Gospel to all the world - not the End yet.?

Gospel to all the world - not the End yet.?

Matthew 24:14 has been a verse that is frequently quoted out of Context, without regard to Audience Relevance and does not pay attention to its Historical Relevance.

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come. 

This verse has been used to challenge people to evangelize i.e. if they don't Jesus is not coming back again for them. They use the phrase "end of the world" to put pressure on Christians  to share the gospel.

There is nothing wrong with sharing the gospel or what we called evangelism. However to put fear or pressure onto believers to do it out of obligation to see the "end of the world" is wrong and eventually the believers will burn out or abandon their beliefs because of  not able to fulfill the preachers' expectation.

Evangelism should come out of a heart of love. That has always been the heart of God. Our desire is to see that others will have a heart of God full of His love and His abundant life influencing their lifestyle. Our desire to share the gospel is that people will be able to live their fullness of life in the New Covenant and the reality of "God in us" and not anything else.

In fact this verse had been taken out of Context.
It is actually an answer to the disciples question in Mat 24:3 "What is the sign of the end of the world (Aion)". See my post on this question:
https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-3-troubling-questions-in-eschatology.html

The English word "world" has been misinterpreted. In v3, the disciples were asking a question about the End of the Age (a period of time called the Old Covenant / Mosaic Age). Jesus answered their question is in v14.
V14 is not directed to us in the 21st Century or future but to the disciples living in their lifetime (this is called audience relevance and historical timeline relevance).

Jesus was telling them that they are the generation that is going to spread the gospel, and then the End of the Age will come.

Q: Some may say that the gospel has not gone out to the whole world yet, so this verse cannot be interpreted as talking about the events happening around AD70. Can it be they are talking to us to take OUR whole world with the gospel.?

A: The answer lies in the meaning of the word "world" in the eyes and ears of the hearers.

Let us look at some New Testament verses on how the phrase "whole world", "all the nations", "every creature in the earth" were used, and then you will understand clearer how the spectators were receiving what Jesus was saying about.

Col 1:5  for the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven, of which you heard before in the Word of the truth of the gospel, 

Col 1:6  which has come to you as it has also in all the world, and it is bearing fruit, even also among you, since the day you heard and fully knew the grace of God in truth, 

In Colossians 1:6, Paul wrote that the gospel has  come to "all the world".

Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 

In Colossians 1:23, Paul wrote that the gospel has been preached to "every creature under heaven".

Rom 1:8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 

In Romans 1:8, Paul wrote that their faith has been shared "throughout the whole world".

Rom 10:18  But I say, Have they not heard? Yes indeed, their voice went out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

In Romans 10:18, Paul wrote that their voice and words of the gospel has gone out to "all the earth" and to the "end of the world". He was quoting Ps 19:4.

Rom 16:25  Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, having been unvoiced during eternal times; 

Rom 16:26  but now has been made plain, and by the prophetic Scriptures, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith; 

In Romans 16:26, Paul wrote that the gospel has been made known to "all nations".


So the questions some may ask may be:
How did the "whole world" heard the gospel?
Has "every nation" and "every creature under heaven" heard the gospel?
How did the believers share their faith "throughout the whole world".?

Paul was not writing about "going to" take the gospel to the whole world. He was writing that they had "already taken" the  gospel to the whole world. Read the verses again. They had already accomplished what Jesus was saying in Mat 24:14

Was Paul speaking our 21st Century English when he wrote "whole world"?
NO.. He was writing about the world that the listeners knew.

Mat 24:14 was not speaking about taking the gospel to America, Asia, Africa, Russian, China etc., and then the End of the Age will come.

The  early church really believed that they already had (past tense) taken the gospel to the whole world just as Jesus said it would in Acts 1:8. From Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.


About time for us to look at the original text of the word "world".
The English word "world" in the above verses came from the original Greek word "oikoumene". And it means "the inhabited earth" (specifically the  Roman empire / earth / world).

This word "world" meaning "inhabited earth" is also used in Luke 2:1; Luke 21:26; Acts 11:28; Acts 17:6; Acts 19:27; Acts 25:5; and many more. (check it out with the Strong's dictionary).

To Paul, "oikoumene" means the inhabitants living in the  world that they knew.

To the Romans, "oikoumene" means the inhabitants in the Roman Empire and the territories they conquered.

To the Greeks, "oikoumene" means those who speak Greek and practice their Greek culture.

To the Jews (the people that Jesus was speaking to), "oikoumene" means Israel, Palestine and all the surrounding regions.

The word "oikoumene" or world, will mean differently depending on whose perspective you are looking from.

See a write up on how the word "oikoumene" was used here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumene


When Jesus was speaking to the disciples, He was bringing understanding in the language and perspective that they know. They know nothing about Africans or Chinese, and so the whole world does not refer to Africa or China or other parts of the planet.


Important Note: It is because of our English translations that caused the confusion.

Let us take one verse Luke 2:1, and see from different translations:

Luk 2:1  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (KJV)

Luk 2:1  Just at this time an edict was issued by Caesar Augustus for the registration of the whole Empire. (Weymouth)

The Caesar was (past tense) taxing people under the Roman Empire. The Caesar was not taxing people in Africa and China and America.
So the  word "world" does not refer to our 21st Century English "world".


Let us look at Acts 2:5,

Act 2:5  Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every part of the world. 

