As I write this article, there is war in Ukraine. This is the first major war in the European continent since the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The last war in Europe on this scale was the Second World War. The Russian invasion of Ukraine seems to have had a major impact on many people’s peace of mind. I have read posts on social media from people frightened for the future. One friend related how he and his wife were startled by a missing child alert on their cellphones, thinking for a couple of seconds that this was the warning for a Russian nuclear attack. Modern media brings us information about wars very quickly. We are brought up short by news of disasters, both man-made and natural, on a daily basis. It truly seems to be the case, as many have opined, that the news channels and programs bring us the bad news not the good news. Jesus said “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.” (Matthew 24:6) Why did He say this? What was the context? Jesus and His disciples had just been in the Temple. Jesus had been disputing with and criticizing the Pharisees. Having left the Temple, the disciples were pointing out to Jesus all the Temple buildings, because they were impressive. Surely, they reasoned, this rebuilt Temple was going to endure until the end of the world. Jesus put them straight on that point, explaining that the Temple was to be utterly destroyed. In hindsight, we can see that this could be explained by considering the events of the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, 70 AD was not a fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning the end, as we shall see. It was with this mistaken view of the importance of Herod’s Temple that the disciples asked Jesus about His prophecy of the Temple’s destruction, saying “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Incidentally, the Greek word used for “end” is συντέλεια (sunteleia), which actually means completion, or consummation. The word translated “age” is aeon, so “age” is the right translation, rather than “world” (KJV). Some commentators have suggested using the word “Dispensation”, but this is also an incorrect term, as this refers to different means of salvation in different ages. There is no Scriptural evidence for any difference in means of salvation, save that Old Testament saints looked forward to the Messiah to come, while we look back on the Messiah who has already been. Under the Sovereignty of God, the disciples were asking two questions; one was about the destruction of the Temple, and the other about the end of the age. However, the disciples clearly thought that this was one event. In order to explain all the nuances unwittingly inherent in the disciples’ question, Jesus took the rest of two chapters, and His second longest recorded sermon, to answer their question. In this article, I can only begin to comment on Jesus’ reply. An important part of our consideration is to see who Jesus was actually talking to. Was He just talking to His disciples; that is to say, the Twelve? It would appear that He was referring to His disciples, present and future. He was not just referring to the events of 70 AD, as some suppose. Some of the things He described have not happened yet. Some referred to other end-time prophecies, most notably those in the book of Daniel. Therefore, we can suggest that Jesus was talking to the Twelve, who were actually listening to Him, but also those of us who, down the centuries, also are counted as His disciples. The “you”, to whom Jesus refers, include us, and especially include those disciples, who will be present on Earth, when God brings about the consummation of the age. The disciples asked three questions, believing they were one. 1. When will the Temple be destroyed? 2. What are the signs of Your return? 3. What are the signs of the consummation of the age? Jesus does not dispute that all three questions are valid. In a sense, He had already answered the first question, so He launched into the second, indicating that there were to be four signs of His coming. They are: 1. Signs in the earth - earthquakes, wars etc 2. Signs in the church - apostasy 3. Signs in the Middle East - abomination, Antichrist 4. Signs in the sky - sun, moon, and stars This first sign has indeed been fulfilled. There are wars, and there are rumors of wars. There are also famines, and there are earthquakes and other natural disasters. Jesus said that these have to take place, but that the end is not yet. Thus, the crisis in Ukraine, happening as I write, is not the end, because there are three other signs, two of which have not yet occurred. And Jesus warns, over and over again, throughout this discourse, that there will arise other people who claim to be the Christ, or at least to have special knowledge. Jesus warns His disciples, including us, that we are not to be led astray. How could we be led astray by such false Christs? The fact that Jesus warns us suggests that it may be possible, however temporary, and therefore we are to be on our guard. When war affects our lives, there must be a sense of impending doom. War is not the everyday experience of those of us in the United States. It is the everyday experience, currently, of our brethren in Ukraine. It was the everyday experience of my parents’ generation in the Second World War and my grandparents’ generation in the First World War. I often think what must have been going through the heads of First World War in Britain as they saw their sons called up to fight in the Second World War. Did they wonder if every generation was going to have to send its sons away, for many to die or be damaged on the battlefields? It must have seemed like a personal Armageddon for such families, and yet the First World War is more than a century ago. In my youth, I knew many people who had fought in that war, and the next. Today, the immanence of war has receded for the West, yet remains real elsewhere. But the end is not yet. Today, war is joined by terrorism, and our new reliance on digital technology has opened the possibility of new types of war, such as EMP attacks and cyber-terrorism. But the end is not yet. Can it get much worse? Perhaps. And perhaps the end is not far off now. I suspect that the conditions for the fulfillment of Jesus’ third and fourth signs are well advanced and could occur rapidly. So we need to be ready. Jesus gave us this discourse so that we would be prepared. The wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes, and famines are just the birth pangs that lead to the joy of childbirth. In the meantime, Jesus wants us watching and waiting, to be a people prepared for all that the world, the flesh, and the devil can throw at us.
