In this study I will analyze a

portion of Scripture which has

generated much debate in
Church history and causec;l much
confusion in:evangelicalism
today:Matthew24:1-34. Tms
long standing debate is unfortu-
nate; for I believe this passage is
not so difficult when We ap-
proach it properly; listening to the
voice of God in both testaments.
Modem evangelicals are So New
Testament oriented that we
sometimes overlook the Old
Testament backdrop to New
Testament passages such as this
one.
My task is to consider the
portion of the Olivet Dis-
course that prophecies "the
Great Tribulation." Undoubt-
edly, in our modem evangeli-
cal context of popular
apocalypticism and interest in
all things eschatological, this
passage comes to people's mind'
as they ask: "Are we living in the
days? Is our time the time of the
fulfillment of these prophecies?"
This especially is a lively topic
today in that the returned
to the land of Palestine in 1948
and since we are about to tum
the calendar to the year 2000.
Consequently, this passage is
fainiliar to most. Who has not
heard the dreadful prophecy of
"wars and rumors of wars"? Or
of "earthquakes in various
places"? Or the alarming
pect of the "abomination of
desolation"? Who has not feared
the sound of "the Great Tribula-
, tion" reverberating from the lips
of our Lord Jesus Christ?,
tunately, though Matthew 24 is
familiar to most, it is understand
by few. Let us look tuto Mat-
thew 24 to see if we can discern
some clues from the text indicat-
ing what Jesus intended to teach.
Most Christians in our gen-
eration,and especially within
modem evangelicalism, believe
that we have just recently
entered into the "last days."
, They often point to Matthew 24
as a signal to the beginning of
the last days. For instance, Dr. J,
Dwight Pentecost has written:
"The entire passage in Matthew
24 and 25 was written to answer
the question concerning the signs
of Messiah's con:ling which
would terminate the age." By
that he means the. expectation
that we are now living in the
termination of the age. These
signs are about to explode on the
scene, punctuating the end of the
Church Age.
Bookstores today across
Aip.erica are filled with end time
, scenarios that warn people that
Matthew 24 is about to burst out
on the scene of human history.
, They urge Christians to expect
the imminent rapture of the
Lord's people so that the Great
Tribulation might break forth.
Books such as Hal Lindsey.
Countdown to Armageddon;
David A. Lewis, Prophecy
2000: Rushing to Armageddon;
Steve Terrill, The 90's: Decade
'of the Apocalypse; Don
McIIIvany, Earth's Final Days;
Texe Marrs, Storming Toward
Essays in the
Apocalypse; Robert Leardith,
Final Approach: The Opportu-
nity and Adventure of End
, Times Living; and David Webber
and Noah Hutchins, Is This the
Final Century? These are ouly
16 THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon August/September,1999
a few of the titles crowding the
shelves of Christian bookstOres
and alalming Christians regard- '
ing the prospect that these
prophecies an(i others like them
deal with our time. TheSe books
all make ,use of Matthew 24 and, .
of course, related passages in
the book of Revelation.
This is the' passage in con-
temporary discussion
standing eschatology ill our
modem setting. How are we to
understand this crucial dis
course? What is "the Great
Tribulation" of which Christ
speaks? In,verse:21 Jesus
deClares: "Then, there Will be a
great tribulation such a,s has
not occurred since the begin-
ning of the world, until n?w,
, ever shall be." I be
presenting a,remarkable
claim: The Great Tribulation is
past. In(ieed" it occurred long
ago, in the firs! century and was
concetnedwith the destruction
oithe temple in A:D. 70. To
declare this proposition and
prove it, Iwould like to present
three points in'its defense. '
1. The Great Tribnlationis '
Tied to the First Century,
This is the key observatiOn
for my position. This is the text
, we need tOfpcos upon; it wiII'be
, our guiding star shedding light on
our pathway through ImS Pils-,
sage. Letl!S note that: '
1. Christ specifically luil
forthrightly declaresthatthe :
Great Tribulation is irithefirst
'century. HecIearly the
time frame in which he declares
it will come to pass: "Truly I say
to you, this generation will not "
pass away until all these things
take place" (v: 34).'