Q: After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, did people from EVERY part of the world gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost.?

A: No. Not every part of the world. Only the Jews living in Israel, Palestine and neighboring regions were present at the Feast, and  they were there yearly for the celebration. To the Jews, the Jewish community from across the region represents their "whole world".


One respectable bible scholar, writer and commentator who has influence many great people of God in the past is Henry Cowles (1803 - 1881).

In Henry's commentary called "Matthew and Mark" which he published, he wrote about the  preaching of the gospel to all the inhabited known world of the Jews in page 208:

[ it appears from credible records that the gospel was preached in Idumea, Syria and Mesopotamia by Jude; in Ethiopia by Candace's Eunuch and Matthias; in Pontus, Galatia and neighboring parts of Asia by Peter; in the territories of the 7 Asiatic churches by John; in Parthia by Matthew; in Seythia by Philip and Andrew; in the northern and western parts of Asia by Bartholomew; in Persia by Simeon and Jude; in Media, Carmania and several eastern parts by Thomas; from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum by Paul, and probably into Italy, Spain and Gaul; in most of these places, Christian churches were planted in less than 30 years after the death of Christ, that is before the destruction of Jerusalem.. ]

See write up on Henry Cowles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cowles_(theologian)


This is a direct fulfillment of what Jesus said would happen before the End of the Age in Matthew 24:14


Q: Does Mat 24:14 mean that there is no more evangelism after AD70 .?

A: No, of course not. But our evangelism or sharing of the good news will not be performance based like in the Mosaic Age or the Old Covenant Age. Our sharing of the good news will be grace based of the New Covenant Age. It will be the good news because of the resurrection of Jesus, and the present kingdom of God within us.

Let us look into the parable of the Wedding Feast, as an example of how to share the good news, even after the End of the Age or the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

In Mat 22:2-10, we read of a king who invited many for the wedding banquet of his son, and  they did not come but instead killed his servants. The king then put these murderers to death, and set their city on fire. (A allegory for the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple). Then, the  king sent his servants to invite everyone else that they can find on the streets, and whether good or bad, they were all invited.


It is now our turn to invite everyone (evangelize) into the experience of God and His kingdom living in us.

False prophets will come - not the End yet.?

False prophets will come - not the End yet.?

The bible talks about the rise of false prophets BEFORE the End of the Age will come.

Mat 24:10  And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. 

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. 

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold. 

Mat 24:13  But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe. 

In 2 Timothy 1:15, we read of Paul informing Timothy of those who had turned away from him, and deserted him.

2Ti 1:15  This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 

Paul was warning Timothy, his disciple about those  who had deserted him, and even naming them specifically. Paul was the 1st to take the gospel to that part of the inhabited world, but they did not continue on in the gospel but rebel against the message.

Paul said "all in Asia" had turned away from him - referring to the Roman Empire that extends into Asia specifically Asia Minor (which is the place that Paul had brought the gospel). This is a direct fulfillment of Mat 24:10.

Another group that abandoned Paul, is in 2 Tim 4:10

2Ti 4:10  For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and he has departed to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 

Again in 2 Tim 3:13

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

These are those that had betrayed Paul and deceiving other believers.


In Mat 24:11, Jesus warned His disciples about the coming of false prophets.
We read about the false Christs, now we read about false prophets.

These false prophets will come as a sign that the End of the Age is coming, based on the question as asked by the disciples in v3.

Let's look at one of these false prophets that is specifically named in the bible during their time:

Act 13:4  Then these indeed sent out by the Holy Spirit went down to Seleucia. And from there they sailed to Cyprus. 

Act 13:5  And when they were at Salamis, they announced the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John as an assistant. 

Act 13:6  And when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain conjurer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-jesus; 

Act 13:7  who was with the proconsul of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. He called for Barnabas and Saul and asked to hear the Word of God. 

Act 13:8  But Elymas the conjurer (for so his name is, if translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 

The false prophet, Bar-jesus intend to lead others astray.

See write up on Bar-jesus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elymas
https://www.gotquestions.org/Bar-Jesus-in-the-Bible.html
https://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/bar-jesus.html


In v5, we read of John who was with them, and witnessing all these rise of false prophets.
Listen to what John wrote after that:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

He saw it, he heard it, he witnessed it (just as Jesus said it will happen before the End), and now he is warning the church against these false prophets, who led others astray.


Yet with the warning of Jesus, He informed them that some will be led astray, and some  will have their love grow cold.

Paul list down those people who had their love growing cold in 2Tim 3:1-8. Even in the early church with the abundance of miracles and the freshness of the resurrection of Jesus, many will wax cold. He warned Timothy in v5 "do not follow after them".

These people will oppose the truth that Paul and Timothy shared to them:

2Ti 3:8  and, even as Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, so also these do stand against the truth, men corrupted in mind, disapproved concerning the faith; 

They oppose the work of Jesus as in the New Covenant, and they could be the non-believing Jews that wanted to return back to Judaism.


When the End of the Age came in AD70, during the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Roman army, historians tell us that NOT a single Christian perished in this war. They were saved because they took heed to all the fore-warnings of Jesus.

In Mat 24:13, the word "saved" or "salvation" refers to the salvation from this great destruction in AD70 (and not referring to salvation from sin or hell).

Those that survived the persecution and destruction were saved. They did not follow after the false prophets or false Christs.


