Featured Matthew 24

I think that's pretty much right. Our Lord was asked 3 questions (Matthew 24:3) so it's not too surprising that He gives 3 answers.
The tricky bit is vss. 15-20. Luke explains the 'Abomination that causes desolation' as Jerusalem being surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20). I see a double fulfilment here. There is the AD 70 fulfilment when 'the Jerusalem which now is' (Galatians 4:25) came to an end, and there is a fulfilment at the end of time, pictured in Zech. 14 and Revelation 20:9.

 

The passage is a bit tricky right from the start...

Many say the disciples asked only two questions...

The disciples probably though they were asking only one question.​

While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3 CSB​

The disciples apparently thought that the destruction of the temple would signal Jesus’ return and the end of the age.

I personally don’t take amillennial stance, yet the earlier context clearly concerns the temple and its destruction.

Jesus does nothing to correct the disciples mistaken assumption that their simple question is really two (or three) questions.

The TWO questions asked were:

1. When will this be (i.e., when will the temple be destroyed)?
2. What will be the sign of your coming (parousia) and of the end of the age?​

Jesus answers both questions in the Olivet Discourse.

I personally see great significance in exactly who is being referred to when the parables/similitudes are presented.
The church, the ekklesia (a mixed multitude of saved and unsaved, true genuine and false counterfeit believers) and the nations, the ethnos.

The Abomination had many manifestations, double fulfillment or a triple fulfillment? There was that that preceded the Maccabean revolt, the one during the Roman sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD and that still yet to come.

Rob

 

3 And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what is the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?` Mt 24 YLT.

It's 'the consummation of the age', i.e., 'the Jewish age', not 'world'. As in:

1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners,
2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; Heb 1

At the very least everything listed prior to v 34 came upon 'that generation' that was contemporary with Christ and the apostles:

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Mt 24

As in:

28 Verily I say unto you, there are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Mt 16

 

We need to include the parallel passages.

The questions -

Mat. 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Mark 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?​

Luke 21:6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?​

The questions do not constrict the answer - the Apostles did not understand what Jesus was teaching until the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. After his resurrection teaching about the Kingdom they still asked:

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.​

Jesus had previous said explicitly:

Mat. 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. ​

The first question is -
when shall these things be?
the second -
what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
or what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

I think we can take it as two questions, when, & what will be the sign? The destruction will certainly the the end - of the Old Covenant age, Jewish hopes of an independent state.

When? is answered by "this generation" or within 40 years. This generation effectively ends the prophecy relating to both timing & the signs.

The signs relate to giving the Jerusalem Christians warning when to flee the city.

There are elements in the prophecy that lead people to apply the answer to the final judgment, but Jesus is so careful in his answer that that is a separate issue.

We are in that final part, looking forward to the passing of heaven & earth & Jesus gives no suggestion regard either the date, nor warning signs.

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. ​

Details of the prophecy need to be understood/interpreted within the indicated time frame. We cannot say "Jesus didn't come then, for the destruction" because he said he would.

 

According to the Lord Jesus Christ, there are only two ages: the present (evil) age and the age to come. The Greek word is aion, and the KJV usually translates it as 'world.' See Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; 20:34-35. So if the 'consummation of the age' happened in AD 70, none of us should be married (Luke 20:35).

The Lord Jesus is discussing two events: one will have signs predicting it and one won't.

In Matthew 24:32, He is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.. People need to recognize the signs and be ready to run (vs. 15-16, 33). It is this event before which 'this generation' will not pass away. But there is another event, of which there will be no signs (vs. 36-44). That day will come upon the world like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2 etc., etc.).

The destruction of Jerusalem was a terrible event, but it was not the end of the age. In most of the world, including the Roman world, things went on exactly as they had before.

Peter James and John saw the coming of the Son of Man in His kingdom; the rest of the apostles died without seeing it, exactly as our Lord stated: 'For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made know to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty ['majesty' is to do with kingship]. For He received from God the Father honour and glory when such a voice came to Him from the excellent glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"' (2 Peter 1:16-17). The Transfiguration ticks all the boxes.