We find important clues In the
historical and contextual setting
of Matthew 24 by looking at
Matthew 23. There Jesus calls
down seven "woes" upon the
scribes and Pharisees of his
generation. As he concludes
these woes he solemnly prophe" .
cies in Matthew 23:32: "Fill up,
then, the measure of the guilt of
your fathers." In other words,
they are guilty; now they must
fill up their final gUilt. An impor-
tant reason motivates this
horrible prophecy. The Jews
would be filling up the measure
of their fathers by attacking
Christians. Notice 23:34-36:
treading on dangerous ground if
we try to pick and choose
certain references in 1his text
and say: "This belongs back
then, but this does not." Jesus
has said "all 111ese things" shall
occur in "1his generation." That
includes verse 21 which speaks
of the Great Tribulatioh.
2. Matthew 24 is directly
relevant to the first century
temple before which Jesus is
standing. We must ask what
prompted Jesus to proclaim the
Olivet Discourse? In Matthew
23:37,38, we read of a broken-
hearted Savior lamenting: "0
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills
the prophets and stones those
who are sent to her, how often I
ciples "came up to point out the
temple buildings to him" (Matt.
24:1b) - - as ifhe did not realize
its majesty! Then we read: "Do
you not see all these things?
Truly I say unto you, not one
stone here shall be left upon
another that shall not be 11lfOwn
down. And as be was sitting on
the Mount of Olives, the dis-
ciples came to him privately
saying, 'Tell us when shall these
things be, and what will be the
sign of your coming, and of the
end of the age? '" As a matter of
historical and archaeological
fact, that temple to which Jesus
refers is destroyed in A.D. 70.
There has been no temple in
Jerusalem since that time.
3. The way Jesus
"Behold, I am sending you
prophets, and wise men, and
scribes, some of them you will
kill and crucify, some of them
you will scourge in your
synagogues, and persecute
from city to city, that upon
you may fall the guilt of all
the righteous blood shed on
the earth. Truly I say to
frames 1his prophecy is
"The Great Tribulation is past. Indeed, it directly relevant to the
occurred long ago in the first century and Jews of that day. In
was concerned with the destruction of the chapter 23 he denounces
the scribes and Pharisees
temple in A.D. 70."
you, all these things will
L\;;;; ________ ;;;;;;;; __________________ 0!.1 who frequently sat in
come upon this genera-
tion." The very setting in which
Christ is delivering the Olivet
Discourse is one of impending
judgment upon first Jerusalem.
The scribes and Pharisees
lived in a very important genera-
tion. Theirs was the time in
which the Messiah came.
Tragically, "he came unto his
own, and his own received him
not." They lived in the fullness
of time, but they missed its
opportunity. In Matthew 24:34,
Jesus warns: "Truly I say to you,
1his generation will not pass
away until all these things take
place." The ones to whom he is
speaking, the ones over whom
the scribes and Pharisees exer-
cised authority in the realm of
Israel will experience the judg-
ments. This is a very clear and
dogmatic statement. We are
wanted to gather her children
together, the way a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings, and
you were unwilling. Behold, your
house is being left to you deso-
late." That Jerusalem sprawling
before him. . . ; that land where
the prophets were killed in open
defiance to God. . . ; that people
who had rejected his loving
overtures . . . these are in Jesus'
mind and upon his heart as he
prophesies this dreadful proph-
ecy.
Notice the disciples' response
to Jesus' denunciation of the
temple in this context. In Mat-
thew 24:1 we read: "Jesus came
out from the temple." That was
the very temple he had just
declared in process of being
desolated (Matt. 23:38). Then as
he "was going away" his dis-
judgment against him. And
he calls down a series of seven
woes upon those very scribes
and Pharisees. He says that they
will institute the persecution of
his followers (Matt. 23:34ff.). In
Matthew 23:37, he warns: "I
,
wanted to gather you together,
but you were unwilling, therefore
your house is being left to you
desolate." Then in Matthew
24:2, as they point out the
temple, Jesus refers to that same
temple and notes 111at it will be
completely destroyed. This is all
extremely relevant to the first
century Jews.
