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| by Erik Wait |
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Introduction
One of the most difficult, confusing and complicated areas of theology is eschatology. The passages of Scripture that relate to this subject are shrouded within apocalyptic texts which contain a great deal of symbolism and mystery as to how the depicted events will take place in the future from the perspective of the its original readers. It is for this reason that the New Testament Church has been slow to come to a consensus on some eschatological issues such as the millennium and the timing of Christ’s return. What the church has been unified on are the main and plain things of Scripture concerning the future; namely the resurrection of the dead, the bodily return of Jesus Christ and a final judgment day. Therefore, beyond these three creedal issues there needs to be a great deal of latitude within the pail of orthodoxy.
The doctrine of eschatology concerns the plan of God for redemptive history, beginning with the creation in Genesis 1 and ending with the last chapter of the Revelation. Hence, eschatology concerns an understanding of what Scripture teaches on the “last things,” the consummation of history and the final destiny of creation. The primary issues related to eschatology that are discussed in the Reformed Confessions which we shall consider in this chapter are: the resurrection of the dead, the redemption of creation, and the final judgment and destiny of mankind. After looking at the teaching of the confessions and Scripture on these topics, in chapter 43 consider the three major eschatological perspectives of the “millennium” mentioned only in Revelation 20:4-5: Premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism.
Death and The Resurrection
The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 32.1 “Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead” states:
“The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies....”
This portion of the Confession teaches that there are two essential components of man - the soul and the body. However, the term “soul” might be better understood as “spirit” for man is a living soul that comprises a compound unity of body and spirit. God first formed man’s body from the dust and then breathed into him a spirit at which time he became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7) The words “soul” and “spirit” are often used interchangeably in Christian theology whereas in Scripture the soul (Hebrew: nephesh; Greek: psychos) refers to the entire person. There are some who teach that man is comprised of three parts (body, soul, mind) based on Hebrews 4:12:
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
This is referred to as a trichotomist view of man and it is usually said that these three components are a reflection of the Trinity and in this manner man is made in the image of God. The argument asserts that soul and spirit are two parts and the joints and marrow comprise the physical body. However, this is not what the text is teaching. Rather the text is using soul and spirit as synonymous terms for the same thing (the immaterial aspect of man) and joints and marrow are representatives of the physical corporeal aspect of man, the body. Consider Jesus’ words in the following passages:
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
Here it is clear that there are those who can kill just the body but not the soul (the spirit) whereas God can kill both body and soul. However, we should avoid deriving any sort of dualistic part of man for Jesus also states:
“And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)
Here we see four things mentioned in which Jesus is essentially saying that we are to love God with our entirety, not that we are made of a list of parts. Man is a compound unity. He is both body and soul, not part body and part spirit or half body and half spirit. When the Christian dies he is in an intermediate state between death and the resurrection which is an unnatural and temporary condition. The Christian is destined to be restored to the intended state, a glorified body united with his spirit, which shall be accomplished at a future resurrection of the body. (1 Corinthians 15:53-57; Romans 8:23) As the Westminster Confession states, when the believer dies his incorruptible soul (spirit) does not perish nor does it cease to have consciousness but returns to fellowship God as his body returns to the dust from which it came. There are several passages that support this teaching:
“But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I AM the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.’” (Matthew 22:31-32)
While the emphases of Jesus’ words are on the resurrection, the point He is making to the Sadducees is that YHWH is not the God of the dead, of people who are not conscious. He is the God of Abraham, who is alive to God and not merely dust with no future resurrection. Likewise, Jesus tells a story concerning an interaction between Abraham and a rich man who has died. (Luke 16:19-31) Some might argue that the story is a parable or that it is a fictional story that Jesus is telling in order to make a point. However, even if the story is a parable the pattern of Jesus’ parables in the gospels is that they are all based on real life circumstances (a runaway son, a lost coin, masters and servants, the sowing of seed) and not fantastic stories of people, events and circumstances that never take place. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the event is fictional for He uses well known proper names (Abraham and Lazarus) and is most likely speaking of the actual event of when His friend Lazarus died. (John 11:11-44)
A third passage that speaks of those who have died being conscious before the resurrection is found in the revelation given to John:
“When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” (Revelation 6:9-11)
While the Book of Revelation is highly symbolic it speaks of the saints being conscious and remaining in their state until the resurrection when the complete number of the saints have been brought in. In this state they are able to speak to God just as the angels do in heaven.
There is a heretical view that denies that the dead are conscious and asserts that the dead enter an unconscious “soul sleep” such that once a believer dies the next thing that they will experience will be the resurrection. This view also tends to deny the existence of a place of torment in which the damned along with the devil and his minions will spend eternity. Instead, this doctrine asserts that the unbeliever is annihilated, either immediately or gradually he will burn out like a wick on a candle that is eventually extinguished. This view is taught by Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses as evangelicals such as Philip Hughes, Clark Pinnock, and John R.W. Stott. [1] In contrast to this doctrine the Westminster Confession goes on to state:
“...And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.”
The primary passages in Scripture that teach that the unbeliever will be judged according to their sin and cast into hell include the following:
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; or I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-41)
In this text there are several things that are clear. First, Jesus will be the judge. Second, He will separate the “goats” (unbelievers/false believers) and the “sheep” (believers) on the basis of their works of faith or lack thereof. Works done according to God’s Word, for His glory and by faith will be the evidence which either justifies the true believer or condemns the hypocrite and the unbeliever. Third, the condemned will go into eternal punishment where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30) but the righteous will go into eternal life. The quality and extent of time of the punishment is the same as the quantity of time for those who are in heaven - it is eternal. There is no indication that this suffering will ever end. The Apostle John describes it this way:
“Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’” (Revelation 14:9-11)
It should be noted that those in hell are not cast out of the presence of God for He is omnipresent. Rather, the condemned are eternally in the presence of the wrath of God and are outside of the blessing of His covenantal love. There are several arguments that tend to be raised against the idea of a place of an everlasting and eternal torment.
Some argue that the idea that God would torture a person for eternity contradicts the Bible’s teaching on His love. This argument is based on the person’s own emotional sentimentality and not the Scripture’s teaching on God’s love. This same line of reasoning would likewise assert that God’s love must be extended to every individual and thus His grace is universally offered and applied to every individual. Furthermore, this notion is asserting that God’s love can be demonstrated towards those who have violated His holiness and provoked His wrath. Jesus Christ satisfied the wrath of God for His sheep when He propitiated and expiated for their sin on the cross. But those who have not died and been raised in Christ still have and will forever continue to have His wrath and judgment upon them and no temporal punishment can satisfy His righteousness.
