to the church age in general without making any reference
to the fall of Jerusalem 40 years after His resurrection.
"You shall not finish with the cities
of Israel until the Son of Man comes."
This simply confirms the idea that there
is no "interruption" of the historical progress of the church
until Jesus returns at the Day of the LORD.
It also confirms that Jesus did not teach
an "any moment" return, but expected there to be a "complete"
ministry within Israel first.
Mark 13:9-10
Now keep yourselves alert; for they will
deliver you to courts and you will be flogged in synagogues, and you will
stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them.
And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.
The world-wide proclamation of the gospel
was fulfilled by the apostles (at least in the context of the Roman Empire)
prior to 70 AD according to language that we find at Colossians 1:6, 23.
But it also has great significance for the period of time prior to the
Day of the LORD. For there shall be, indeed, needs to be a blanket of gospel
truth announced to Israel both locally, in Palestine, as well as world-wide,
in order to sow the seed that will sprout in the 144,000 Jews who are converted
just after the Day of the LORD arrives, (Rev. 7:1-8).
There also needs to be a maximum gospel
proclamation to the world as a whole, "before" the return of
Jesus to provide a "final warning" as it were, to all peoples
so that, whether before or after the Day of the Lord, "whoever calls
upon the name of the LORD, shall be saved." Joel 2:32
Matthew 24:14,
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
proclaimed
in the whole world for a witness to all the nations,
and then the end shall come.
Indeed, the ministry of "the church"
will never be complete either to the world or to Israel until Jesus returns.
Mat. 10:16-23
Verse 23,
". . . you shall not finish with
the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes."
Blow #7
The prediction of a future destruction of Jerusalem denies the doctrine
of imminence (Luke 21:8-24).
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM - 70 AD
Having recognized the 30-70 AD time context
of Luke 21:12-19, it should be clear that Jesus picks up at verses 20-24
with the siege of Jerusalem by the armies of Rome. This event actually
becomes the point of contact and overlap between AD 70 and the future oppression
of the beast during the great tribulation. However, that point of contact
and overlap is NOT chronological
And once again, we must be very careful
in recognizing the precision in the words of Jesus to distinguish between
these two events, and at the same time realize that He used similarity
of language to describe both. Luke 21:20-22,
Now when you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst
of the city depart, and those who are in the country, do not enter it;
because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are
written may be fulfilled.
All things fulfilled does not refer to
the "entire" plan of God for Jerusalem, but specifically, that
which involves a world-wide dispersion. A world-wide dispersion is not
what happens in the yet future oppression by the beast, nor what happens
when the nations surround Jerusalem during the Armageddon campaign (Zechariah
12:1-5).
This prophecy of Jesus specifically fulfills
OT passages that deal with the destruction of the city and the dispersion
of the people. Leviticus 26:27; Deuteronomy 28:49-68
It deals with the national discipline
that God will administer upon the Jewish people because of the rejection
of their Messiah. Matthew 21:33-46; 23:37-39
That is why the term "days of vengeance"
is used at Luke 21:22.
Luke 21:23-24,
Woe to those who are with child and to
those who nurse babies in those days; for there will be great calamity
upon the land, and wrath to THIS people, and they will fall by the edge
of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem
will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled.
This is exactly what Gabriel communicated
to Daniel in the famous "70 weeks" prophecy. Daniel 9:26,
(And after the 62 weeks the Messiah will
be cut off and have nothing,) And the people of the prince who is to come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood;
and to the end there will be war; (it is) a decree of desolations.
The Roman army under Titus besieged the
city in 70 AD on the 14th of the month Nisan until its fall, 134 days later
on the 8th of Elul. This was prophesied by Daniel as taking place after
the cutting off of Messiah. The cutting off of Messiah must be understood
from the context of Isaiah 53:8 -
He was cut off from the land of the living,
for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due.
This of course refers to the provision
of salvation through the sin sacrifice of the Messiah, the details of which
do not come under the scope of this work.
The "prince who is to come"
is the little horn of Daniel 7:7-22 and refers to the future dictator of
a ten-nation confederacy with its political roots in ancient Rome. This
man will make a 7 year covenant of peace and religious toleration (M.E.P.T.A.)
with the peoples of Palestine (the many) and will then break it 3 1/2 years
later (Daniel 9:27). But the people of that "end times" prince
refers to the Romans, who in 70 AD destroyed the city and the sanctuary;
the people from whom this prince descended, not to those who are associated
with him when he comes on the scene.
Then after 70 AD, until the end (end times)
there will be war, just as Jesus said at Matthew 24:6, and a decree of
desolations which includes the famines and earthquakes of Matthew 24:7.
And the plagues mentioned at Luke 21:11.
It should be clear that there could not
be any "any moment" rapture because this prophecy about the fall
of Jerusalem had to take place first. And although the disciples did not
know the year of that destruction, they certainly could understand that
Jesus was not coming back first. However, we should understand that they
were probably unaware of the details of His coming, even though He taught
so extensively on it, simply because it needed clarification and the ministry
of the Spirit to "bring to remembrance" what they had been taught
(John 16:12). And although Jesus gave them the "empowering" of
the Spirit before His ascension (20:22; Luke 24:45), it still did not provide
them with the orientation they needed, for the ask the question of Acts
1:6,
"Lord, is it as this time You are
restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
Still disoriented, Jesus told them again
(John 17:18) that they were to minister throughout the world and not be
concerned about the times and the seasons (Acts 1:7-8). The time of the
end would come according to the Father's own authority and they should
concentrate now on servicing the "remotest part of the earth."
