Episode 29: Putting Prophecy Into Perspective (Part Two)

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 29

In this conclusion to his talk from a few years back, Gary gives a quick hermeneutics lesson using Matthew 24.

Many dispensationalists assume that Matthew 24:1–34 describes a distant future tribulation, rapture, and physical return of Christ. This is a convenient interpretation for those who hold to a future orientation for all prophetic passages in Scripture. Upon close examination, it does not hold true to the plain meaning of the passage. It is critical that we allow the time texts of Matthew 23:26 and 24:34 to be our interpretive guide. We must let the Bible define terms and phrases, and, in so doing, we will see that this entire section fits clearly within an A.D. 70 fulfillment time frame.

Like all of Scripture, Matthew 24 cannot be understood fully without surveying its context which flows from chapter 23. Keep in mind that in the original manuscripts of the Bible, there are no chapter and verse divisions. In the Greek text, chapter 24 follows immediately after chapter 23. Furthermore, the prophetic words Jesus spoke in chapter 24 are directly related to the events described in chapter 23. The disciples had just heard Jesus pronounce “woes” on the scribes and Pharisees who “have seated themselves in the chair of Moses” (23:13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29).

Jesus ended with this bombshell: “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” (Matt. 23:38). Chapter 24 begins with, “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple building to Him” (24:1). So then, the “house” that would be left “desolate” was the first-century temple that had been rebuilt under the direction of Herod the Great. The disciples were obviously shocked. That’s why they asked Jesus, “When will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (24:3). The disciples equated the destruction of the temple with the coming of Jesus and the end of the age.

Is Jesus Coming Soon?

Wars and rumors of wars, famines, plagues, and earthquakes. These are the biblical signs. All of them are realities of planet earth these days. Is Jesus coming back soon? Did Jesus provide an exact, predictable scenario as so many modern prophecy writers advocate? The answer to these questions will shock the majority and ambush the sentries of the end-times status quo. Readers of Is Jesus Coming Soon? will no longer be bound by the idol of eschatology tradition which has paralyzed the Church and minimized the impact of Christianity on our world. Don’t be disturbed by what you read, because the truth is about to set you free!

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In this conclusion to his talk from a few years back at a conference in Nashville, Gary gives a quick hermeneutics lesson using Matthew 24. We must use the Bible to interpret the Bible and not overlook details like timing and locations. We cannot reinterpret these as relevant to our own day and still claim we are being faithful to the text as written.

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