Then in verse 16, as he
discusses the "abomination of
desolation" and prepares his
disciples for "the Great Tribula-
tion," he says: "Let those who
are in Judea flee to the moun-
tains." This is not a worldwide
August/September, 1999 - THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon -17
phenomenon. This has direct
relevance to Jerusalem and .'
Judea - -' because that is where
the temple is located.
So, in all of this we see that
the focus of the prophecy and
the locus ef the judgments is on
first century Israel. He locates
the time as a first century event ..
Consequently, I believe that ill
this one argument we can secure
the propositlonthat "the Great
Tribulation is past." But there is
more!
2. The First Century Facts
Fit the Prophecy' .' .
How are we to understand
the various elements of the
prophecy that Jesus declareS.to
his followers. on the Mount of
Olives? I will quickly survey a
few of these. I think I can show
the first century historical
fulfillment of each of these
various elements in Matthew 24.
First, in verses 5 and 11 Jesus
refers to . the false christs and
prophets. Here he is warning
about the danger of false reIi-
gious leaders who will bring
confusion into the realm. He is
warning his disciples not to
follow their teaching.
False teligious leaders were
an abundant problem in that day
(cf. Acts 5:36; 8:9, 10; 20:29-
30). The hiStorical records of
Josephus likewise shew that
fraudulent religious leaders
caused foments leading to the
Jewish war and culminating in
the destruction of the temple:
"Deceivers and impostors under
the pretense of divine inspiration
were fostering revolutionary
changes" (Wars 2:13:4). Scrip-
ture and contemporary historical
testify that there was Ii
real danger offalse religio,Us .....
teachers leading the Je.,,:,sastray.
Second, in verses 6 and 7 we
read of wars and rumors of .
wars. This is something we hear
about every time PreSident
Clinton bOIIlbs another city in
order t6' distract Americans from
J;1is foibles. There have always'
been wars. To 'which wars is
Jesus referring? How is this
significant? .Is this not somewhat
nebulous?
When the Lord gives this sigu
his audienceis experiencing the
Pax Romana ("the peace ef
Rome"). The EmperorAugnstus .
Caesar establishes. this time of
remarkable peace before Christ ..
was .born .. The third century
church father Origen speaks of
the "abundance of peace that
began at the birth of Christ"
(Against Cetsus2:30). New
Testamenthistorian, Bo Reicke,
notes that "in the Roman Empire'
proper, the period of peace .
remains comparably undisturbed
until the time of Nero" (The
New Testament Era, 110).
Now we must ask: Who is the
emperor that breaches the Pax
Romana by engitgmgthe JeWish
War and sending his Legions to
destroy the Jewish temple? The'
answer is: Nero Caesar. The
Lord's prophecy warns Chris" ;
tians that though they are li;!ing
under the Pax Romanti, they will
begin hearing of "wars and
rumors of wars" when "nation
would rise up against
During the A.D. 60s, the
Jewjsh War erupted on the
tranquj! scene of history. Rome
victoriously marches across
Israel, ultimate! y destroying
Jerusalem and her holy Temple.
This war begins in the Spring of
A.D. 67 - - wheiINero formally
commissions '1espasian to .
squelch the revolt. In that war
18" THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon August/September, 1999
Syria, Arabia, and other nations.
aligned themselves against
Israel.
Not only do we find Roine
mobilizing its IIlighty warnia-'
chine to put do\Vi1 the revolt in
Judea (emploYing varioUs client
nations in that pogrom), but also
the Roman Empire itselffalls'
into civil war during the same
time. In A.D .. 68.Nero commits
suicide as Rome collapses into .
civil strife .. Britain,.Germany,and
Gaul revolt. Rome is fearful that
the Parthians will
because of .the dislll1"ay of .the,
Empire during this tim,e.l1omeis
spinning apru;tas "nation arises "
against nati()n." These
and rumors of. wars" are truly
signs for that first century
generation.;
Third, in verse 7 we discover .,
other signs that are . easy to
document in that time period. In
Acts 11 :28 we read of Agabus'
prophecy of a "greatJamine"
that occurs during the reign Of
Claudius (A.D., 50s). We find
famines mentioned in the fifties
and sixties in the writings of the ;
ROIIlan historians Tacitus,P\.<>.
Cassius, and Sueionius. Plagues
commonly break out in such
trying times. . .