 

we can agree on that!

I count three questions there.
1. When will these things (the destruction of the Temple) happen?
2. What is the sign of Your coming?
3. What will be the sign of the end of the age.

We can suppose that the disciples tied these things together or we can suppose that they didn't. I see no indication that they did.

'When will these things happen?' certainly applies to the destruction of the Temple.

I see very clearly that He answers three questions. In vs. 4-14, He tells the disciples that the end of the age is a long way off, that a lot of bad stuff is going to happen, but that the Gospel will be preached all over the world. In order to convince me that those verses refer to the period before AD 70, someone will have to convince me that wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes all stopped in AD 70.

In vs 15-28, He starts of talking about AD 70, but it is clear that there is also another fulfilment to come after that. Unless, of course one believes that there have been no false christs and false prophets since AD 70. The coming of Christ is going to be a highly visible affair (v.27).

In verses 29-31, He is again speaking of the return of Christ in glory at the end of the age. In verses 32-44, He is speaking about the signs accompanying both events. One will have signs by which one can see it coming (v.32). It will occur before that generation passed away. No one knows the timing of the other event (v.36). we are to watch and be ready for it because we do not know when it will come and its coming will be without warning (v.43).

I'm not saying that this interpretation ticks every single box, but it seems the most straightforward one to me.

I personally see great significance in exactly who is being referred to when the parables/similitudes are presented.
The church, the ekklesia (a mixed multitude of saved and unsaved, true genuine and false counterfeit believers) and the nations, the ethnos.

The Abomination had many manifestations, double fulfillment or a triple fulfillment? There was that that preceded the Maccabean revolt, the one during the Roman sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD and that still yet to come.

Rob[/QUOTE]

 

From David Abernathy’s An Exegetical Summary of Matthew 17–28 2015 (pp. 150–151).

QUESTION—How many questions are being asked here by the disciples?
There are only two questions: when will the destruction happen and what will be the sign connected with his coming and the end of the age [BECNT, Lns, My, NAC, NICNT, NIGTC, PNTC, TH, WBC]. The fact that there is one definite article for the two nouns ‘coming’ and ‘end’ indicates that those two events were seen as occurring at the same time [BECNT, Lns, My, NIBC, NICNT, PNTC]. The disciples evidently understood the end of the temple to mean the end of the age as well [BECNT, EBC, ICC, My, NICNT, NIGTC, NTC, WBC].​

In the NT only Matthew uses the phrase ‘completion of the age’ (συντελεία τοῦ αἰῶνος)—see at 13:39. This will be the time when the Son of Man arranges the final separation of the wicked from the righteous. In the Greek text ‘your coming’ and ‘the completion of the age’ are marked as belonging together by sharing a single definite article.
John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 961.​

I lean towards a preterist/futurist mix in the interpretation of this passage. The fall of Jerusalem is a “little apocalypse”, a foreshadowing of the final end of the age.

Not attacking here, Dave... just searching for understanding myself.

Finding a “key” that helps you interpret the passage is good, but has limitations.
I’m quite reluctant to be so bold concerning my own views of end-time affairs.

I’m drawn to this conclusion by the inexact nature of the prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming.

Many of the prophecies of Christ’s first coming were not considered prophecies until associated by NT authors. Why even the angels were filled with wonder at the incarnation of the Son of God. And even though Jesus repeated it time and time again, very few understood the necessity of his death and resurrection and how it was foretold in the Scriptures.

The OT prophecies were seen clearly through the eyes of those who had already seen the events.

Examining OT prophecies, we observe that they

…have a measure of uncertainty about fulfillment (qualified statements)
…are inherently translucent (use of metaphor)
…give incomplete or difficult to interpret, or mysterious information
…employ stereotypical language (symbolism)
…conceal long spans of time
…predict something that does not happen as expected
…are given to poetic verse (a variety of various figures of speech)
…are fulfilled transparently
​

I don't find a "key" to interpreting a particular OT passage and don't necessarily expect to find one in NT prophecies.

There is a purpose to NT end-time prophecies and it isn't to tell us exactly when and exactly how things will happen.

