Introduction and Chapter Four.

Rev 4:1. “Come up here, and I will show you things that must take place after this.”

It is my experience that to many Christians the Book of Revelation is a complete mystery.  Many pastors preach on the first three chapters, which comprise the introduction and the letters to the seven churches, but very few attempt to preach through the entire book.  This is, no doubt, partly due to its length and partly to its controversial nature.  In my opinion, this is unfortunate, because Revelation, properly understood, is a source of great comfort to the Lord’s people.  About five years ago, I preached through Revelation at a series of mid-week meetings at a Reformed church in Exeter, Devon.  Since then I have preached odd chapters to various churches as part of my itinerant ministry and have found that many people have been grateful to have the book explained.  I am therefore intending to write up my sermon notes in the hope of reaching and helping a larger audience.  I am starting at Chapter Four on the grounds that the later chapters are the ones that cause people the most confusion.  The talks were not intended to be by any means exhaustive (1) but to give an overview of the main themes and to show how the various scenes link with one another.

The Book of Revelation (or Apocalypse- ‘unveiling’) was written at a time of persecution for many Christians (2).  It was given by the Holy Spirit to comfort and arm God’s people who were going through hard times.  Times are hard today.  It is my prayer that these articles will comfort, encourage and arm you the reader for the fight of faith which must continue until our Lord returns.

Revelation is part of a genre of literature called Apocalyptic.  Portions of the books of Daniel and Ezekiel might be considered to come under that heading and there were several non-Biblical books written in that style in the period between the two Testaments and in the 1^st Century A.D.  So the first readers of  Revelation would not have found it so strange a book as we do today.  The main feature of Apocalyptic literature is that it is heavily symbolic;  very little is to be taken literally.   However, it is not a puzzle; it was meant to be understood by God’s people, but it needs interpretation.  One major clue is the Old Testament.  Revelation is perhaps the most ‘Biblical’ book of the Bible.  Everything that happens has a parallel in the O.T. and therefore it is extremely helpful  to use the O’T. To gain understanding, both of Revelation and of the O.T. passage in question.

I don’t intend to spend much time critiquing the various schemes of interpretation of the book (3).  Most readers will know that there are three major schools of thought:  Premillennialism or ‘Futurism,’ Postmillennialism or ‘Preterism’ (4) and Amillennialism or ‘Realised Millennialism.’  There are Bible-believing Christians who support all three views, and it is not my intention to debunk any of them.  But obviously I have had to adopt one view in writing these articles and so I give, very briefly, my reasoning below.

Futurism takes the position that most prophecy in the Bible is yet to be fulfilled.  The most popular variety of this is Pretribulation Dispensational Premillennialism.  Under this system of interpretation, all of Revelation after Chapter 3 refers to a future time after the Church has been ‘raptured’ from the earth.  There are several possible objections to this viewpoint, but I  only ask in response, what use would it have been to the original recipients of Revelation to be told something that would have no relevance to them, or to those who followed them for thousands of years?

Preterism  teaches that most (5) Biblical prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies.  This view therefore requires Revelation to have been written before that date.  My objection to this is that if it were correct it would mean that, as a book of prophecy, Revelation would have been obsolete just a few years after it was written.  What help is the book to us in our struggles today if it has all already happened?   

When I first read Revelation as a very new Christian, what caused me most difficulty was that the world seemed to keep coming to an end (eg. Rev 6:12-17; 11:15-19; 14:14-20; 16:17-21; 19:11-21; 20:11-15) and then starting up again.  This puzzled me greatly until I read an excellent book called More than Conquerors by William Hendricksen (6).  Here he expounds the view called Progressive Parallelism.  This theory teaches that Revelation comprises seven accounts of the period between the Ascension of Christ until His return, each giving a somewhat different emphasis.  The usual illustration of this is to imagine a man climbing a mountain.  As he ascends, he sees the view change as  things previously hidden below the horizon become visible and he can see much further than before.   At the same time, landmarks that were obvious at ground level become less prominent and eventually invisible, yet all the time, he is looking at the same view.   When we consider Revelation in this way, every part of the book has relevance for people living in all ages.  This therefore is the understanding that I shall be following in these expositions.  It is one of the oldest explanations, and, hopefully, the simplest.  If there is someone who has read thus far who supports a different interpretation, all I can say is, please forgive me, I know no better;  but read on and maybe you will find a blessing here even if you do not agree every statement.

[Please read Revelation 4]

Rev 4:1. ‘After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.  And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things that must take place after this.”’

‘After these things.’  This verse introduces a new section of the book, quite separate from the letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3.  This new vision might have followed on immediately from the previous one or have been separated by two or three weeks; we are not told, but there is a completely different subject matter.  If there is a connection with what has gone before, it is one of contrast.  In the preceding chapters we were dealing with sinful human beings on the earth; in this chapter, we are learning of our holy God in heaven.  Instead of words addressed to the ear, the sights and sounds of paradise are described to us.

John sees an open door into the heavens, and he hears a voice, the same voice as he heard in 1:10, the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, commanding him to enter through the door.  The voice of Christ is not literally like a trumpet, but it is a voice of command, like the trumpets that sounded at the giving of the Ten Commandments (Exod 19:16; 20:18), at the summons to the New Year Festival (Lev 23:24) and like the trumpet that will summon the dead to judgement at the end of time (1 Cor 15:52).  It is a voice that is not to be ignored.  The command is, “Come up here.”  Just as Moses was summoned by God to receive the Law (Exod 24:12), so John is summoned to receive God’s word.  Paul went up to heaven, but was not allowed to tell about it (2 Cor 12:2-4); John went up so that he might tell of what he saw; ‘things that must take place after this.’   These were things in the future for John; they need not necessarily be in the future for us.

4:2.  ‘Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven and One sat on the throne.’  John was immediately under the influence of the Spirit’s power.  Perhaps he himself remained on earth while he saw these visions spiritually; we don’t know (2 Cor 12:2).  But the first thing he sees is a throne with Someone sitting on it.  Now this is just the greatest news imaginable!  How easy it is to suppose that the world is spinning completely out of control; that the things that happen are completely random, without reason or purpose!  No, No!  There is a throne in heaven, and it is occupied by Almighty God.  Not a sparrow falls to the ground, nor a hair from our heads but He not only knows about it but has permitted it.  I remember as a young boy taking the back off an old-fashioned clockwork watch.  The workings seemed highly complicated and random.  Some cogs were moving in one direction, some in others, whilst the fly-wheel was spinning to and fro very rapidly.  It seemed like chaos.  But when I turned the watch around and looked at the face, the hands were moving forward steadily and purposefully:  ‘For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly [that is, not by its own will], but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God’ (Rom 8:20-21).  It is God’s righteous decree that sinful men and women shall not live upon a perfect earth (Gen 3:17ff); therefore creation is subject to ‘futility’ and ‘corruption.’  Yet God still has a plan for this poor fallen world, and whether we understand it or not, and however much unbelievers may scoff at the idea, He will bring it to pass in His good time.  Take a few moments to read Isaiah 40 and to praise God for His power, wisdom and justice.

