74.0 Is Prophecy only Predictive?
By Hubert F. Sturges, www.144000.cc, November 2009
Topics:
Matthew 24
The Prophetic Mix
Destruction of Jerusalem
Second Coming of Christ
Both
Looking Back
The Factors Preventing the Second Coming
What Might Have Been
IF:
The Modern Christian Church
Or does Prophecy also indicate the Purpose of God? Some prophecies in the Bible appear to have a mixed fulfillment, referring to two separate events. These would include Prophecies of Jesus Christ, telling of His suffering and death and of His coming as King of Kings. Matthew 24 which tells of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the end of the world. Prophecies in Isaiah of a kingdom of righteousness, thought to refer to the New Earth yet with events described that can only refer to this present earth. The Throne of David to never be without a king. Canaan to be the perpetual home of Israel.
There are also prophecies given in positive terms that are postponed or fulfilled partially or not at all, such as Jonah’s message to Nineveh, Jesus’ Second Coming, Daniel 9:24, and the Day of Atonement. To begin with, let us look first at Matthew 24:
Matthew 24
3 "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world" (Matthew 24:3, KJV)?
In this question we see two parts. What is not clear is whether the disciples knew there were two parts or if they thought that it was all one question. I propose that Jesus did not intend this prophecy to refer to two separate events!
Jesus answered their question. Was this a prophecy where He mixed the destruction of Jerusalem with the prophecy of His Second Coming? Or did Jesus intend to return much sooner than what we look at today? Could He possibly have intended to return about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem? This would open up a whole new scenario....
The Prophetic Mix
Jesus very specifically refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple when He said "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (:2). "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (:34) is easily understood referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, but produces problems if applied to the Second Coming.
Then there a number of verses which refer primarily to the Second Coming:
"Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars" (:6,7). This could refer in part to destruction of Jerusalem, but more specifically to the time of the end. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world ... and then shall the end come" (:14) applies particularly to the end time just before Jesus’ second coming.
"For then shall there be great tribulation..." (:21,22) describes a magnitude of trouble greater than any in the past, which may refer to the chaos of the siege of Jerusalem. Then it goes on to call it more than "ever shall be" which can only point to the end time when Satan is unrestrained and God’s judgments are falling on the earth.
"For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets , and shall shew great signs and wonders" (:23-26). These were common just after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They are also arising again now, though the terminology may be different. There are pastors unwilling to do what they know the Bible says; corrupt tel-evangelists, gurus and demigods of various types.
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (:27 - 31) This description of Jesus’ second coming can refer to no other event.
There are a number of verses that can refer to either the destruction of Jerusalem or to the Second Coming of Christ:
"Take heed that no man deceive you" (:4,5,11,24). Deception, false security, rampant sensationalism are all common in times of stress. This will be a problem especially in the time before Jesus comes again.
"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted" (:9,10). Persecution was severe for a short time under the leadership of Saul of Tarsus, then occurred sporadically during the next 300 years, and finally severe and prolonged for 1260 years. Persecution will be severe and prolonged again before Jesus Comes again. Oppression, violence and crime rose to unimaginable levels during the siege of Jerusalem (:12). Again today we see a continuing increase of violence and crime. After the close of probation, this will be unrestrained.
What is "the abomination of desolation, (that shall) stand in the holy place?" (:15). This is a cryptic statement, that is not well understood. In fact the verse itself indicates that only those who "understand" will know. The evil power of Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Will an evil power again take over and destroy the church of God? "Then let them which be in Judaea flee unto the mountains" (:16). Because of the overwhelming magnitude of trouble in the siege of Jerusalem, and again at the end of the world, God’s people will need to flee to the mountains to save their lives. This applies to both events.
Looking Back
From our standpoint, and looking back, we see in this prophecy a merciful mixture of two events. When Jesus sat with His disciples on the mount of Olives, the disciples asked:
"Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world" (Matthew 24:3)?
"This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:34). See also Matthew 16:28; 23:36; Mark 9:1; 13:30,31; Luke 21:32
"If I will that he (John) tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me" (John 21:22).
"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:2, KJV).
These verses indicate that the disciples expected Jesus to return soon. They expected that Jesus’ presence would make the glory of the second temple to be much greater than the glory of Solomon’s temple. They expected Jesus to take the throne of David, and institute a reign of righteousness. Here are some verses:
7 "I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty.
8 "'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty.
9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty" (Haggai 2:7-9, NIV).
What were the factors that hindered His soon return?
Even while Jesus lived and ministered with the disciples during His life on earth, there was contention between them as to who would be greatest in the expected kingdom. This showed a lack of understanding of His mission, as well as a spirit of pride and competition between them.
