Biblical Eschatology

For those of us raised in the church, especially those who attend the same church or denomination that they grew up in, if we are completely honest with ourselves, we must admit that our theological views are what they are simply because that's what we've always been taught. They were formed in us from the moment we first went to the church nursery. Of course we didn't understand this, but since birth we have been fed a particular theological paradigm. From our earliest days we were surrounded by those who believed like us, and since we all believed alike, and since we all validated one another in these views, there was absolutely no reason for us to ever question if what we believed was true or not. It simply was.

Then one day something happens. You read a particular verse, or you hear a pastor speaking on a particular scripture, and it doesn't quite fit your paradigm of truth. It becomes a burr under your saddle, and you find yourself thinking, "That's not what I've always believed, but what if that's right?" For the first time in your life your theological foundations have been shaken in a particular area. For some people this leads to intense study of scripture. For others the thought of being wrong about something in the Bible is so upsetting that they cannot stomach it. They reject it outright and completely without study. For the person who simply rejects the new idea based on prejudice alone, the words of Winston Churchill ring true. He is reported to have said, "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened". A foolish person dismisses theological ideas that cause them to think. The wise will pick up the word and study.

That was where I found myself a few years ago. I was eating lunch with a friend and we began discussing eschatology. That is, the study of end times. My friend was explaining his end time position to me when he mentioned the word "Preterism". The word Preterism derives from a Latin word that means "past in fulfillment". He was not a Preterist himself, and at first the word meant nothing to me. He explained that Preterists believe that many, if not all, of the Bible prophecies pertaining to the end times have already been fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. He went on to explain that there are two types of Preterists; partial and full. Partial Preterists believe that many end time prophecies have been fulfilled, but not all. Full Preterists believe all have been fulfilled.

Since, at that time, I had no clue of what happened in Jerusalem in 70AD, or how it even related to scripture, I was always taught that the apocalyptic passages of scripture were all still in the future. Like the vast majority of professing Christians today, I believed that the rapture was imminent, that an evil world leader (the Antichrist) was on the horizon, computer chips were the mark of the beast, and that our generation was the ones who would see the fulfillment of the book of Revelation. Minus some sensationalism, my thinking was right along the lines of the "Left Behind" culture. I was stunned by the idea that anyone could think that some, much less all, of those prophecies were already fulfilled so long ago. I mean, look around! This isn't what I was taught to look for. It was totally crazy because it didn't fit my paradigm of truth. I didn't yet realize that the paradigm of truth that I was filtering through had been shaped, not by years of intense study, but by years of scriptural ignorance, ignorance of history, and an absolute blind reliance upon what others told me to be true about the apocalyptic passages.

Other than introducing me to Preterism, I can't say that the lunch we shared made an immediate impact on me. The next step in my introduction to Preterism came not too much later when another friend of mine told me about a website he had visited and wanted me to check out. The only problem was that he gave me the wrong Internet address. The address he gave me was www.bereanbiblechurch.org. I began looking around this website and it didn't take too long for me to discern that this church agreed with me on the doctrines of salvation. That was great! Then, and this I credit to the providence of God alone, I realized that the pastor of this church was a Preterist.

The concept of Preterism had now been in my mind long enough that it was no longer a novelty. It even sort of intrigued me, as if only to make me scratch my head in disbelief. Preterism was still foolishness for the most part, but after reading an article or two from this new website I was confronted with some scriptures that were being interpreted in a way that was contrary to my lifelong paradigm. Not only were these scriptures supporting the Preterist view, but they were being backed up by historical evidence that I had never before heard about. What was I to make of all this? It took maybe two or three more articles for me to see that this was not some paper-thin eschatology. These articles were dealing with very clear scriptures that I had never before given any thought to, or if I had I simply forced them to fit my current end time paradigm like a square peg in a round hole.

After letting it rattle around in my head a while, I determined that it would be injurious to my spiritual life if I didn't at least study Preterism for myself. I soon found that several modern theologians, including the well respected R.C. Sproul, who hold to at least partial Preterism. That encouraged me that this was not a totally ridiculous concept. Using other websites, I found hundreds of quotes from non-Preterist pastors and theologians who saw in the scriptures a Preterist bent to eschatology, even if they themselves were not Preterists. At this point I determined to be like the Berean believers in Acts 17:11 who, "received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

All I wanted was to know the truth, and let it set me free, whatever it may be. If I was already in the light, great! If I was not, then I wanted nothing more than to be in the light. It was perfectly fine with me if I had been wrong all this time. I had been wrong on other things in my life, both Biblical and non-Biblical. I just thank God that for some reason he gave me the fire to search and know theological issues. I want to believe the scriptures with a childlike faith, but I don't want to be a spiritual child. I want to know my God, and understand what his word says. I want a challenge and that makes me dig deep. More than anything I want my children to know that their father knew what he believed, but more importantly, that he had truly studied the scriptures for himself so that he knew why he believed as he did, and could defend it by rightly dividing the word.