In verse 3, John gives no description of God, but instead likens Him to two precious stones:  the Jasper is a white stone which stands for  God’s glory, holiness and purity.  The carnelian is a red stone which stands for His justice and judgement.  Around the throne however, is a rainbow (cf. Ezek 1:28).  Rather than being the usual rainbow colours, this one is various shades of green, like an emerald.  Green is the colour of mercy.  God’s covenant promises (gen 9:13) are ever before Him as He sits in judgement.  The various disasters that are described throughout Revelation should not cause us to think that God has forgotten His covenant of mercy (cf. Isaiah 54:7-10).

The next thing John sees (v4)  are twenty-four other, subordinate, thrones with twenty-four ‘elders’ seated upon them.  The number 24 appears nowhere else in the Bible, but there is no difficulty in interpretation.  It is twice the covenant number of twelve and stands for the twelve Patriarchs of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles of the new.  They represent God’s faithful people of all ages who will reign with Christ over His creation (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 6:2-3; Rev 3:21; 5:10).  They are clothed in the garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10) which are white, symbolizing purity and the spotless righteousness of Christ.

These elders are described as wearing crowns of gold upon their heads.  The Greek word translated ‘crown’ here is Stephanos, a crown or garland of victory such as successful competitors in Greek or Roman games received.  They represent all Christians who persevere to the end (Matt 24:13) and are ‘More than conquerors through Him who loved us’  (Rom 8:37).  There is application for us here.  Many churches teach that Christians are ‘once saved, always saved.’  This is highly misleading.  The Reformers spoke of the ‘Perseverance of the Saints.’  All those who truly repent of their sins and trust in Christ for salvation will be saved, but only as they endure and persevere in this life.   The Christian life is tough, with disappointments, temptations and suffering along the way.  By God’s grace we shall persevere, but it is also necessary that we do.   In each of the letters to the churches in Chapters 2 and 3 there is a promise ‘To him who overcomes.’   These elders represent those who have overcome and who have therefore inherited the promises.  ‘To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne’ (2:21).  Let us therefore prove ourselves worthy of a crown of victory by persevering through our lives.  ‘….Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling’ – not on our own strength but in God’s-  ‘….for it is God who works in you to will and to do for His good pleasure’ (Phil 2:12-13).

4:5. ‘And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings and voices.  Seven lamps were burning before the throne, which are the seven Sprits of God.’   The lightning and thunder remind us of Exod 19:16 and speak of the presence of the living God.  The seven lamps are ‘blazing’ rather than merely burning and represent the Holy Spirit, ‘The seven-fold [ie. ‘Complete,’ ‘ perfect’] Spirit of God.’

John goes on to describe a ‘Sea of glass, like crystal’ (v6).  Unlike glass in Roman times, this glass is crystal clear, not opaque.  God sees perfectly all that goes on in the world, but He is separated from it.  In Rev 21:1, we are told that ‘There was no more sea.’  This indicates that in the new Creation, there shall be no longer a separation between God and man (21:3).  Around the throne are four ‘Living beings’ (7).  To explain these amazing creatures it will be helpful to look at Exek1:10 where these same beings draw the chariot of God.  Clearly they are angels (Heb 1:14).  Their four faces depict their qualities:  they have the courage of a lion, the strength of a young ox (8), the intelligence of man and the speed of a flying eagle.  They have six wings, like the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2-3.  They cover their faces and feet in the presence of God.  Like their counterparts in Isaiah and Ezekiel, they are ‘full of eyes’ all around and within.’  As God’s servants, they are constantly looking about them as they serve and worship Him.  The eyes ‘within’ probably means that John saw eyes on the underside of the creatures’ wings, so that they would have been inside when the wings were folded.

These angelic beings worship God without rest day or night.  Theirs is a labour of delight.  The worshippers of the beast have no rest either (14:11), but their existence is considerably less delightful!  The angels sing of the holiness of the Triune God, His power and His eternal nature.  All else in the universe is created; it had a beginning.  Only God is eternal in both directions, ‘Who was and is and is to come.’

It is an interesting point that humans are described before angelic beings.  This is because, in the New Heavens and earth, mankind will rank higher.  The Lord Jesus did not give His life for angels (Heb 2:16; 1 Cor 6:2-3).  When the living creatures worship, the 24 elders join in with them.  They cast their crowns of victory before the throne of God for it is only through Him that they have overcome (Rom 8:37).  At the first recital of Handel’s Messiah in London, it is related that during the Alleluia Chorus , King George II rose from his seat and stood with his head bowed in mute confession that it was not he but Christ who should wear the crown.  Queen Victoria used to say that she hoped that the Lord Jesus would return in her lifetime so that she could lay her crown at His feet.

Finally (v11), God is worthy to be worshipped by both men and angels because He alone is eternal and all else exists because He created it.  Do you as His creature worship Him simply for what and who He is, and lay whatever you have of your own in the dust at His feet?

Notes.

(1)  For those wanting something more detailed coming from the same Amillennial position, I recommend Revelation by Simon Kistemaker (Baker Academic.  ISBN 0-8010-2252-5).

(2)  Rev 2:10, 13.  Most commentators follow the view of the Early Church Fathers that the book was written around 95AD in the reign of the Emperor Domitian.  Preterists suppose that it dates from the time of Nero, around 65AD.

(3)  I personally don’t take issue with people who adopt differing views on eschatology to myself, so long as they believe in a physical return of Christ.  For my critique of Hyper-preterism, which denies that very thing, see https://marprelate.wordpress.com/category/eschatology/  under the heading ‘The Forgotten Doctrine.’  In giving these studies on Revelation, I have adopted the Amillennial viewpoint.  I hope those who espouse something different will be able to find some benefit if they continue to read.

(4) ‘Preterism’ comes from the Latin word praeter which has a number of meanings,  one being ‘already.’

(5) Orthodox preterists believe in a future return of Christ in glory.  Hyper-preterists believe that all N.T. prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 and therefore that He came invisibly (contra Acts 1:11) in that year and is not coming again.

(6)  Baker Book House. ISBN 978-0-8010-5792-2.

(7) Greek zoe.  ‘Living beings’ is the best translation.   The A.V. renders the word as ‘beasts,’ which confuses these creatures with the beasts of Chapter 13 (Greek thurion).

(8) Better, I think, than ‘calf’ as with the A.V. and N.K.J.V.

 

In recent days, Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne have been characterized as two arrogant ‘posh boys’ who have no knowledge or concern about the lives of ordinary people.  The charge was originally made by Conservative M.P. Nadine Dorries, but it has been gleefully taken up by various members of the opposition Labour Party.

It’s undeniable that Cameron and Osborne come from very privileged backgrounds. However, does that automatically make them unable to understand the lives of ordinary people or to help them?  The politician who probably did more than any other in history to improve the lives of the poor in Britain was considerably ‘posher’ than any politician today.   He was Anthony Ashley Cooper, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury.  Although he never held ministerial office,  Shaftesbury was responsible, during the 19th Century, for improving conditions in factories, prohibiting the use of child labour, especially chimney-sweeps, founding many ‘Ragged Schools’ for working-class children, helping the mentally ill, improving sanitation and housing, and making Sunday a day of rest for the poor.  He was President for many years of the London City Mission, and even found time to be the first patron of the RSPCA.  He spent huge amounts of his own fortune on these causes.

