Matthew Chapter 24

The Trouble in the End of the Jewish Age

As was stated in our previous post Luke’s account centers more on the trouble upon fleshly Israel which culminated A.D. 70 whereas Matthew’s account centers on the spiritual aspect and the trouble coming upon nominal spiritual Israel i.e. Christendom, so we will take a look at Luke’s account first.

LUKE 21

Verse 20-22 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

Our first clue that this pertains to the end of the Jewish age is found in the opening verse.

In A.D. 68 (the Autumn of 69 Jewish time) Jerusalem, led by the Roman general Vespasian was laid siege by the desolating armies of Rome completely surrounding the city, however shortly thereafter learning of the death of the Roman emperor, and that insurrection prevailed at Rome he hastened thither to assumed the emperorship, leaving his son Titus in charge of the siege, but in the changing of the guard, the siege was momentary relaxed, providing an opportunity to flee. Those who obeyed Jesus’ advice to flee escaped. Some fled to Petra in Jordan.

“However, flight during this respite required faith and a willingness to suffer the pains of a refugee. Better had they taken refuge before the Roman standards had taken position around the city again—but now at least flight was urged as their last and only remedy. It would be all the more difficult for those with children, and yet more painful if during the winter season. In those days would be great distress and affliction. “The suspension of the war in Judea during A.D. 69…was of little avail to the Jews…fierce struggles for mastery still continued among the insurgents in Jerusalem. [Josephus] charges the rebel leaders with terrible enormities, of which the chief victims were the people of Jerusalem.” (Ancient Empires, Newsweek’s Milestones of History, page 151) The famine and internal anarchy of this bleak period are legend.

Verse 23 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies (infants and young ones who breast-feed, for older children would suffer like the adults) in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.”

Notice the end of the verse: “For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people”; that is, God’s wrath would be upon the nation of Israel because of their rejection of Jesus. (Here we have another clue as to the time of Luke’s prophecy).

Verse 24 “And they (the Israelite’s) will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Thus the emphasis in Luke 21 is on the natural picture, whereas Matthew 24 and Mark 13 stress the spiritual aspect primarily.

Let us consider again the expression “the times of the Gentiles,” which refers to the “seven times” of Leviticus 26, which are calculated as follows: 7 x 360 (a lunar year) = 2,520 years from 606 B.C. to A.D. 1914.

In 606 B.C. the Temple of Solomon was destroyed as well as Jerusalem and the Jewish polity with the removal of the crown from Zedekiah. Notice, the account does NOT say that the treading down of Jerusalem and the Times of the Gentiles commenced in A.D. 70, even though the same things happened at that date (i.e., the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed, and the Jewish people were led away captive into all nations, the Diaspora having begun). In other words, while Gentile Times began in 606 B.C., they were still counting in A.D. 70 and beyond—until their expiration in 1914. The A.D. 70 trouble was just an additional experience during the Times of the Gentiles.

 Because the Jewish people subsequently suffered so dreadfully under Hitler and the Nazis, some brethren have a problem seeing that Gentile Times ended in 1914 and that “Jerusalem” is no longer being trodden down. Notice, however, that Jesus was not speaking of the Jewish PEOPLE but of Jerusalem. As a result of British commander General Allenby’s being in the Middle East in 1914, there was a confrontation with Turkish authority. In 1917 Jerusalem was captured without a battle, as it were, and a treaty enjoined so that Jerusalem was no longer in a downtrodden condition and the Jews could return to Palestine in masse. The foreign yoke was broken!

In Luke 21:20 the fleeing was literal—the Lord advised Christian Jews to flee to distant mountain refuge when they would see Jerusalem surrounded with armies. And those outside the city were instructed not to enter back into Jerusalem but to flee also. This advice, so specifically given, was followed by those with faith back there in A.D. 70.” (The Gospel of Matthew)

With our next post returning to Matthew’s account we take a look at the spiritual aspect of this prophecy.