To Gavin
To Gavin
Dear Gavin:
Okay I am going to answer your next question:
When I read Matthew 24, I get the sense that the coming of Christ is a really big deal. I read that "nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places"
The coming in Christ in judgment upon apostate Israel
was a big deal. All of those things did in fact happen. Now think about it, how in the world can wars, specifically, be a sign? We have always had wars, which can be part of the reason this section of Scripture is so easily abused by end-times prognosticators since this “sign” fits almost any time. The fact is that “wars” can only really be a “sign” if they break out after a time of relative peace. It is interesting to note that when Christ gave this prophecy, Rome was still in the tail-end of a period of time known as the Paux Romano (the Roman Peace) which had began in about 17BC. However soon afterwards, this Roman peace began to be shattered. Josephus reports records that in AD40 there was an uprising which claimed 50,000 lives and then in AD49 another incident in Jerusalem claimed up to 20,000 lives. Also consider that frictions in Caesarea, Scythopolis, Seleucia and Damascus claimed the lives of almost 130,000 Jews (10,000 in one hour’s time), 20,000 other Jews were killed by Syrians, with thousands killed in other various places. History records that while Judea struggled with Rome, the military might of Gaul, Germany, Illyricum, Spain, and Syria conspired in Italy in schemes to overthrow Nero and Rome. As the end of the age drew near, Rome witnessed the death of four emperors within two years as the Empire was not only dealing with the Jewish uprising but with its own civil war. This period has been described by the Roman historian Tacitus with descriptives such as “disturbances in Germany,” “commotions in Africa,” “commotions in Thrace,” insurrections in Gaul,” “intrigues among the Pathians,” “the war in Britain” and “the war in Armenia.” Most certainly there were “war and rumors of war” and “nation rising against nation” just as Christ predicted.
Christ also predicted famines and earthquakes. One need not look farther than the Book of Acts to see that such things did in fact occur.
Acts 11:28 –
Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
The effects were so severe that collections were taken up to be sent to the brethren suffering from the effects (
Acts 11:29, 1 Corinthians 16:1-5, Romans 15:25-28). The entire Roman Empire felt the effects of this great famine. Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius, and Josephus record these condition in Rome in AD51, “This year witnesses many prodigies… repeated earthquakes… Further portents were seen in a shortage of corn, resulting in famine… It was established that there was no more than fifteen days’ supply of food in the city. Only heaven’s special favor and a mild winter prevented catastrophe.” History records many earthquakes just prior to AD70 in such places as Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, Pompeii, and Judea.
Okay, your next point questioned….
I read that "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come"
Well at first this seems to present an insurmountable obstacle to preterism, but if we let the Bible, and not our modern presuppositions, interpret the Bible for us, the resolution is surprisingly easy.
Colossians 1:5-6 –
because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth.
Colossians 1:23 –
if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul says that the Gospel was even preached to every creature under heaven at the time he wrote to the Church at Colosse and was even bearing fruit in the whole world.
Paul told the Romans that their faith was being proclaimed to all the nations and throughout the whole world.
Romans 1:5-6 -
Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ
Romans 16:25-26 -
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations , according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith
When the Gospel was preached at Pentecost… who was there to hear it??
Acts 2:5 –
And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
You may ask how this could possibly be… well even if I could not explain it, it would still be true because that is how the Bible defines “the Gospel being preached to all the nations” and the Bible must be allowed to interpret the Bible. The word for “world” in Matthew 24:14 is “oikoumene” which means the “inhabited earth” which very often in the NT simply means the Roman Empire. We forget that Rome was the “world” of that time, made up of many, many nations. This same word is used in
Luke 2:1 about the census that was ordered that caused Joseph and Mary to have to go to Bethlehem. No one teaches that even the Indians on the American continent were ordered to be censused as well….but that is the same word used in
Matthew 24:14 – oikoumene.
Also we must remember that the Jews were, and still are, a very colorful and passionate people. Their idioms and means of communication often employed hyperbole and exaggeration for effect. It was part and parcel of that culture. We are being horribly anachronistic when we try to hyper-literalize such things. The Bible must tell us how to interpret the Bible even if it means we must topple the idol of “literalism” that we have erected today. Biblically literal means that we interpret things literally in the sense that they were intended to be understood.
If you were to say that “it is raining cats and dogs outside,” you would literally mean that it is raining very hard. I would not be taking you literal in a proper way if I insisted that you meant that canines and felines were walloping down on our heads.