What made a man like Shaftesbury care in this way for the poor?  It was the same thing that had led Wilberforce to give his political life to the aboloition of slavery:  a living, evangelical faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Without it, men in power, whether ‘posh’ or otherwise are always likely to look after themselves before anyone else as history shows.   Shaftesbury wrote: ‘Avarice and cruelty are not the peculiar and inherent qualities of any one class or occupation- they will ever be found where means of profit are combined with great, and virtually irresponsible power- they will be found wherever interest and selfishnes have a purpose to serve, and a favourable opportunity.’

I am certainly not in favour of a ‘Christian’ political party, but how we need a Shaftesbury in Parliament today to show up the avarice and self-serving nature of much that passes for politics today!

There is an excellent biography of Shaftesbury available.  Shatesbury by Richard Turnbull (Lion Books, ISBN 978 0 7459 5348 9).

The Forgotten Doctrine- Loving the Return of Christ (4)

Job 19:25-27.  ‘For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last upon the earth;  and that after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.  How my heart yearns within me!’

In this series we have looked at the attitude of the 1^st Century Christians towards the Return of Christ- that they were eagerly awaiting it as their ‘blessed hope’ (Titus 2:13).  We have also seen that an invisible return of our Lord, as promoted by the Hyper-preterists, would by no means have satisfied their anticipation- they were looking forward to a personal, physical return (Acts 1:11) and the transformation of their ‘lowly’ aging bodies into ‘glorious’ resurrection bodies (Phil 3:20-21).

In this article, I want to give some reasons why all Christians should, like their 1^st Century predecessors, be eagerly anticipating and ‘loving’ (2 Tim 4:8) our Lord’s Return. 

Firstly, we should be looking forward eagerly to the resurrection of our bodies.  Whether we die before Christ comes, or whether we remain alive until then, our bodies will be changed (1 Cor 15:51).  We were made as body, soul and spirit- we were not made to exist forever as bodiless spirits.  ‘For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation from heaven’ (2 Cor 5:1-2).

It may be that the ‘house not made with hands’ is not our ‘resurrection body’ but heaven itself, but that is not what Paul is looking forward to.  When we die, our bodies are either destroyed by cremation or they decay in the grave, but our spirits go at once to be with the Lord (Eccl 12:7).  That is all very well and will no doubt be wonderful, but what Paul is longing for is being re-clothed with a heavenly body.  He continues, ‘for we who are in this tent [our mortal bodies] groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.’   The further clothing can only be our new resurrection bodies.  When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He rose in a body that was certainly physical- ‘flesh and bones’ (Luke 24:39-43)- that ate and drank and could be touched, but it was a body that would not decay (Acts 2:31; Rev 1:18).  In this body He ascended into heaven, and in this body He will return (Acts 1:11).

  If therefore Christ is the ‘firstfruits from the dead’ (1 Cor 15:20), then  our bodies, when we rise on that great resurrection day, will no longer be subject to disease, decay and mortality (1 Cor 15:53).  So one reason why Paul is looking forward to his bodily resurrection, and why we should also, is that the old things- aging, sickness and death- will be no more.  Everything that the Adamic curse had made unsatisfactory about our bodies will be changed (1 Cor 15:51).  But there is something even more important than that.  When we are born again, our spirits are renewed, but there remains in us a relic of sin, and that relic resides, not in our inward man (Rom 7:22), but in our ‘mortal bodies’ or ‘members’ (Rom 6:12; 7:23).  When we leave that old body behind and assume our new resurrection bodies, we shall leave the last vestige of sin behind (1 Cor 15:42-43).

Therefore our destiny as Christians is not an ethereal existence as disembodied spirits, something like the cartoonists’ conception of heavenly life as floating around with a halo on a cloud, idly twanging a harp.  Our destiny is that heaven comes to us (Rev 21:2-4)!  It was the Gnostics who believed that material things are in themselves inferior and therefore denied that the Lord Jesus came to earth ‘in the flesh.’ (Rom 8:3; 1 John 4:2-3).

Secondly, we don’t come back to dwell on this same old decaying earth.  The Bible tells us that the whole creation will be made new (Rom 8:20-21; 2 Peter 3:13 etc.).  When Adam and Eve fell into sin, the whole Universe became subject to decay (Gen 3:17-19; Rom 8:20, 22-23).  The earth is now subject to disasters, sickness and death.  But Paul tells us that these things are actually ‘birth pangs.’  During a birth there is usually great pain along with cries and tears;  it might seem almost as if something’s dying, but instead something’s coming to birth.  Like a caterpillar struggling to slough off its old body and emerge into its true destiny as a beautiful butterfly, so this old earth is straining and groaning to ‘be delivered from the bondage of corruption [or ‘decay’] into the glorious liberty of the children of God.’  Therefore we too, ‘groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.  For we were saved in this hope.’   

Thirdly, we long for the Return of Christ because we want to see our Lord vindicated.  We long to see the mockers and the scoffers put to silence.  I don’t know about you, but I am sick of hearing people mocking and blaspheming my Saviour (2 Peter 3:3-4); of people patronizing my beliefs, imagining that the Universe could somehow make itself.  Doubtless Noah had his share of scoffers during the time that he was building the ark.  I expect people came from miles around to see the great edifice slowly taking shape and clustered round it like so many Japanese tourists around one of our ancient cathedrals, clicking their cameras; and quite a few of them would have shouted out to him, “Hey, Noah!  Seen any rain yet?  Ha! Ha!”  And others would have walked away shaking their heads:  “Isn’t it amazing what some people will do for their religion?  What a shame he didn’t do something useful with his life!”  ‘And the flood came and took them all away’ (Luke 17:28-30).  When Lot warned his sons-in-law about coming disaster, they thought he was joking (Gen 19:14).  “Fire from heaven?  What are you on, Lot?  Pull the other one!”  But, ‘The loftiness of men shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted on that day.’ ‘For when they say, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction comes upon them as labour pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape’ (Isaiah 2:17; 1 Thes 5:3).  God will be vindicated here on earth and execute judgement on His enemies (Psalm 110:5-7).                

Thirdly, what are you most looking forward to about the New Jerusalem?  Is it perhaps the golden streets (Rev 21:21)?  Or maybe you are most eagerly anticipating the endless days of heaven (Rev 22:5)?  Or is it the reunion with your loved ones that you have set your heart upon?  No, no!  There is a better reason; to be in the presence of your Lord and Saviour!  ‘….And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them…..and His servants shall serve Him.  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads’ (Rev 7:15; 22:3-4). ‘And thus we shall be with the Lord forever’ (1 Thes 4:17).  That must surely be the great longing of all the Lord’s people.   And what do you think is the worst thing about hell?  Is it the fire that is not quenched?  Or maybe it is the worm that does not die?  Both these things sound quite terrible.  But surely worse than either of these would be to know nothing of the Lord Jesus save His implacable wrath throughout all the unending years?