Later during the actual siegt;
of Jerusalem in the late 60s, her.
inhabitants languisJ;1ed for lack of
food supplies. In fact, the most
inglorious aspect of the Jewish .
War is this famine that waStes .'
the people . Thejrhunger be-
comes so fierce they begin "
fighting among themselv"s, "veil
setting their own com supplies
on fire. Josephlls tells us that.
neighbors kill each other, cutting. "
open their bellies to remove any ..
food recently Par- .. "
ents eat their children. The .
famine is terp.ble beyond words. ,'.
In A.D. 68, in the midst of the
Jewish War, Josephus and other
contemporary historians speak of
earthquakes that occur in the
Mediterranean world with
regularity.
Fourth, in verses 9 and 10
Jesus speaks of persecution and
apostasy. Almost every chapter
of Acts details the persecutions
the Church endures in those .
early years (e.g., Acts 8:1ff.; 1
Thess. 2:16,17). In the midst of
this persecution the biblical
record speaks of apostasy (e. g.,
2 Tim. 1:15). At the end of
Paul's ministry he finds
explain tllis statement? This
seems to be a formidable objec-
tion against a first century
fulfillment.
In the first place, the meaning
of the word "world"
(oikuemene) does not necessar-
il y mean the entire planet. We
may glean many examples of tllis
restricted meaning from various
SCriptures. For instance, in Acts
24:5 Paul causes dissension
among the Jews "throughout the
whole world .. " Surely this means
their world, tlle world of their
immediately before them (cp.
Matt. 23:38 - - 24:2). (2) His
audience could imagine no other
locality, for Jerusalem is the
"holy city." (3) Christ is respond-
ing to questions pertaining to that
very temple (cf. 24:1,2). Christ
points to the temple as he
answers. That holy place will be
dismantled by the Roman s()l-
diers.
The "abomination of desola-
tion" is the destruction of
Jerusalem and the temple by
pagan Roman armies. Luke's
many of his early converts
turning away from him.
"In the Olivet Discourse, then, Jesus Simply
states that the gospel will be preached in the
entire known world of that day before these
parallel account makes this
clear. He takes this He-
braic language and inter-
prets it for a Gentile
audience: "But when you
see Jerusalem surrounded
events reach their climax."
The Epistle to the Hebrews
mentions Jewish apostasy
explicitly. Many are turning
I-___________ . . . . I by armies, then recognize
from Christiamty back to
Judaism in order to avoid perse-
cution (Heb. 10:32-36).
We see, then, that many of
the prophecies in Matthew 24
expressly came to pass in the
first century. This fits perfectly
with the time-frame of Matthew
24:34. But here difficulties arise
for some interpreters.
3. T h ~ Difficult Prophecies
Must be Interpreted Contex-
tually
Jesus expressly states that all
these things shall occur in "this
generation" (Matt. 24:34).
Regardless of how difficult a
first century fulfillment may
seem for some of Jesus' state-
ments, his clear time frame
statement must determine our
tlle interpretation of the passage.
Let us consider a series of
questions that arise in the re-
maining prophecies.
First, was the gospel
preached in all the world as a
witness? (v. 14). How can we
experience.
Also, the New Testament
informs us that the gospel is
preached throughout the entire
known world of that day: Ro-
mans 1: 8. Paul can say that the
faith of the Roman church can
be spoken of "throughout the
whole world." In Colossians 1:6,
23 we find a similar use of
"world."
In the Olivet Discourse, then,
Jesus simply states that the
gospel will be preached in the
entire known world of that day
before these events reach their
climax.
Second, when was the
"abomination of desolation?" (v.
15) This is often associated with
a world ruling antichrist in the
future.
This must also occur in the
first century, however, for the
following reasons: (1) This
"abomination" stands in the "holy
place," the temple standing
that her desolation is at
hand" (Luke 21 :20). He tells us
what the abomination is; Jerusa-
lem being surrounded by Roman
armies for the purpose of deci-
mating her temple.
