How much do you know about the historical context surrounding the period between Jesus’s resurrection in AD 30 and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? How about the accounts of Jewish historian Josephus and Roman historian Tacitus regarding the AD 66-70 Roman-Jewish war culminating in the complete annihilation of the Temple? Shockingly, most Christians are oblivious to this time period and it has drastically skewed their understanding of the Olivet Discourse. (Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21) It’s a travesty how little Christians know about the incredible fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecies.
Why it matters
Consider the following statements from Pastor’s John MacArthur and David Jeremiah concerning Bible prophecy. Ask yourself if what these men are predicting is rings true. In other words, be a Berean and determine if the Scripture bears witness to their prophetic expectations.
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)
A couple of years ago at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church, attended by nearly 10,000 devotees, Pastor MacArthur warned …
“They killed Jesus. They
killed all the apostles. We’re all going to be persecuted… No, we don’t win down here. Are you ready for that? Just to clear the air. I love this clarity. We don’t win. We lose on this battlefield. But we win on the big one. The eternal one.”
And if MacArthur wasn’t clear enough, he more recently doubled down leaving no doubt where he stood.
“There will be a barrage of false Christs, false messiahs, false teachers, false prophets, wars, disasters, persecution, all through human history, and getting worse and worse and worse, and at the end, the explosion of these kinds of things will reach epic proportions that are described in revelation 6 through 19 in a seven year period called the time of tribulation…even the latter half of that is a time of great tribulation the last 3 1/2 years being the worst of all.”
Not a pretty picture, that’s for sure!
Dr. David Jeremiah, one of the most prolific apocalyptic authors of our day, has written 114 books and sold 4,000,000 copies, most of which deal with the “end times”. These are but a few:
• Agents of the Apocalypse
• After the Rapture
• Agents of Babylon
• Is This the End?
• Where Do We Go From Here?
• The Book of Signs
• The World of the End
• Escape the Coming Night
• 60 Days of Prophecies
• Answers to Questions About Living in the Last Days
• People Are Asking… Is This the End?
In Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times:
“As the conditions of our world worsen, Jesus said we shouldn’t hang our heads in depression or shake our heads in confusion. We should lift up our heads in expectation, for our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).
He went on:
“That before the Antichrist can be revealed, there will be a falling away, a forsaking, on the part of professing believers. This will not be a time when just a few people abandon their doctrinal beliefs; it will mark a period of major, widespread departure from the faith. In His Olivet discourse, Jesus predicted such a time: “Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10-12).”
Is it possible that Dr. Jeremiah is wrong? Is he using the same hermeneutical principles (science of interpretation) as Lindsey, LaHaye, Falwell, Robertson and MacArthur? It should be noted that I have been hearing about these dire expectations since I became a Christian 54 years ago, and not a single event has come to fruition. Should this not us cause pause? Could there be something wrong with their Bible interpretation methods?
Audience Relevance or Irrelevance?
The dominant end times prophecy system (premillennial dispensationalism) of our day which these two pastors espouse, ignores bedrock principles of interpretation. For example, employing the concept of “audience relevance”, first considering the primacy of the original audience (in this case Jesus’s disciples), is necessary to understand the below passage. As a matter of fact, all literature is naturally interpreted in this manner, but when brilliant theologians and astute pastors attempt to understand Bible passages, too often they ignore this fundamental principle. Why, when we read the only God-breathed Book on the planet, do we justify dismissing the most profoundly enlightening interpretational components like audience relevancy? Could it be because we will do anything to hold on to our existing paradigms.
Lets take a look at the Matthew’s Olivet Discourse and read it through the eyes of the disciples, not as 21st century Christians. Jesus used the first person plural “you” in Matthew’s account 21 times. Was Jesus warning them or us? If Jesus was warning us, why do you think He didn’t constantly refer to they and them while giving indication that these events were thousands of years future?
Watch the Olivet account and then read Matthew 24 below the video. Feel the weight of what Jesus was telling them. And do you best to put yourself in their position.
Ask yourself who it was that Jesus warned not to be deceived? Who was it that would be delivered up to tribulation and be killed? Who was going to see the “abomination of desolation” (or “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies” as Luke was speaking to a primarily Gentile audience)? Who did Jesus warn about not being deceived by false Christs, or as John wrote, “antichrists?”
