Olivet Discourse fulfillment

wip

Some claim that Jesus gave a false prophecy in the Olivet Discourse.

Matthew 24

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

If you read just these verses, or you don't bother to understand what the discourse is about, it'll look like Jesus claimed He will return within "this generation."

But the proper context is not the end of the world. Let's read the preceding verses to see what Jesus is talking about.

Matthew 23

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
38 See! Your house is left to you desolate;
39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' "

Matthew 24

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Jesus is lamenting the impending destruction of Jerusalem and telling His disciples that the temple will be ruined.

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

And this is the proper context of the Olivet Discourse. Not the end of the world, but the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
The only thing that seems to make people think Jesus is prophesying His coming to judge the world is because He said:

30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

But, like all prophecies, this one also uses symbolic language. Verse 29 also isn't talking literally about the heavenly bodies being ruined, it's talking about the religious authorities in Jerusalem using metaphors. This is also how the Old Testament prophets used to speak:

Isaiah 19

1 The burden against Egypt.
Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud,
And will come into Egypt;
The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence,
And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

This is talking about the Lord bringing judgement to Egypt, but He didn't physically come to earth and appear visibly. The prophet is using symbolic language, saying that God will come to judge Egypt.

And this is exactly what the disciples were asking in verse 3 - "What are the signs that You have come to judge Jerusalem?"

Edit
Pub: 04 Mar 2023 19:06 UTC
Edit: 04 Mar 2023 19:27 UTC
Views: 69