Others argue that a doctrine of eternal punishment is disproportionate with the time and the temporal nature of the crime. In other words, to condemn someone to hell for eternity seems like giving someone the death penalty for a parking violation. Such a sense of what constitutes a fair and just punishment is not informed by Scripture but stems from a man-centered sense of justice. Adam, Eve and their descendants received the death penalty and all of creation was cursed because they ate a piece of fruit. (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12, 15-16; 1 Corinthians 15:22) From a mere human perspective, doesn’t that seem like a disproportionate punishment? This line of thinking demonstrates that the ways of God are much higher than the ways of man and we cannot begin with our own sense of right and wrong to determine what is fair and just. (Isaiah 55:9)
Another argument against the eternal and everlasting punishment of the wicked is that it does not solve the problem of evil in the universe. If the wicked are still in existence then evil is still in God’s creation and thus it is eternally marred and short of perfection. This argument begins with a wrong understanding of the problem of evil. It assumes that God cannot use evil or ordain its existence for His own glory. Scripture teaches that God is glorified in the demonstration of His love, grace and mercy on some sinners and in showing justice, wrath and condemnation towards others. (Romans 9:14-29) Therefore, God can be glorified in demonstrating His love and mercy for eternity on some and in demonstrating His justice and wrath for eternity on others.
The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory
It is clear from Scripture that there is no third option destiny of either goats or sheep. As the Westminster Confession states “Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.” In other words, there is no purgatory. The doctrine of purgatory does not come from the Canon of Scripture recognized by Jesus Christ or the apostles but apocryphal books accepted only by Roman Catholics.
The Apocrypha (Judith, Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus) was not included in the Roman Catholic canon until 1546 at the Council of Trent. It was included and declared to be deuterocanonical by Rome in reaction to the Reformers because the Apocrypha supports the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, the merit of works, and prayers for the dead, even though they contain historical, chronological, and geographical errors, justify deception and falsehood, and teach that the world was created from preexistent matter rather than ex nihilo. It is interesting however that the Old Covenant Church did not include these books even though they were the original recipients and guardians of the canonical Old Testament Scriptures.
The necessity of a doctrine of purgatory stems from two things: a metaphysical understanding of the nature of sin and a defective view of what Jesus Christ accomplished in His death, burial and resurrection. In Roman Catholicism sin is not entirely a moral category, a lack of conformity to the law of God. In Roman Catholicism sin it literally accumulates as dross on the soul of the believer who has not removed it through penitential rites. Consequently the dross of sin must literally be burned off the soul by going through a period of torment through which the sin is purged. The primary New Testament text which Rome uses for this doctrine is found in Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians:
“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
There are several things wrong with the Roman Catholic understanding of this text. First, the imagery in the text is metaphorical that of building a temple made of gold on a foundation with stones. The worth of one’s work will depend on one’s foundation (Jesus Christ) and the quality of the work will depend on its content; whether it is according to moral law, done in faith, with love and to the glory of God. (Hebrews 11:6; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 10:31) If the work which we do is not done in this way, then the work (not the person) will be burned and yet the person will be saved. Second, there is no indication that this judgment entails punishment or any form of torture of the soul of the believer. The unbeliever will be cast into eternal torment, the believer will not be cast into temporary torment. For the believer suffering always has for the purpose of sanctifying the person so that they repent of their sin and morally become more like Christ in their behavior in which they love God and their neighbor. In suffering the Christian learns to become more dependent on Christ for his sufficiency and comfort in trials. God does not inflict punishment on his children merely for the sake of inflicting on him pain. The purpose of punishment is correction and purgatory does not correct anything. Third, sanctification is a moral transformation, not a metaphysical or ontological change and the purpose of trials and tribulations is to make us more like Christ in our character:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Being tortured in a prison does not change the behavior of the believer nor does purgatory offer an opportunity to live a repentant life that demonstrates itself in more love, humility, a Christ-like spirit or the peaceful fruit of righteousness:
“For consider Him who has set endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons; ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not joyful, but sorrowful; yet those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:3-11)
The doctrine of purgatory is an entirely punitive doctrine with no means of correcting the moral weaknesses of the Christian. At its heart it is dependent on a platonic and Aristotelian view of reality that confuses moral qualities with ontological attributes and those who introduced it (Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Augustine) into the church were in error. They often based their doctrines on Greek philosophical notions that are absolutely antithetical to the Scriptures and borrowed from non-inspired texts never cited by either Jesus or the apostles. (2 Maccabees 12:43-46)
What must be kept in mind when reading the writings of the early church fathers is that the early church suffered from two major fallacies: The first was the tendency of Jewish Christians influenced by the Pharisees to hold on to the types, shadows and covenant signs of the Old Covenant in their original form and observe them as if they were necessary for salvation. (Acts 15:1) This ceased to be a problem with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The second problem that plagued the early church was that the Gentile believers tended to bring with them into the church their old Greek philosophies and ethics. Both of these errors had to be addressed by the apostles in their epistles. After their death the error of Greek philosophy being infused into Christian theology continued to plague the church for centuries. During the first few hundred years many of the Gentile Christian pastors, theologians and apologists not only defended Biblical truth concerning the nature of God but they also introduced into the church many errors and at times they included non-canonical books and writings into the church. As much as they defended the church against the Gnostics they also introduced error with the very same sort of Neo-Platonist dualisms.
We ought not to view the early church as the Bride of Christ in her purest state merely because of the chronological proximity to the apostles. In fact, we ought to recognize that on the one hand we need to respect our forefathers and their positive contributions to Christian doctrine and yet also read them critically through the lens of Scripture. If Jesus Christ is glorifying His bride and making her more pure in history then we ought to see the Church as progressing in its understanding of Scripture, continually working out what was revealed to and through the writers of the New Testament. At the same time we ought not to repeat the errors of our predecessors while recognizing they are the giants on whose shoulder we stand. In avoiding their errors we ought not to continue to pass on their errant doctrines and not repeat their same tendencies by adopting the philosophies of our own day. The church needs to continually be reforming and conforming itself to the inerrant Word of God. Let us take a brief look at some of the early church fathers who advocated the doctrine of Purgatory.
One example of an error of an early church father can be seen in the theology of Justin Martyr. Justin was born early in the second century in Samaritan territory of Greek parentage and as a young man went to Ephesus to study philosophy. He began as a Stoic, passed on to Aristotelianism and then on to Platonism. In The First Apology of Justin (155 A.D.) as we see that he tries to defend the faith by showing similarities between Christianity and the Greek religions. In fact he goes on to accuse the Greek philosophers, such as Plato, of plagiarizing from Moses by the means of demonic activity because he was reading the Bible through the lens of Greek philosophy. It was this sort of error, of blending Greek though with Scripture, that can be seen in the problems which the apostles addressed in their epistles.
