Understanding the Biblical Model of Christian Life
“A great many people think they are thinking when all they are doing is rearranging their prejudices.”
• William James
“If merely “feeling good” could decide, drunkenness would be the supremely valid human experience.”
• William James
Show 36 411 Has Jesus Returned – part V
September 2nd 2014
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, this is HEART OF THE MATTER where . . . Religious Nuts Meet Christian Fruits Face to Face. And I’m your host, Shawn McCraney.
The Example of Jesus and His Apostles
I want to open up by revisiting a concept I shared with you about being a Christian. What is the biblical model? What does God show us through the New Testament narrative? First we have to ask: Who provides the model for what it means to be a genuine Christian? That would be Jesus – the Son of Man. Then we might say His twelve apostles as they were directly taught and trained by Him, right?
And how does the biblical narrative describe the life of Jesus and or the lives of his chosen apostles? I mean God Himself could have created ANY sort of existence for His only begotten Son – the author and finisher of our faith and of Christianity, right? He could have had Him born into royalty like Prince William and baby George. He could have had Him stand 6 feet 7 and weight a solid 240 with Adonis pecks and gorgeous features. He could have given Him the best education, the best upbringing, all the luxuries, and fame, and power, and might, and wife, and kids, and mansion and on and on and on, right?
But God had the Author and finisher of OUR faith . . . start His life lowly and then watch it as it steady declined in the things of this world – NOT increased – declined. This is the insufferable model the Bible presents of those who are truly His – a decline and death of self and flesh and NOT an increase. Just look at the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God . . .
• Born in a manger . . .
• Father a carpenter . . .
• Had nothing that men would desire of Him
• Was not handsome or attractive
• No formal education of which to speak
• Nothing noteworthy about His young life.
When His ministry began He gained some popularity . . . Then slowly the people turned as His doctrine and teachings turned them away. After three years He is betrayed. Then He is abandoned. Then He is beaten and forced to bear His own cross. Then He is taken to the outskirts of town where He is crucified . . . between two thieves . . . abandoned by all to the point where He cried out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me!” And dies an insufferable death, beaten, abandoned, and alone.
The Reality of the Christian Experience
We look around today – at palatial churches, and worldwide ministries oozing success, and well-fed and well dressed people in Christian leadership, and we allow ourselves to think that material success, and comforts, and numbers equate to God working. I would suggest that the New Testament narrative, and the very lives of Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, testify what the true Christian experience really looks like – it looks like a long succession of disappointments, many hours pleading with God to temper our flesh in response, and the willingness, the choice, the desire to wind up alone, on a cross, on the outskirts of accepted society. That was the lot of our King and those He trained – so it is the lot of all who seek to follow Him in Spirit and in Truth.
So we left off with verse 28 of Matthew 24 which said:
28 “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” And we took some time to explain how this verse could easily have application relative to the time and culture surrounding Jerusalem and the invading Roman armies in and around 70 AD. Let’s continue to push through Jesus' reply to Peter, James, John and Andrew’s questions: “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of thy coming and the end of this age?”
Jesus' Teachings in Matthew 24
In verse 29 Jesus then adds:
29 Immediately after the tribulation
Biblical Imagery and Interpretation
of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Now, futurists love this passage because they don’t believe such things have happened yet AND it gives them some things to look for in the heavens as signs that Jesus is on His way. Before explaining this, I want to read a passage for you – and for you to ask yourselves, “What are these words describing?” Ready?
“For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” What is this passage describing, folks? Well first of all it is found in Isaiah 13 and it is Isaiah’s description of the destruction of Babylon! How about another?
Examples from Isaiah
“Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
Or check this one out: “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.” These passages certainly SOUND like a description of the end of the world, right? They certainly describe things that once they have occurred that the whole world would have recognized them and would speak of them even till this day, right?
But when was the last time you heard of someone talking about the slaughter in Bozrah and Idumea where “all the host of heaven was dissolved,” and the heavens were then rolled together as a scroll?” The point is the Hebrew writers were renown for describing God’s visiting hand of judgment upon them in these descriptive terms. To take such literary license literally is a mistake on our part today.
