CHAPTER XIII
OUTLINE OF THE OLIVET PROPHECY
As the Lord was departing from the temple after His denunciation of the
leaders of the people, certain of His disciples drew His attention to
the massive stones of which the temple was built (some of these were 30
feet long); but while they were thus admiring its solidity and grandeur,
He made what must have been to them the astounding statement that there
should not be left of that huge pile of masonry one stone upon another
that should not be thrown down (#Mt 24:1,2). This statement was the occasion
of the Olivet prophecy.
A little later, as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, which overlooked the
city, four of His disciples (Peter, James, John and Andrew) asked Him
privately for further information concerning the matters to which He had
briefly referred (#Mr 13:3). The words He had spoken to the Jews had indicated
two things in a general way; first, that a severe judgment was to fall
upon that generation of Jews; second, that He Himself was to come again
visibly. This latter event was intimated in the words, "Ye shall
not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in
the name of the Lord" (#Mt 23:39).
These words of the Lord will account for the form of the question put
to Him by His disciples, which, as recorded by Matthew, reads thus: "Tell
us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming,
and of the end of the world (age)?"
It is evident that in the minds of the disciples the destruction of Jerusalem
("these things") and the coming again of the Lord Jesus ("the
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age") were closely connected
together. They might well have inferred from what the Lord had said to
the Jews that the two events would be contemporaneous. Hence, as reported
by Mark and Luke, the question was, "When shall these things be,
and what shall be the sign when these things shall be fulfilled?"
The disciples were evidently taking it for granted that, when Jerusalem
should be again attacked by alien armies, the Lord Himself would come
"and fight against those nations, " which idea would seem to
find support in the prophecy of Zechariah (#Zec 14:1-5). The disciples,
therefore, were not in reality asking several different questions about
several distinct and unrelated events, but were asking about what was,
in their own minds, a series of connected events. That it was regarded
by them as being all one matter, clearly appears by the form of the question
as recorded by Mark and Luke.
It is important that we take note of this, for it explains why the Lord,
in His reply, was so emphatic and so painsintaking in warning the disciples
not to expect His coming at the time of the siege of Jerusalem, and not
to pay any heed to reports and false prophecies which were to be circulated
at that time, to the effect that Christ was "here" or "there,
"" in the desert" or in some "secret chamber."
It also explains why He was so careful to impress upon them that what
He was foretelling would be the fulfilment—not of prophecies such
as Zechariah and (#Joe 3:9-16, ) which end well for Jerusalem —but
of the words of "DANIEL THE PROPHET, " which end in utter and
age long "desolations" for Jerusalem, to be attended by "a
time of trouble" for the people, "such as never was since there
was a nation even to that same time" (#Da 12:1).
In fact it will be clearly seen, upon a careful reading of the entire
discourse, that the Lord did not give, or purpose to give, any information
whatever concerning His second advent, except that it would occur when
not expected. All that He said definitely on that subject was that it
would not be at the time of the then impending destruction of Jerusalem.
It was manifestly of the utmost importance that His own disciples should
not be misled by false reports and false Christs at that time, and should
not be looking (as were the mass of the Jews) for a miraculous deliverance,
but that they should heed the sign He gave them, and should make good
their escape by "flight." To this end the Lord began His reply
by saying, "Take heed that no man deceive you; for many shall come
in My Name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many" (#Mt 24:4,5).
The particular deception against which He thus warned them was the false
expectation that He would come and deliver the city. The fanatical Jews
were sustained in their stubborn resistance to the Romans by the confident
expectation of a miraculous deliverance, as in Hezekiah’s day. Our
Lord, therefore, took great pains that His own disciples should not share
this deception. And He continued this sort of warning down to the end
of verse 14, cautioning them also that they were not to take such things
as wars, rumours of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, as signs
of His coming. Never were warnings more needed than these, or more generally
disregarded. For all through the age the Lord’s people have been
prone to look upon wars, or other great commotions, as signs of the Lord’s
immediate coming.
We repeat then, that the Lord’s purpose in this discourse was not
at all to give His people signs of His coming again, but to warn that
generation of believers of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, and
to give to them a sure sign whereby they might, and whereby in fact His
own people did, secure their safety by fleeing the land and city.