Another example of truth mixed with error and advocated the doctrine of Purgatory is seen in the work of the early Church apologist Tertullian (d. 220 A.D.) who wrote a defense of the faith against the Gnostics in The Prescriptions Against the Heretics and in the Rule of Faith. In these works he argues for an apostolic and catholic succession of the faith. In making his defense he argues against the mixture of Greek philosophy with Christianity and attempts to give a guide to proper hermeneutics. However, underlying his appeal to apostolic succession he relies on the presupposition that the older the belief the more likely it is to be true as he states, “The real thing always exists before the representation of it; the copy comes later.” While this was certainly true of the Gnostics this notion would later be the basis of the antiquarian fallacy of the Roman Catholics of our day. It wrong assumes that because a teaching is old that it must be right. Jesus confronted this same sort of error when the Pharisees challenged Him regarding the following of the teaching of the elders.
“Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ And He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?’” (Matthew 15:1-3)
The Pharisees had adopted the teaching of rabbi’s as if they were on par with Scripture because they saw them as an authoritative interpretation of the Law. This is the exact same error that is furthered by the Roman Catholic Church. They repeat and build upon the traditions of the wrong doctrines of the early church fathers which stem from uninspired texts and Greek philosophy. Of course they also promote many correct doctrines (as did the Pharisees and Scribes) passed on from the early church concerning the doctrine of God and the identity of Jesus Christ.
Another advocate of the doctrine of Purgatory was Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage. He was raised a pagan and converted to Christianity around 245-246 A.D. While Christians certainly desire to have unity within the church it would seem unity at the expense of truth would later lead to the church’s corruption. The underlying presupposition for Cyprian’s argument is his equation of the visibility of the church constituting the authenticity of the true church. The seed which started the problems in the church of his day was the problem of the lapse. Under the government leadership of Decius all Roman citizens were required to attest their loyalty by sacrificing to the gods of the Empire. Those who failed to do so were put to death. However, there were many Christians for the fear of death submitted to this decree and thus became part of the lapse whereas many other faithful Christians lost their lives. Later these Christians wished to be forgiven and restored to the church and partake of communion. The second conflict within the church was between the leadership of Cornelius and Novantus as to who was rightly ordained. This lead to the question as to what constitutes a valid baptism for many were baptized under Fortunatus who was appointed bishop in Africa by the Novantianist party. From Cyprian’s understanding of the church he built his understanding of salvation. If one were not part of the recognized visible church one’s baptism was not valid and thus one’s profession of faith was in vain for if you do not have the Church, that is Cyprian’s definition of it, as your mother you can not have God as your Father. The result was that many sincere bone fide Christians were deemed to be damned because they were not baptized under the correct visible representation of the church. Cyprian failed to see that it would be just as possible for heretics to subtly enter into the leadership of an oligarchic church and introduce a false gospel as it would be for them to attack the church by introducing a heresy from without. In fact Cyprian while trying to preserve the faith himself introduced heresy’s and failed to live up to Paul’s commands to forgive repented brothers (2 Corinthians 2:5-11) when he would not restore those of the lapse who truly repented. Instead, he asserted “We have need of right conduct to earn the favor of God when He judges us; we must obey His commands and instruction to obtain the reward of our merits... anything before the end can be no more than a step by which we climb to the summit of salvation, and not the goal where the mountaintop is already gained.” The result was that he made justification a mixture of faith and works which remained within the church until the Protestant Reformation. It would seem Cyprian was inconsistent with his denial of those of the lapse from the church and his assertion of Peter being the first Pope, though the term “Pope” was not actually used. Did not Peter lapse when he denied Christ three times and was he not restored by Christ when he affirmed his love?
Clement of Alexandria, another Purgatory promoter, was a convert to Christianity from Stoicism who argued that Plato plagiarized Moses and the prophets and that Greek philosophy for the Greeks was as the Law of Moses to the Jews in its being a tutor to bring them to Christ and as a restraint to sin. Hence he argues that Socrates was a preparation for the Gospel for the Gentiles just as Moses was for the Jews. This error led to the wholesale adoption of Greek philosophy being baptized in Christian terminology and the Bible being read through the philosophical categories of Plato and later Aristotle in the middle ages, particularly by Thomas Aquinas.
Another early church father who advocated the doctrine of Purgatory was Origen. According to Eusebius, he took the command in Matthew 19:12 to mean that he should castrate himself. Perhaps he shouldn’t be our first choice for reliable exegesis of a text. Origen attempted to synthesize Christian scriptural interpretation and belief with Greek philosophy, especially Neo-Platonism and Stoicism.
The doctrine of Purgatory is a flawed doctrine passed on by the early church fathers. It has no basis in Scripture, it relies on non-inspired texts and at its core is a confused doctrine of sin stemming from Greek philosophy. Worse, it denies the sufficiency of the saving work of Jesus Christ and contradicts the clear teaching of Paul who states that:
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)
Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) The thief was neither baptized, he did not pray the Rosary or do any penitential acts required by Rome in order to be forgiven. He simply had faith and made a requested that Jesus remember him when He came into His kingdom. (Luke 23:42) Likewise, the apostle Paul stated that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
The Second Helvetic Confession Chapter 26 “Of the Burial of the Faithful, and of the Care to Be Shown for the Dead; of Purgatory, and the Appearing of Spirits” rightly states:
“For we believe that the faithful, after bodily death, go directly to Christ, and, therefore, do not need the eulogies and prayers of the living for the dead and their services. Likewise we believe that unbelievers are immediately cast into hell from which no exit is opened for the wicked by any services of the living.
But what some teach concerning the fire of purgatory is opposed to the Christian faith, namely, ‘I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting,’ and to the perfect purgation through Christ, and to these words of Christ our Lord: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life’ (John 5:24). Again: ‘He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over, and you are clean’ (John 13:10).”
The Resurrection of the Saints
The Westminster Confession of Faith goes on to state concerning the state of believers still alive at the bodily return of Jesus Christ:
“At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed: and all the dead shall be raised up, with the selfsame bodies, and none other (although with different qualities), which shall be united again to their souls forever.”
There were two primary groups in the first century that denied the resurrection of the body: The sect of the Jewish Sadducees (Matthew 22:23) and the Greek philosophers and Gnostics who insisted that the physical body was just a shell and the goal to escape physicality. This same view is taught today in the Hyper-Preterist (Full-Preterist) view of eschatology that teaches that Jesus not rise bodily from the dead with the same body that was buried. Hence there is a discontinuity between that which was entombed and that which was later seen and touched by the apostles. [2]
Subsequently, the Hyper-Preterist asserts that the promise of the return of Christ has already occurred (He will not return bodily) as well as the judgment of the earth (or more precisely “the land” which is Israel) and the resurrection in 70 A.D. They insist that texts such as Matthew 24-25, 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 which speak of the judgment of the earth, the vindication of the saints and the coming of Christ in glory with His angels has already occurred in its entirety. [3]
Hyper-Preterists subsequently go on to assert that each person has their one and only judgment at the point of death as well as experience the “resurrection” which consists of a non-corporeal “spiritual” body while physical body which returns and remain in the dust. The idea is that the body of the saint is but a shell from which he will depart and leave behind. In fact many Hyper-Preterists also assert that Jesus’ body was not raised from the dead while others teach that while Jesus had a resurrected corporeal body this will not be so for the Christian. This is the exact same view of the Gnostics (which they admit) and similar to the view of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses).