Another passage in Mat 24:21-23 tells us  the same warnings.

Mat 10:21  'And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death, 

Mat 10:22  and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end, he shall be saved. 

Mat 10:23  And whenever they may persecute you in this city, flee to the other, for verily I say to you, ye may not have completed the cities of Israel till the Son of Man may come. 


These are warnings leading to the End of the Age in the lifetime of the disciples when Jesus prophesied to them that they will take place.

Mont St Odile.

Mont St Odile.

Wow, what a remarkable place. The peace, serenity, calmness, awesomeness, stillness, humility... for lack of words cannot describe this wonderful place that I visited with my son last year.

The pictures and videos in the web cannot depict the character and the ambiance enough, except by your personal encounter.

Founded in the 8th Century, during the vibrancy of Christianity in Europe, it has become an icon for pilgrims, historians and theologians worldwide.

Here are some links that may interest you.:

https://www.visit.alsace/en/258000592-mount-sainte-odile/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Sainte-Odile

https://www.my-weekend-in-alsace.com/…/mont-sainte-odile-m…/

A story

Etichon (or Adalric), duke of Alsace under Dagobert II, is expecting his first child. He is hoping for a son. Great disappointment: a puny and blind girl is born. Etichon orders that we kill her. Béreswinde succeeds in dissuading his wife. She then entrusts the child to a nanny before she joins the Sisters of Palm, in Burgundy.

At the age of 12, the child was baptized by Bishop Ehrhard of Ratisbon. It is then that she covers her sight; we give her the name Odile "daughter of light".

Some time later, Odile wanted to go back to her parents. Hugues, his younger brother, decides to look for her, despite the father's formal defense. On the return of Odile to Hohenbourg, Etichon fatally strikes Hugues in a fit of fury.

Seized by repentance, the father tolerates Odile in Hohenbourg. He plans to marry her to a young prince of his choice. Out of love for God, Odile refused this marriage.

Faced with the obstinacy of the father who wants to force her into marriage, she runs away. He pursues it to the Black Forest, near Freiburg. This is where, according to tradition, a rock would have opened. Odile took refuge there.

Etichon then understood the fate of Odile; he welcomes her again to Hohenbourg. Pressed by Saint Léger, bishop of Autun, a close relative, he then donated the castle of Hohenbourg to his daughter.

Very quickly many girls joined Odile, to lead with her a life of prayer and charity. Odile founded a second monastery in Niedermunster, at the foot of Mont Sainte-Odile. She welcomes the poor and infirm there. On the way there from Hohenbourg, meeting a blind and thirsty beggar, she hits a rock. It produced a beneficial water which, since then, has not stopped flowing.

On the death of his father, Odile obtains his deliverance from the torments of hell. She continues her work of mercy until her death. She falls asleep in the peace of Christ; her body is placed in a sarcophagus still visible today in the Chapel of the Tomb.

Persecution for Jesus' sake - not the End yet.?

Persecution for Jesus' sake - not the End yet.?

Mat 24:9  then they shall deliver you up to tribulation (persecution), and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name; 

According to the prophecy of Jesus in Mat 24:9, the disciples will be hated, persecuted, killed because they align themselves to Jesus Christ.

As usual, to understand the bible, you need to look at the text, the context, and the historical writings of old.

Here, Jesus was speaking to the disciples, and not to Christians in the 21st Century. Yes, it is true that the persecution faced by many believers today, especially in those countries that are intolerant to Christians, is very great. In fact, the number of believers that have been martyred for their belief could be more than those recorded by ancient historical texts. But yet, Jesus was saying these words in their lifetime and not ours.


Q: How did the persecutions of believers begin?

A: It all started when the Jews began to persecute those who follow Jesus. Then the Romans picked up the persecution and persecuted the believers before the fall of Jerusalem in AD70, and even continued for many many years through the reigns of several Roman emperors including Emperor Nero, who was recorded as the worst Christian persecutor from Rome.
Nero, who reigned from AD37 - AD68, massacred believers in his coliseums for entertainment. Nero used Christians as scrap-goats for the burning of Rome and burnt them alive, thrown them to the beasts and crucified them. This persecution did not stopped after AD70, but continued until AD313, when Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and the persecution stopped.
During Nero's reign, the apostle Paul was beheaded, and Peter was crucified upside down. Some of the early church leaders thought that Nero was the Antichrist.
(more on this later).

When Jesus told the disciples about the persecution to come, He was referring to the period of time before AD70, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Jesus was NOT telling the disciples about the persecution and killings in the 21st Century or far future. The present day persecutions has nothing to do with them.

Let's look at a similar account in Mark 13:9

Mar 13:9  "You yourselves must be on your guard. They will deliver you up to Sanhedrins (Jewish councils); you will be brought into synagogues and cruelly beaten; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to be witnesses to them for me. "

Jesus told the disciples that they will be before councils and synagogues. These are the Jewish places that deal with Jewish laws and regulations. The councils comprised of high priests, scribes and elders and they pass judgement and make important decisions regarding their customs and regulations. The synagogues were the Jewish temples where religious duties of Judaism were practiced.

Note: Jesus is not telling believers today that they are going to stand before councils and synagogues. This is not possible.

Persecution is one of the signs that the disciples were asking for as to the End of the Age. This was a direct answer to their 3 questions in Mat 24:3.

