If I may be permitted to add...paulespino wrote:In my own understanding if we will place this passage in it's context we will have a different interpretation of this passage. John also mentioned Jesus separating the believers to none believers through judgement and this is indicated from Matthew verse 10- 12. Although 70 AD was a form of judgement from God, Matthew 3:7-12 is not reffering to 70 AD if interpreted within it's context but rather it is referring to the final judgement which is still in the future.Allyn wrote:(Matthew 3:7) 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
The word "come" in this verse is the Greek word "mello", which means "about to be". By using the Greek word "mello" John is pointing to a wrath that was chronologically prophesied as near to the Jews, not a wrath that was 2000+ years away and meant for the entire planet. It could be read "who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come".
Read and analyze the type of description of the judgement to come from verse 10-12 and we will see that it is referring to the future and not 70 AD because Jesus did not separate the believers from none believers in 70 AD as a matter of fact many believers have died in 70 AD .
This passage is telling us that Jesus will separate the believers from none believers and he will burn the none believers and keeping all the believers safe. This did not happen in 70 AD because many believers have also died and were also burn when Rome was burnt.
Matthew 3:7-12
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
In Matthew 24:15-16 the disciples were informed of an event that when seen they should flee Judea. This was the abomination of desolation. This is also confirmed by Mark 13:14 and Luke 21:20-22...
Luke 21:20-22 - And when ye (the disciples) shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
1. The context is Jewish. Flat house tops, Sabbath, etc. The flight is to be from Judea, not North America or Ausralia, etc. etc.
2. The desloation is said to be nigh WHEN Jerusalem is compassed with armies.
3. This would constitute the "days of vengeance" proclamation (the second half of Isaiah 61:2). The first half proclamation was in Luke 4:19.
4. It would be at this time that all things which are written would be fulfilled. This would surely include the OT prophets which spoke of a coming kingdom. Dispensational understanding is that this kingdom would be a physical, 1,000 year kingdom. Even in their theology this was to be fulfilled at the judgment of the second appearing, not inaugurated...
The epistles would add to this context and all Christians would be made aware of the coming desolation in their generation as prophesied by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Why flee if there was a physical whisking away rapture to "protect" them from the impending wrath? A question for many...
Those Christians who were not watching and waiting (as Christ and the apostles had commanded) would be caught in the Jewish revolts and the Roman-Jewish war...
Blessings, Ted