The Orthodox Partial Preterist also sees the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. as the fulfillment of Jesus’ description of its judgment in His prophecy in which He states, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34) Yet, this event is understood as a type of the final judgment which is yet to come at the end of earth’s history and the culmination of all things when the body of the saints are raised from the dead. [4]
There are several reasons why the Orthodox Partial Preterist does not place all eschatological events as having been fulfilled in 70 A.D. First, there are other texts in the Bible which speak of not merely of Jesus coming to judge Israel, but also the entire world. Second, the Orthodox Partial Preterist also maintains that the just as Jesus rose bodily from the dead so too there will be a bodily resurrection of the just and unjust. Third, there will be culmination of all things in history in which the cosmos (world, universe) will also be resurrected or renewed. In other words, unlike the Hyper-Preterist, the Orthodox Partial Preterist is in full agreement with the universal creeds that the church has maintained for almost two thousand years.
The Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 32.3 states concerning the state of believers and unbelievers at the resurrection when Christ returns with His saints:
“The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honor; and be made conformable to His own glorious body.”
One of the clearest texts that support a bodily resurrection of both the believer and Jesus is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. In this text Paul argues that according to the Scriptures Jesus died for our sins, was buried and bodily raised on the third day. (Vv. 1-3) That which was raised was His physical body (Greek: “soma”) as we read in the Gospel of John:
“The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show us, seeing that You do these things?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews therefore said, ‘It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:18-22)
The body which the Jews killed was not His spirit but His physical body. That very same body is the one which He raised from the dead. In addition, the various post-resurrection appearances of Christ indicate that it is a physical body as He is being visible to the natural eye with which He can eat food with His disciples (Luke 24:41-43), and allow them to touch Him (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
Paul throughout 1 Corinthians chapter 15 uses the term “resurrection” in one manner and does not equivocate terms when he draws a correlation between the resurrection of the dead and the resurrection of Jesus as we read:
“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” (Vv. 13-18)
If the nature of the resurrection for Jesus Christ and the believers is completely different then the argument that Paul is making does not stand. The basis for believing in the resurrection of the dead stands on the historical bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. But if there is no bodily resurrection for believers then there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and consequently the Gospel is but a myth. Paul is arguing against a Greek philosophical notion that was entering the church which viewed the body as something to be escaped, not redeemed or raised. The doctrine of Hyper-Preterism denies the bodily resurrection of the believer is therefore clearly a heresy that contradicts the teaching of the apostle Paul which they admit is the same teaching as the Gnostics and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They’re only defense against their similarity is that the Gnostics and Jehovah’s witnesses aren’t wrong about everything. What they fail to recognize is that they are in line with the heretics on a doctrine which the Church, including the apostles, have opposed for 2,000 years! When Paul preached to the Greeks in Athens they thought it was a strange teaching (Acts 17:18). Paul goes on to state in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that Jesus’ resurrection is but the first of a kind to follow:
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead, for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
The “first fruits” of a harvest are not a different kind of fruit of what follows. Rather it is the first crop of the same kind of fruit of what remains to be reaped and is offered as a tithe to God. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is the first of a kind that yet remains to be harvested at the resurrection at the end of time:
“...then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He is expected who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)
Notice that Paul states that there is a “now” and “yet to come” aspect to the triumph of Jesus. He has already put all things in subjection under His feet “now” and He must reign until He has put His enemies under His feet “yet to come.” This is an important eschatological tension that must be kept in mind when reading the time indicators in Scripture. There are many things which are said to be true “now” and yet an aspect of that same truth is “yet to come” on the final day, when the last enemy is finally conquered and He judges the world. Hyper-Preterism fails to recognize the eschatological tensions in the New Testament concerning status of the believer and the promises that remain to be fulfilled at the last day.
Sanctification is spoken of in Scripture as a present reality and an on going process that will be completed in future. Every believer has been sanctified in Christ Jesus, therefore the New Testament calls all believers “saints” or “holy ones.” (Greek: hagioi) (1 Corinthians 1:2). According to Hebrews 10:10 the saint has been placed in a permanent and continuous state of sanctification, “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Yet Scripture also tells us that Christ has sanctified His bride, the Church, and will continue to do so until she is glorified:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her (past tense) by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (future).” (Ephesians 5:25-27)
Those who are in covenantal union with Christ, are seen by God as already justified, sanctified and glorified (Romans 8:29, 30; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 10:10, 14) This is a present reality “now” and yet there remains a future aspect of this as well (2 Corinthians 3:18). That which will be a reality at the last day is spoken of as if it is already so for God “calls into being that which does not exist.” (Romans 4:17) Just as Abram was renamed Abraham (father of many nations) before that promise was ever realized in time so too we are declared to be in Christ justified, sanctified and glorified.
Likewise there is a present reality of our adoption (“…you have received a spirit of adoption as sons...” Romans 8:15) and yet there remains the completion of our adoption and the reception of our inheritance on the final day at the resurrection (“…waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body...” Romans 8:25).
So too our resurrection is said to be a present reality having been baptized and raised in Christ (Romans 6:11), which John calls the “first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5), and yet there is also a future reality of this in which our bodies shall be glorified like His body (“certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” Romans 6:5)
Likewise, there is both a present reality “now” of being in heaven with Jesus “seated with Christ in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:18-23; Philippians 3:14) and a future aspect of this reality as well. Full Preterism places the entirety of the promises of Scripture in the past and fails to recognize that the eschatology of the New Testament presents a “now” and “yet to come” reality of the believer. The apostle Paul then goes on to discuss the nature of the resurrection.
“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?’ You fool!” (1 Corinthians 15:35)
Here is the problem in understanding the nature of the resurrected body - where is there something on earth that we can point to and say, “See, that is what it is like to be raised and glorified.” Everything around us within our ability to experience is still in a fallen state. How then can we use anything around us as an example for what our glorified bodies will be like? We have never been in a glorified state, we have not seen anything in a glorified state and pure reason cannot logically deduce what a resurrected body must be like. This is why Paul says that someone who asks such a question is a fool. The nature of the resurrected body is still a great mystery for the only thing we have is but a brief glimpse of Jesus Christ in a resurrected glorified state in the Scriptures. This is why Paul states earlier in the epistle, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
The only thing that Paul can do is give us a weak analogy, by pointing out the fact that just as there are different kinds of bodies within creation, above and below, so too our body will be different. The first analogy is from agriculture:
“That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.” (1 Corinthians 15:36-38)
The Hyper-Preterist reads this text and concludes that Paul is asserting that the current human body is but a shell to be left behind and when the Christian dies he escapes this mere husk of a seed and his true self, the spiritual, is then raised. But this is not what Paul is teaching. Just as there is a one to one correspondence between the seed and the plant so too there is a one to one correspondence between the body which is sown and the body which is raised. Even within our time on earth the cells in our body are constantly dying being replaced with new cells such that within seven years every cell in your body is a different cell than that which previously existed. In one sense, you have an entirely different body and yet there remains a one to one correspondence between the one and the other such that scars, signs of previous injuries and so forth remain. In a similar way, though the body dies and disintegrates in the ground like a seed when it is raised in more glorious state there will be a correspondence and continuity between that which is sown and that which is raised. That which is sown is not identical to what is grown but is related to it.