It has been approximately four years since my initial introduction to Preterism. Since that time, through the scriptures and countless writings both for and against Preterism, through study, meditating on the word, prayer, and most importantly, the providence and enlightenment of God, I can now say that I find myself to be a full Preterist. Being a Preterist means taking a lot of scorn and ridicule from others, even friends. The ridicule comes mainly in the raised eyebrows and questions that seem to indicate that I'm crazy if I disagree with church creeds or historical beliefs. I've even been told by some that I'm on "dangerous ground" for taking this stand. What has been my response? My response is that I stand on the scriptures and the clear teachings of Christ, even if I don't understand it all, and that I will be happy to change my eschatological viewpoint if the same scriptures can be used to prove me wrong.

If you're anything like me, I'm constantly getting emails from friends with all sorts of quotes from historical people. Unless there's a way to verify it, you never know whether the person it is attributed to really said it, but as I think about Preterism, and what it costs to take a stand for it, it brought to mind the following quote that I received. Whether it's accurate or not, I don't know. All I do know is that it's dead-on in regards to Preterists like myself

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce manbrave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." (Mark Twain)

Having detailed the events that got me to this point, I now want to turn my focus to how I will attempt to arrive at the conclusions to support my position. In the 1500's one of the main cries of the Protestant Reformation was "Sola Scriptura". It is a Latin phrase that, when translated into English, means "Scripture Alone". While many people today are forsaking scripture alone and deriving their eschatological paradigms from church history, creeds, popular televangelists, or the Left Behind series, I will arrive at all of my conclusions using scripture alone. This does not mean that I will not quote other people or sources, but what it does mean is that my ultimate authority for believing something is right or wrong will lie with the scriptures alone.

In presenting any end-time position, I do not believe it is possible for anyone to be able to show with exact certitude every little detail of how something has, or will happen. If the prophecies are fulfilled, the best that a Preterist can do is use scripture and recorded history to look back on those events to explain what happened and how it relates to the Bible. If the prophecies have not been fulfilled, the best a futurist can do is simply make educated guesses about what will happen and what scripture is pointing towards. What I will attempt to do is establish the overarching argument for Preterism, and then go back in and support it with additional scripture and history. Since the primary purpose of this paper is focusing on the TIMING of the second coming, not the details of every little passage of scripture surrounding it, I will not attempt to prove every detail of HOW it happened. My main goal is to show the clear and emphatic teaching of WHEN it was to happen, and how it differs from today's mainstream Christian view.

I believe that many of the end time scriptures contained in the bible have been, for centuries, misunderstood, avoided, or twisted so as to have a new meaning. The main reason for this is the lack of good hermeneutical principles. Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting a document. In this case, the Bible. Without solid hermeneutical rules to interpret the Bible you end up with poor theology. The two major rules of hermeneutics are the analogy of faith, and audience relevance.

Rule #1: The analogy of faith means that scripture interprets scripture. This means that when we want to arrive at an eschatological conclusion we are to use the clear and easily understood passages of scripture to help us understand the less clear. We don't build our eschatology using the veiled or difficult to understand prophecies and then shove the obvious scriptures into that paradigm. The analogy of faith is a safeguard that should help us from reading in to the scriptures something that is not there. If one scripture seems to contradict another, then we must turn to what is easily understood, and then continue digging until we have reconciled the apparent contradiction or difficult understanding. God is not the author of confusion, and I believe his word is adequately clear to show us the answers.

Rule #2: The second rule of hermeneutics is audience relevance. This means that whatever a passage meant, or whatever words spoken in scripture meant, it meant or had direct application to the original intended audience. If we disengage the original audience from the scriptures then we can make any passage mean whatever we want, or make them apply to whomever we want. Whenever we read the scriptures we must ask ourselves, "Who is this person talking or writing directly to?" We must remember that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of personal letters and history books written by real people, to real people, in real time, and with real time contexts. For instance, in the book of Philippians the Apostle Paul wrote the following

(Philippians 2:19) 19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.

Does this verse teach us that we are supposed to be still waiting on Timothy today so that he can take word back to Paul on how we're doing? No. Why? Because we correctly understand audience relevance, and that this was a personal letter from Paul to a real church in Philippi in 62AD about an event (sending Timothy) that was imminent to them, not to us. We correctly understand the time and place context. The Philippians are the intended audience of this book. All time statements in the Bible must be viewed through this same lens of audience relevance. The books of the Bible are not mystical letters written nebulously to Christians throughout eternity whereby all time statements are free to be extracted and applied to whatever generation we wish. No, each book was directed to a specific audience, and again, scripture is more than adequate to show us who that audience was.

The hermeneutical principles of the analogy of faith, and audience relevance are critical in making a case for the Preterist position. They are equally foundational, and must be used by whomever wishes to attack Preterism.

In keeping with the subject of audience relevance, this may perhaps shock many people, but there is not one book in the Bible that was written TO anyone living today. Every single book in the Bible was written FOR us, for application and understanding, but none of them were written TO us. Every book in the bible is a personal letter, a history book, or writing by a prophet to particular people at a particular time and for a particular reason. Yes, we do glean truth and understanding from these books today, but that is far different than saying that these books were written TO us. To put it another way, we are reading other people's mail. Whenever someone today says "Here's what this scripture means to me", we should be the first to say, "It doesn't matter what it means to you. It only matters what it meant to the original audience". That is where we find out what the Bible truly means.