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, persecutions begin to take place just as Jesus said it would.

Let's look at WHEN did the persecutions start?

Persecutions began in Acts 4, where you read of the apostles being threatened, arrested and imprisoned for speaking of Jesus. This was the beginning of fulfillment of Mat 24:7.

Persecutions continued until Acts 7, and in verse 59, we read of the 1st martyr called Stephen, who was killed for his beliefs. He was stoned to death by the JEWS, who were defending their religious Judaism. Saul (later called Paul) who was a Jewish leader oversaw the killing of Stephen. Acts 8 continue on with the persecution of the believers.

Persecution continued until we read in Acts 11:19, when the persecution was so great that they had to scatter to Phoenicia, Cyprus, Antioch and other regions. 

Act 11:19  Those, however, who had been driven in various directions by the persecution which broke out on account of Stephen made their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, delivering the Message to none but Jews. 

In Mat 24:9, the English word "persecution" comes from the Greek word "thlipsis".

In Acts 11:19, the bible uses the same word "thlipsis" to translate "persecution".

Similarly, Look at Rev 7:14:

Rev 7:14  And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation (Greek: "thlipsis") and have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb. 

This word in Revelations was the exact word used in Mat 24:9, and referred to the believers who were persecuted and escaped the great tribulation of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.

This puts the book of Revelations as written by John BEFORE AD70. Interesting, and more to come later.


In Mark 13:9, Jesus also spoke to His disciples that they will appear before "rulers and kings" referring to the secular leaders of their time namely Pontius Pilate, King Herod, Felix, King Agrippa, Nero and others.

The scattering of the believers eventually reached Rome, the capital of the Roman empire. It was in Rome, that the believers experienced extreme cruelty and tyranny of Nero Caesar, who was the Roman emperor then.

A theologian and church historian called Philip Schaff (1819 -1893) wrote a book called "History of Christian Church" that describes the persecution of the early church under Nero before the year AD70. This book is free, and the link is below:

See the book at:
https://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/history/About.htm

See a write-up on Philip Schaff at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Schaff

An excerpt from the book: from pages 381 - 382

[  ..A "vast multitude" of Christians was put to death in the most shocking manner. Some were crucified, probably in mockery of the punishment of Christ, some sewed up in the skins of wild beasts and exposed to the voracity of mad dogs in the arena. The satanic tragedy reached its climax at night in the imperial gardens on the slope of the Vatican (which embraced, it is supposed, the present site of the place and church of St. Peter): Christian men and women, covered with pitch or oil or resin, and nailed to posts of pine, were lighted and burned as torches for the amusement of the mob; while Nero, in fantastical dress, figured in a horse race, and displayed his art as charioteer. Burning alive was the ordinary punishment of incendiaries; but only the cruel ingenuity of this imperial monster, under the inspiration of the devil, could invent such a horrible system of illumination...]

It was during this time, when John was in prison on the island of Patmos, that he wrote the book of Revelations, where he described the Temple of Jerusalem was still standing (before AD70). John was in persecution and tribulation, and experienced that which Jesus prophesied to them in Mat 24:9.

Side note: There was only 1 historical writing from a 2nd Century believer that wrote that the apostle John came to them in AD97, and so he put it as that Revelations must have been written in AD97, and after AD70 (destruction of Jerusalem). However, it does not mean that the apostle wrote Revelations in AD97, which was wrongly assumed.

Why is there a need for AD70 (destruction of Jerusalem and Temple).?

Q: Why is there a need for AD70 (destruction of Jerusalem and Temple).?

Answer:

The destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple represents the destruction of the Old Covenant Age, the Mosaic Age, the old practices of temple sacrifices under Judaism, the priesthood organization and hierarchy, and the complete removal of Jerusalem as the centre of worship of God.

The event really DID happened as the evidence of it is too too much overwhelming. Many lives were lost. Properties destroyed. The survivors were raped and taken to captivity. Children were eaten as food. The loots of the destruction were hauled to Rome as objects of victory. The event is too tragic that even in Jewish synagogues and communities today, they do lament this with great sadness.


The question is WHY was there a need for such tragedy.?
Couldn't God could have averted it? Isn't God all loving and forgiving to allow the witness of such a massacre? Why must the Jews suffer so much? and a thousand Whys..

Here is an attempt to answer this question in a simple way (the full answer will be revealed when we are in God's eternity).

1. God has been warning of such judgement for hundreds of years.

From Mat 21 onward up to Mat 24, you can see that Jesus was laying the framework by actual warnings, parables, and Woes directed to the Pharisees, scribes, Jews about the coming judgement of God upon them. In fact, such warnings were not limited to Mat 21, but all throughout the Old Testament and especially the writings of the prophets, God was already aghast with the idolatry of Israel (Jews) as a nation. And the judgement was a SURE SIGN that it will come.


2. Israel has been rejecting the prophets and His Son.

So when God sent Jesus (like in the parable of the wicked tenants - where the vine dresser sent the son), and kept on rejecting the Son, the judgement had to come. The rejection of the Son is the rejection of God the Father.
Israel rejected God, and replaced it with an adulterated system that does not represent God.

Remember in the book of Zechariah, where he prophesied that the Jews will break their covenant with God for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12,13).
This was fulfilled when Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver (Mat 26:15).