The Language of Jesus
Here on the Mount of Olives Jesus is simply following suit (since He authored the words Isaiah used to describe these Old Testament judgments) by speaking in a way and language that those to whom He was sent (the House of Israel) would understand. The imagery Jesus used to answer His disciples questions should not be taken any more literally than we would take Isaiah 34:4! Just as the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars would be translated as “an inexpressible calamity” so would be the overturning of Jerusalem that Jesus is describing.
Luke’s account of Jesus words here adds: That there would be a "distress of nations (with nations being ethnos again, which could mean peoples of varied ethnicities instead of actual nations) with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts falling them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth." Again, all figures of speech describing a great and terrible calamity. Lines like the roaring of the waves of the sea denotes great tumult and affliction among the people, “perplexity” means doubt, “anxiety,” not knowing what to do to escape. Etc, etc.
For thousands of years futurists have taken these very descriptive, Hebraic literary tools that have been used for centuries to describe actual events (which have already occurred) and gotten us to believe they are still in our future. Those who believe in a worldwide second coming often quote Matthew 24:30 where Jesus then says: “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” For futurists this verse cannot be dismissed away. “All the people of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven . . . .” this is certainly describing something that has NOT happened, they cry! Those who read the NIV must examine their Bibles closely relative to this verse. Why? Because in them there is a footnote after the line “all the peoples of the earth.” Know what the footnote says? “the tribes of the land,” meaning the twelve tribes of Israel. The Greek word translated “earth” in Matthew 24:30 is ge which can be a global term, though it is often used to specify an
Hebraic Language and Interpretations
Isolated city, kingdom or nation—in this case, it is best applied to the nation of Israel alone. If you are interested in reading more about how the ancients interpreted Hebraic language and descriptions, go to: www.preteristarchive.com as it is full of information—some really really good, some you have to challenge—on the subject. My purpose in challenging you to seek these things out is always the same—the truth sets us free, God seeks us to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and the philosophies and traditions of man must be rejected wherever they originate—Mormonism, Evangelicalism, Calvinism, whatever—kick it all to the curb because to know Him is life eternal.
The Sign of Thy Coming
Okay, it is at this point (verse 30) that I believe Jesus begins to answer their second question, which was “And what is the sign of thy coming” by saying (at verse 30): 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Then He adds (using Hebraic language, of course) 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now, while this verse sounds even more futuristic than verse 30, it is far easier to understand than 30 right off the bat. We know from previous studies that the word “anggelous” in the Greek (where we get angel) simply means messenger—of ANY kind—human, heavenly, disease—any messenger—ANYTHING God employs to rescue his people from danger. Of course, biblically speaking, it most commonly refers to the race of heavenly beings more exalted than man who are often employed in God’s work among men. In either of these senses, this verse might refer to angelic deliverance granted to his believers amidst the calamities of Jerusalem.
I say this, in part, because of the mention of the “trump” sounding.
The Gathering of the Elect
To a Jew “a trump” sounding was a familiar thing as their assemblies were often initiated in this manner (Leviticus 25:9; Numbers 10:2; Judges 3:27). For Jesus to say to these men here that angels are coming with the sound of a trump, we have Him giving them a well-recognized picture taken from the Old Testament of a gathering of the chosen (or the elect—as verse 31 says). I interpret Jesus' words to mean that when He comes, angels will arrive and gather the elect (or the Christians) and help escort them to safety (in this case, it was either to Pella or they were raptured up).
But the last two lines make my interpretation difficult for people to believe, as Jesus says: “and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” It’s understandable to view these scriptures as futuristic—and they may very well have application in the futuristic sense. But it is a mistake to think they do NOT have application to the context of what Jesus is saying here about the destruction of Jerusalem (and what we could consider His second coming).
In this sense and setting, God gathered together His elect by sending forth his “messengers” (which could have been other spirit-led humans AND/OR heavenly messengers) so they would not be destroyed along with the rest of Jerusalem. And where Jesus says the four winds the Jews described the globe as being quartered—east, west, north, and south—and expressed those quarters by the winds blowing from them. We could take this literally or as representing the north, south, east, and west of that area where all believers had been scattered. Contextually, this makes the better historical sense.
