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+--- Thread: NT Doctrine -- Matthew 24:1-28 (/thread-1127.html)
NT Doctrine -- Matthew 24:1-28 - Ed Hurst - 07-16-2022
The parallel passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21 are more sketchy than Matthew's version. The other two weren't actually there, but were reporting second hand. Also, Matthew has been careful to record the impact of Jesus' teaching on a Jewish mind. Jesus is declaring the end of the Covenant of Moses along with the end of Jewish identity.
After dressing down the Pharisees and Scribes, Jesus left the Temple Plaza. Most likely He departed through the Eastern Gate. Some of His entourage were locals who lived with constant renovations and upgrades to the Temple structure. Not knowing what else to say at this point, they indicated to Jesus some of the most recent changes that He might not have noticed. After all, this was part of what He was about to inherit when He declared Himself Messiah and King.
Jesus bluntly answered by describing the coming destruction under the Roman General Titus. The structures built by men do not really matter to the Kingdom of the Messiah. They all must have been dumbfounded as Jesus continued on, walking down into the Kidron Valley and up the far side on the slope of Olivet. Somewhere near the top, He stopped for a while in a spot that offered a view from above the Temple. After what He had just said, we can imagine Him staring down on the massive complex.
The context indicates it was the Twelve that dared to interrupt His reverie with what they believed was all one question. When would this destruction happen? Such a cataclysm was plausible to them, if one approached it from the idea that the battle to seize His throne would be so very destructive. He had already said something about raising up "the Temple" in three days after it was destroyed (John 2). They had no doubt that His miraculous powers were up that. Such was what they meant by "Your coming" -- Jesus arising to seize power. And of course, by now they had some idea it meant the end of this world as they knew it.
But it was not a single question. Jesus tried to reorder their messy thinking. It was actually three distinct questions, and each indicating different events. But first, He must armor them against the coming sorrows that would tend to confuse everything. "Pay attention to what I'm about to say, so that no one can confuse you."
In verses 4-14, Jesus warns that human catastrophes come and go, and none of it really means anything. The kind of stuff they were imagining would not be omens. They are simply a part of human existence. Wars and natural disasters are not an indicator of anything in particular regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed, it gets worse, because humans will persecute and murder you for the sake of the gospel message. Again, it doesn't mean anything significant has changed. It's just the common lot of our existence on this earth. As long as you are alive, don't be distracted by such things.
Indeed, the world as we know it will not end before Jesus' message has been spread across the whole earth, so don't worry about it. You have a lot of work ahead of you to get that mission accomplished.
Then Jesus turns to the issue of the destruction of Jerusalem, their first question. In verses 15-22, He warns about the coming campaign of Titus in 70 AD, when many of those listening to Him would still be alive. Once Rome breaches their promise to keep troops out of the Temple grounds, it will be almost too late to flee the city. The Father would make it a short battle, as opposed to a prolonged siege, only because there were sure to be Christians living in the city at the time.
After such a horrifying war, it would be important for those surviving believers, people who would be in shock, to be forewarned what to expect. Verses 23-28 cover this issue of the aftermath. In such an atmosphere, hucksters would seek to take advantage of them. They would claim to be the new manifestation of the Messiah, and there would be false prophets doing apparent miracles, and any number of predators trying to rally them for false causes.
You know it's coming, so don't be surprised. One thing they can cling to is this: When the Messiah comes in power, it will be painfully obvious to the whole of humanity. It would be utterly public and no one alive would miss it. He adds a common parable that most people miss entirely, about a carcass and eagles. Don't get hung up on the imagery.
Vultures rely on their sense of smell and can't see that well. It can take them awhile to find a rotting carcass. Eagles will rely on their sharp eyes to spot something not yet dead, but almost there. They will seize the opportunity to eat fresher food, and then leave the rest for the vultures to find later. Jesus is saying not to be lazy, waiting until things are obvious, but to keep a sharp attention on what really matters, and act as quickly as possible. Don't be there when the vultures show up.
There's nothing wrong with hanging on in the city, spreading the gospel, until time runs out. When Rome comes marching in, His followers need to be fleeing out. What He said about the destruction of the Temple, and its apparent indication that the rest of the city will be under threat, actually had nothing to do with His Kingdom.
All of this He said to answer only the first question His disciples asked.
RE: NT Doctrine -- Matthew 24:1-28 - jaybreak - 08-03-2022
I guess I never really knew that about vultures. I assumed they were simply weak or not suited for fighting, and were just scavenger because of that. It didn't occur to me that they simply didn't smell the food until it stank enough.
I know you just said not to get hung up on the imagery, but I just did.
RE: NT Doctrine -- Matthew 24:1-28 - Ed Hurst - 08-04-2022
Yeah, vultures can kill when it suits them. They've been known to take out humans in the past. However, they prefer easier pickings by staying aloft until they smell something they consider edible.