Paul then uses analogies from different kinds of flesh, “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.” (1 Corinthians 15:39) So too, our resurrected bodies will be a different kind of flesh. He then looks upward and draws an analogy from the celestial bodies, “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.” (1 Corinthians 15:40-41) The point he is making is that there are differences and yet also similarities. One is of a greater glory but there is a correlation between that which is sown and that which is raised. He then concludes:
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)
What is important here is to notice the singular pronoun “it.” The same “it” which is sown is the same “it” (body) which is raised and yet the “it” has been transformed into a spiritual body. Simon J. Kistemaker illustrates the contrast this way:
“It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.” [5]
The contrast is between that which dominated the body before the resurrection (corruption, dishonor, weakness, physicality or “natural”) and that which dominates the body after the resurrection (incorruption, glory, power and the spirit). Hence “spiritual” in this context does not mean “ethereal” or “immaterial” as if we should expect at the resurrection to become like the cartoon character Casper the friendly ghost. At the resurrection the body will undergo a metamorphosis like a caterpillar being transformed into a butterfly. It will be different and yet there will be a continuity between that which died and buried and that which was raised. Paul then draws a greater contrast, between the first and last Adam:
“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthly; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthly, so also are those who are earthly; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)
We received by inheritance our natural physical body from the first Adam for from this one man God made every nation on earth. (Acts 17:26) We come into this world in his likeness, in a fallen state of sin. The second man, Jesus Christ, on the other hand was not born of Adam in His divinity but rather of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18-20) Yet He was born “...in the likeness of the sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.” (Romans 8:3) He originated in heaven, not from earth as John the Baptist declared, “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) Paul then declares that in the resurrection just as we bore the image of the first Adam so too we shall bear the image of the second Adam. If Jesus was raised in a glorified corporeal body, then so too shall we also be raised in a corporeal but glorified body. Paul then states while the body we inherited from the first Adam was mortal and perishable that which we shall inherit from the Second Adam is immortal and imperishable:
“Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable in inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50)
Both the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) and the Hyper-Preterists assert that this text indicates that the body which is raised must be some sort of ethereal body which is non-corporeal. Some Hyper-Preterists assert that Jesus did in fact rise in a physical body since He did not see corruption but they insist that He alone will have a physical body in the Kingdom of Heaven. If that is the case then they must admit that the idiom “flesh and blood” cannot merely be a reference to a corporeal body unless they want to assert that Jesus will not be in the Kingdom of God. The term “flesh and blood” appears in the New Testament five times and each time it has the connotation of mortal humanity. (Matthew 16:17; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 1:16; Ephesians 6:11-12; Hebrews 2:14-15). In this context it specifically is synonymous with the “perishable body.” Paul then goes on to state:
“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that you toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:52-58)
Death has been conquered “now” by the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ for it no longer has dominion over Him. (Romans 6:9). Consequently its “sting” has been removed. This is why we do not grieve as the world does, for even in death we maintain the hope of the resurrection for those have died in Christ. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) Yet, we still do grieve, for the death of the loved one is reminder that the effect of the fall, a remnant of original sin, still remains. Death and the curse have not yet been eradicated from creation. (Romans 5:12) There is still a “yet to come” defeat of death at the future resurrection of the body and a restoration of the cosmos. (1 Corinthians 15:26) Paul states that the timing of the restoration of creation will correspond with the resurrection of Christians when they receive the inheritance of their glorified bodies:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subject to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God for we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” (Romans 8:18-25)
There are two very clear points that we must make from this passage in response to Hyper-Preterism. The first is that creation is still groaning and suffering the curse of the fall and consequently it is still “subject to futility.” It still bears thorns and thistles and is subject to decay. Second, the creation is waiting for the redemption of the bodies of the adopted sons. We have been adopted as sons but we also still wait for the reception of our inheritance, the resurrection of our body. We are not waiting to escape from our body, a Gnostic notion, but that we and all of creation will be restored as there will be a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21:1)
Judgment Day in the Gospels
There are three theological interpretations that I will contend with in looking at the Gospel of Matthew chapter 24, namely that of the Hyper-Preterist that places all eschatological events in the past, the Orthodox Partial Preterist that sees this text as referring only to the judgment of Israel and the Dispensational view which places all eschatological events in the future. We will also take a necessary side step to see how Daniel chapter 9 is fulfilled in Jesus’ death on the cross and in the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. described in Matthew chapter 24.
In interpreting Matthew chapter 24 and other relevant texts such as Acts 17, a few hermeneutical principles must be kept in mind. First, any time indicators, terms which point to when the prophecy will be fulfilled, in the text must be the guiding principle for if they are not then any correct understanding of the text becomes impossible. Since the language of prophetic texts is usually that of an apocalyptic genre it will be highly symbolic, thus the time indicators are crucial to understand the text for highly symbolic texts are easily distorted by those who ignore the context. The time indicators are found in the immediate context of the passage such as the original audience. This must be kept in mind for, particularly in Matthew 24, the text is addressing immediate issues and their questions. Pay attention to the personal pronouns “you,” “they” and “we.” If Jesus is asked a question and He says, “You will see...” He is not talking about someone else 2,000 years later. Likewise, when Paul is speaking about a pending judgment of the world to the Greeks in Athens we should not think that he is just talking about the Jews in Jerusalem.
Second, pay attention to demonstrative pronouns – “this” vs. “that.” “This” indicates he is speaking of something in close approximation, whether in distance or time. Also, pay attention to a combination of pronouns with qualifiers, “After this you will see...” or “when you see...” You must also keep in mind the genre of the text. Namely, the apocalyptic language and terms in the text and how they are used elsewhere in Scripture.