And then we have another line that is easy to apply only to a futuristic sense, where Jesus says: “from one end of heaven to the other.” Really, this is just another way of saying, from every direction—from the four corners of the land. Listen to the passage again and hear the words the Lord chooses. Try and hear them relative to Jesus describing the destruction of Jerusalem and how the Christian believers would be saved from its ravages… see if you can apply his literary license to what would actually happen there in 70 AD. Ready: “and they…
The Parable of the Fig Tree
The primary sense and purpose of Jesus saying these words was in response to the disciples' three questions – this cannot be lost. Then Jesus launches into a parable – right here on the Mount of Olives. And says:
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
In the parable or illustration, Jesus says “LEARN” the Parable of the Fig Tree. He tells them – sitting there with Him – learn to apply this parable to all I have said. And he goes on and says: “Just as when they could look at a fig tree and its leaves they could know that summer is near, “likewise” He tells them, “When they begin to see these signs come to pass they would KNOW (listen) that “it is near, even at the doors.”
Signs and Fulfillment
What would be “at the doors?” What would be near happening? EVERYTHING the apostles had asked Him about! ALL THAT HE HAS DESCRIBED TO THEM! TO THEM! When they saw the signs it would be like viewing a fig tree and KNOWING that summer was on the way. When THEY saw the signs . . .
The judgment upon Judah would be near. The desolation of Judah would be near. The destruction of the grand and glorious temple was near. The end of the Covenant age was near. And the return of Jesus, His second coming, was near.
And this brings us to the verse of which there is NO getting around – Matthew 24:34: "Verily I say unto you (Peter, James, John, and Andrew), This generation shall not pass, till all . . . these things . . . be fulfilled!"
And resorting to more figurative language the Lord delivers yet another line that is frequently used to justify all sorts of things, but in context, the line relates to the validity of all Jesus has said here to these seeking men. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
Interpretation and Understanding
Because these words have not been painfully examined (in context of each other and in context of the rest of the word and what it has to say about end-times) many, many, many believers have either believed Jesus did not mean what He said here in verse 34, OR that we have not properly understood what He said here, OR EVEN that His words failed! And HE was wrong!
Again, relative to Jesus saying in verse 34: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all . . . these things . . . be fulfilled!" Some very disturbing things have been suggested about them.
You tell me, how do you read Jesus words in verse 34? Do you take the words and retranslate generation to suit your understanding? That is NOT fair. Generation meant freaking generation. It was a forty or so year span of time – cannot get around this.
Do you suppose that Jesus was off? That He was mistaken? Or have you grown up and admitted that this is what the passage says, Jesus was NOT wrong or mistaken, and everything He suggested occurred? That is my stance. The Word can be trusted. Jesus (and His disciples were right on) they meant what they said, what they said is what it means, and everything He described has occurred!
Listen – a futurist – a pretriber, a dispensationalist, a post-triber, a salt lake tribber cannot agree to this. They HAVE to either say Jesus was wrong or generation does NOT mean generation – and in either case, they have twisted the clear meaning to suit their twisted views. Did you know that even the great Christian thinker and apologist C.S. Lewis despaired at finding a solution to it. Lewis, who usually provided able defenses of the Christian faith, in this one instance reluctantly conceded to the assertion of the skeptics that Jesus was in error. He attributed this to the limited knowledge Jesus had in His incarnate human form and wrote, “Say what you like," we shall be told [by some critics – and here Lewis gives such critics a voice, writing that they would say], "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."
The Embarrassing Verse in the Bible
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." At this point Lewis stops giving voice to the complaints of the imaginary critics and adds, speaking of Matthew 24:34: “It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement 'But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.' The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side.
To this, the skeptic may reply, “If Jesus incorrectly predicted His return within the contemporaneous generation, but actually did not know that He was going to return within that time frame, then why did He so confidently assert that all of the words He had just spoken would come to pass in Matthew 24:35? He said, ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’” We are all allowed mistakes and CS Lewis was not above making them. I do not judge the man as I love his heart and works for God. But to call this passage, “the most embarrassing in scripture,” was an error on his part. It is NOT embarrassing in the least – it was correct, it occurred and we have embarrassingly misunderstood this fact.