The covenant between God and Israel to bring salvation to them was broken for 30 pieces of silver.


3. God will separate 2 groups of people by His grace

At the Cross where Jesus was crucified, there was a mixed audience around there. Some were eye-witnesses to the death of Jesus, some were supporters of His death, some were curious by-standers, some were there to ensure Jesus dies, some still has that hope that He will come down from the Cross and be that Messiah for them. All kinds of people were there. Jews, Romans, Gentiles, religious and non-religious peoples.
When Jesus cried out to God, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they were doing..", He was praying for all the peoples there. Yes, you may say it was the Jews who killed Jesus, but it was the Romans who carried out the killing.

In Romans 9:21-24, Paul deal with these groups of people: the Jew and Gentile issue, and wrote about righteousness by faith is for both Jews and Gentiles.

Rom 9:21  Or has not the potter the right to make out of one part of his earth a vessel for honour, and out of another a vessel for shame (dishonour)? 

Rom 9:22  What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction: 

Rom 9:23  And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory, 

Rom 9:24  Even us, who were marked out by him, not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles? 

v22 - v24 is written in metaphors. Paul is seeing an End Time event that God is preparing for judgement and destruction, and salvation.
God is the potter. God has the rightful power to make what He wants. He has made some vessels for honour and some vessels for dishonour. He has made some vessels of wrath for judgement (and destruction) and some vessels of mercy for glory.


The unbelieving Jews will be vessels of wrath for judgement.
The believing Jews and Gentiles will be vessels of mercy for glory.

Look at v25-v26

Rom 9:25  As He also says in Hosea, "I will call those NOT My people, My people; and those not beloved, Beloved." 

Rom 9:26  And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them. "You are not My people; there they shall be called sons of the living God." 


Remember these words: wrath and judgement. Lets look at another verse 1The 5:9 where Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians (people of Thessaloniki, Greece).

1Th 5:9  For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

The church is NOT under the wrath of God. We are NOT the objects of God's anger. We are NOT the vessels of wrath in Rom 9:22.

For the Jews there will be some who believe Jesus and will escape the great tribulation. They are called the remnant in Rom 9:27. They will be saved, while a vast majority will perish in the destruction.


Another passage that talked about God leaving out a remnant of His people for salvation. Rom 11:1-6

Rom 11:1  I say then, Did not God put away His people? Let it not be said! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 

Rom 11:2  God did not thrust out His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture said in Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel, saying, 

Rom 11:3  "Lord, they killed Your prophets and dug down Your altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life." 

Rom 11:4  But what does the Divine answer say to him? "I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 

Rom 11:5  EVEN SO then, also in this present time a REMNANT according to the election of grace has come into being. 

Rom 11:6  But if by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it is of works, then it is no more of grace; otherwise work is no more work. 

Q: How did God chose out a remnant from all of Israel? 
A: He used the GRACE factor.

Grace means not by works (v6). Judaism is by works. Jesus brings Grace.
This remnant received Grace, independent of works.
This remnant are the Gentiles, the believing Jews and not the Old Covenant Jews.
This remnant are the vessels of honour in Rom 9:21.
This remnant will miss the judgement and destruction that is coming on Jerusalem and the Temple.
This remnant will receive salvation from God.

So during the times of Jesus on earth, there are 2 groups of people. Some will believe and some disbelieve.
God is making a separation of these 2 groups of people.


Back to the question:

Q: Why is there a need for AD70 (destruction of Jerusalem and Temple)?
A:
1. God has been warning of such judgement for hundreds of years.
2. Israel has been rejecting the prophets and God's Son.
3. God will separate 2 groups of people by His Grace.

What is the "Beginning of sorrows"

What is the "Beginning of sorrows"

This phrase is found in Matthew 24:8, It's  also called "first of the troubles", "early pains of childbirth", beginning of birth pangs".
It's is also repeated in 1Thes 5:3.

Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

1Th 5:3  When they say, There is peace and no danger, then sudden destruction will come on them, as birth-pains on a woman with child; and they will not be able to get away from it.

What are all these? They are those happenings as described by Jesus from v5 - v7.
- v5 false Christs will come
- v6 wars and rumours of wars will be heard
- v7 nation rise against nation, kingdom rise against kingdom
- v7 famines, pestilence, earthquakes will happen

ALL THESE were the beginning of sorrows. They happened during their generation.

Gary De Mar - Great Tribulation

Gary De Mar - Great Tribulation

Gary De Mar has commented,

'The tribulation period cannot be global because all one has to do to escape is flee to the mountains. Notice that Jesus says "let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matt 24:16). Judea is not the world; it's not even the nation of Israel!' (Last Days Madness, p. 121).

William Newcombe - Great Tribulation

William Newcombe - Great Tribulation

Bishop William Newcombe (1729 - 1800), in his 'Harmony of the Gospels,' 1778, wrote,

'The calamities undergone by the Jews were unparalleled in their history, and will remain so. The many and great evils arising from their own distractions and intestine madness, were peculiar to this time. And Josephus asserts in general that no other city underwent such sufferings. In particular he says, that the number of captives, throughout the whole war was 97 thousand and that one million one hundred thousand perished in the course of the siege: To these must be added 237,490 of whom express mention is due by this historian, as being destroyed in other places; besides innumerable others, not subject to calculation, who were swept away by fatigue, famine, disease and every kind of wretchedness and violence. Thus did the awakened vengeance of heaven require of that generation, the blood of all the prophets, which had been shed from the foundation of the world.' (Harmony, p. 246).

