It looks as if this is my 110th post, which reminds me of a favorite psalm of mine and the single most quoted psalm of the New Testament. We are also heading into the Jewish High Holy Days, a time of celebration and solemn reflection culminating with Yom Kippur...the Day of Atonement. It is a very exciting time for any Christian who is interested in understanding, with ever increasing clarity, the ongoing faithfulness of our Father and His Word. To look over the grand narrative and stand before God in awe and reverence, not out of fear of hell nor the hope of heaven, but simply and purely for who He is and what He has done in and through His Messiah, Jesus, as well as what He continues to do in our midst by the power of His Word.
I'm going to go at this area a little different, slowly, line by line, a lot of bad theology has been attached to this section over the years...people tend to do that when what they expect God to do because He said He would, doesn't look like they think it ought to when He does it...this obviously has all sorts of negative results...'You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.'
‘But,’ continued Jesus, ‘when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that her time of desolation has arrived. Then the people in Judea should run off to the hills, people in Jerusalem itself should get out as fast as they can, and people in the countryside shouldn’t go back into the city.
This piece is a continuation of the previous apocalyptic prophecy aimed at turning Jerusalem to repentance and accepting the Way Jesus is offering as the only Way. It's understood that if an oracle comes true it has worked, but if what a biblical prophet speaks comes to fruition, it has failed as it is intended to bring about repentance. This is explored in detail by Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in a recent article on testing prophecy click here
Those will be the days of severe judgment, which will fulfill all the biblical warnings. Woe betide pregnant women, and nursing mothers, in those days! There is going to be a huge distress on the earth, and divine anger against this people. The hungry sword will eat them up; they will be taken off as prisoners to every nation; and Jerusalem will be trampled by the pagans, until the times of the pagans are done.
It is a biblical fact that when God brings judgment on His people for failing in their calling and walking in the good works He has prepared them to walk in, for which they were saved, He does so through other peoples...typically 'those people'. This demonstrates both God's justice, mercy and faithfulness, working all things together according to the council of HIS PURPOSE and it is also a swift and unmistakable reminder of His sovereignty not just over one people, but over all peoples. Christian's would do well to come to terms with this...individually, yes, but certainly corporately...this is a season for inner reflection and repentance...
‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. On earth the nations will be in distress and confusion because of the roaring and swelling of the sea and its waves. People will faint from fear, and from imagining all that’s going to happen to the world. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the son of man coming on a cloud” with power and great majesty. When all these things start to happen, stand up and lift your heads up, because the time has come for you to be redeemed.’
In the ancient world, astrology was viewed with great importance, a shooting star, an eclipse...these things meant something...most often a shift in political leadership, coming wars, a new king (Matthew 2v1-2), etc. So there may have been many things coming in the sky, but certainly there was great turmoil on its way. The 'roaring and swelling of the sea' is prophetic language directly tied to the fear and weakness of faith in the masses of people and their imaginations, 'the sea' is a mythological term for chaos (this finds its root in the creation poems of Gen. 1 and 2)for more on 'meaning and myth' in the scriptures click here. Now, the suicide of Emperor Nero sent these very 'waves' through out the whole world, exacerbated by the quick rise and fall of four new emperors, each leading armies. This kind of shaking in the high places of authority in the world are certainly tied directly to a shaking in the 'heavens' that stand behind them, we literally see this from 66-73, the temple falling in 70ad. This would not be a time for panic amongst Christian's though, it is a time for them to be encouraged and strengthened, steadfast in love and faith, it implies that the vindication of their faith is on it's way. Make no mistake, there would be great need for the endurance of the Saints, the one who endures to the end will be saved though. Jesus here quotes directly from Daniel 7, indicating that the judgment that falls on those who have persecuted and terrorized God's elect is the same judgment that will settle once and for all who the worlds true Lord is and times of refreshing will come, God's anointed is enthroned...do not confuse this with the parousia, the coming of Christ, Daniel 7 (read it) is about the ascension of the Son to the right hand of the Father, psalm 110. That is what Jesus has in mind here and that's what we should have in mind as we read it.
He told them this parable. ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they are well into leaf, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is upon you. I’m telling you the truth; this generation won’t be gone before all of this happens. Heaven and earth may disappear, but these words of mine won’t disappear.’
Finally, Jesus clarifies that they are not to be mistaken, their hope and faith is not misplaced regardless of what is about to happen to him up at jerusalem, this generation will see His vindication (which is also theirs), and prophecy isn't so much about about seeing the future, it is often simply looking through the present with honest eyes and an a humble heart and allowing God to show you the thing behind the thing, and the wisdom to deal with it. It is as true today as it was then that ideologies, spirits and the embodiments of them may come and go, but the Word of the Lord always remains. There is great comfort in that for those who love God and are called according to His purpose in Messiah.
Grace and peace
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