Having laid out how I got here, and how I will plan to arrive at my conclusions, let us now turn to the largest and clearest section of scripture in which Christ himself discussed his second coming; the Olivet Discourse. The Olivet Discourse is located in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. All three have slight differences in their wording based on whom they were writing to, but all three are parallel and deal with the same events.

MATTHEW'S OLIVET DISCOURSE

(Mat 24:1 NASB) And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. (Mat 24:2 NASB) And He answered and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down." (Mat 24:3 NASB) And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Mat 24:4 NASB) And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. (Mat 24:5 NASB) "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. (Mat 24:6 NASB) "And 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. (Mat 24:7 NASB) "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (Mat 24:8 NASB) "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Mat 24:9 NASB) "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. (Mat 24:10 NASB) "And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. (Mat 24:11 NASB) "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. (Mat 24:12 NASB) "And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. (Mat 24:13 NASB) "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. (Mat 24:14 NASB) "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. (Mat 24:15 NASB) "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), (Mat 24:16 NASB) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; (Mat 24:17 NASB) let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; (Mat 24:18 NASB) and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. (Mat 24:19 NASB) "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! (Mat 24:20 NASB) "But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; (Mat 24:21 NASB) for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. (Mat 24:22 NASB) "And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. (Mat 24:23 NASB) "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. (Mat 24:24 NASB) "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Mat 24:25 NASB) "Behold, I have told you in advance. (Mat 24:26 NASB) "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. (Mat 24:27 NASB) "For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (Mat 24:28 NASB) "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Mat 24:29 NASB) "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, (Mat 24:30 NASB) and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (Mat 24:31 NASB) "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Mat 24:32 NASB) "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; (Mat 24:33 NASB) even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Mat 24:34 NASB) "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Mat 24:35 NASB) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. (Mat 24:36 NASB) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (Mat 24:37 NASB) "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. (Mat 24:38 NASB) "For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (Mat 24:39 NASB) and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (Mat 24:40 NASB) "Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. (Mat 24:41 NASB) "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. (Mat 24:42 NASB) "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Mat 24:43 NASB) "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (Mat 24:44 NASB) "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. (Mat 24:45 NASB) "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? (Mat 24:46 NASB) "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (Mat 24:47 NASB) "Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (Mat 24:48 NASB) "But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' (Mat 24:49 NASB) and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; (Mat 24:50 NASB) the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, (Mat 24:51 NASB) and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.

MARK'S OLIVET DISCOURSE

(Mark 13:1 NASB) And as He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said^ to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" (Mark 13:2 NASB) And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another which will not be torn down."(Mark 13:3 NASB) And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, (Mark 13:4 NASB) "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?" (Mark 13:5 NASB) And Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. (Mark 13:6 NASB) "Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and will mislead many. (Mark 13:7 NASB) "And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. (Mark 13:8 NASB) "For nation will arise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Mark 13:9 NASB) "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. (Mark 13:10 NASB) "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. (Mark 13:11 NASB) "And when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. (Mark 13:12 NASB) "And brother will deliver brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. (Mark 13:13 NASB) "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. (Mark 13:14 NASB) "But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Mark 13:15 NASB) "And let him who is on the housetop not go down, or enter in, to get anything out of his house; (Mark 13:16 NASB) and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. (Mark 13:17 NASB) "But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! (Mark 13:18 NASB) "But pray that it may not happen in the winter. (Mark 13:19 NASB) "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created, until now, and never shall. (Mark 13:20 NASB) "And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the days. (Mark 13:21 NASB) "And then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him; (Mark 13:22 NASB) for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order, if possible, to lead the elect astray. (Mark 13:23 NASB) "But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. (Mark 13:24 NASB) "But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, (Mark 13:25 NASB) AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. (Mark 13:26 NASB) "And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. (Mark 13:27 NASB) "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth, to the farthest end of heaven. (Mark 13:28 NASB) "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. (Mark 13:29 NASB) "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Mark 13:30 NASB) "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Mark 13:31 NASB) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Mark 13:32 NASB) "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (Mark 13:33 NASB) "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is. (Mark 13:34 NASB) "It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. (Mark 13:35 NASB) "Therefore, be on the alert-- for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cock-crowing, or in the morning-- (Mark 13:36 NASB) lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. (Mark 13:37 NASB) "And what I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!'"

LUKE'S OLIVET DISCOURSE

Luke 21:5 NASB) And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, (Luke 21:6 NASB) "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down." (Luke 21:7 NASB) And they questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, when therefore will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?" (Luke 21:8 NASB) And He said, "See to it that you be not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is at hand'; do not go after them. (Luke 21:9 NASB) "And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately." (Luke 21:10 NASB) Then He continued by saying to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, (Luke 21:11 NASB) and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:12 NASB) "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name's sake. (Luke 21:13 NASB) "It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. (Luke 21:14 NASB) "So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; (Luke 21:15 NASB) for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. (Luke 21:16 NASB) "But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, (Luke 21:17 NASB) and you will be hated by all on account of My name. (Luke 21:18 NASB) "Yet not a hair of your head will perish. (Luke 21:19 NASB) "By your endurance you will gain your lives. (Luke 21:20 NASB) "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. (Luke 21:21 NASB) "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; (Luke 21:22 NASB) because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (Luke 21:23 NASB) "Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people, (Luke 21:24 NASB) and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:25 NASB) "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, (Luke 21:26 NASB) men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Luke 21:27 NASB) "And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. (Luke 21:28 NASB) "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:29 NASB) And He told them a parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; (Luke 21:30 NASB) as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. (Luke 21:31 NASB) "Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. (Luke 21:32 NASB) "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. (Luke 21:33 NASB) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Luke 21:34 NASB) "Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; (Luke 21:35 NASB) for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. (Luke 21:36 NASB) "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:37 NASB) Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet. (Luke 21:38 NASB) And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