Third, determine the meaning of Old Testament texts from the Apostles, and determine the degree of literalness that a text should be given from them, not from a presupposed hermeneutical grid such as Dispensationalism. Since apocalyptic language such as that found in Daniel, Matthew 24, the Book of Revelation and so forth is highly symbolic in nature one must derive the meaning and intent of the use of the terms by the author. For example, in Acts 2:16-21 we read of Peter's interpretation of Joel 2:
“ ..but THIS is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘and it shall be in the Last Days: God says, 'That I will pour forth , of my spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days our forth of my spirit’ And they shall prophesy and I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious Day of the LORD shall come: 'And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'"
Peter referring to the event at Pentecost states,“...but THIS is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel” and yet the phenomenon referred to in Joel doesn't “to the letter” seem like the events which were going on. Should we be more literal than Peter in our interpretation of Joel Chapter 2 and thus seek a future fulfillment of the text? Or should we develop our hermeneutic from the Apostles? Obviously the latter. Therefore when Peter says “THIS IS what was spoken of through the prophet Joel" we should not look for any further fulfillment of the text.
Of particular interest in Joel 2 are the phrases, “The Last Days” and “Day of The LORD.” A simple word study will demonstrate that they were in the “Last Days” as Hebrews 1:2 states, “...in these Last Days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” In addition, the “Day of The LORD” was at hand. This phrase is synonymous with judgment for those who are outside of or breakers of the covenant. (cf.. Isaiah 13:6; 9; Lamentations 2:22; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3) Of particular interest is Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I. am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible, Day of the LORD.” Has Elijah come as spoken of by the Prophet Malachi? Jesus states in Matthew 11:12-15, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Are we to look for a future fulfillment of a literal return of Elijah? Or are we to interpret Malachi 4:5 in light of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11? Obviously the latter. Thus the Last Days have come and are here and the Day of the Lord was at hand, as we shall see, in the Apostle’s time.
Finally, if the prophecy being given is fulfilled historically outside of Scripture, such as the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., then in order to understand the prophecy we must find the nearest historical event outside of Scripture which meets the description of the text.
The Judgment of Israel in the Gospels
In Matthew Chapter 23 Jesus pronounces “woes” and condemnation on the nation of Israel, and its center of apostasy in Jerusalem. Central to the pronouncement of judgment is the temple. Jesus then after pronouncing judgment foretells of the coming execution of that judgment in 70 A.D.:
“Therefore behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes [the Apostles]; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23:34-35).
Then He states, “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation." (vs. 36)
It is commonly asserted that the word “generation,” also found in Matthew 24:34, implies that the “race” of the Jews would not cease to exist, until all the mentioned events came to pass. However, there is no justification for such a position. Dispensationalist C.I. Scofield, in his Bible’s reference to this verse, recognized this, and actually switched the definition of the word from that of “genea” to that of “genos,” which is an entirely different word! However, the word always refers to contemporaries, that is a group of people within a period of 40 or so years. For example, in Acts 13:36 we read, “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep...” Therefore we ought to take this verse to mean, “I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away until all this has taken place.”
Jesus then goes on to state, “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Vv. 38-39). The “house” refers to the building which is central to the text and discussed further in Chapter 24, which is not their personal home (although those were destroyed as well) but rather the temple. Jesus is referring to Daniel 9:26-27 which states:
“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolation are determined... and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus speaks of the coming destruction of the temple as He states, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” (v. 2), Then there are three questions asked by the disciples: The first, concerned the timing of the event “Tell us, when will these things happen…” The second the indications that this event was about to happen, “…what will be the sign of Your coming” and the third concerned the timing of, “…the end of the age?” (v. 3).
The first question we need to ask is: Did Jesus answer all three questions and if so did He answer them in the manner in which they were asked?
The first answer Jesus gives are the signs of the coming destruction of the temple which includes false messiahs and false prophets (Vv. 5, 11, 23-24, 26), wars and rumors of wars (v. 6), famines and earthquakes (v. 7) but these are not the sign of the end, only birth pangs. (v. 8) The disciples will suffer persecution and death (v. 9) and many will apostatize (v. 10) the increase of lawlessness (v. 12) that the gospel will be preached to all the nations (v. 14). He gives them these signs so that they will flee from Jerusalem to the mountains (Vv. 16-20) for this is an event that they will be on earth and will have to suffer through. Jesus states that this is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel:
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand.” (v. 15)
To understand this we take to take a slight detour from out look at Matthew 24 to rightly understand the Prophecy of Daniel. In Daniel 9:24-27 we read:
“Seventy sevens have been decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression [6], to make an end of sin [7], to make atonement for iniquity [8], to bring in everlasting righteousness [9], to seal up vision and prophecy [10] and to anoint the most holy place. [11]” (v. 24)
There are six distinct things which were to happen within a definitely marked off period of seventy sevens of years (490 years). These six specified things are closely related to one to the other, for in the Hebrew they are all connected by the conjunction “and.” However, Dispensationalists (who claim to .be the literalists in their hermeneutic) claim that 69 of the weeks have been fulfilled and yet there is a gap between it and the 70th week which has yet to be fulfilled by the Anti-Christ. [12]
The text itself tells us in a previous verse, “...in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.” (Daniel 9:2) Were the seventy years sequential or was there a gap? This prophecy told Daniel that their current captivity would last from 586-516 BC (our calendar) and when they should look to return to the land. If there were no gaps in the 70 years mentioned in verse 2, why should there be a gap in the seventy sevens of years (490 years)? Gap theology is derived from a presupposition forced upon the text. All of these six prophecies have been fulfilled already by Jesus Christ, not the Anti-Christ.
“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.” (Daniel 9:25)
This prophecy was fulfilled during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. Note the personal pronoun “you” followed by the time indicator “until Messiah the Prince...” and the far demonstrative “then.” There will be 69 “weeks” (483 years) and then the final “week” (7 years) and then the Messiah is “cut off”:
“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing [13], and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to 'the end there will be war [14]; desolation are determined. [15] And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week [16], but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering [17]; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." (v. 26-27)
Daniel 9:25-27 also foretells the overwhelming and exterminating judgments - the “desolation” that were to fall upon the people and the city. [18] In fact so great is this judgment on Jerusalem that unless the time had been cut short none of the elect would survive (Matthew 24:22). Jesus then explicitly tells the disciples to take note for He has warned them in advance (v. 25). He then tells them the sign of His coming “Just as the lighting from the east, and flashes to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be” (v. 27) and then He quotes Old Testament apocalyptic language “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not gives its light and the stars will fall form the sky” and then “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.” (Vv.29-30).
Jesus then gives them the timing of the event that this will not come unexpectedly. In fact, if they believe and obey the signs they will indicate the time to flee just for they will know that the seasons are changing, “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branches has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, that He is near, right at your door.” (Vv. 32-33) He then gives them a very specific time frame, that all these events would take place within forty years, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (v. 34) However, the specific day or hour is not known by either Jesus or the angels, though in general the signs of the times will be known just as the people knew that judgment was coming when Noah was building the ark (v. 36-39). It is for this reason that He tells them that they need to be on alert and watch full so that they may flee to the mountains for He will come like a thief in the night (Vv. 42-44).