Finally I want to warn my readers of the greatest danger of Hyper-preterism.  If one believes that Christ is never coming back, then what incentive- today- is there for holy living?  Peter writes, ‘Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things [the return of Christ, the new heavens and new earth] be diligent to be found by Him  in peace, without spot and blameless’ (2 Peter 3:14).  If there is nothing to look forward to- if the coming of Christ came two thousand years ago and changed nothing- then there is no reason to be diligent. ‘Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is’ (Mark 13:33).  But if we think we know when the time is, and it has already passed, why should we take heed?   Why?  Because, ‘The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth…..Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming’ (Matt 24:50-51; 25:15).

Joel 2:15-16.  ‘Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders!’

2 Chron 20:12.  “For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

Readers of this blog will know that Martin Marprelate has been longing to see Bible-believing churches coming together in repentant prayer for the nation (1).  There have been one or two attempts to organize something, but they have been arranged by the ‘broad’ wing of the evangelical church and appear to have come to nothing.  Indeed, Martin was beginning to think that nothing would ever happen.  However, it does appear that things are beginning to stir.

Apparently, Christians all over England have been attending quarterly prayer meetings to call on God to deliver the nation from the dreadful moral situation that has come upon it.  Beginning in Yorkshire, they have now spread to Durham, lancashire, Suffolk, hampshire, Sussex and Kent.  The next ‘Concert of Prayer will be on April 21st from 10am until Noon.  A church on the borders of Devon, Somerset and Dorset will be hosting one meeting and Martin will be attending.  The church is a fine, godly one and not at all inclined to be involved in anything unworthy.

Apparently 525 people gathered for prayer nationwide at the last date in February.  We should not put any faith in numbers and think that God is bound to be impressed.  What will impress God will be our earnestness, our repentance and our dependence upon Him.   It would be hard to overstate the desperate need for revival in Britain.  True Christianity has all but disappeared from the land.  Yet with God all things are possible.

An internet search for Concert of Prayer produced loads of links to American sites but nothing for Britain.  I am therefore unable to advise where these meetings are taking place.  If you are living in one of the counties mentioned above, why not find out where the meetings are and go along.  Better yet, why not get together with other like-minded Christians and start your own?

‘Then the LORD will be zealous for His land and pity His people.  The LORD will answer and say to His people, “……….I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations………Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvellous things!’ (Joel 2:18-19, 21).

Note.

1. See for example http://marprelate.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/only-by-prayer-and-fasting/

Matthew 19:4-6.  “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?”

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”  Lewis Carroll- Alice through the Looking Glass.

British readers of this Blog will  know that the Government has just launched a ‘Consultation’ as to whether homosexual couples should be able to ‘marry.’  This, of course, is in addition to the Civil Partnerships that were introduce about twelve years ago and give homosexual couples exactly the same staus before the law as married heterosexuals.  Those of us who believe that marriage marriage was ordained by God as the first social institution (Gen 2:24) and that it is the very bedrock of our society are seeking to oppose this as well as we can, and there is a petition that has been launched declaring  that marriage should be left alone  http://c4m.org.uk/  Although the site promoting the petition is a coalition of Evangelical groups and Roman Catholics, which Martin would not usually support, he does not feel that signing the petition is in any way supporting the Church of Rome and should therefore be done.

However, many politicians do not take much note of petitions.  They reckon, quite rightly, that very often people will sign a petition thrust in front of them without reading it.  It is therefore important that everyone opposed to homosexual ‘marriage’ should right to his Member of Parliament.  Martin Marprelate has already done so.  Here is his letter.  It is not necessary for everyone to right at such length; even a very brief letter will have an effect.  Martin’s former M.P. once told him that on many important issues of conscience he simply counted the letters on each side of the argument and voted for the side with the most.  So much for principle!  

 Mr. A. N. Other, M.P.,

House of Commons,

London SW1A OAA. 

Dear Mr. Other,

 I am writing to express my deep concern at the proposal to formalize marriage for homosexuals.  Indeed, as a life-long Conservative voter and a member for many years, I am amazed that the government should even consider such a thing.  There are five main reasons for my concern.

1. Marriage at all times and in all countries has been the union of a man and a woman.  At various times in the past, as in Ancient Greece, homosexuality was regarded as quite acceptable, but there was never so much as a thought that two people of the same sex could be married.  Nowhere in the world, until the last few years, has homosexual marriage even been considered.    The Lord Jesus Christ quoted from the opening chapter of Genesis when He declared, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:5).  The word marriage means what it means- the union of a man and a woman and the government has no right to change it.  I therefore find it very sinister when your colleague Llynne Featherstone said,

‘Some believe the Government has no right to change [marriage] at all; they want to leave tradition alone. I want to challenge that view – it is the Government’s fundamental job to reflect society and to shape the future, not stay silent where it has the power to act and change things for the better.’ 

 I am not sure whether to quote Humpy Dumpty or George Orwell in response to this:  “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”  Can the government really legislate to change the meaning of words at will?  If you have read Orwell’s 1984, you will know that the dystopian government depicted in that book really did try to do such a thing through ‘Newspeak,’ declaring, ‘War is peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.’  Ms. Featherstone and Mr. Cameron may loudly proclaim that ‘Homosexuality is Marriage,’ but that doesn’t make it true.

 Moreover, if marriage can be made into a sort of wax nose to be pushed into any shape that the government of the day may desire, why should it stop there?  Why should there not be multiple marriage, say of three men and five women?  I understand that someone is already going to court in Canada demanding this very thing.   Why should I not marry my dog or my horse?  Once the meaning of a word has been lost, it is open to whatever interpretation anyone wants to put on it.

 2.  The primary purpose for marriage is not for people who love each other to enter into some sort of formalized relationship.  I love my children, my brother and my dog, and I’m sure they love me, but that is not a reason for me to marry all or any of them.  Indeed, I am commanded by the Bible to love my enemies, but I am not expected to marry them.  According to the Anglican 1662 Prayer Book, ‘First, it was ordained for the procreation of children……’  Anything else came second or third.  As Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith has pointed out, it is established by innumerable surveys that children thrive best in a family where there is a mother and a father who are married to each other.  Homosexual relationships are by their very nature sterile, and therefore a union between two people of the same sex fails at the first hurdle of any definition of marriage.  I might add that it is of the greatest importance for young boys to be brought up with their father present.  Homosexual adoption is no substitute whatsoever for a loving family with a mother and a father.

 In October 2000, the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw said, “Marriage is about a union for the procreation of children, which by definition can only happen between a heterosexual couple [sic]. So I see no circumstances in which we would ever bring forward proposals for so-called gay marriages.”  Where the Labour Government feared to tread, the Coalition is rushing in.