Viewing then the Lord’s discourse as a whole we may clearly see in
it the following purposes:
1. To warn His disciples against being led astray by false Christs and
false prophets, a danger to which they were to be peculiarly exposed at
the time of the Roman invasion of the land.
2. To warn them that wars, commotions, famines, pestilences and earthquakes
were not at any time to be taken as indications that His Second Advent
was near. Manifestly it was the Lord’s design that His people should
be, from the very beginning, always in an attitude of expectancy of His
coming: that they should not be looking for signs, but for Him (see #Heb
9:26). As well stated by Edersheim: "All that was communicated to
them was only to prepare them for that constant watchfulness, which has
been to Christ’s own people, at all times, the proper outcome of
His teaching on the subject"—i.e., the subject of His second
coming.
3. To give them a sure sign, whereby they might know with certainty that
the hour had come for them to flee from Jerusalem and Judea.
The first two purposes are purely negative, so far as those disciples,
and others of that generation, were concerned. The third only is positive
in character; and in it we find the main object of the prophecy.
THE GREAT TRIBULATION. THE DAYS OF VENGEANCE
What we desire chiefly to establish at this point is that when Christ
spoke the words found in Matthew 24:21, "For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be", He was warning the disciples of the
approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and was letting them
know in advance (what the event abundantly confirmed) that the sufferings
of the besieged people, and the horrors and atrocities of that awful time,
would be without parallel in the history of the world, past or future.
It was needful to impress this upon His people of that day, to the end
that they should not delay their "flight" when the sign He gave
them should appear. The prophecy was, as we have already seen, exceedingly
practical. Its purpose was to save the lives of the Lord’s own people
at a time of extremist danger and distress. And we have only to glance
at the three accounts of this utterance of the Lord to perceive that His
warning concerning the great tribulation was given for the purpose that
His own people might, through acting upon His words, escape from it. We
shall call attention to this in detail; but in passing would just ask
our readers to observe that the greatness of the tribulation was mentioned
as the reason why the disciples were to pray that their "flight be
not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day" (#Mt 24:20,21). Those words
clearly confine the application of the prophecy to a time preceding the
dispersion of the Jews.
Let it be understood then that we are not making any statements in regard
to persecutions, tribulations and wrath, which are or may be yet in the
future. That there will be such is certain. What we are asserting at this
point is that the "great tribulation" whereof our Lord spoke
to His disciples when He was on Mt. Olivet, and which He called "the
tribulation of those days" (#Mt 24:29), was the destruction of Jerusalem
by the Romans in A.D. 70. And we would say that it is most needful, in
order to the understanding of other prophecies, that this fact be grasped.
The proof is ample. Indeed the scriptures already cited make it plain
that the wrath, which God was then about to pour out upon those who had
both crucified His Son and had also rejected His mercy offered to them
in the gospel, was "wrath to the uttermost, " that all things
which had been predicted of that nature were to fall upon that generation.
But the clearest proof of all is to be found by simply reading, side by
side, the three accounts which God has given us of this great prophecy.
It never occurred to the writer to do this until a few months before these
papers were written (it was in the summer of 1921). But when he did so
he was beyond measure astonished that he had been for so long a time blinded
to a fact which lies plainly revealed upon the surface of the Scriptures.
Briefly stated, what the writer found, and what anyone can see by making
the same comparison, is:—
1. That the words of Luke 21:20-24, beginning, "And WHEN YE SHALL
SEE Jerusalem encompassed with armies, then know that THE DESOLATION thereof
is nigh, " refer to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies
under Titus (no expositor would dispute this);
2. That the words found in the corresponding part of Matthew’s account,
beginning with the words, "WHEN THEREFORE YE SHALL SEE" (#Mt
24:15-22 Mr 13:14-20) refer to precisely the same event as that spoken
of in (#Lu 21:20-24.)
We have said that, so far as we know, it is agreed by all expositors that
the words recorded by Luke refer to the then approaching destruction of
Jerusalem by Titus. But a careful examination of the account given by
Matthew will show that, not only does it manifestly refer to the same
destruction of Jerusalem, but it contains details which clearly show that
our Lord was speaking of an event then close at hand. We will refer later
on to those details.
