An Interpretation of Matthew 24-25 (Part 31) Dr. Thomas Ice The Correct View Now why does this generation in Matthew 24:34 (see also Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32), not refer to Christs contemporaries? Because the governing referent to this generation is all these things. Since Jesus is giving an extended prophetic discourse of future events, one must first determine the nature of all these things prophesied in verses 4 through 31 to know what generation Christ is referencing. Since all these things did not take place in the first century then the generation that Christ speaks of must be future. Christ is saying that the generation that sees all these things occur will not cease to exist until all the events of the future tribulation are fulfilled. Frankly, this is both a literal interpretation and one that was not fulfilled in the first century. Christ is not ultimately speaking to His contemporaries, but to the generation to whom the signs of Matthew 24 will become evident. Dr. Darrell Bock concurs: What Jesus is saying is that the generation that sees the beginning of the end, also sees its end. When the signs come, they will proceed quickly; they will not drag on for many generations. It will happen within a generation. . . . The tradition reflected in Revelation shows that the consummation comes very quickly once it comes. . . . Nonetheless, in the discourses prophetic context, the remark comes after making comments about the nearness of the end to certain signs. As such it is the issue of the signs that controls the passages force, making this view likely. If this view is correct, Jesus says that when the signs of the beginning of the end come, then the end will come relatively quickly, within a generation.[9] Preterists have reversed the interpretative process by declaring first that this generation has to refer to Christs contemporaries, thus all these things had to be fulfilled in the first century. When one points out that various events in Matthew 24 were not fulfilled, preterists merely repeat their mantra of this generation, saying that all these things had to be fulfilled in the first century. In fact, when one compares the use of this generation at the beginning of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 23:36 (which is an undisputed reference to a.d. 70) with the prophetic use in Matthew 24:34, a contrast seems obvious. Jesus is contrasting the deliverance for Israel in Matthew 24:34 with the predicted judgment of Matthew 23:36. I do not think that any of the events in Matthew 24:4-31 occurred in the first century. I have shown in earlier commentary on Matthew 24:4-31 that none of these events took place in the past, thus, this is still a future time to which our Lord envisions. Prophetic Perspective It is common for preterists to speak of what they call audience relevance. By this, preterists believe that since the New Testament was written in the first century then it has to relate directly to the original audience. The original audience factor cannot be overlooked; the message of Revelation must be relevant to them,[10] proclaims Dr. Kenneth Gentry. With the particularity of the audience emphasized in conjunction with his message of the imminent expectation of occurrence of the events, continues Dr. Gentry, I do not see how preterism of some sort can be escaped.[11] The same logic is often applied to the Olivet Discourse. E. B Elliott rightly notes, Not a vestige of testimony exists to the fact of such an understanding.[12] Such a notion is pure assumption and if actually true would render it impossible for Scripture to provide a prophetic statement beyond the generation (40 years) that received the prediction. I believe that Jesus uses the phrase this generation in Matthew 24:34 as a tool of literary emphasis. As noted earlier, Jesus is contrasting the deliverance for Israel in Matthew 24:34 with the predicted judgment of Matthew 23:36, based upon the varied responses of two different generations of Israelites. This provides the basis for Christs contrast of the two generations-the first generation unbelieving while the final one is trusting. The future sense of this generation in a judgment context sets a precedence for its interpretation in contexts that are both judicial and eschatological. If the desolation experienced by this generation in Matthew 23:36 can be understood as a future fulfillment that came some 40 years later, it should not be a problem to understood the Tribulation judgment as a future fulfillment that will come on the generation that will experience it at the end of the age. However, the difference is not simply a span of time, but the nature of that time as eschatological. For the this generation of Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, and Luke 21:32, all these things (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:28) must refer contextually to the events of the Great Tribulation, the conclusion of the times of the Gentiles, the coming of Christ in glory, and the regathering and redemption of Israel, all of which are not only declared to be future by Jesus at the time of speaking (Mark 13:23), but also cast in typical eschatological language (for example, end of the age, such as not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall, powers of the heavens will be shaken).[13] Instead of audience relevance, it important to know the prophetic relevance from which a prophecy is given. This means that sometimes a prophetic revelation is spoken from the timeframe of when a prophecy will take place. Such is often the case in Revelation (for example 21:9-10). John is often shown a vision of the future and thus he speaks from the perspective as if those future events were taking place at the time in which he is observing them and writing them down. Jesus is speaking in His Olivet Discourse in verse 34 of Matthew from the timeframe of a still future time and is saying this generation. We see the same kind of thing going on in Psalm 2:7, where the Father says of the Son, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. This passage speaks of the Fathers incarnation of the Son, which interpreters believe occurred at Christs first coming. Yet David wrote this Psalm a thousand years earlier. An audience relevance assumption would surely lead to a gross misinterpretation of this prophetic Psalm. Looking at the Psalm as one that is speaking from a timeframe of the distant future is the only way that it makes contextual sense. The same is true of Christs statement about this generation in His Olivet Discourse. He is speaking from the timeframe of the distant future. Maranatha!
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 13:46:18 +0000
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