 3.  Homosexual practice carries severe health risks, both physical and mental, and the government should be discouraging the practice rather than promoting it.  It is well known that H.I.V. infection is four times more prevalent among homosexuals than among heterosexuals.  It is less well known that other STDs such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts also afflict homosexuals more than others.  In an edition of Pink News only two or three months ago, the readership was warned of an outbreak of dysentery among the homosexual community.  The mind boggles!  Back in 2010, the same magazine ran an article in which it admitted that far from being ‘gay’ in the true sense of the word, homosexuals were much more prone to depression, self-loathing, self-harming and suicide than heterosexuals.  Pink News, being a leading newspaper for the homosexual community, is unlikely to be lying or exaggerating about these matters.  Is it really wise therefore, for the government to be encouraging homosexuality?  I would add that my concern in this matter was first ignited some years ago by the death of a dear cousin who had adopted a homosexual life-style, from A.I.D.S. at the age of 48.

 4.  Homosexuality is not a state or a condition with which people are born.  There is no evidence whatsoever for a ‘gay gene’ that disposes some people irrevocably to homosexuality.  Homosexuality is ultimately a life-style choice that certain people make.  There may be various reasons for that choice; it seems that young men with absent fathers are more likely to fall into a homosexual life-style.  However, thousands of people have abandoned homosexuality as a way of life and no one should be fooled into thinking that it is an irreversible condition, any more than, say, a gambling addiction is irreversible and there is no reason why the government should pander to it..

 5.  To legislate for homosexual ‘marriage’ demeans something that the Bible calls ‘honourable among all’ (Hebrews 13:4).  Already I have to fill in various official forms asking for the name of my ‘partner.’  I play tennis or bridge with a partner;  I married a wife.  In Spain, the marriage forms have exchanged ‘husband and wife’ for ‘Progenitor A and Progenitor B.’ How wretched!  The homosexual lobby wants ‘husband and wife’ to be abandoned for ‘participators in the marriage.’   I object in the strongest terms to having my marriage relationship of 32 years suddenly changed into something else.   What card shall I be sending to my wife next year?  Will it be one that says, “Happy Progenitor B Day”?

 I read today that Lynne Featherstone has said that she is determined to change marriage whether the public likes it or not.  How dare the government ride rough-shod over the views of the public like this!  No party had this proposal in its manifesto, and there is therefore no mandate for it.  If the Coalition is determined to proceed with this wretched business then let us have a referendum on the matter.  Let the people decide!

 I have been a life-long conservative voter until very recently, and in the past I was a Conservative District Councillor and Chairman of a local Conservative association.  The party will alienate its traditional supporters at its peril.

 Yours sincerely,

Martin Marprelate

1 Thessalonians 5:4.  ‘But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief.’

In this article, I am continuing my critique of Hyper-preterism and I want to investigate the meaning of Matthew 24:34.  “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”  Does this verse really mean that the whole of Matt 24 took place in AD 70?  I intend to show that it certainly does not.

The Greek word translated ‘generation’ in this verse is genea.  Its literal meaning is ‘begetting’ so while it certainly can mean ‘generation,’ it might equally well mean ‘race’ (A.V. margin) or perhaps ‘people’ or ‘nation.’  Genea also appears in Matt 23:36 and could also mean ‘race’ there.  Certainly the race of the Jews, despite the most terrible calamities which have afflicted it, has not yet passed away.

If however we follow the universal view of the translations that genea is most likely to mean ‘generation,’ what are the things that must have taken place before that generation disappeared?  The Hyper-preterist position is that all the events predicted in Matthew 24 occurred around AD 70.  Since the Jews viewed a generation as being about forty years, and our Lord was speaking in around AD 30, the timescale works exactly.  However, can it really be said that the events described in verses 29-31 happened in AD 70? Was the sun darkened?  Did all the tribes of the earth mourn?  Did anyone at all see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven?  If they did happen, no one thought them worth mentioning.

It will be helpful if we look briefly at Matthew 24.  It begins (vs 1-2) with our Lord’s dire prediction of the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem.  Afterwards, His disciples came up to Him and asked Him three questions.  They themselves might have supposed that they were really all the same question;  they might not have been able to conceive of the Temple being destroyed and life still continuing.  Nonetheless, they asked three questions so we should expect the Lord Jesus to give more than one answer.  The questions are:

“When shall these things be?”  ‘These things’ are surely the destruction of the Temple.

“What will be the sign of Your coming?”  Will there be a sign predicting Christ’s return?

“What will be the sign of the end of the age?”  Will we be able to predict the end of the world before it happens?

We can see that the second and third questions are essentially the same, but perhaps the disciples didn’t realise that.

It is my firm belief that in verses 4-14, the Lord Jesus  is not looking at merely the next forty years to the destruction of Jerusalem (though He certainly does that), but at the whole period of the ‘last days’ right up until His return.   When we look at verse 6 and its warning of ‘wars and rumours of wars’ we need to remind ourselves that the period from BC 30 –AD 180 is called by historians the Pax Romana because, notwithstanding some terrible wars, it was actually a time of unparalleled peace compared with the years preceding and following.  The one great convulsion of violence during that era was the rebellion that disposed of the Emperor Nero in AD 68 and the so-called ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ that followed in 69.  But the Lord Jesus said, ‘The end is not yet.’  Well in AD 69, the end of Jerusalem was, to say the least, imminent.

In verses 7 and 8, we are told of wars between nations and kingdoms as well as natural disasters.  Beyond a doubt these things were going on somewhere in the world previous to AD 70 just as they had been going on before, but I see no indication that there was any unusual increase in their frequency in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem.  Moreover, we are told that these are ‘The beginning of sorrow,’ not the climax of them.  What are Lord is saying is that all the time between His ascension to heaven and His return will be a time of worldly sorrow (John 16:33; Rom 8:18-23; Rev 6:1-11).  Is this not exactly what we see today?  Is there even the slightest indication that wars and violence and natural disasters have ended or slackened in any way since AD 70?  Our consolation is not that Christ has already returned to put everything right- if that were the case, then we would have to say that He has failed abysmally- but that He will most certainly return, and that, ‘We, according to His promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells’ (2 Peter 3:13).

Verses 9-13 deal with persecution, false teaching and apostasy.  The same comments apply  as in the previous paragraph.  These things have not ended since AD 70, but rather increased.  The section ends (v 14) which the promise that the Gospel will be preached all over the world before the end.  Even if we interpret ‘world’ to mean only the Roman world, which we have no right to do, we saw above that this had not happened by AD 70.  There is no indication that the Gospel had reached the Roman provinces of Gaul or Carthage by that date.  Verse 14 speaks of an event that is still to come.  To be sure the Gospel has reached many parts of the world in the last century or so, but there are still countries where the word has scarcely penetrated as yet.  We may feel that the time cannot be too far away, but we must leave the judgement of such matters to God.  He alone knows when the time will be.