The expectation of the early church, prior
to the fall of Jerusalem, concerned the events surrounding that fall and
the events that would follow it. The events that Jesus described at Luke
21:12-24 had to occur before the fall of Jerusalem, and they could and
indeed, would take place from the very beginning after the formal arrival
of the Spirit at the Day of Pentecost. Accordingly, the fall of Jerusalem,
which would be portended by the city being surrounded by armies, could
happen any time after the persecution activity began. Furthermore, there
is no specific time period allotted to the time after the fall of Jerusalem,
so that technically, the Lord could return during that time. In other
words, the "signs of summer," which are the events of the tribulation,
could happen at any time after the fall of Jerusalem, but NOT prior to
that fall. The Day of the Lord arrival of Jesus then, was NOT imminent
before the fall of Jerusalem.
And as we have seen, His return could
not be imminent after the fall of Jerusalem UNTIL the birth process characterized
by BOTH the beginning birth pains and the final birth pains (tribulation)
begins.
Blow #8:
Israel must be restored as a nation for Daniel 9:27 to be fulfilled.
Of course, this is predicated on the view
that accepts Daniel 9:27 as referring to a covenant of peace with the nation
of Israel that allows her to engage in her ancient sacrifices and tabernacle
worship.
Based on Daniel 9:27 and the prophet's
words, "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week,"
pretribulationists have historically and continuously insisted that the
Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel to protect her for seven years
(the seventieth week of the Book of Daniel). It is that event which triggers
what is commonly referred to as the Tribulation Period. But from the defeat
of the Jewish nation in A.D. 70 until the emergence of the modern State
on May 14, 1948, no Jewish nation or representative government existed.
Hal Lindsey has written:
"The events leading up to the coming
of the Messiah Jesus are strewn throughout the Old and New Testament prophets
like pieces of a great jigsaw puzzle. The key piece of the puzzle which
was missing until our time was that Israel had to be back in her ancient
homeland, reestablished as a nation.
When this occurred in May 1948, the whole
prophetic scenario began to fall together with dizzying speed." 11
It would have been impossible for the
Antichrist to sign a covenant of protection with a non-existent nation.
An any-moment Rapture, therefore, was not possible before the modern State
of Israel was resurrected out of the ashes of the Second World War. Israel
could have become a nation during any generation -- but the Rapture could
not have preceded that event.
Thus, I conclude these eight blows to
imminence (unless and until I find some additional factors to apply) and
suggest that in the same way that the 2nd coming was not and could not
be imminent before 70 AD, it is not and can not be imminent after 70 AD
UNTIL we see "the signs of summer;" the abomination of desolation
standing in the Holy Place in Jerusalem.
SUMMARY
THUS SAYS THE LORD
1. John 21:18, "Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to
put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you
will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and
bring you where you do not want to go."
2Peter 1:4, "knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is
imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me."
2. Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Acts 1:8, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Luke 24:46-48, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ
would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance
for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. "You are witnesses of these things."
Matthew 10:23, "But whenever they persecute in this city, flee to the next;
for truly I say to you, you shall not finish with the cities of Israel UNTIL
the Son of Man comes."
3. Mat. 10:18, "And you shall even be brought before governors and kings for
my Name's sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."
Mark 13:9-10, "Now keep yourselves alert; for they will deliver you to
courts and you will be flogged in SYNAGOGUES and you will stand before
governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the gospel
must first be proclaimed to all the nations."
4. Mat. 24:2 and Luke 21:6. "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to
you, there shall surely not be left one stone upon another, which will not
be torn down."
Luke 21:23-24, "Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing
babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and
wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will
be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under
foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
5. Mat. 24:6, And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that
you are not disturbed, for it must happen, but it is not yet the end.
Lk. 21:9, And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be alarmed; for
these things must happen FIRST but the end is not immediate.
6. Acts 9:15, But the Lord said to him (Ananias), "Go, for he (Paul) is a
chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and
the sons of Israel."
7. Acts 11:27-28, "Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem
to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the
Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And
this took place in the reign of Claudius."
8. Acts 13:1-2, Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there,
prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius
of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit
said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
called them."
9. Acts 16:9-10, A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia
was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and
help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into
Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
10. Acts 18:9-11, And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do
not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am
with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many
people in this city." And he settled there a year and six months, teaching
the word of God among them.
11. Acts. 20:22-23, And now, behold, bound in (my) spirit, I am on my way to
Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy
spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city that bonds and afflictions
await me.
12. Acts 23:11, But on the night {immediately} following, the Lord stood at
his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My
cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."
THUS SAYS AN ANGEL OF GOD
1. Acts 27:23-26, "For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong
and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must
stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are
sailing with you.' "Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God,
that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground
on a certain island."
2. Revelation 10:8-11, And the voice which I heard from heaven, {I heard}
again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the
hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land."
And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said
to me, "Take it, and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but in
your mouth it will be sweet as honey."
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was in
my mouth sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made
bitter.
And they said to me, "You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and
nations and tongues and kings."
