Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jgj@travis.ssd.csd.harris.com (Jeff Jackson) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: teaching Matthew 24-25 Message-ID: Date: 21 Jun 91 08:45:53 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Harris Computer Systems Division Lines: 155 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu > For the next two Sundays I'll be teaching (as a substitute) Matthew 24-25 > in an adult Sunday School class. > > Any advice? Yes. The main thing I would like to point out is that there are *two* questions asked by the disciples: "when will this happen" and "what will be the sign of your comming and of the end of the age?". [24.3 NIV]. The problem is separating out the answers. The "this" refered to in "when will this happen" is refering to the event Jesus had just predicted: "not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down. An excellent reference here is Eusibius (sp?), where he discusses the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem (quoting extensivly from Josephus). I had been raised in the tradition that that treats the entire passage as end times stuff. When I read the Eusibius account, my reaction was "My God! He's describing Math. 24!" I don't have the book at work with me, but I will try to comment below: (Boy its nice to have the NIV online and no I can't mail you a copy. I bought MacBible and uploaded it -- that is legal as long as it is used only used one machine at a time -- also, it is legal to quote up to 1000 verses without permission). Matt. 24:1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. -- Eusibius recounts earthquakes in the region occuring. There -- were certainly many rumours of wars before the Romans invaded. -- As the text says, this was just the beginning. 9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. -- Many great persecutions against Christians were inflicted by -- the Romans and others. Much of Eusibius deals with martyrs. -- Heresies were also common. Witness especial the gnostics and the -- arians. The preaching to the whole world is a goal yet to be -- reached. 15 "So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel --let the reader understand-- 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now --and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time 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 appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect --if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. -- This is talking about the beseging of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70AD. -- The abomination was the alter to Jupiter that was built in the -- temple grounds. The horrors desribed by Eusibius (quoting Josephus) -- are terrifying enough to keep you awake at night. 26 "So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. -- There have been false christs for over 1900 years 29 "Immediately after the distress of those days "`the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. -- This passage is behind the traditional interpretation of the -- whole thing as the tribulation 7 years before the end. However -- persecutions have been going on for 1900 years, and thus the -- "distress of those days" are still these days. Eusibius believed -- that "the sign of the Son of Man [that] will appear in the sky" -- was the sign of the cross saw by Emperor Constantine when he converted -- to Christianity and made it the official religion of the -- Roman Empire. I don't recall if the following verse were taken -- metaphorically by Eusibious or not. 32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. -- Eusibius' understanding of the verses explanis the statement -- "this generation will certainly not pass away until all these -- have happened." if "all these things refer" to to the destruction -- of Jerusalem some 40 years ofter the statement. 36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. -- This clearly referes to the end of time. 42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. One thing to note, I rather suspect that if you were there when Jesus was teaching these things, you would be witnessing a conversation, not a long speach. Matthew tends to collect teachings together into lectures to get to the meat of what Jesus was teaching as briefly as possible. -- ============================================================================ Jeffrey Glen Jackson _|_Satan jeered, "You're dead meat Jesus, I'm gonna jgj@ssd.csd.harris.com | bust you up tonight." x5120 | Jesus said, "Go ahead, make my day." ~~~~~~~~~ -- Carman, "The Champion"