C.H. Spurgeon - Great Tribulation

C.H. Spurgeon - Great Tribulation

C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), wrote,

'For there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Read the record written by Josephus of the destruction of Jerusalem, and see how truly our Lord’s words were fulfilled. The Jews impiously said, concerning the death of Christ, "His blood be on us, and on our children." Never did any other people invoke such an awful curse upon themselves, and upon no other nation did such a judgment ever fall. We read of Jews crucified till there was no more wood for making crosses; of thousands of the people slaying one another in their fierce faction fights within the city; of so many of them being sold for slaves that they became a drug in the market, and all but valueless; and of the fearful carnage when the Romans at length entered the doomed capital; and the blood-curdling story exactly bears out the Savior’s statement uttered nearly forty years before the terrible events occurred.'
'The destruction of Jerusalem was more terrible than anything that the world has ever witnessed, either before or since. Even Titus seemed to see in his cruel work the hand of an avenging God.' (Commentary on Matthew, p. 412-413).

Philip Schaff - Great Tribulation

Philip Schaff - Great Tribulation

Lutheran theologian Philip Schaff (1819 – 1893), wrote,

"The forbearance of God with his covenant people, who had crucified their own Saviour, reached it last its limit. As many as could be saved in the usual way, were rescued. The mass of the people had obstinately set themselves against all improvement. James the Just, the man who was fitted, if any could be, to reconcile the Jews to the Christian religion, had been stoned by his hardened brethren, for whom he daily interceded in the temple; and with him the Christian community in Jerusalem had lost its importance for that city. The hour of the "great tribulation" and fearful judgment drew near. The prophecy of the Lord approached its literal fulfillment: Jerusalem was razed to the ground, the temple burned, and not one stone was left upon another." (Schaff, History of the Christian Church p. 397-398).

B.W. Johnston - Great Tribulation

B.W. Johnston - Great Tribulation

Bible commentator, B.W. Johnston (1833-1894), stated,

'Matthew 24: 21. Great tribulation. The account given by Josephus, the Jewish historian who witnessed and recorded the war, is almost an echo of the predictions of Christ. Women ate their own children from starvation; the Jews within the city fought each other as well as the Roman army; on August 10, A.D. 70, the city was stormed and there was a universal massacre; 1,100,000 persons perished, and 100,000 survivors were sold into slavery.'

Wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes - Not the End yet?

Wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes - Not the End yet?

The mention of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes is taken from Mat 24:6-7

Mat 24:6  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet. 

Mat 24:7  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places. 

These 2 verses are part of the answer to the 3 troubling questions by the disciples in v3.

The disciples will hear of them. These things WILL come to pass. They WILL happen as Jesus foretold.

Side note:
Some preachers have used v6 to establish the fact that the End Times is coming very soon to our near future. They overlook the fact that Jesus was actually telling His disciples, and not to us. This interpretation was very popular in the 20th and 21st Century mainly because our present world experienced 2 World Wars that resulted in vast destruction and huge calamities. Violence and wars were all over the world then.
And even now, with the rise of Islamic militants, some preachers say that it is a fulfillment of Jesus' prediction in v6. Some of them even proclaim themselves as Jesus Christ the Messiah, who is to save the world from the present wars.

See the list of self-proclaimed Christs and Messiahs in the last few centuries:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_claimed_to_be_Jesus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_messiah_claimants

The USA was right in the middle of these world wars, and it is not surprising that this false interpretation of the "End of the Age coming in our future" came from these American preachers. About 200 years ago around 1830, American preachers started this teaching called Dispensation or Dispensationalism, which interprets the End of the Age as the End of the World in the future. (This is still the view taken by many churches today.)

A write-up about Dispensationalism:
https://carm.org/dispensationalism

But the main problem is Jesus was talking to His disciples about the wars etc. during THEIR time and generation, and not during our time or future generations. Have you every thought about why must Jesus warn His disciples about the wars that are going to take place in the 21st Century? It's ridiculous and nothing to do with them.


They will hear of wars and rumours of wars BUT the End is NOT yet..!
The End has not yet come. It is like telling them it is still not the End BUT get ready.


Q: What were the "wars & rumours of wars" of their days?

I want to refer to a reference book by John L. Bray called "Matthew 24 fulfilled".
In this book, John wrote that Jesus showed His disciples all the false signs before He showed them the true signs. For example: false Christ coming was a false sign of the End Times. It also wrote about the wars before the End of the Age in AD70.

See: https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-24-Fulfilled-John-Bray/dp/0915815907

This book will also answer some of the questions about Mat 24 like:

- When was the the end of the world (age) in verse 3?
- Are the signs mentioned by Jesus things that happened before A.D. 70, or are they things we should be looking for in our times?
- Has the gospel already been preached in all the world (vs. 14)?
- If so, did the end come as predicted?
- What did Jesus mean when He said He would come before some of His disciples died (Matthew 16:28)?
- What did He mean when He said He would return in that generation (vs. 34)?
- Did John live to see the Lord come (John 21:22)?
- Were all Christians in Jerusalem saved (by fleeing the city) before the tribulation of Matthew 24:21?
- Does God and Christ ever come to earth more ways than one?

