When Was the Great Tribulation? By Charles S. Meek “For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole EARTH.” (Luke 21:35) The Olivet Discourse contains the greatest body of prophecy in the New Testament outside of Revelation. It is found in the parallel passages of Matthew 24/25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The above passage is in Luke’s version of the Olivet Discourse, and is referring to the Great Tribulation at Jesus’ Parousia (his effectual divine presence in judgment). Was Jesus speaking of the entire globe as we know it today, or was He speaking of the world in which He and his contemporaries lived that would experience the Tribulation, that is, Judea? The word translated as “earth” is the Greek word ge. The online Blue Letter Bible interlinear gives several meanings for this word, including: a. the inhabited earth b. a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, or region As always, context and audience relevance determine how to interpret the Bible. Let’s take a look at another time we find this word in the immediate context of the Olivet Discourse: Matthew 23:35—“That upon YOU may come all the righteous blood shed upon the EARTH [ge], from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias.” This is a clear reference to the Jewish people, and not to all the people on the globe. In addition to Luke 21:35, Luke’s version of the Olivet Discourse contains the same word ge in another verse—verse 21: “There shall be great distress in the LAND [ge].” Jesus is obviously speaking about Jerusalem, which is confirmed by the context: In Luke 21:20-21 Jesus tells his followers that they will know when the Tribulation is upon them by the appearance of armies around Jerusalem, and that they can escape the Tribulation by fleeing to the mountains. These instructions limit the extent of the Tribulation to the immediate region—not the whole globe as we think of it today. And WHEN would these things happen? In the Olivet Discourse, we find several clear time restrictions: 1. At least seven times Jesus restricts the events to those to whom He is speaking, by such phrases as “When YOU see. . . .” Consider: Matthew 24:6, 9, 15, 33, 34, 44; Luke 21:20. 2. For further emphasis, Jesus said, “For THIS IS THE TIME of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.” (Luke 21:22) 3. Just in case they still did not get it, He said, “Truly I tell you, THIS GENERATION will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” (Luke 21:32) 4. And if there was any lingering doubt about when it would happen, He said, “Pray that you may be able to escape all that is ABOUT TO happen.” (Luke 21:36, see NIV or YLT) I cited the chapter just preceding Matthew’s version of the Olivet Discourse above (Matthew 23). In the passage just following Matthews version of the Discourse we find this powerful declaration by Jesus to Caiaphas, the scribes, and the elders: “I say to all of you: From now on YOU will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64) Jesus promised the Jews that THEY, not some future generation, would witness the Parousia! And they got the message, as the subsequent verses tell us Jesus’ statement was the last straw for them that led to his conviction for blasphemy. So in context, the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24/25 has these bookends in Matthew 23 and 26 that demand a first century fulfillment. Conclusion: The events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem as predicted by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse were restricted by Him to the region and the people of Judea in the first century. Charles Meek is the author of CHRISTIAN HOPE THROUGH FULFILLED PROPHECY, available at Amazon. He is also the editor of the website FaithFacts.org and the administrator of the Facebook site by the same name. He is also an administrator of another Facebook site titled Evangelical Preterism. You are invited to “like” us!
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 00:44:55 +0000