Beyond those three versions of the Olivet Discourse, there is an additional passage of scripture in Luke's gospel that parallels them. It is in Luke 17:20-37. It reads...

(Luke 17:20 NASB) Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; (Luke 17:21 NASB) nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." (Luke 17:22 NASB) And He said to the disciples, "The days shall come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. (Luke 17:23 NASB) "And they will say to you, 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not run after them. (Luke 17:24 NASB) "For just as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. (Luke 17:25 NASB) "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (Luke 17:26 NASB) "And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: (Luke 17:27 NASB) they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:28 NASB) "It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; (Luke 17:29 NASB) but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:30 NASB) "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:31 NASB) "On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back. (Luke 17:32 NASB) "Remember Lot's wife. (Luke 17:33 NASB) "Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it. (Luke 17:34 NASB) "I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken, and the other will be left. (Luke 17:35 NASB) "There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken, and the other will be left. (Luke 17:36 NASB) <"Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left."> (Luke 17:37 NASB) And answering they said^ to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered."

As you can see, all of the above texts are parallel and deal with the same subject matter. That being Christ's second coming, and all of the events or signs that would surround it. There is quite a lot of information and prophecy contained in each of the above four sections of scripture, but since this paper deals primarily with the TIMING of the second coming, I want to direct your attention to two main areas(1) The disciples question of "when", and (2) Christ's clear and emphatic answer to that question.

PART #1: THE DISCIPLES' QUESTION

(Matthew 24:1-3) 1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 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." 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

(Mark 13:1-4) 1 As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" 2 And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down." 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?"

(Luke 21:5-7) 5 And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, 6 "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down." 7 They questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"

In each gospel version Christ tells the disciples that the temple will be destroyed. Since the temple was the central focal point of the entire Jewish nation this would be a major event, and it logically drove the disciples to ask, "When will this happen?" Notice that Matthew is the only version that links this destruction of the temple to Christ's coming and the "end of the age". What age is Matthew talking about? The age spoken of is not the end of the world. It is the end of the Jewish (Mosaic) age. Matthew was a Jew writing to Jews in order to show the Messianic fulfillment of this destruction. Since these Messianic prophecies were of no real concern to Gentiles, Mark and Luke do not take this approach. If the "end of the age" meant the end of the planet then I'm confident Mark and Luke would have worded it similarly. Again, the "end of the age" is the end of the Jewish age. This occurred in 70AD.

PART #2: THE ANSWER TO THEIR QUESTION

Having been asked when this will happen, we see that in each discourse Christ gives them exactly what they asked for and spends several verses laying out the exact signs they (the disciples) needed to be on the lookout for. Having detailed all the signs, Christ then turns his attention to the specific question of timing, and says

(Matthew 24:34) 34 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

(Mark 13:30) 30 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

(Luke 21:32) 32 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place."

The question is what generation is meant by "this generation?" The answer to that question is simple. When Christ says "this generation" he meant the generation that was living at that time. His contemporaries, if you will. This is not only clear from the plain meaning of words and the context, but we know it is his generation because of the excessive amount of times he specifically warns them, his disciples (that generation), by using the word "you" in the discourses. It would make no sense at all to tell the current generation that they would see the fulfillment of these signs, if in fact the generation in question was still 2,000+ years away. It is illogical that an event can be imminent to two generations separated by 2000+ years.

Although I am mainly using the NASB version for scripture references in this paper, I wanted to go outside of the NASB translation so that you could see how other versions have addressed Christ's answer of "this generation". It should be noted that none of these versions are Preteristic in their eschatology. I believe these other versions provide an excellent rendering of the answer, and help shed light on what generation Christ had in mind as being the ones who would see the prophesied signs.

(Good News Translation) "Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died"

(New Century Version) "I tell you the truth, all these things will happen while the people of this time are still living."

(Weymouth's Translation) "I tell you in solemn truth that the present generation will certainly not pass away until all this has taken place."

So what generation is "this generation?" The answer is the generation of people living at the time Christ spoke the prophesy of the temple's destruction. They would be the ones who would live to see everything prophesied in the Olivet Discourse, not some future generation. Read the Olivet Discourse again. The question of "when" comes up in the first few verses. Jesus' answer of "this generation" comes near the end. That means that everything between the question and the answer was to be fulfilled before everyone living at that time had passed away. This would include the false prophets, famine, war, the gospel to all the world, tribulation, the abomination of desolation, Christ's second coming, the gathering of the elect, and judgment.