Josephus, the Roman historian, wrote that in AD40, there was war in Mesopotamia, less than 10 years after the death and  resurrection of Jesus. This war killed 50,000 people.

Josephus also wrote that in AD49, there was a rebellion against Rome in Jerusalem, and about 10,000 to 20,000 people were killed. This was about 20 years before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.

In my previous post I mentioned other names of people who fought against the Romans in military wars and resulted in thousands killed.

See: https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/04/false-christs-do-not-be-tricked.html


Q: What about "famines".?

Acts 11:7-28 tells us there were famines all over their country during the reign of Claudius Caesar. This was a fulfillment of Mat 24:7

Act 11:27  At that time certain Prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, 

Act 11:28  one of whom, named Agabus, being instructed by the Spirit, publicly predicted the speedy coming of a great famine throughout the world. (It came in the reign of Claudius.) 


Joseph Ernest Renan wrote a book called "Renan's Antichrist" in 1899, and he said:

[ The early church father Eusebius, during the 10th to 11th year reign of Claudius Caesar, wrote that there was great scarcity in Jerusalem. Food in AD68 was extremely dear. ] - speaking of the famine before AD70.

Q: What about "pestilence".?
Josephus also wrote about the severe pestilence in AD60.
Thomas Newton (1704 - 1782), an early bible scholar and bishop, wrote a book called the "Dissertations on the prophecies" in 1754, and subsequently published it in 1840. In his book he mentioned the work of Josephus and about the famine and pestilence (these 2 goes hand in hand) in AD60.

This book is available free at these places:
https://archive.org/details/ThomasNewtonDissertationsOnThePropheciesWhichHaveRemarkablyBeen
https://books.google.com.my/books/about/Dissertations_on_the_Prophecies.html?id=mMe88JMxx9cC&redir_esc=y

Just a short excerpt from the book about famines, pestilences and earthquakes:

[ It is further added, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. There were famines, as particularly that prophesied of by Agabus, and mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, and by Suetonius, and other profane historians, referred to by Eusebius, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar, and  was so severe at Jerusalem, that as Josephus said, many perished for want of victuals. And pestilences, for these are the usual attendants upon famines. Scarcity and badness of provisions almost always end in some epidermical distemper. We see many died by reason of the famine in the reign of Claudius; and Josephus farther informs us, that when Niger was killed by the Jewish zealots, he imprecated, besides other calamities, famine and pestilence upon them, all which, said he, God ratified and brought to pass against the ungodly. And earthquakes in divers places, as particularly that in Crete, in the reign of Claudius, mentioned by Philostratus in the life of Apollonius, and those also mentioned by Philostratus at Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos in all which places some Jews inhabited; and those at Rome mentioned by Tacitus; and that at Laodiea in the reign of Nero, mentioned by Tacitus, which city was overthrown, as were likewise Hierapolis and Colosse; and that in Campania, mentioned by Seneca; and that at Rome, in the reign of Galba, mentioned by Suetonius; and that in Judea, mentioned by Josephus. For by night there broke out a most dreadful tempest, and violent strong winds, with the most vehement showers, and continual lightnings, and horrid thunderings, and prodigious bellowings of the shaken earth: and it was  manifest, as he said, that the constitution of the universe was confounded for the destruction of men; and any one might easily conjecture that these things portended no common calamity. ]


Q: What about "earthquakes in divers places".?

Thomas Newton in his book above wrote that in AD62 - AD63, historians have already recorded earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos and many places.

Side note: Just because there are earthquakes today, or pandemics, or wars and other present day calamities, we can use this to misinterpret that Jesus meant that the End Times is in our future. It is not. It was in their future, before the End of the Age.

Jesus called them the beginning of Sorrows (Mat 24:8).

False Christs - Do not be tricked

False Christs - Do not be tricked

Mat 24:4  And Jesus said to them in answer, Take care that you are not tricked. 

Mat 24:5  For people will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and a number will be turned from the true way through them. 

Mat 24:11  Many false prophets will rise up and lead multitudes astray; 

The term "do not be tricked" also means "do not be deceived", "do not be mislead".

This phrase does not mean we stop learning new things, acquiring new understanding. Some people tend to stop learning anything new out of fear of being deceived.
But that is not correct. We have a brain / mind and we should keep on learning new things. Our life is a life-long learning process.

Some leaders know that and they capitalize on that fear of learning new things and prevent their people from acquiring knowledge. It reminds me of the early church period where common people were not allowed to read, understand or keep bibles. They were to only listen to their leaders. Leaders used this trend to control the people, by misinterpreting the bible (out of context) to suit their objectives and mainly do it out to put fear. Compare this with God who leads us out of love!

Such unhealthy actions have hurt people more instead of helping people. The fear has held back the people to learn and explore new things.

Also, it is noted that Christians tend to be lazy, ignorant and waiting to be spoon-fed. They are also afraid of learning new things just to remain comfortable in their current lifestyle.

In v4, Jesus prepared his disciples (not us) to be careful of false Christs (or false Messiahs). These false Christs were going to lead them astray in regards to their 3 troubling questions in v3: "when this will be; and what will be the sign of your Coming and of the Close of the Age?"

So the FIRST Sign and the First answer to their questions in v3 is "false Christs will come to deceive".

