Interplanner
Well-known member
Summary of Mt 24 & //s and the 1st century
As originally written, Mt 24 & //s is about that generation following Jesus. To summarize again what I see:
*the warning is that Judaizers would whip Israel into a messanic frenzy and wish to take on Rome. They would believe they had God's help doing so (the revolt, not the frenzy!).
*Christ and the apostles hoped all Israel would become missionaries to the ends of the earth and not attempt to take on a freedom fight against Rome
*the conflict was foretold in Dan 9; the one official quote of Dan 9 in the NT is here in this setting
*the end of the world was expected 'immediately after' this mistaken messanic war, with the allowance that only the Father knew the end
*the revolt failed miserably; over a million perished; there was maternal cannibalism
*the end did not come
*2 Peter 3 explains the delay of the end in the same terms--it is up to the Father. There is nothing Judaistic about Peter's depiction of the future, as with other didactic passages such as I Cor. 15 or Heb. 9. The other didactic passage about antichrist (I John 2 and 4) not only says it was in the last days but the last hour.
*Revelation is about this same conflict in the hope that Israel would believe and become missionaries. It was written about things which would happen very soon. Gentry, Bray, Adams and Van Meter are among those who have shown how Revelation has to do with the 1st century Judean conflict.
*we are in this same situation of delay and mission today.
[It can help to realize that there are times when Jesus here used the term 'ges' (world, earth) for the land of Israel. Mt 5 for ex., his believers are salt
of the land of Israel, preserving it (from conflict). The material is very linked and connected to the 1st century Judea, as seen by Mt 24:2, 15, 26 (the temple's inner rooms); these events are said to be the punishment in fulfillment of all that is written, Lk. 21, which is a sweeping declaration).
As originally written, Mt 24 & //s is about that generation following Jesus. To summarize again what I see:
*the warning is that Judaizers would whip Israel into a messanic frenzy and wish to take on Rome. They would believe they had God's help doing so (the revolt, not the frenzy!).
*Christ and the apostles hoped all Israel would become missionaries to the ends of the earth and not attempt to take on a freedom fight against Rome
*the conflict was foretold in Dan 9; the one official quote of Dan 9 in the NT is here in this setting
*the end of the world was expected 'immediately after' this mistaken messanic war, with the allowance that only the Father knew the end
*the revolt failed miserably; over a million perished; there was maternal cannibalism
*the end did not come
*2 Peter 3 explains the delay of the end in the same terms--it is up to the Father. There is nothing Judaistic about Peter's depiction of the future, as with other didactic passages such as I Cor. 15 or Heb. 9. The other didactic passage about antichrist (I John 2 and 4) not only says it was in the last days but the last hour.
*Revelation is about this same conflict in the hope that Israel would believe and become missionaries. It was written about things which would happen very soon. Gentry, Bray, Adams and Van Meter are among those who have shown how Revelation has to do with the 1st century Judean conflict.
*we are in this same situation of delay and mission today.
[It can help to realize that there are times when Jesus here used the term 'ges' (world, earth) for the land of Israel. Mt 5 for ex., his believers are salt
of the land of Israel, preserving it (from conflict). The material is very linked and connected to the 1st century Judea, as seen by Mt 24:2, 15, 26 (the temple's inner rooms); these events are said to be the punishment in fulfillment of all that is written, Lk. 21, which is a sweeping declaration).