It is in verses 15-28 that the Lord Jesus turns to the destruction of Jerusalem.  The ‘Abomination of desolation’ is a reference to Dan 11:31, where it refers to the desecration of the Temple by King Antiochus Epiphanes in BC 167.  The parallel passage in Luke 21:20 supplies the context for our Lord’s words:  “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.”  A desecration even greater than the one committed by Antiochus is being prophesied.  Up to verse 20, the Christians living in Judea are warned that as the siege commences there will be very limited opportunity for them to escape the terrible suffering that occurred at that time (1).   But notice that the instructions are only for those living in Judea (v16).  If this is the end of the world and the start of the New Heavens and New Earth as Hyper-preterists claim, then what about all the other Christians living at the time.  Take, for example, the Philippian jailor of Acts 16, if he was still living in AD 70.  He would have been told that our Lord was crucified at Jerusalem, but he would probably never have visited (4), nor have known anyone who lived there, and have had only the vaguest idea where it was.  The news of its destruction would not have reached Philippi for some weeks or even months.  The end of the world happened and no one told him!  When he did finally hear the news, or read about it in the Philippian Times (5), what would he have done about it?  I think he might have thought to himself, “Well, I guess they had it coming,” have said a little prayer and then have turned to the chariot racing results on the back page.  After the great convulsion in the Empire of the year before, a siege in an out-of-the-way place like Jerusalem would have seemed very small beer.

In verses 21-28, Our Lord continues to speak of the fall of Jerusalem, but there is also a parallel reference to another, greater event.  The siege and destruction of Jerusalem was a most terrible event, but I think it would be hard to argue that it was more dreadful than, say, the siege of Leningrad during World War Two.  The New Testament speaks of a short period just before Christ’s return with is often termed Satan’s Little Season.  If one takes an Amillennial view of Revelation 20, then we can see that at the end of the Gospel Age, Satan is released from his prison and goes out to draw all the Nations against Christ and His people.  We can see this figured in Rev 11, where the two witnesses, representing Christian evangelism are protected from their enemies until ‘They finish their testimony’ (v7).  Then, for a short period, Christian witness lies dead in the street and the unconverted world rejoices over it.  But this period is swiftly followed by the Return of Christ (v15) and the Day of Judgement.  In the same way, we read in Rev 13 of the beast from the sea, who represents worldly governments and power.  In verses 1-5, we see him having authority and speaking blasphemy, but in verses 6, things change.  For a period, he is able to persecute God’s people with impunity and have them killed and prevent them from earning their living.

These things, I believe, are what are being foretold by the Lord Jesus.  The idea that they concern only AD 70 does not fit.  ‘Then if anyone says to you, “Look here is the Christ!” or “There!” Do not believe them’ (Matt 24:23).  The reason that we are not to believe such things is because when the Lord comes it will be a sudden, dramatic event that everyone is going to know about without being told.  ‘For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be’ (v27).   When the Lord returns everyone is going to know (eg. Rev 1:7).

Verses 29-31 obviously refer to the end of time since nothing remotely similar to the events described, however liberally one interprets them, is reported as having happened in AD 70.  In verses 32-35, however, the Lord is speaking of Jerusalem.  We know this because He is saying that there will be clear signs that can be discerned before the time comes; and so there were.  The Jewish revolt against Rome began in AD 66, but after some initial successes the Jews were steadily forced back on Jerusalem until it was encircled by the Roman legions  (Luke 21:20).  The siege itself took several months and there was never any real doubt as to its outcome.  It is this event that our Lord is prophesying in verses 33-34 and giving a timescale for its completion.  But when the Lord returns it will be a sudden event, and nobody knows when it will be.  ‘But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but My father only’ (v36).  ‘Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is’ (Mark 13:33). 

So there are two events being prophesied.  One has a date that can be seen approaching (vs 32-33) and would occur before the generation then living passed completely away.  This is the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem.  Of the other event, the coming of our Lord, neither the approximate time (‘day’) nor the exact date (‘hour’) can be known, but it will be like the flood in Noah’s time when people were going about their normal activities without a care in the world until the flood came and carried them away.  This is in line with other texts which tell us that end of the world will be like a thief breaking into a house (Matt 24:43; 1 Thes 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10 etc.), ‘For when they say “Peace” and “safety!” the sudden destruction comes upon them, as labour pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape’ (1 Thes 5:3).

The destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple is long passed.  Its lessons for us today are historical; that we should note the certainty of prophesy being fulfilled and severity of the Lord in judgement.  The Return of Christ and the end of the world as we know it are future events  and they have a very different significance and application for us today.  That (DV) will be the topic of the next article.

Notes.

(1) According to Church historian Eusebius, the Jerusalem Christian heeded our Lord’s words and fled the city for the town of Pella on the other side of the Jordan.

(2) Apparently many jailors in Roman times were retired soldiers, so it is just possible, though unlikely, that our Philippian jailor might have visited Judea during his service with the legions.

(3) This newspaper is a figment of my own imagination.  Before the invention of printing many hundreds of years later there would have been no newspapers as we know them.  News would have passed quickly enough to the ruling classes by letter or messenger, but the common people like our Philippian jailor might have been quite unaware for years of what was happening in other parts of the Empire unless it was deemed important enough for a public proclamation to be made.

Rev 22:20.  ‘He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I come quickly.”  Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus!’

2 Thes 2:1-2.  Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had already come.’

Perhaps it would be wise to deal with a major objection raised by Hyper-preterists to the impending return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  These people claim that the whole tenor of the N.T. is that our Lord would coming back very quickly.  Therefore, they say, unless the Bible is false at this point, He must have returned in AD 70, and since no one saw Him, He must have done so invisibly.  That He returned invisibly is clearly refuted by Acts 1:11 and several other verses as we saw in the previous article.  Therefore either the Bible is wrong on this issue or the verses speaking of a speedy return need to be interpreted more carefully.  Believing that the first option is unthinkable, I shall now explore the second.

The thought that the Lord is coming quickly is found especially in the Book of Revelation (1:1, 3: 2:25; 22:6-7; 10, 12, 20).  There are also other statements by Paul and the writer to the Hebrews which suggest that they thought that it was at least possible that Christ might come in their lifetimes (eg. Rom 13:11-12; 1 Cor 7:29, 31; 1 Thes 4:15; Heb 10:25).   I hope to show that it is the Lord’s intention that all Christians should believe that the return of  our Lord might happen in their lifetimes, so with this thought in mind, let’s look at two Old Testament passages that may shed light on this idea of ‘quickly’ in the plans of the Almighty.

Habakkuk 2:2-3.  ‘Then the LORD answered me and said, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”’

Here we learn that the prophecy given to Habakkuk will both tarry and not tarry.  What can it mean?  It surely means that God’s timescale is different to ours.  He has established His purposes and they will not be thwarted.   What may seem to us to be an interminably long time is just a blink of the eye to God (Psalm 90:4).  We can see this again in 1Samuel  15:29, where Saul is told that God has torn away the kingdom of Israel from him, yet in fact he continued to reign for another 20 or so years.

Haggai 2:6-7.  ‘For thus says the LORD of hosts:  “Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all the nations, and they will come to the Desire of all Nations, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the LORD of hosts.’

The earliest that this prophecy could have been fulfilled is at the coming of the Lord Jesus, 500 years in the future when Haggai prophesied it; yet to God it is just ‘a little while.’  With these thoughts in mind, we can let the apostle Peter explain the whole matter to us.