There is no indication within the text that any of the events described will happen at any time other than within the generation in which He was speaking. Yet, the New Testament does not tell us of the death of the apostles nor the destruction of the temple, though Jesus had stated that many of them would be killed. In fact, the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Book of Revelation speak of the earthly temple as if it is still standing and the obsolete sacrifices are still taking place (Revelation 11:1; Hebrews 5:1). We must therefore conclude that the canon of Scripture was completed before these events took place. [19]
In the providence of God we have a record of the destruction of Jerusalem in extra-Biblical literature from an eyewitness named Josephus who records for us the events that took place as prophesied by Jesus. The Jewish Wars began in 66 A.D. and they were a direct revolt by the Jews against Rome’s authority. Titus with his Roman legions arrived at the outermost northern Wall of Jerusalem, the Passover of 70 A.D. The Romans built embankments of earthenware, they placed battering rams and the siege began. The Roman army numbered 30,000; while the Jewish army numbered 24,000. According to Tacitus they were 600,000 visitors crowding the streets of Jerusalem for the Passover. After five months the walls were battered down, the great Temple was burned down, and the city was left ruined and desolate, except for Herod's three great towers at the northwest comer of the city. These served as a memorial of the massive strength of Jerusalem’s fortifications that Titus of Rome had brought to rubble. The legions of Rome brought the captives to Caesarea and after over one million Jews were killed, 95;000 captives were taken as prisoners, and among them was Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian. According to Eusebius, the Christians saw the might of the Roman army and through prophetic warning, fled to Pella. [20]
Jesus says in Luke’s account, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.” (Luke 21:20) The abomination that causes desolation spoken of in Daniel and Matthew 24 is not an event that would occur at the end of the time, but it would happen within their own time in A.D. 70 as predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24:2. However, what is also clear is that some elect would survive this event. The saints were to flee during the time destruction of the temple whereas the time of the second coming would be a time of great hope for they would meet Him in the air and resurrected and therefore have no need to flee, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). If all that Jesus is speaking of in Matthew 24 is His second coming, why are the elect warned to escape and told that they may not survive it (vv. 15-22)? If this is the second coming, would not the elect run to it and not away from it? The event of A.D. 70 is not for the elect and so, the elect are warned ahead of time to get away from it, “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.” (Luke 21:21)
The references in Matthew 24 to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. do not correspond in any way with the resurrection or the judgment of the world. Instead, the events of 70 A.D are a judgment event aimed at Israel:
“For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.” (Luke 21:22-23)
The judgment poured out in 70 A.D is an expression of God’s wrath toward the Old Covenant nation of Israel. His wrath against “this people” (vs. 23) is in “fulfillment of all that has been written” (vs. 22).
This was not an event that would bring hope to the disciples or comfort in any way, but rather it would be an event that they would have to endure. Yet we find in the epistles many texts which speak of a hopeful expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ in which the saints will not have to endure suffering and judgment on the earth but meet the Lord and be resurrected.
While the events depicted in Matthew 24 are past event, contrary to the Hyper-Preterist view, the resurrection and the judgment of the world (of which the destruction of Jerusalem was but a type) still remains to be fulfilled. There are too many texts that speak of a final judgment of the entire world that cannot be referring to Jerusalem alone.
The Judgment of the World
The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 33.1-2 “Of the Last Judgment” teaches us:
“God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
II. The end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory.”
Likewise, the Belgic Confession Article 37 “The Last Judgment” states:
“Finally we believe, according to God's Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come (which is unknown to all creatures) and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in order to cleanse it. Then all human creatures will appear in person before the great judge -- men, women, and children, who have lived from the beginning until the end of the world. They will be summoned there by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the divine trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16). For all those who died before that time will be raised from the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in which they lived. And as for those who are still alive, they will not die like the others but will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye" from "corruptible to incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)." Then "the books" (that is, the consciences) will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the world (Revelation 20:12), whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words they have spoken (Matthew 12:26), which the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of men will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all.
Therefore, with good reason the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people. But it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect, since their total redemption will then be accomplished. They will then receive the fruits of their labor and of the trouble they have suffered; their innocence will be openly recognized by all; and they will see the terrible vengeance that God will bring on the evil ones who tyrannized, oppressed, and tormented them in this world. The evil ones will be convicted by the witness of their own consciences, and shall be made immortal -- but only to be tormented in the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:14). In contrast, the faithful and elect will be crowned with glory and honor. The Son of God will "confess their names (Matthew 10:32)" before God his Father and the holy and elect angels; all tears will be "wiped from their eyes (Revelation 7:17)"; and their cause -- at present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil officers -- will be acknowledged as the "cause of the Son of God." And as a gracious reward the Lord will make them possess a glory such as the heart of man could never imagine. So we look forward to that great day with longing in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”
One of the key hermeneutical arguments for Hyper-Preterism is the stress on the importance of the original audience: WHO is being spoken to and WHERE the historical setting that is being emphasized. I concur with this approach to the text which is why I believe that Jesus in Matthew 24 does indeed prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. [21] However, with this same approach let us look tat another text and see how it is not referring to the destruction of Jerusalem but rather a future judgment of the entire world (cosmos) and not merely the land of Israel. The Apostle Paul said to the Greek philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens when he preached:
“The God who made the world [Greek: cosmos, the entire universe] and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth [not merely Jerusalem], does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.”
It is clear that the scope of Paul’s assertions is universal and global. His references concern God and the entire world (Greek: cosmos) and not just Jerusalem. He also speaks of all of the people of the earth and not just the Jews. He then goes on to say that God is not like the Greek gods of stone and in the past He has overlooked their ignorance but:
“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere [on the entire planet!] should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world [Greek: cosmos] in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:24-31)
Paul states that God has ordained all the nations, peoples and tribes to come from one man (Adam) and that in the future, on a singular set day, a second man (Jesus Christ) will judge the entire world which consists of all people in every nation. If Paul was only referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, how would this serve as a warning to the Greek in Athens? Jesus could drop an atomic bomb on Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and it wouldn’t affect the people in Athens one iota.
On the final Judgment Day of the world all the nations of the earth will be brought before the judgment throne of Jesus Christ. There will be a separation of true believers (wheat, sheep and shepherds) from the hypocrite and false teachers (chaff, goats and wolves). The hypocrite and false teacher will claim that they are true believers, but the manner of their life will prove otherwise as Jesus said:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
The basis of the separation will be on the faith of the person being judged, but the authenticity of that faith will be judged according to the person’s works. The genuine Christian does not look to his works to save him but to Christ alone. Yet, the good works of the Christian will be the fruit of his faith that will vindicate him and prove the validity of his faith. A person who says he has faith but does not have any fruit that is to come from faith will not be saved for he has not abided in Christ (Matthew 25; James 2:14-26) Rather the fruitless hypocrite will be condemned to suffer eternal torment in hell as Jesus said:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:1-6)
Not only will there be a separation of the true and false Christian, there is also a judgment of those in Christ and a reward for their good works. The picture of the judgment of those in Christ is NOT that of a trial for their sins have already been judged at the cross, but rather the scenario is that of the judgment of an Olympic event in which a score is given according to the quality of the performance. This is a matter of reward, not the laying the reminder of sin and shame. The motives behind good works are evaluated and rewards are given or lost for the sins of those in Christ are utterly forgotten as the prophet Jeremiah spoke:
“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Likewise the Psalmist declares:
“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103: 10-12)
The prophet Isaiah tells us that the believer will not suffer shame on the final day for Christ bore our suffering and shame:
“For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations. And will resettle the desolate cities. Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.” (Isaiah 54:3-5)
However, the good works of those in Christ are weighed for their purity:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:1-5)
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul states concerning our labor in the church that the quality of our work in building the Kingdom of God will depend on the foundation upon which we build:
“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:9-15)
Study Questions for Applying This Chapter
(1) How does the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory diminish the sufficiency of the work of Christ on the cross?