The Romans encircle Jerusa-
lem on at least two occasions:
under Vespasian early in the
siege and later under Titus
before the Temple's final de-
struction. After the first sur-
rounding, the Christians are to
flee from Judea. In God's
providence, Vespasian withdraws
from the siege when Nero dies;
the Christians now have the
opportunity to escape. When the
Roman soldiers finally obtain the
upper hand in the temple,
Josephus records how they raise
tlleir ensigns in the temple, bow
to their to pagan deity, and offer
incense to Caesar.
Third, was A.D. 70 the worst
catastrophe ever? (v. 21) What
about WWI or WWII? Surely
they are much worse than the
August/September, 1999 THE COUNSEL of Cbalcedon 19
Jewish War. When we consider
this in its biblical context, how-
ever, ample infonnation supports
my conclusion that A. D. 70 is in
view.
(1) Verse 34 states that "all
these things" shall occur in "this
generation"- - and verse 21 is
one of "these things." (2) Is not
Noah's Flood even worse than
the supposed future Great
Tribulation? In Noah's Flood the
entire human population perishes,
but for one family.
(3) To understand Jesus
properly we must grasp the use
of hyperbole in Old Testament
apocalyptic language. Very often
we find thatjudgmentlanguage
in apocalyptic discourse is
formulaic language - _ a stock-
in-trade language that is in the
dictionaries of all the apocalyptic
writers of the day. For instance,
in Exodus 11:6 we read these
words. regarding the tenth.plague .
on Egypt: "Then there shall be a
great cry throughout all the. land
of Egypt, such as was not like it
before, nor shall be like it
again?" Which is it? Is the Great
Tribulation the worst judgment,
or is the tenth plague upon Egypt
the worst?
In Ezekiel 5:9 we read of the
Old Testament destruction of the
temple by the Babylonians: "I
will do among you what I have
never done, and the like of which
I will never do again, because of
all your abominations?" But in
Matthew 24 it happens again.
This is apocalyptic, poetic,
dramatic imagery. This is even
used outside of such dramati-
callyframed Circumstances (cp.
2 Kings 18:5 with 2 Kings
23:25). Jesus' declaration in
verse 21 is dramatic speech
emphasizing the remarkable
nature of this event.
Fourth, did Christ come like
lightning in A.D. 70? (v. 27) This
looks very similar to what we
are expecting at the Second
Coming of Christ, when he
comes to conclude world history
with judgment upon the wicked.
How can this sort of language
apply to A.D. 70?
Again, we must understand
apocalyptic language. His'
coming hereis not a bodily
coming. This is a metaphorical ,
expression. It is. as if Jesus
physically comes down. It
parallels God's coming against
Egypt in the Old Testament:
"The oracle concerning Egypt.
Behold, the Lord is riding on a
swift cloud, and is about to come
to Egypt; the idols of Egypt will
tremble at His presence, and the
heart of the Egyptians will melt
within them" (Isa. 19:1). Did the
Egyptians physically see God's
"coming" against them? It
reminds us of the language
describing Satan's fall from
heaven: "The seventy returned .
with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the
demons are subject to us in Your
name.' And He said to them, 'I
was watching Satan fall from
heaven like lightning'" (Luke
10:17-18). Was Satan's fall
visible like a lightning flash?
Consider Christ's words to
the high priest in Matthew 26: 64.
There Jesus says that the high
priest and the Sanhedrin will
"see" the Son of Man coming in
judgment: "Jesus said to him,
'You have said it yourself;
nevertheless I tell you, hereafter
you shall see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of
Power, and coming on the clouds
of heaven.'''
This "coming" of Christ in
Matthew 24 is a metaphorical
20 THE. COUNSEL of Chalcedon August/September, 1999
coming down injudgment and
through providential circum-
. stances. This lightuing flash is
metaphorical language to speak
of Christ's judgment in the
historical events of the Jewish
War. Why does he mention
lightuing then, a very visible
Sign? Because lightning is a
terrifying symbol of destructive
power throughout Scripture.
Fifth, did the universe col-
lapse in A.D. 70? Matthew 24:29
reads: "But 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 the
sky, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken."