So that I can further support this view using Sola Scriptura, and wanting to fall back on the analogy of faith (scripture interpreting scripture), I looked up "this generation" in the three gospels. In the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, excluding the references in the Olivet Discourse, the phrase "this generation" occurs 15 times. In every single instance "this generation" either implies or specifically means Christ's contemporaries. The scripture references are Matthew 11:16, 12:41, 12:42, 12:45, 23:36, Mark 8:12, 8:38, Luke 7:31, 11:29, 11:30, 11:31, 11:32, 11:50, 11:51, 17:25. For example

(Luke 17:25) 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

What generation caused his suffering and rejected him? The people living at that time. So, if in Luke 17:25, as well as the other references listed above, "this generation" applies to Christ's contemporaries, why wouldn't "this generation" apply to the same generation when we find it in the Olivet Discourse?

For those still clinging to the idea that "this generation" could not have meant Christ's contemporaries, but rather a future generation, perhaps even our own generation, I ask you why didn't Christ use the words "that generation" to imply some sort of a future fulfillment? Why would Christ warn his contemporaries of the signs to be looking for if they were not to be fulfilled for at least two millennia? For example

(Mat 24:24 NASB) "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Mat 24:25 NASB) "Behold, I have told you in advance.

Who is the you in this verse? Remember audience relevance! The disciples are the "you" in this verse. Why would he say, "behold, I have told you (the disciples) in advance" if this did not apply to them? Perhaps even more telling is this one

(Mark 13:14 NASB) "But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

No matter what eschatological position you hold, all systems hold to the fact that there is only one abomination of desolation, and in this verse we have Christ clearly telling his disciples (they are the "you" in this verse) that they would be alive to see this abomination of desolation. If there is only one abomination of desolation then you only have two options. Either it was fulfilled in the generation of the disciples, or Jesus flat out lied to them when he said they would see it.

I know that I could continue to press the issue that "this generation" meant those alive at the time of Christ, and that "you" means the disciples, but I will refrain from doing that. Using the clear understanding of words, and using scripture to interpret scripture, the point has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that "this generation" meant those first century people that were alive at the time of Christ. It is my position that only extreme prejudice can keep a person from seeing this.

In his book "The World's Last Night" C.S. Lewis pens the following

"The apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, 'this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.' And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. This is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible." (Essay "The World's Last Night" (1960), found in The Essential C.S. Lewis, p. 385)

There is debate over whether this was Lewis' own personal view, whether it was a passing idea for him, or whether he was penning the thoughts of another individual. All I know is that Lewis himself correctly understood what Christ meant when he said "this generation" and he also understood the ramifications if Christ did not fulfill these prophesies in that stated time frame. If they were not fulfilled then Christ is a false prophet, and this destroys Christianity at its very core.

By proving what generation is in question in the Olivet Discourse, the burden of proof does not fall on the Preterist to show how all these things were fulfilled in that generation. Christ clearly said they would be. History verifies that the temple was destroyed in the prophesied time frame (70 AD), and therefore we stand on the objective word of God as our proof that all things prophesied did occur. We do not twist the scriptures in order to make them fit our preconceived eschatology, or in order to argue with God over those things we do not grasp or comprehend. We simply look at the fulfilled prophecies and walk by faith on those things we do not fully understand.

There are a great many things we cannot historically detail in the word of God, yet we trust they happened just as they are written. Do you trust that Jonah was in the belly of a great fish? Do you trust that God spoke through Balaam's donkey? Do you understand how God made the sun stand still? Most of us are happy to lay aside subjectivism in regards to those events and simply trust the objective word of God that they happened. Why not do the same in regards to what Christ said about when he would return? If you will not be satisfied unless the Preterist can prove every little detail of how things happened, then I would direct you to the following quote

"To deny the truth of His (Jesus') predictions because we are unable historically to verify a certain portion of them is simply to make manifest the shallowness of our faith in Him". (George Hampdon Cook, The Christ has Come, 1891)

In regards to eschatology, the real burden of proof is on the person who looks at the prophesies in the Olivet Discourse, sees their fulfillment, knows the generation in question, and then denies that they are the fulfillment of Christ's prophecy. Just like the Preterist, this person must prove their conclusions from scripture alone. I believe this to be an impossible undertaking.

Dispensationalist (futurist) teacher, John MacArthur, in his MacArthur Study Bible, commenting on the verses in Matthew where Jesus predicted the temple's destruction wrote, "This was literally fulfilled in 70AD." Yet, being a futurist, MacArthur sees this 70AD destruction not as the fulfillment of Jesus' prophesies, but rather a foreshadowing or sign of a yet future destruction of the temple and second coming of Christ. What?! Think about that for a moment. Christ said the temple would be destroyed before the people living at that time had all died. He tied this destruction to his second coming, and it was literally fulfilled, and yet, it doesn't count? Why? Why do we need to play tricks with the word of God in order to make a third coming of Christ? Scripture speaks of no third coming. Why not simply take him at his word?