2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9.  ‘…….Knowing this first:  that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation”………..But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promises as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’

Those who deny the Return of Christ are called “Scoffers.”  The reasons for God’s apparent tardiness in the completion of His purposes are shown to be two-fold.  Firstly, God sits outside of time.  The thousand years spoken of here means all the years that are, just as the ‘Cattle on a thousand hills’ in Psalm 50 means all the cattle that there are.  To God, everything is in a boundless present.  Secondly, in His mercy God is waiting for the very last of His elect to come to faith before the end.  When will that be?  We cannot know.  It could be this very night, and it could be many years away.  Our business as Christians is not to speculate on such matters but to be ready for Him to come at any time. 

There are three other Bible passages which Hyper-preterists use when they try to show that our Lord returned secretly in AD 70.  It will be necessary to consider each of these texts individually, but two of them are specifically designed to counter Matt 24:14, which tells us,  ‘And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.’  This helpful verse gives us some sort of time line for the Lord Jesus’ return;  the Gospel has first to be preached to all people groups.  Although great strides in this respect have been made in the last century or so, there are still many nations where the word of God is scarcely known.  The Lord, not we, will judge when the preaching has been accomplished, so we should not spend time wondering when that will be, but rather support Gospel missionary activities throughout the world, by which we can, in a sense, ‘[Hasten] the coming of the Day of God’ (2 Peter 3:12).

The first verse misused by Hyper-preterists is Col 1:23.  ‘…..The gospel which you heard, which was preached [or ‘proclaimed’] to every creature under heaven.’  Colossians was written around AD 60 or 61.  The suggestion is that ‘To every creature under heaven’ is a deliberate hyperbole on Paul’s part and merely refers to the Gospel having been preached in all the main population centres of the Roman world.  If this were so, then the conditions of Matt 24:14 would be met and Christ could have come in AD 70.   However, it is certain that the Gospel  had not been preached all around the Roman Empire by AD 61.  Paul infers in Romans 15:20-24 that the Gospel had not reached Spain by AD 56 or so, and we know that he personally had no opportunity to take it there in the next four or five years.  Moreover there is not so much as a hint in the Bible that the Gospel had come to Gaul (1) or to any part of Africa (2) by AD 70, let alone 61.  Let the reader look at a map of Western Europe and North Africa.  It’s huge!  The Gospel spread with remarkable speed, but there was no chance for it to have reached even the major cities of the Roman Empire, let alone ‘every creature under heaven’ by that time.

So what does Col 1:23 mean?  Well, when was the Gospel proclaimed?  You could say it was at the baptism of the Lord Jesus, when God’s voice was heard saying, “This is My beloved Son.  In Him I am well pleased” (Matt 3:16-17);  or it might say it was at the start of our Lord’s ministry, when He declared, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the Gospel”  (Mark 1:15).  In either case, to whom were the words directed?  To all men everywhere.  They were proclamations.   The Lord Jesus did not become God’s beloved Son when men heard about him.  Nor did the kingdom of God only draw near when people were informed that it had.  The Gospel had been proclaimed, and it was the duty of men and women to believe and obey it.  As Paul told the Athenians,  ‘God….. now commands all men everywhere to repent’ (Acts 17:30).  So in Col 1:23, Paul is saying that the Gospel had already been proclaimed to the whole human race.  Peace and reconciliation with God were available to everyone regardless of age, sex, situation or race.      

Matt 10:23.  ‘Assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.’  In this verse, the Hyper-preterists claim that the Lord Jesus is saying to His Apostles, “Make a start with your evangelization of Judea and Galilee, but I shall come back to destroy Jerusalem so quickly that you won’t get very far in doing so before then.”  This interpretation doesn’t work either. The word translated ‘cities’ here is polis.  It has a very specific meaning of a large settlement surrounded by a wall.  Only the larger towns or cities had a wall.  There is a word, kome, which is used for smaller towns and villages that didn’t have a wall.  The two words are used together in Matt 9:35 and elsewhere, so if our Lord had wanted to include the smaller settlements, He could have done so.  Now get the map out again and look at Israel- it’s tiny!  The Lord Jesus walked its length and breadth regularly in His three-year ministry.  It would not have taken twelve Apostles more than a couple of years to get around the larger cities of Judea and Galilee.

So what does this verse mean?  There are two explanations which make good sense.  The simplest is that the Lord Jesus is telling the Apostles that there instructions are only temporary ones.  Before they had visited even the main cities of Judea, the risen Christ would come to them with new instructions; they would be sent, not merely into Israel, but to the whole world (Matt 28:16-20 etc.).

The second interpretation is a little more complicated but it is the one I favour.  In the New Testament, the term ‘Israel’ is seldom used as a geographical term- ‘Judea,’ ‘Galilee’ and ‘Samaria’ are used instead (see, for example, Matt 2:22; 3:1; Luke 4:44; Acts 1:8 etc.).  When ‘Israel’ is used, it usually refers to the people of God (eg. Matt 15:24; Luke 24:21; John 1:47).  So what the Lord Jesus is saying here is, “You and those disciples who come after you will not have gone through all the cities of the world where God’s elect are found before I come again in glory.”  This interpretation is in harmony with Matt 24:14.

The third verse offered by Hyper-preterists is Matt 24:34.  ‘Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.’  The questions here that need to be asked here are, what is meant by ‘this generation,’ and what exactly are ‘All these things’?  In order to deal with this verse adequately, it will be necessary to look at Matt 24 as a whole.  This will be the subject of the next article.

Notes

(1)  By gaul I mean France and the Benelux countries. 

(2)  It is very possible that the Gospel reached Egypt qyuite early on since Apollos was a native of Alexandria (Acts 18:24), though that does not mean that he heard the Gospel there.  The Roman province of Africa stretched from modern-day Libya through to Morocco.  There is no evidence that the Gospel had reached there by AD 70.

 

According to an article by the Jubilee Centre, Britain’s lax sexual mores are costing us around £100,000,000,000 a year.

The article can be accessed here:  http://www.christian.org.uk/news/sexual-freedom-fallout-costs-britain-100-billion-a-year/?e170212

Here is an excellent post from the Reformed Baptist Fellowship Blog.

With the decline in the belief in the Abiding Moral law of God (that’s the Ten Commandments to you and me!) has come the conclusion that attendance on the Lord’s day is some sort of optional extra.  Is it any wonder that God is no longer blessing our land in these days?

 www.reformedbaptistfellowship.org/2012/02/13/attending-wholly-upon-the-worship-of-god/

The Forgotten Doctrine-  Loving The Return of Christ (1).

Psalm 98:7-9. ‘Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth.  With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the people with equity.’

It seems to me that the greatest difference between First Century Christians and those living today concerns their respective attitudes to the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  To the earliest followers of our Lord, His return was, as I shall show presently, of the very first importance.  It was their hope in their deep poverty and worldly hopelessness; it was their consolation under persecution and their great joy whenever they met together.  In contrast, most 21^st Century believers are scarcely concerned with it (1).  It is as if they have taken out their insurance policy against judgement and condemnation by becoming Christians, and now they are determined to enjoy life here on earth as much as possible.