This also is apocalyptic,
hyperbOlic language. Consider
Isaiah 13:10"13 as instructive on
this point: "For the stars of
heaven and their consteI1ations
will not flash forth their light; the
sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon will not shed its
. light. Thus I will punish the
world for its evil, and the wicked
for their iniquity; I will also put
an end to the arrogance of the
proud, and abase the haughtiness
of the ruthless. I will make
mortal man scarcer than pure
gold, and mankind than the gold
of Ophir. Therefore I shall make
the heavens tremble, and the
earth will be shaken from its
place at the fury of the Lord of
hosts in the day of His burning
anger.;"
This is not referring to the
end of history. If you re.ad the
context Isaiah clearly identifies
Babylon as the referent of this
prophecy (13:1). In verse 17 he
also mentions the Medes. This
prophecy refers to Babylon's
overihrow, to the Median inva-
sion of Babylon securing this
overthrow. The God of the
universe is acting through his
providential superintendence, and
there is metaphorically a darken-
ing of the light of heaven on this
mighty nation. God puts their
light out, as it were.
Sixth, did Christ come on the
clouds in A.D. 701 "Then shall
appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven: and then shall all
the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great
glory" (Matt. 24:30, KJV).
This is certainly the type of
language we can apply to the
Second Advent. A.D. 70, how-
ever, is a distant reflection of
that future coming event; there-
fore the same dramatic language
can apply to it, as well. Accord-
ing to Jesus' prophecy there will
be a "sign of the Son of Man in
heaven." This sign is (appar-
ently) the smoke of the temple
being destroyed. This will be the
sign to the Jews l11at the Son of
Man is not in the tomb but at the
right hand of God moving against
them in judgment. Jesus is
speaking of some sort of sign
that he is at the right hand of
God __ that he is high and
exalted, the One causing their
judgment and anguish.
Seventh, did the rapture occur
in A.D. 701 "And He will send
forth His angels with a great
trumpet and they will gather
together His elect from the four
winds, from one end ofthe sky .
to tile other" (Matt 24:31).
Whatever this verse means,
Jesus affirnls only three verses
later that "all these things" will
take place in "this generation"
(Matt. 24:34). Also, the word
"angel" can be and often is
translated "messenger" in
Scripture. We find this usage in
Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:10; Luke
7:24 and 27. Here then, Jesus is
sending forth his messengers
with a great trumpet. These
messengers are trumpeting the
gospel of salvation. The fall of
the old covenant economy is the
sign that the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the only way to salva-
tion. God is finished with sacri-
fices and human priests. In the
destruction of the temple we
have the final separation of
Christianity from Judaism. The
final breach of infant Christianity
from its Mother Judaism occurs
at this point.
When the messengers go
forth and declare the gospel,
they call people and gather them
into a new body, the Church of
Christ. In fact, this "gathering"
language appears in a very
significant passage in Hebrews
10:25, where the Jews are
commanded to "gather together"
as Christians, and not to fall
back into Judaism: "Not forsak-
ing our own assembling together,
as is the habit of some; but
encouraging one another; and all
the more, as you see the day
drawing near."
Conclusion
I am confident that a strong,
powerful case can be presented
to defend the position that the
Great Tribulation is already past,
that A.D. 70 is the Great Tribu-
lation. I fear that the prophetic
movement today, by warning
people that great judgments may
happen in our day, is distracting
Christians from a proper inter-
pretation of Scripture and
causing unnecessary fear and
retreatism.
Furthernlore, in the process,
Christians are overlooking the
significance of the transition
from the old covenant worship of
God in the temple to the new
covenant worship of God in the
Spirit. I believe that this is what
happened in A.D. 70 __ God
made a dramatic transition from
the old covenant to the new in a
final and conclusive way.
For more infornlation and an
infornlative debate on this topic,
see: Thomas D. Ice and Kenneth
L. Gentry, Jr., The Great Tribu-
lation: Past or Future? (Grand
Rapids: Kregel, 1999). My
exposition of this passage is
patterned after that of the great
Puritan commentator John Gill
("Matthew" in Gil/'s Expositor),
the Presbyterian churchman J.
Marcellus Kik (The Eschatol-
ogy of Victory), of internation- ,
ally reputed New Testament
scholar, R .. T, France (Matthew
in the Tyndale New Testament
Commentary), and many others.
(Transcribed by Christopher
Strevel from a taped message at
1999 Ligonier National Confer-
ence)
August/September, 1999 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 21