R.C. Sproul's Perspective
Bringing more reason to the topic, in 1993, at the Covenant Eschatology Symposium in Mt. Dora Florida, another Christian scholar, R.C. Sproul (who is still alive and standing over Ligonier ministries) said this about the “this generation” passage spoken by Jesus and the Churches interpretation of it: “Maybe some church fathers made a mistake. Maybe our favorite theologians have made mistakes. I can abide with that. I can’t abide with Jesus being a false prophet, because if I am to understand that Jesus is a false prophet, my faith is in vain.”
Listen, just speaking of Jesus response to His apostles, we are left with only three real choices: He was speaking to them AND He was speaking to what would exist again (for us) at another time with another coming, or He was speaking to them only (and He was right). He was speaking to them only (and He was wrong).
Fulfillment of Jesus' Words
Bottom line: If Jesus words were NOT fulfilled completely within that generation CS Lewis description of our critics attacks against us were dead on – and Jesus was wrong – along with all of His chosen apostles. This is an impossibility and it’s time for pastors and churches to step up to the plate, admit that the descriptions of Jesus second coming were correct, and put the mistaken, errant, idiotic excuses of man behind us. He came, and all Has said to the Pharisees in chapters 21-23, and to his Apostles about the temple at the end of Matthew 23, and all He has described in the first 33 verses of Matthew 24 have been fulfilled – like it or not.
Next week we will try and finish what Jesus says in the rest of Matthew 24 and then move on and out to the words of John, James, Jude, Peter, and Hebrews that support the Lord’s words. Let’s open up the phone lines: (801)
Now, last week we had a caller ask: “So where’s the hope? If He has come, what do Christians have to look forward to?” I understand this question to some extent but I have to admit that the full emotional brunt of it escapes me and the reason might be because I was first never exposed for any length of time to hyper-end times teachings and secondly I have never viewed my life in relation to His return. I’m just being honest. I have always maintained a personal view that I had better be ready to meet Him whether He returns or I die – come what may. So I haven’t been brainwashed by all the rapture ready rhetoric – which has made adjusting to the idea of Him already having returned easy. But for those who have expectantly looked for Him to appear,
The Concept of Rapture and Second Coming
To be raptured, what can we say? Let me give you some insights and perspective. First of all, ask yourselves: What does or has the second coming and/or rapture meant to all the believers who have died physically since post 70 AD? Really? When we really think about it, Jesus' expected return has a very limited application to most believers, and will only affect one generation of His church, right?
Secondly, when I used to hear Pastor Chuck Smith say (back in the 1970’s through audio recordings) things like: “I just wish Jesus would come back,” I would praise God that He had not – that I came to know Him in 1997, and that my family at that time had not, and I would hope for the opposite – to not come, but to delay so more could hear or receive Him. When we think about it, isn’t the desire for Jesus' return rather selfish, and self-centered, and contrary to our hope that he would delay so more could receive Him before this life is over?
Self-Centered Desires for Jesus' Return
In my opinion, that “self-centered” “please Jesus come and destroy this world” attitude fostered and maintained by many churches today is frankly antithetical to a heart that does not want any to be left behind or cast into hell. Finally, this perspective is just going to take a shift in application. I believe all believers experience a rapture (or being taken up), a second coming, a judgment, and the experience of being saved from hell. It occurs at the moment of our individual and respective deaths. Just as the believers in Jerusalem were warned to prepare for His arrival, so are we – knowing we could exit this world at any given moment – and to always be ready.
Spiritual Preparation for the Afterlife
Why do we need to believe He is personally coming back to meet all of us in the air when we know we will all individually be caught up to meet Him at our respective deaths? That at that moment we, like the believers at Jerusalem, will escape destruction (gehenna), be judged and given a resurrected body at that time? For the nation of Israel, who Jesus came to save and serve, theirs was a physical economy – and their promised Messiah and King came to them physically, and returned to them physically. But we are spiritual believers. The physical is complete, and we now relate to Him through spiritual means – not the physical. That was completed in 70 AD with the end of that age.
So now we all are freed to prepare our own individual existences for life with Him on high. We savor every moment of life knowing that it could end at any moment – but whenever it does, we are, by faith, ready. Just like we would have been if we were living in Jerusalem in 70 AD.