Wars and Rumors of Wars
Wars and Rumors of Wars
Wars and Rumors of Wars
As I write this article, there is war in Ukraine. This is the first major war in the European continent since the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The last war in Europe on this scale was the Second World War. The Russian invasion of Ukraine seems to have had a major impact on many people’s peace of mind. I have read posts on social media from people frightened for the future. One friend related how he and his wife were startled by a missing child alert on their cellphones, thinking for a couple of seconds that this was the warning for a Russian nuclear attack. Modern media brings us information about wars very quickly. We are brought up short by news of disasters, both man-made and natural, on a daily basis. It truly seems to be the case, as many have opined, that the news channels and programs bring us the bad news not the good news. Jesus said “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.” (Matthew 24:6) Why did He say this? What was the context? Jesus and His disciples had just been in the Temple. Jesus had been disputing with and criticizing the Pharisees. Having left the Temple, the disciples were pointing out to Jesus all the Temple buildings, because they were impressive. Surely, they reasoned, this rebuilt Temple was going to endure until the end of the world. Jesus put them straight on that point, explaining that the Temple was to be utterly destroyed. In hindsight, we can see that this could be explained by considering the events of the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, 70 AD was not a fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning the end, as we shall see. It was with this mistaken view of the importance of Herod’s Temple that the disciples asked Jesus about His prophecy of the Temple’s destruction, saying “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Incidentally, the Greek word used for “end” is συντέλεια (sunteleia), which actually means completion, or consummation. The word translated “age” is aeon, so “age” is the right translation, rather than “world” (KJV). Some commentators have suggested using the word “Dispensation”, but this is also an incorrect term, as this refers to different means of salvation in different ages. There is no Scriptural evidence for any difference in means of salvation, save that Old Testament saints looked forward to the Messiah to come, while we look back on the Messiah who has already been. Under the Sovereignty of God, the disciples were asking two questions; one was about the destruction of the Temple, and the other about the end of the age. However, the disciples clearly thought that this was one event. In order to explain all the nuances unwittingly inherent in the disciples’ question, Jesus took the rest of two chapters, and His second longest recorded sermon, to answer their question. In this article, I can only begin to comment on Jesus’ reply. An important part of our consideration is to see who Jesus was actually talking to. Was He just talking to His disciples; that is to say, the Twelve? It would appear that He was referring to His disciples, present and future. He was not just referring to the events of 70 AD, as some suppose. Some of the things He described have not happened yet. Some referred to other end-time prophecies, most notably those in the book of Daniel. Therefore, we can suggest that Jesus was talking to the Twelve, who were actually listening to Him, but also those of us who, down the centuries, also are counted as His disciples. The “you”, to whom Jesus refers, include us, and especially include those disciples, who will be present on Earth, when God brings about the consummation of the age. The disciples asked three questions, believing they were one. 1. When will the Temple be destroyed? 2. What are the signs of Your return? 3. What are the signs of the consummation of the age? Jesus does not dispute that all three questions are valid. In a sense, He had already answered the first question, so He launched into the second, indicating that there were to be four signs of His coming. They are: 1. Signs in the earth - earthquakes, wars etc 2. Signs in the church - apostasy 3. Signs in the Middle East - abomination, Antichrist 4. Signs in the sky - sun, moon, and stars This first sign has indeed been fulfilled. There are wars, and there are rumors of wars. There are also famines, and there are earthquakes and other natural disasters. Jesus said that these have to take place, but that the end is not yet. Thus, the crisis in Ukraine, happening as I write, is not the end, because there are three other signs, two of which have not yet occurred. And Jesus warns, over and over again, throughout this discourse, that there will arise other people who claim to be the Christ, or at least to have special knowledge. Jesus warns His disciples, including us, that we are not to be led astray. How could we be led astray by such false Christs? The fact that Jesus warns us suggests that it may be possible, however temporary, and therefore we are to be on our guard. When war affects our lives, there must be a sense of impending doom. War is not the everyday experience of those of us in the United States. It is the everyday experience, currently, of our brethren in Ukraine. It was the everyday experience of my parents’ generation in the Second World War and my grandparents’ generation in the First World War. I often think what must have been going through the heads of First World War in Britain as they saw their sons called up to fight in the Second World War. Did they wonder if every generation was going to have to send its sons away, for many to die or be damaged on the battlefields? It must have seemed like a personal Armageddon for such families, and yet the First World War is more than a century ago. In my youth, I knew many people who had fought in that war, and the next. Today, the immanence of war has receded for the West, yet remains real elsewhere. But the end is not yet. Today, war is joined by terrorism, and our new reliance on digital technology has opened the possibility of new types of war, such as EMP attacks and cyber-terrorism. But the end is not yet. Can it get much worse? Perhaps. And perhaps the end is not far off now. I suspect that the conditions for the fulfillment of Jesus’ third and fourth signs are well advanced and could occur rapidly. So we need to be ready. Jesus gave us this discourse so that we would be prepared. The wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes, and famines are just the birth pangs that lead to the joy of childbirth. In the meantime, Jesus wants us watching and waiting, to be a people prepared for all that the world, the flesh, and the devil can throw at us.