Perhaps this is a bit cynical, but Preterism doesn't sell books, at least not in today's market. Much of today's church is so material and sensual it wants excitement, and things like the Left Behind book series, or prophecy conferences talking about America's supposed role with Israel sells books. Preterism doesn't spend its time looking ahead for signs and wonders. People want signs and wonders because they are supposed to bring bad world news and bad news is exciting. We want an exciting Christianity. We want our Christian John Wayne, that is Jesus Christ, to ride into town, form his Christian posse, and take care of the bad guys. The problem is that's exactly what the Jews were looking for when Christ showed up the first time. They wanted a conquering Messiah who would set up a physical kingdom on earth and destroy their enemies. He said, "My kingdom is not of this earth" and so they crucified him. People are still looking for that physical kingdom today, and when Preterists say prophecy has been fulfilled, and that despite the world around us we are living in the established kingdom today because the kingdom is within us, we are called heretics, and all because we dare to stand on the objective and clear words of God and believe Christ when he said his generation would see the fulfillment of all the things mentioned in the Olivet Discourse.

We often look at the scriptures that foretold Christ's first coming, and in our supposed twenty-first century wisdom we wonder how those first century people missed his first coming. I mean, didn't they have the scriptures that Christ fulfilled to verify who he was? If, with all the scriptures they had available to them, and with all their intimate knowledge of them, the Jews misunderstood his first coming, isn't it remotely possible that with all the scriptures we have available to us that we might have misunderstood his second coming? Are we so much smarter than them?

Having proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ was teaching that his own generation would be the generation that would see the fulfillment of all end time signs and prophesies, and we know from history that the temple was destroyed in that generation, then all we need to do is show the fulfillment of the other signs and everyone should jump on the Preterist band-wagon, right? Well, it should be that easy, but it's not. In spite of this, let's move on and look at the Olivet Discourse in greater detail to see if we can at least show the possible fulfillment of the additional signs and wonders that Christ foretold.

FALSE PROPHETS

(Mat 24:4) 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, `I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.

We see false prophets in scripture in the book of Acts

(Acts 5:36) 5 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.

(Acts 8:9-10) 9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God."

We see false prophets in historical writings dealing with this time period

Eusebius (325AD) (Regarding the Egyptian of Acts 21:38) - "A greater blow than this was inflicted on the Jews by the Egyptian false prophet. Arriving in the country this man, a fraud who posed as a seer, collected about 30,000 dupes, led them round by the wild country to the Mount of Olives, and from there was ready to force an entry into Jerusalem, overwhelm the Roman garrison, and seize supreme power, with his fellow-raiders as bodyguards. But Felix anticipated his attempt by meeting him with the Roman heavy infantry, the whole population rallying to the defense, so that when the clash occurred the Egyptian fled with a handful of men and most of his followers were killed or captured." (pp. 96-97) [1]

Martin Goodman - "It is admittedly now difficult to tell how much this was the case in the first-century Judea, for neither Josephus nor the New Testament was likely to give an honest description of contemporary messianic fervor if it tended commonly to impel Jews towards irrational hostility to Rome.  Nonetheless it is striking that even when the siege of Jerusalem was at its height in A.D.70, the belief that God was about to deliver to the Jews the signs of their salvation led a crowd of six thousand, including women and children, to await their deliverance by just standing passively in the Temple court at the urging of a 'false prophet' (B.J. 6.283-5). They were all burnt to death." (The Ruling Class of Judea, pp. 90-91) [2]

Flavius Josephus [Jewish Historian] (A.D. 75) - "A false prophet was the occasion of these people's destruction, who had made a public proclamation in the city that very day, that God commanded them to get up upon the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of their deliverance. Now, there was then a great number of false prophets suborned by the tyrants to impose upon the people, who denounced this to them, that they should wait for deliverance from God; and this was in order to keep them from deserting, and that they might be buoyed up above fear and care by such hopes. Now, a man that is in adversity does easily comply with such promises; for when such a seducer makes him believe that he shall be delivered from those miseries which oppress him, then it is that the patient is full of hopes of such deliverance." (The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, Book VI, Chapter V, Section 2). [3]

Adam Clarke (1837) - "Verse 26. If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert -- Is it not worthy of remark that our Lord not only foretold the appearance of these impostors, but also the manner and circumstances of their conduct? Some he mentions as appearing in the desert. Josephus says, ANT. b. xx. c. 7, and WAR, book ii. c. 13: That many impostors and cheats persuaded the people to follow them to the desert, promising to show them signs and wonders done by the providence of God, is well attested. An Egyptian false prophet, mentioned by Josephus, ANT. b. xx. c. 7, and in the Acts, Acts 21:38, led out into the DESERT four thousand men, who were murderers, but these were all taken or destroyed by Felix. Another promised salvation to the people, if they would follow him to the DESERT, and he was destroyed by Festus, ANT. b. xx. c. 7. Also, one Jonathan, a weaver, persuaded a number to follow him to the DESERT, but he was taken and burnt alive by Vespasian. See WAR, b. vii. c. 11. [4]

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS

(Mat 24:6) 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.