And now, in order that our readers may readily make the comparison we
have spoken of, we here print, in parallel columns, the three accounts
of our Lord’s great prophecy.
CHRIST’S OLIVET DISCOURSE
The Question
MATTHEW 24 (#Mt 24:1-44)
And Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came
to Him for to show Him the buildings of the temple.
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto
you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not
be thrown down.
And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately,
saying, Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign
of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?
MARK 13 (#Mr 13:1-35)
And as He went out of the temple one of His disciples saith unto Him,
Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus
answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall
not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter
and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us when shall
these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall
be fulfilled?
LUKE 21 (#Lu 21:5-30)
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones
and gifts, He said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will
come in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, which
shall not be thrown down.
And they asked Him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And
what sign shall there be when these things shall come to pass?
Warnings Against Being Deceived
Matthew
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in My name saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive
many.
6. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled;
for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall
be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these
are the beginning of sorrows (birth pangs).
Mark
And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive
you; For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive
many.
7. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled;
for such things must needs be, but the end is not yet. For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be earthquakes
in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles. These are the
beginnings of sorrows (birth pangs).
Luke
And He said, Take heed that ye be not deceived, for many shall come in
My name saying, I am Christ, and the time draweth near; go ye not therefore
after them.
9. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified; for
these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by (immediately).
Then said He unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom. And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and
famines and pestilences, and fearful sights, and great signs shall there
be from heaven.
Persecutions Predicted and Instructions What to Do
9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you;
and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall
hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (#Mr
13:13).
14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
(Note: Matthew’s reference to the persecutions of the disciples is
relatively brief. He omits the instructions as to premeditating, etc.
Luke omits the statement that the gospel must first be preached. His "not
a hair perish, " and "by your patience" (i.e. endurance),
are the equivalent of "He that shall endure unto the end.")
Mark
9. But take heed to yourselves; for they shall deliver you up to councils;
and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten; and ye shall be brought before
rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them.
10. And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11. But when they shall lead you and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand
what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate; but whatsoever shall be
given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak but
the Holy Ghost.
12. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father
the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause
them to be put to death.
13. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake; but he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Luke
12. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute
you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought
before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. And it shall turn to
you for a testimony.
14. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate before what ye
shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries
shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren, and kinsfolks,
and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And
ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake. But there shall
not an hair of your head perish.
19. In your patience possess ye your souls
The Destruction of Jerusalem. The Sign to the Disciples— "When
Ye Shall See"
Matthew
15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth let him
understand); Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains;
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of
the house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes.
19. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck
in those days!
20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the
Sabbath day.
21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there;
believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.
26. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold he is in the desert;
go not forth; behold he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto
the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever
the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Mark
14. But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing where it ought not (let him that readeth understand);
then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that
is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein to
take anything out of his house. And let him that is in the field not turn
back again for to take up his garment.
17. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in
those days!
18. And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
19. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning
of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should
be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath
shortened the days.
21. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or lo, he
is there; believe him not.
22. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs
and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, the very elect.
23. But take ye heed; behold, I have foretold you all things.
Luke
20. And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that
the desolation thereof is nigh. 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.
23. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck
in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath
upon this people.
24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away
captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
(Note: The special warning to beware of false Christs and false prophets
at the time of the siege of Jerusalem is omitted from Luke’s account.)
Luke alone gives the statement that, after the destruction of the city,
the Jews should be led away captives into all nations; and that Jerusalem
should be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled. The statements of (#Mt 24:27) are found in (#Lu 17:24,37.)
After The Tribulation of Those Days
Matthew
29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
And 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.
31. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end
of heaven to the other.
Mark
24. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened
and the moon shall not give her light. And the stars of heaven shall fall,
and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great
power and glory.
27. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect
from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost
part of heaven.
Luke
25. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon and in the stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the
waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken.
27. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power
and great glory.
28. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
Matthew
32. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender
and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye,
when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
doors.
34. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these
things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall
not pass away.
Mark
28. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When her branch is yet tender,
and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near. So ye in like manner,
when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even
at the doors.
30. Verily I say unto you that this generation shall not pass till all
these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall
not pass away.
Luke
29. And He spake unto them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the
trees, when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that
summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come
to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all
be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words ahall not
pass away.