Rob

 

No - there are effectively 3 ages for Israel - aka the redeemed people of God -
1. the Old Covenant age;
2. the New Covenant age;
3. the eternal NH&NE age.

While the NC age superceded the OC age at Calvary, when the blood of the NC was shed, there was an overlap as OC Jews became NC Jews through the Gospel. That overlap ended in AD 70 with the destruction of all the OC types.

As Hebrews affirms -

8:13 By calling this covenant ‘new’, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.​

 

End Time Prophecy: There are so many you can pick the one that suits you best.

personally Pre-Millennial, Pre-Tribulation -

1) Return of Christ for His own. 2) Tribulation, 3) Millennium (Chiliad) 4) Eternal State (New Jerusalem).

NOTE: Subject to change (especially as they occur or don't occur).

 

That would be the root of Paul’s reasoning in 1 Corinthians 7.

There’s no doubt that the coming of the Son of Man in His kingdom here on earth (which occurred before that generation passed away) represented a ‘new age’ of the ‘New Covenant’.

11 Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. 1 Cor 10

26 else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Heb 9

Which won’t have signs? Surely you’re not referring to the coming of the Son of Man:

33 even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Mt 24

…which also entailed the coming of the Lord of the vineyard:

40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Mt 21

Which they did, flee.

Again, surely you’re not referring to the coming of the Son of Man as having no signs:

33 even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Mt 24

That’s an understatement. It was "great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be".

It was the end of the Old Covenant age.

…with the abandonment of idol worship in leaps and bounds (particularly among the descendants of Japheth, i.e., the Germanic tribes) due to the the kingdom of Christ growing in leaps and bounds.

No. Things WERE NOT ‘going on exactly as they had before’. You couldn’t be more wrong.

“…all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life.”

Only in your imagination does the Transfiguration ‘tick’ all the boxes. You cherry pick those passages that fit your dogma and ignore the others that don’t fit. It’s impossible that the Transfiguration fulfills ‘the coming of the Son of Man in His kingdom’ because the Son of Man is till prophesying that yet future event later on in the Olivet Discourse:

Matthew:
28 Verily I say unto you, there are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Mt 16
33 even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. Mt 24

Mark:
1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power. Mk 9
29 even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, until all these things be accomplished. Mk 13

Luke:
27 But I tell you of a truth, There are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. Lk 9
31 Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished. Lk 21

The very simple hermeneutic of comparing scriptures plainly shows...

…. the synonomy of 'some will not taste of death', and, 'this generation will not pass away',...

and...

…. the synonomy of 'His coming,' and, 'the coming of the kingdom'.

 

There still seems to be a blending of AD 70 and the future tribulation/second coming though!

 

The national Israel will be reborn as a nation, per Ezekiel 37/38, when did that happen?

 

At Pentecost, when many thousands of Jews from many countries repented & were baptised in the name of Jesus. THe Holy Nation was born in a day.

 

Peter in Acts stated though that was yet to come, for if the nation had received Him, the Kingdom would have gone into place then and there, but God is holding Him back until time Israel receives Him with gladness, for if we gentiles were a big deal, how much more so when Israel, the Jewish people/nation welcome their King!

 

Try reading the Gospels - particularly about John the baptist & the crowds who received his baptism & then followed Jesus;
the world that went after Jesus, to the despair of the Jewish leaders;
the crowds that welcomed him into Jerusalem as the fulfilment of prophecy;
the thousands that believed the Apostolic Gospel from Pentecost onwards;

The true Israel, the Jewish people/nation DID welcome their King.
They became the New Covenant Holy Nation.

 

are ye ignorant that we, as many as were baptized to Christ Jesus, to his death were baptized? For, if we have become planted together to the likeness of his death, so also we shall be of the rising again; And if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with him, Rom 6:3,5,8

Was the nation born that day?

I believe the nation will be born at his future presence.

 

The New Covenant superseded the old as you describe, but I don't see where in Scripture it is described as an 'age.' As I say, the NT knows only of 'this age' and 'the age to come.' As I wrote, see Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30 etc.