In recent days I have become aware of a teaching on the Return of Christ that is mercifully rare in Britain, but which seems to be becoming more popular in the U.S.A.  This is Hyper-preterism (2), and it teaches that all prophecy, without exception, was fulfilled in AD 70 when Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple were destroyed by the Roman armies under Titus.  The Lord Jesus, it is claimed, returned invisibly at that time, and is therefore not coming again, ever.  Believers therefore should not expect any return of Christ, but will go as disembodied spirits to be with the Lord when they die.

This teaching is, of course, totally divorced from the teaching of the Bible and also from all the Confessions of faith from the earliest times until today.  The Apostles Creed, dated at around 150AD says of our Lord :  ‘He ascended into heaven,  and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;  from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.’  I don’t propose to become obsessed with Hyper-preterism in this article, but I shall point out its inconsistencies as we proceed.

The simplest and clearest  statement in the Bible concerning our Lord’s return is found in Acts 1:11. 

‘Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven”’(Acts 1:9-11).

 The most important thing to note here is that our Lord will return the same manner as He left.  Therefore we can make some observations concerning His coming.

 1. People saw Him go.  ‘While they watched, He was taken up.’  People will see Him return.

2. Clouds obscured His rising into heaven.  Clouds will part to reveal Him (Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).

3. He left physically, in a body that was ‘Flesh and bones,’  that could be touched and which ate food (Luke 24:39-43).  He will return physically, in that same body.

4. It is ‘This same Jesus’ who will return.  Not another Jesus, a metaphorical Jesus or an invisible Jesus, but the very One who left.

 This ascension, witnessed by the eleven Apostles must have formed the teaching that was given to new Christians, as we can see in the following verses.

 ‘And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.  For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come’ (1 Thes 1:6-10).

 The Thessalonian Christians, who had received Paul’s preaching as the  very word of God (1Thes 2:13) in the midst of violence and persecution (Acts 17:5-10) so great that Paul had to be spirited out of the city by night, had nonetheless held firm in their profession of Christ and had become a byword throughout Greece for their faithfulness.  Now they were serving God and eagerly awaiting the Return of Christ.

 ‘I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor 1:4-8).

 The Corinthian Christians had experienced the grace of God in their lives.  The church was blessed by the gifts of many of them.  Those gifts led them to await eagerly the return of Christ and Paul assures them that the Lord Jesus will keep His sheep safely until He shall come, so that on that great day, they should be found spotless and innocent through the merits of Christ.

 ‘If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!’ (1Cor 16:22).

 Paul longs for the Lord Jesus to come and administer justice to those who do not love Him.

 ’For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself’ (Phil 3:20-21).

 The Philippians were Roman citizens from an earthly point of view, but their real home was heaven, and they were eagerly look forward to the return of their Lord and Saviour who would change their mortal decaying bodies to glorious resurrection bodies (1 Cor 15:42-44) after the manner of the Lord Jesus Christ, the firstfruits from the dead (1Cor 15:20-23).   

 ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:11-13).

Paul has been telling Titus to teach the Cretans how to behave as Christians.  He runs through old and young, male and female, slave and free (vs 1-10).  Their faith must show forth in a new life, for the grace of God (ie. Christ) has appeared to all these groups of people, but it hasn’t appeared so that we can carry on living just as we did before; we have new life- but why?  Because we have new hope (v 13).  We now Have a hope- that this life isn’t all that there is and we have to push and shove to get our own way- we have something so much better to look forward to.

 ’And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation’ (Heb 9:27-28).

 Christ came the first time to bring reconciliation between sinful men and a righteous God.  When He comes the second time, it will be to bring salvation, but not to all men.  He will bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for Him.  Is that you?

 ‘Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing’ (2 Tim 4:8).

Paul knows that he is reaching the end of his earthly life.  He is not distressed, knowing that when he dies, his spirit will go to be with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23).  But he is looking to something beyond that; to the return of Christ, when the dead shall be raised in their resurrection bodies (1 Cor 15:51-54) and all men shall be judged (Matt 25:31ff; Rev 20:11ff) according to their deeds, whether they trusted in Christ or not and whether their deeds vouched for their profession (Acts 26:20).  Clearly, one of those deeds is to love the thought of the appearing of Christ in glory.

 ‘Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 1:13).

 Peter tells his readers to be steady and sensible and to rest their hopes not on this transient world (1 John 2:17), but on the world to come which will be revealed when the Lord Jesus returns.

 ’Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy’ (1 Peter 4:12-13).

 Peter reminds us that suffering and disappointment are part of life here on earth (John 16:33).  Our suffering, to whatever extent it may come to us, is a proof that we are one with our suffering Saviour.  Therefore, we rejoice in tribulations (Rom 5:3), knowing that they are of short duration (2 Cor 4:17)and that they shall all be forgotten when our Lord returns.

 Now let me ask you:  is it likely that what all these Christians- in Thessalonika, in Philippi, in Corinth, in Crete- were so eagerly anticipating, was in fact the destruction of Jerusalem?  If the believers in Philippi were expecting that that event would,  ‘Transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,’ then they would have been grievously disappointed.  They would not even have heard about the event for several weeks or months, and when they did hear of it, their lives changed not one iota, and their bodies continued to age and decay.  No, no!  These First Century Christians were awaiting the visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory, and when they came to the end of their lives, they were not one whit disappointed that He had not yet come;  ‘For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first’ (1 Thes 4:15-16).

Let me ask you, the reader:  are you eagerly awaiting, longing for and loving the return of the Lord Jesus Christ as these 1^st Century Christians were?  If not, why not?  Is it perhaps because your life in this world has become so comfortable and agreeable that you are really not concerned whether our Lord returns or not?  Are you therefore quite amenable to any suggestion that actually He is not coming back at all, or at least, at any time soon?  Would you in fact be quite disappointed if the Lord returned tonight and put an end to all your worldly enjoyments and plans?   If so, then I suggest that this is a rather serious matter.  Is not our Lord’s return our “Blessed hope” (Titus 2:13)?  Remember that according to the verses above, the Lord will be bringing salvation ‘To those who eagerly wait for Him,’ and the ‘Crown of righteousness’ that the Lord will bestow comes to ‘All who have loved His appearing,’ and by implication to no one else.

 Is it not time to ‘Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory’ (Col 3:1-4).

In a future article, we shall look at objections to this doctrine and try to spell it out in a little more detail.

Notes.

1.  I must confess that there are some honourable exceptions to this stricture.  Dispensational Premillennialists are often far more active in proclaiming their understanding of the end-times than those who, like myself, take an Amillennialist position.  Here in Britain, the Prophetic witness movement hold regular meetings throughout the country on the subject.  I disagree with their teachings, but I applaud their zeal.

2.  Hyper-preterists call themselves ‘Full Preterists.’  Preterism itself comes from the Latin word Praeter which means ‘beyond’ or possibly ‘past.’  Preterists believe that much Biblical prophecy has already been fulfilled, chiefly in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.  Obviously some prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70 (eg. Dan 9:26-7; Matt 24:1-2), and I do not fall out with Preterists, so long as they believe in a future return of Christ.  Hyper-preterists, however, deny this and claim that our Lord returned invisibly in AD 70 and is not coming again.