(2) How does the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory distort the father/son relationship between God and Christians?
(3) How does Hyper-Preterism deny the Gospel?
(4) How does Hyper-Preterism deny the future hope of Christians and all of creation?
(5) How does a Biblical understanding of Judgment Day motivate us to live holy?
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[1] Phillip Hughes, The True Image: The Origin and Destiny of Man in Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989, pp. 405-407; Clark Pinnock, “The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent,” CTHRev (Spring 1990), pp. 243-59; John R.W. Stott, Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Dialogue (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1988), pp. 275-76.
[2] For an excellent Biblical response see: Robert B. Strimple, “Hyper-Preterism on the Resurrection of the Body” in When Shall These Thjings Be?: A Reformed Response To Hyper-Preterism Keith A. Mathison (ed.) (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2004)
[3] For a refutation of Hyper-Preterism see: Keith A. Mathison (ed.), When Shall These Thjings Be?: A Reformed Response To Hyper-Preterism (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2004); Jay Adams, Preterism: Orthodox or Unorthodox? (Stanley, NC: Timeless Texts, 2003)..
[4]For an explanation and defense of this view see: Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness (American Vision, 1999); (Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. Before Jerusalem Fell (American Vision, 1998); Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. Perilous Times (Covenant Media Press, 1999); R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According To Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998).
[5] Simon J. Kistemaker, 1 Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Michigan, Baker Book House, 1993), pg. 572.
[6] "to finish the transgression" is nothing less than the betrayal and crucifixion of their promised and expected Messiah as Jesus stated, "Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers" (Matthew 23:32). In these words of Christ we find a declaration that the hour had come for them "to finish the transgression" and that the predicted desolation were to come, as a judgment, upon what He referred to as "this generation," (Matthew 23:36 see also Luke 11:47-51 ; Matthew 23:29-32; Matthew 21:33-45)
[7] He "offered the one Sacrifice for sins forever" (Hebrews 10:12). Consequently the sacrifices afterward were no longer valid and hence the system of blood sacrifices ended as well. (d. John 1:29; Matthew 1:21; Acts 10:43; Hebrews 9:26)
[8] The word here translated "atonement' in the NASB may also be translated "reconciliation" (AV) but it is usually rendered "atone." The need of reconciliation and atonement arises from the fact that man is by nature not only a sinner, but also an enemy of God (Rom.. 5:8, 10). The death of Christ as an atoning sacrifice accomplishes both in the case of all who believe in Him. In Romans 5:8-10 these two distinct, but closely. related, things are clearly set forth. For we there read, first, that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us," and second, that "when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son." Reconciliation has to do directly with the kingdom of God, in that it signifies the bringing back of those who were rebels and enemies into willing arid loyal submission to God. (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Hebrews 2:17; Colossians 1:20)
[9] Righteousness is the most prominent feature Jesus' preaching and teaching concerning the kingdom of God, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33) One characteristic of God's righteousness, which He was "to bring in" through the 'sacrifice of Christ (Romans 3:21-26), is that it endures forever; and this is what is emphasized in the prophecy. A work was to be done, and now has been done, which would bring in everlasting righteousness - everlasting because based upon the Cross, as foretold also through Isaiah, "My righteousness shall be forever" (Isaiah 51:8). Jesus Christ has now been made unto us "righteous" (1 Corinthians 1:30); and this is in fulfillment of another great promise: "behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise Unto David a righteous Branch, and a King reign and prosper And this is His Name whereby He shall be called YHWH our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23 :5, 6). (d. ; Hebrews 9:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 9:9)
[10] This was fulfilled. (d. Hebrews 1:1-2; John 1:18; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
[11]This was fulfilled. (d. Matthew 3:15-17; Luke 4:18; Acts 4:26,27; 10:38)
[12] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come (Zondervan Pub., 1958), pgs. 246-250.
[13] Jesus was taken outside the city ("cut off") and crucified. Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachihani ?' that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me ?”
[14] Matthew 24:6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.'"
[15] Matthew 24:2 "And He said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down (desolated)."
[16] Fulfilled in the Passover week of Jesus Matthew 26:27-28, " And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.'"
[17] Jesus put an end to the legitimacy of the sacrifices in the temple by His death, but in 70 A.D. He put an end to the sacrifices themselves when He returned in judgment.
[18] A chronological history of the Temple is as follows: 1012-1004 B.C., The first temple was build by Solomon. 971 B.C., Temple was pillaged by Shishake, king of Egypt. 740 B.C., Temple was desecrated (but not destroyed) by the Syrians. 624 B.C., Repairs were made to the temple. 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem. 587 B.C., First destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar's army. 538 B.C., Cyrus, king of Persia, and conqueror of Babylonia, gives order to rebuild the temple. 521 B.C., Darius the Mede becomes king of Persia. 486 B.C., Xerxes the Great became king. 457 B.C., Great reformation. 217 B.C., Ptolemy profaned the temple. 187 B.C., Heliodorus tries to plunder temple. 168 B.C., King Antiochus IV (called Ephiphanes) built an altar to Jupiter Olympus in the temple, again profaning it. 166 B.C., Temple rededicated to God. 63 B.C., Jerusalem taken by Romans. 54 B.C., Crassus plundered temple. 18 B.C., Herod beautified the temple. 70 A.D., Second destruction of the city of Jerusalem and total desolation of the temple by the Romans.
[19] See: Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. Before Jerusalem Fell (American Vision, 1998)
[20] Josephus, The Wars of The Jews (Book VII, Chapter 8, Section 7.)
[21] For further reading I recommend: Greg Bahnsen, Victory in Jesus: Understanding the Book of Revelation (Covenant Media Press, 1999); Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness (American Vision, 1997); Kenneth L. Gentry, Perilous Times (Covenant Media Press, 1999); Kenneth L. Gentry, Before Jerusalem Fell (American Vision, 1988); Kenneth L. Gentry, The Beast of Revelation (ICE, 1989).
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