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “YOU see all these, do YOU not? Truly, I say to YOU, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell US, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered THEM, “See that no one leads YOU astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And YOU will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that YOU are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver YOU up to tribulation and put YOU to death, and YOU will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away[a] and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world [Roman Empire] as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 “So when YOU see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that YOUR flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to YOU, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told YOU beforehand. 26 So, if they say to YOU, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth [land] will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 33 So also, when YOU see all these things, YOU know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to YOU, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore YOU also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour YOU do not expect.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to YOU, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants[d] and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:1-51)
Now that you’ve had time to watch and read Matthew 24, is there any doubt to whom Jesus was speaking? Is this warning directed to us, living in the 2026 or is it clear that Jesus was speaking directly to His disciples? When would all these things take place?
Assuredly, I say to YOU, THIS GENERATION will by no means pass away till all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34)
So, is MacArthur correct when he so emphatically stated, “There will be a barrage of false Christs, false messiahs, false teachers, false prophets, wars, disasters, persecution, all through human history, and getting worse and worse and worse, and at the end…”
How about Jeremiah? “In His Olivet discourse, Jesus predicted such a time: “Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold”
Have you ever considered that “all these things” actually took place between Jesus’s AD 30 resurrection and the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem?
In the preface to George Peter Holford’s 1805, “The Destruction of Jerusalem – An Absolute & Irresistible Proof of the Divine Origin of Christianity”, G.H. Landon wrote:
History records few events more generally interesting than the destruction of Jerusalem, and the subversion of the Jewish state, by the arms of the Romans. Their intimate connexion
with the dissolution of the Levitical economy, and the establishment of Christianity in the
world; the striking verification which they afford of so many of the prophecies, both of the Old and New Testament, and the powerful arguments of the divine authority of the Scriptures which are thence derived; the solemn warnings and admonitions which they hold out to all nations, but especially such as are favoured with the light and blessings of REVELATION; together with the impressive and terrific grandeur of the events themselves–are circumstances which must always insure to the subject of the following pages more than ordinary degrees of interest and importance. (click on the cover to read this short book).
Following are some of the subheadings to give you a flavor of the contents.
- THE NATURE OF THE EVIDENCES OF THE SCRIPTURE REVELATION
- THE DESCRIPTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE
- THE LORD’S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
- HE PREDICTS OF THE CITY AND THE TEMPLE
- ACCOUNT OF FALSE MESSIASHS WHOSE APPEARANCE HE FORETOLD
- WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS
- EARTHQUAKES
- FAMINES
- PESTILENCES
- PRODIGIES WHICH PROCEEDED
- PERSECUTIONS
- PERSECUTIONS OF THE PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANS
- SPEEDY PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN ALL THE WORLD
- FOUNDATION OF THE ROMAN WAR
- GESTIUS GALLUS
- CRUELTY TO THE IDUMEANS
- APPROACH OF THE ROMAN ARMY – TITUS ENCAMPS BEFORE JERUSALEM
- THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION DESCRIBED
- FAMINE APPEARS IN THE JEWISH ARMY – DEPLORABLE AFFECTS OF THE FAMINE
- NUMBERS OF DEAD CAST OUT – DISTRESS AND CRUELTY
- A SOLDIER SETS FIRE TO THE TEMPLE
- AN ATTEMPT TO PRESERVE THE SANCTUARY
- TERRIBLE SLAUGHTER OF THE JEWS DURING THE BURNING OF THE TEMPLE
- TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
- THE JEWS REFUSE TO SURRENDER
- MASSACRE IN THE ROYAL PALACE
- THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
- THE QUALIFICATIONS OF JOSEPHUS
- CHARACTER OF TITUS
- SUFFERINGS OF THE JEWS, SUBSEQUENT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Everything in Matthew 24 took place within a generation of Jesus’s Olivet declaration! Everything. And for those who, without a shred of evidence, insist that it’s all going to happen again in our future… How can there be two abominations of desolation (Jerusalem surrounded by armies); two great tribulations “such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be”; Two Gospel preached to all the world and then the end? How many ends are there? The absurdity of taking this position proves just how desperate people are to maintain their paradigm. The NT is the final authority. There is no sanctioned Ground Hog’s Day eschatology.
The views of MacArthur and Jeremiah make the Olivet audience irrelevant. And I find that troubling since they are trusted by tens of millions.
Have you ever wondered why we are riddled with unbelief? Why don’t we take Jesus at His word? Why we come up with so many excuses for Jesus not returning in the timeframe He stipulated? I can assure you that, though the disciples weren’t certain how all of this was going to play out, they clearly understand that things were going to get very dicey.