No Sign of "That Day." The Lord’s People Must Always "Watch"
and "Be Ready"
Matthew
36. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven,
but My Father only.
37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them
all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other
left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken
and the other left.
42. Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But
know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the
thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up.
44. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh.
Mark
32. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which
are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and
pray, for ye know not when the time is.
34. (For the Son of man is) as a man taking a far journey, who left his
house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work,
and commanded the porter to watch.
35. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh,
at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest
coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto
all, Watch.
Luke
34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day
come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that
dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of man.
(Luke’s account ends here, but the Lord’s words concerning the
days of Noe, and the days of Lot are found in Luke 17:26-30.) (Note: Each
account has an ending different from the others; yet the lesson is the
same in each, namely that no definite "sign" would be given
to show when the Lord was about to come again, but on the contrary His
return would be entirely unexpected, as was the coming of the flood, and
as is the coming of a thief. Hence the great importance to the Lord’s
people that they should always "watch, " and "be ready
also." Mark and Luke add "and pray." Luke mentions the
things which are to be feared, and against which the saints are to watch—"surfeiting
and drunkenness, and cares of this life.")
"WHEN YE SHALL SEE"
The reader will be well repaid for whatever time and effort he may expend
in a diligent study and comparison of these three accounts of our Lord’s
prophecy. (It is the only utterance of any length whereof three separate
accounts have been given us; and there must be a special reason for this.)
But what we would emphasize at this point is that the section beginning
"When ye shall see" (#Mt 24:12 Mr 13:14 Lu 21:20) manifestly
refers, in each account, to one and the same event—the approaching
destruction of Jerusalem. "The abomination of desolation standing
in the holy place" (Matt. and Mk.) means the same thing as do the
words "Jerusalem"—the holy city—"encompassed
with armies" (the armies being the "abomination" which
was to make the place a "desolation, "# Lu 21:20). We will return
to this interesting point.
The "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
world, " &c. (#Mt 24:21), is the same as the "affliction"
(the same word in the original as "tribulation") "such
as was not since the beginning of the creation which God created"
(#Mr 13:19), and as "the days of vengeance, that all things which
are written may be fulfilled, " the "great distress in the land,
and wrath upon this people" (#Lu 21:22,23).
In all three accounts are mentioned the same woes, "to them that
are with child, and to them that give suck in those days, " and the
same directions for instant flight are given. But in Matthew’s account
only we have the Lord’s instruction to His disciples to pray that
their flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day. Those words
show clearly that He was speaking of a time when the stringent Rabbinical
rules concerning the distance that might be traversed on the Sabbath day
would be still in force. That remark fixes the time with certainty as
previous to the destruction of Jerusalem. Those strict Rabbinical rules
have not been in force for centuries; and there is no reason to suppose
that they will ever be revived. The words do not, of course, imply that
Christ’s own disciples would be bound by those rules even then; but
so long as they were in Judea they would have been hampered by them in
their flight, should that take place on the Sabbath.
SELF-INFLICTED SUFFERINGS
In the light, therefore, of this comparison of scripture with scripture,
we think it plain that the "great tribulation" of Matthew 24:14
was that unparalleled calamity, with its unspeakable sufferings, which
befell the city and people in A.D. 70.
In the history of "The Wars of the Jews" by Josephus we have
a detailed account, written by an eye witness, of the almost unbelievable
sufferings of the Jews during the siege of Jerusalem. To this account
we will refer later on; but we wish to state at this point that the distresses
of those who were hemmed in by the sudden appearance of the Roman armies
were peculiar in this respect, namely, that what they endured was mainly
self-inflicted. That is to say, they suffered far more from cruelties
and tortures inflicted upon one another, than from the common enemy outside
the walls. In this strange feature of the case it was surely "a time
of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same
time" (#Da 12:1).
What went on within the distressed city calls to mind the words of Isaiah:
"Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and
the people shall be as the fuel (the food) of the fire. No man shall spare
his brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand and shall be hungry;
and he shall eat on the left hand and not be satisfied; they shall eat
every man the flesh of his own arm. Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh.
For all this His anger is not turned away, but His wrath is poured out
still" (#Isa 9:19-21).
Index - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - Appendix