On this subject, pastor David Curtis (www.bereanbiblechurch.org) writes

David Curtis (1997) - There were wars in the tributaries of Rome and all over Palestine, Galilee, and Samaria in AD 66, preceding the destruction of Jerusalem. In the Annals of Tacitus, a Roman who wrote a history which covers the period prior to 70 A. D., we find such expressions as these: "Disturbances in Germany," "commotions in Africa," "commotions in Thrace," "insurrections in Gaul," "intrigues among the Parthians," "the war in Britain," "war in Armenia." Among the Jews, the times became turbulent. In Seleucia, 50,000 Jews were killed. There was an uprising against them in Alexandria. In a battle between the Jews and Syrians in Caesarea, 20,000 were killed. During these times, Caligula ordered his statue placed in the temple at Jerusalem. The Jews refused to do this and lived in constant fear that the Emperor's armies would be sent into Palestine. This fear became so real that some of them did not even bother to till their fields.

FAMINE & EARTHQUAKES

(Mat 24:7) 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

Famine was recorded in scripture in the book of Acts

(Acts 11:28) 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

Regarding the famine that existed specifically in the city of Jerusalem

Josephus - 4. And now there were three treacherous factions in the city, the one parted from the other. Eleazar and his party, that kept the sacred first-fruits, came against John in their cups. Those that were with John plundered the populace, and went out with zeal against Simon. This Simon had his supply of provisions from the city, in opposition to the seditious. When, therefore, John was assaulted on both sides, he made his men turn about, throwing his darts upon those citizens that came up against him, from the cloisters he had in his possession, while he opposed those that attacked him from the temple by engines of war; and if at any time he was freed from those that were above him, which happened frequently, from their being drunk and tired, he sallied out with a great number upon Simon and his party; and this he did always in such parts of the city as he could come at, till he set on fire those houses that were full of corn, and of all provisions.* (1) The same thing was done by Simon, when, upon the others' retreat, he attacked the city also; as if they had, on purpose done it to serve the Romans, by destroying what the city had laid up against the Siege, and by thus cutting off the nerves of their own power. Accordingly, it so came to pass, that all the places that were about the temple were burnt down, and were become an intermediate desert space, ready for fighting on both sides; and that almost all the corn was burnt, which would have been sufficient for a siege of many years. So they were taken by the means of famine, which it was impossible they should have been, unless they had thus prepared the way for it by this procedure. (Book V, Chapter I, Section 4)

Again, regarding the famine, Josephus writes

2. But as for the richer sort, it proved all one to them whether they staid in the city, or attempted to get out of it; for they were equally destroyed in both cases; for every such person was put to death under this pretense, that they were going to desert, but in reality that the robbers might get what they had. The madness of the seditious did also increase together with their famine, and both those miseries were every day inflamed more and more; for there was no corn which any where appeared publicly, but the robbers came running into, and searched men's private houses; and then, if they found any, they tormented them, because they had denied they had any; and if they found none, they tormented them worse, because they supposed they had more carefully concealed it. The indication they made use of whether they had any or not was taken from the bodies of these miserable wretches; which, if they were in good case, they supposed they were in no want at all of food; but if they were wasted away, they walked off without searching any further; nor did they think it proper to kill such as these, because they saw they would very soon die of themselves for want of food. Many there were indeed who sold what they had for one measure; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer sort; but of barley, if they were poorer (1). When these had so done, they shut themselves up in the inmost rooms of their houses, and ate the corn they had gotten; some did it without grinding it, by reason of the extremity of the want they were in, and others baked bread of it, according as necessity and fear dictated to them: a table was no where laid for a distinct meal, but they snatched the bread out of the fire, half-baked, and ate it very hastily. (Book V, Chapter X, Section 2)

Regarding earthquakes during this time period

David Curtis (1997) - Tacitus mentions earthquakes at Rome. He wrote, "Frequent earthquakes occurred, by which many houses were thrown down," and "twelve populous cities of Asia fell in ruins from an earthquake." Seneca, writing in the year 58 A. D., said, "How often have cities of Asia and Achaea fallen with one fatal shock! How many cities have been swallowed up in Syria! How many in Macedonia! How often has Cyprus been wasted by this calamity ! How often has Paphos become a ruin! News has often been brought us of the demolition of whole cities at once." In 60 A.D., Hierapous, Colosse, and Laodicea were overthrown from earthquakes. There were earthquakes in Crete, Apamea, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, and Judea. Earthquakes in diverse places.

PERSECUTION

(Mat 24:8) 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

The book of Acts is full of persecution of the followers of Christ. Here are a few

(Acts 4:3) 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

(Acts 16:23-24) 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

(Acts 9:23-24) Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.

Tradition and history teach that most of the disciples were killed by the Jews during this time frame, and others were exiled by Rome (John).

THE GOSPEL TO ALL THE WORLD

(Mat 24:24) 14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Through the Apostle Paul, we see that this was also fulfilled in the prophesied time frame

(Colossians 1:5-6) because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

(Colossians 1:23) if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

(Romans 1:8) First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

(Romans 16:25-26) Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith;

As mentioned earlier, we must begin thinking like a first century person when reading the scriptures. The term "whole world" did not have the same meaning to them that it does to us today. Even now, in some remote jungle, there are still people who, when the words "whole world" are used, probably have a much different concept of what that term might mean. Remember that the scriptures were written at a time when people believed the world was flat. Understanding the audience and grasping the concept of words in their understanding is critical. Whatever the concept "whole world" meant to the disciples or the people living at that time is what it actually means in regards to scripture. Our job is to find out what it meant in their time and culture, not apply it to ours. If we will learn to think like this, and allow scripture to speak for itself, we will see that this prophecy that the gospel must go to all the world was adequately fulfilled in that generation.

THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

(Mat 24:15) 15 "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),

The parallel passage in Luke's Olivet Discourse tell us what this "abomination of desolation" is

(Luke 21:20) 20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.

We have already addressed the fact that Christ clearly told the disciples and their generation that they would see this abomination of desolation, but was this scripture fulfilled in this generation? Yes. The Roman armies marched to Jerusalem and, together with their allies, surrounded the city for its destruction. This was fulfilled in 66-70AD. Note also the words "let the reader understand" in Matthew 24:15. The gospel of Matthew was written some time between 55-63AD. When Matthew says, "let the reader understand", he's not talking to you and me today. He's talking to the Jews who would soon be reading his letter, and would be alive to see this fulfillment so as to understand that what they are seeing was prophesy fulfilled.

On the topic of the Roman armies being the object of desolation, Josephus writes

Josephus - 3. But now, as soon as that legion that had been at Emmaus was joined to Caesar at night, he removed thence, when it was day, and came to a place called Seopus; from whence the city began already to be seen, and a plain view might be taken of the great temple. Accordingly, this place, on the north quarter of the city, and joining thereto, was a plain, and very properly named Scopus, [the prospect,] and was no more than seven furlongs distant from it. And here it was that Titus ordered a camp to be fortified for two legions that were to be together; but ordered another camp to be fortified, at three furlongs farther distance behind them, for the fifth legion; for he thought that, by marching in the night, they might be tired, and might deserve to be covered from the enemy, and with less fear might fortify themselves; and as these were now beginning to build, the tenth legion, who came through Jericho, was already come to the place, where a certain party of armed men had formerly lain, to guard that pass into the city, and had been taken before by Vespasian. These legions had orders to encamp at the distance of six furlongs from Jerusalem, at the mount called the Mount of Olives (1) which lies over against the city on the east side, and is parted from it by a deep valley, interposed between them, which is named Cedron. (Book V, Chapter II, Section 3)

Compare what is recorded by Josephus (above) to this passage in Luke

(Luke 19:41-44) Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 "For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 "and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

This was fulfilled completely in 66-70AD when Jerusaem was destroyed from within and without.

For those who wonder just how bad the tribulation was in Jerusalem, and how it compares with scripture, lets look at some additional passages from the Olivet Discourse and then compare them with recorded incidents in the writings of Josephus.

(Luke 21:23) 23 "Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people;

Josephus - 4. Now there was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan, her name was Mary; her father was Eleazar, of the village Bethezub, which signifies the House of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude , and was with them besieged therein at this time. The other effects of this woman had been already seized upon; such I mean as she had brought with her out of Perea, and removed to the city. What she had treasured up besides, as also what food she had contrived to save, had also been carried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose. This put the poor woman into a very great passion, and by the frequent reproaches and imprecations she cast at these rapacious villains, she had provoked them to anger against her; but none of them, either out of the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of the commiseration of her case, would take away her life (1); and if she found any food, she perceived her labors were for others, and not for herself; and it was now become impossible for her any way to find any more food, while the famine pierced through her very bowels and marrow, when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself: nor did she consult with anything but with her passion and the necessity she was in. She then attempted a most unnatural thing; and snatching up her son, who was a child sucking at her breast, she said, "O thou miserable infant! for whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition? As to the war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be slaves! The famine also will destroy us, even before that slavery comes upon us; yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than both the other. Come on; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets and a byword to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete the calamities of us Jews." As soon as she had said this, she slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate one half of him (2), and kept the other half by her concealed. Upon this the seditious come in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened her that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not shew them what food she had gotten ready. She replied, that she had saved a very fine portion of it for them; and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind, and stood astonished at the sight; when she said to them "This is mine own son; and what hath been done was mine own doing! Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself! Do not you pretend to be either more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother; but if you be so scrupulous, and do abominate this my sacrifice, as I have eaten the one half, let the rest be reserved for me also." After which, those men went out trembling, being never so much affrighted at anything as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which, the whole city was full of horrid action immediately; and while everyone laid this miserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard-of-action had been done by themselves. So those that were thus distressed by the famine were very desirous to die (1); and those already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not live long enough either to hear or see such miseries.

(Luke 21:24) 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

History records the following

Josephus - 3. Now the number (1) of those that were carried captive during the whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand (2); as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege, eleven hundred thousand * (3), the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation, [with the citizens of Jerusalem,] but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army (4), which, at the very first, occasioned so great a straightness among them, that there came a pestilential destruction upon them, and soon afterward such a famine as destroyed them more suddenly. And that this city could contain so many people in it is manifest by that number of them which was taken under Cestius, who being desirous of informing Nero of the power of the city, who otherwise was disposed to contemn that nation, entreated the high priests, if the thing were possible, to take the number of their whole multitude. So these high priests, upon the coming of their feast which is called the Passover, when they slay their sacrifices,