The Book of Matthew
Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:10 pm
THE BOOK OF MATTHEW
In Matthew's gospel, besides the Olivet Discourse, there are several passages that speak about the imminence of the coming kingdom, the pending tribulation and destruction of Jerusalem, the second coming, judgment, and resurrection. Verses that are of interest that I will not be addressing here are Matthew 3:2, 10:15, 12:32, 13:37-51, 22:6 (speaks specifically of the destruction of Jerusalem), and 26:63-64. Lets look at some key verses in the book of Matthew that help establish a first century fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse, and validate the truthfulness of Christ regarding when he said he would come.
(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".
(Matthew 10:23) "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
This is a very clear time reference regarding the second coming of Christ. First, who is the relevant audience? The disciples. What does He tell them? He tells them that they will not finish evangelizing all of Israel before he comes again. If we compare the statements, "you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes" with "This generation will not pass away until all these things be fulfilled" we have two time limiting and compatible scriptures supporting one another as to the brevity of time before his second coming.
(Matthew 16:27-28) "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."
Who are the "you" in this verse? The disciples. How much clearer could Christ be when establishing the time He was going to return? He has already limited the time of His coming by saying these same men won't finish going through Israel evangelizing, and now He says He is clearly coming back in the lifetime of at least some of his disciples. Both of those line up perfectly with "this generation." Time after time Jesus has given us specific and emphatic time limiting statements. When you read this particular scripture you have only two choices(1) He either came back in the lifetime of some of his disciples, which would also qualify for "this generation", or (2) There are some disciples still alive today because He told them that He would return with glory and angels to establish His kingdom and give rewards before all of them had died.
(Matthew 23:34-38) 34 "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
Here again we see the use of "this generation" (verse 36). It is the same generation as "this generation" in the Olivet Discourse. It is Christ's contemporaries. When you read this passage you can see why it was this generation that was so guilty and so worthy of the great tribulation that God poured out on it in judgment in 66-70AD. They were the generation that was not only going to be guilty for all the righteous bloodshed from Abel to that present time, but they were also the generation that was responsible for the bloodshed of the most righteous ever Jesus Christ. Is this not the generation that most deserved all the horrific events described in the Olivet Discourse? This was the culminating apostate generation that would see the full and final wrath of God in judgment upon them as described in the pages of scripture. Christ Himself told the religious leaders of that day that they were "filling up the measure of their father's guilt" for killing the prophets (Matthew 23:32). They had been a covenant breaking people for centuries, and now, having killed the Messiah, this was the last generation of physical Israel before God kept His promise to wipe them out forever. They even called this wrath down upon themselves in the following verse
(Matthew 27:25) 25 and all the people said, "His blood shall be on us and on our children!"
They asked that his blood be upon them and their children, and it was done just as they asked. They, their children, their temple, their city and their culture were completely destroyed in 70AD.
In Matthew's gospel, besides the Olivet Discourse, there are several passages that speak about the imminence of the coming kingdom, the pending tribulation and destruction of Jerusalem, the second coming, judgment, and resurrection. Verses that are of interest that I will not be addressing here are Matthew 3:2, 10:15, 12:32, 13:37-51, 22:6 (speaks specifically of the destruction of Jerusalem), and 26:63-64. Lets look at some key verses in the book of Matthew that help establish a first century fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse, and validate the truthfulness of Christ regarding when he said he would come.
(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".
(Matthew 10:23) "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
This is a very clear time reference regarding the second coming of Christ. First, who is the relevant audience? The disciples. What does He tell them? He tells them that they will not finish evangelizing all of Israel before he comes again. If we compare the statements, "you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes" with "This generation will not pass away until all these things be fulfilled" we have two time limiting and compatible scriptures supporting one another as to the brevity of time before his second coming.
(Matthew 16:27-28) "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."
Who are the "you" in this verse? The disciples. How much clearer could Christ be when establishing the time He was going to return? He has already limited the time of His coming by saying these same men won't finish going through Israel evangelizing, and now He says He is clearly coming back in the lifetime of at least some of his disciples. Both of those line up perfectly with "this generation." Time after time Jesus has given us specific and emphatic time limiting statements. When you read this particular scripture you have only two choices(1) He either came back in the lifetime of some of his disciples, which would also qualify for "this generation", or (2) There are some disciples still alive today because He told them that He would return with glory and angels to establish His kingdom and give rewards before all of them had died.
(Matthew 23:34-38) 34 "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
Here again we see the use of "this generation" (verse 36). It is the same generation as "this generation" in the Olivet Discourse. It is Christ's contemporaries. When you read this passage you can see why it was this generation that was so guilty and so worthy of the great tribulation that God poured out on it in judgment in 66-70AD. They were the generation that was not only going to be guilty for all the righteous bloodshed from Abel to that present time, but they were also the generation that was responsible for the bloodshed of the most righteous ever Jesus Christ. Is this not the generation that most deserved all the horrific events described in the Olivet Discourse? This was the culminating apostate generation that would see the full and final wrath of God in judgment upon them as described in the pages of scripture. Christ Himself told the religious leaders of that day that they were "filling up the measure of their father's guilt" for killing the prophets (Matthew 23:32). They had been a covenant breaking people for centuries, and now, having killed the Messiah, this was the last generation of physical Israel before God kept His promise to wipe them out forever. They even called this wrath down upon themselves in the following verse
(Matthew 27:25) 25 and all the people said, "His blood shall be on us and on our children!"
They asked that his blood be upon them and their children, and it was done just as they asked. They, their children, their temple, their city and their culture were completely destroyed in 70AD.