Jesus used
very strong and vivid language to describe the passing of the
Jewish nation (Matt 24:29-31). Many people expect these passages
to be fulfilled literally. This leads to an incorrect assumption
that Jesus is speaking about the end of the world. Jesus’ words
were based on the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament.
Failure to understand this has led many people to see them as a
description of the second coming. Jesus is actually describing the
consequences of the fall of Jerusalem.
Immediately after the distress of
those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken (Matt 24:29).
The time frame of these verses is made
very clear: "immediately after the tribulation of those
days". They apply to that part of the great tribulation which
takes place in "those days" when Jerusalem will fall.
The word immediately shows that there will be no gap or delay.
These verses describe the consequences of the fall of Jerusalem.
Jesus speaks of the sun and moon being
darkened, and the stars falling from the sky. These things are not
to be understood literally. Jesus is using symbolic language to
describe the fall of the Jewish nation. The Old Testament prophets
often described the collapse of a great nation in the same
language. One example is found in Ezekiel 32:7,
When I snuff you out, I will cover the
heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a
cloud, and the moon will not give its light.
Ezekiel is speaking about the defeat of
Egypt by Babylon. The words give a graphic description of the
collapse of Egypt before a greater power. They were not fulfilled
literally, but in a prophetic sense they were fulfilled. Other
prophets used the same kind of language to describe the collapse
of a nation. The heavenly bodies were used as symbols of human
governments, so the fall of a human government was described sun
and moon falling from the sky. In Revelation 12:1, Israel
was described as the sun, moon and stars.
Jesus is prophesying the end of the nation
of Israel. The disciples, who were familiar with the Old
Testament, would have understood his words. The destruction of
Jerusalem would not just be a temporary setback for Israel. It
would actually cease to exist as a nation. After AD 70 the Jews
existed as a people, but they ceased to be a nation with their own
government and their own land. They lost their political
independence. For many Jews, this idea would be impossible to
accept. They traced their political independence right back to
Moses. They believed that a time would come when a king of Israel
would rule all the nations of the earth. This was a false hope, so
Jesus used dramatic language to bring home the seriousness of his
message. He wanted them to know that the nation of Israel was
coming to an end. The nation would not just be defeated, it would
be destroyed. This was a shocking message, so dramatic that it
need reinforcing.
Jesus final warning was equally strong.
Wherever there is a carcass, there the
vultures will gather (Matt 24:28).
The vultures were the Roman army. The
carcass was Jerusalem. This shocked his listeners, but his warning
proved to be correct. |