After the Ascension, the disciples prayed continuously until they were of all one accord. Then, and only then, could the Holy Spirit be poured out and many souls be gathered into the church. This was accompanied by signs and wonders and a fervor and belief that led them to love each other and to make great sacrifices to support the work.
In time, people began to take advantage of the communal effort of the church. Apparently there was a spirit of greed that led the Grecian widows to complain that they were not treated as well as the Jerusalem widows. This was solved by the appointing of seven deacons. These deacons were probably from the Grecian faction (Jews who had come from the diaspora to move into Jerusalem).
Among these seven deacons, Stephen is of special note. He took the ordination of deacon to be an open door to ministry and began to work with the Jewish leaders to tell them about Christ. "They were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake" (Acts 6:10). The rest of the story, his sermon to the Sanhedrin, and His martyrdom is told in Acts 6, 7.
This story points out that there was a division in the church very early on. This division eventually led to the Jerusalem council of Acts 15. The council decided that the ceremonial law was no longer needed and especially that gentile converts were not expected to participate.
The Jerusalem Council was conducted and agreed upon in very amicable terms. One could see that the "Grecian Jews" strongly supported the decision of this council. And could also have been a strong support to Paul in his missionary journeys.
But this was not the end of it. Christian Jews, particularly the Jerusalem Jews, found it very difficult to accept that Gentiles could be saved without becoming Jews and partaking of the ceremonial law. The Judaizers were the party who followed Paul, trying to convince the new gentile converts to come back to the ceremonial law. A significant portion of Paul’s writing in Hebrews and in other epistles are directed to this issue.
Not only were there problems with the Judaizers, there was also a continual struggle to meet the pagan ideas and practices that the gentile converts brought into the church. These things are testified to by the writing of the church fathers.
As one looks back on this story, one has to ask, WHEN could Jesus have come back? With the turmoil in the church, it had become impossible. Matthew 24 indicated a strong possibility that Jesus intended to come back very soon. Those parts of Matthew 24 pointing to this soon return had to be put off for a later time -- a much later time.
What might have been.
The above story centers about Matthew 24. It shows that Jesus may well have come back much much earlier, if only the church were ready for Him. Other stories can be told. But we must ask, are not the prophecies of God reliable? Is not the purpose of God fulfilled with " no haste and no delay?" (DA 32).
From this, I believe that God’s relationship with His people is much more dynamic than we realize. When God gave men free will, He expected men to use that free will to create beauty, music, art and to make choices that would take human history in new and wonderful directions. God was pleased to observe what man would do with free will.
In prophecy, particularly in prophecy involving God’s people, God respects the free will of man. His prophecy is as much an expression of His purpose as it is a simple prediction of future events. One gets a hint of this in Daniel chapter nine. Daniel knew of the prophecy of seventy years captivity. He did not sit back and assume it would "just happen." He personally took the sins of his people on himself, confessing and asking for forgiveness. He prayed earnestly that the promised restoration after the seventy years would take place.
The sad story of "What might have been" is much longer and detailed now than it was then. When did Jesus really intend to come back? How many times did He "almost come" and have to turn back because of unbelief in His people? Ellen White makes this comment regarding the early history of God’s people:
IF:
• The law of God had never been transgressed, there would have been no death, and no need of a Saviour;
• Man had kept the law of God as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision.
• The descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry,
• They had kept the covenant, it would not have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt;
• They had kept God's law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone.
• The people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses. White EG: Patriarchs and Prophets. p. 364
The Modern Christian Church
Books can be and have been written of the recent history of the church. How soon after 1844 could Jesus have actually come? There is indication that it would have been within just a few years.
During the 165 years since that time, how often did events shape up, and the Holy Spirit come near to the church indicating that Jesus was ready to come? There is evidence that it was more often than we realize.
And where are we today? Too many of God’s people are depending on the "inevitability" of His coming. They feel that there will be a time of trouble before He comes. (Let it come, we will wait and see). The Sunday law will be passed. (Bring it on, that means that His coming is near). The Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to all the world. (Radio and Television is doing a wonderful job). Etc, etc.
In this atmosphere of complacency and ease, Revelation 3 may be fulfilled a lot differently than we hope. The prophecy is that "I will spue thee out of my mouth" and "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Which will you choose?
The prophecies of God indicate His purpose for His people. He has given a part for each of us to play. I believe that the Holy Spirit whispers into the ear of each of His people what He wants them to do. When we stop and listen, and do what He says, Jesus’ Coming is right at hand.