The End of the Age happens in AD70 (see previous posts). So false Christs will come before the coming of the End of the Age, which is the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. This is the End of the Mosaic Age (or the Old Covenant Age).

Did false Christs came within that period i.e. the period from the death and resurrection of Jesus, till the destruction of Jerusalem? This period is about AD33 to AD70 (the city was completely destroyed from AD70 to AD75).

Let's see by looking at the bible and other historical sources, to see what they say about false Christ within that period.

There were many uprisings of false Christs (or false Messiahs or antichrists).
Mt 24:5,6 says false Christs will come, BUT the End is NOT yet. Why NOT yet? Jesus was forewarning them and giving them little time before the End. 

Q: What is  the sign of Jesus Coming and the end of the Age?
Answer: Firstly false Christ will come.

1. Simon the sorcerer
See Acts 8:9-10

Act 8:9  Now for some time past there had been a man named Simon living there, who had been practising magic and astonishing the Samaritans, pretending that he was more than human. 

Act 8:10  To him people of all classes paid attention, declaring, "This man is the Power of God, known as the great Power." 

In the 17th Century, there was a Christian commentator Henry Hammond who wrote and expounded on this Simon the sorcerer, also called Simon Magus.

See a write-up on Henry Hammond:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hammond

In 1653, Henry published a book "Paraphrase and Annotations  on the New Testament". In page 272, he was translating and quoting Irenaeus, who was the early church father between AD130 - AD202.

See a write-up on Irenaeus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irenaeus

Ireneaus wrote about Simon Magus, and this was the translation by Henry Hammond:

[ Simon Magus (Simon the magician) kept up the contention with the apostles, that he might appear glorious. Because of his magic he was honored with a statue by Claudius Caesar (the Roman emperor at that time). Simon was glorified as a god by many and taught that he himself was the Son among the Jews. In Samaria, he came as the Father and in other nations as the Holy Ghost. He was the most sublime virtue that he was the Father over all, the highest title among men. ]

See a write-up on Simon Magus:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magus

Later, Henry Hammond wrote that he believed that Simon Magus could be the Man of Sin as described by Paul in 2 Thes 2.

In another historical writing, Eusebius also wrote about Simon Magus, the sorcerer.
Eusebius was one of the early church father living between AD260 - AD339.

Eusebius in his writings quoting Justin Martyr (AD100 - AD165), also another early church father:

[ After the LORD was taken up into heaven, the demons put forth a number of men who claimed to be gods. These not only escaped the persecution but were actually objects of worship. For example, Simon, a Samaritan from the village Gitta, who in Claudius Caesar's time, worked wonders of magic and in the imperial city of Rome was regarded as a god. Like a god, he was honored by the Romans with a statue on the island of Tiber with the inscription "To Simon the Holy God" hanging between 2 bridges. Almost all Samaritans and a few from other nations acknowledge him as their principle god and worshiped him. ]

See a write-up on Eusebius:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius

See a write-up on Justin Martyr:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Martyr

This is 1 biblical example of Simon the sorcerer who claimed to be the Christ.


2. Another false Christ was Theudas.

Act 5:36  Years ago Theudas appeared, professing to be a person of importance, and a body of men, some four hundred in number, joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and annihilated. 

Josephus, the Roman historian wrote that 12 years after the death of Jesus, Theudas deceived people into believing that he was able to divide the Jordan river and open a path for them to walk through.

In Acts 5:36, the respected Pharisee leader Gamaliel was asked what to do with the apostles and he mentioned Theudas, which Josephus wrote about.

Theudas was another bible character from Acts who set himself up as a false Christ/Messiah, and we have historical accounts to  confirm such a man.

See a write-up on Theudas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theudas


3. Another false Christ was an Egyptian in the bible (his name  was not mentioned).

The early church father Eusebius wrote about this Egyptian:

[ A greater blow was inflicted on the Jews by an Egyptian false prophet. Arriving in the country, this man was a fraud, who posed as a seer. He collected 30,000 people, led them around the wild country, and to the Mount of Olives, and from there was  ready to force an entry into Jerusalem, to overwhelm the Roman garrison and seize supreme power with his fellow raiders as bodyguards. But Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, anticipated his attempt by meeting him with the heavy Roman infantry, and the whole population rallying to the defense. When the clash occurred, the Egyptian fled with a handful of men and most of his followers were killed or captured. ]

Now lets, look at Acts 21:38

Act 21:38  "Are you not the Egyptian who some years ago excited the riot of the 4,000 cut-throats, and led them out into the Desert?" 

Paul was preaching to the people, and they thought that Paul was this Egyptian.!
v37 : Paul was about to be taken to the barracks, before he was given a chance to speak. So they asked him the question in v38: Are you that Egyptian?

Eusebius, writing historically about this Egyptian who led so many people into error, making them believe that he was their Christ / Messiah (their military leader).

Here is a write-up on the Egyptian false prophet:
https://www.livius.org/articles/religion/messiah/messianic-claimant-10-the-egyptian-prophet/


4. Another false Christ was Judas of Galilee.

Act 5:37  After him, at the time of the Census, came Judas, the Galilaean, and was the leader in a revolt. He too perished, and all his followers were scattered.

In v37, Gamaliel talked about another rebel leader Judas of Galilee, after he talked about Theudas. Judas was another leader who rose up as a leader, drew the people to follow him, and were defeated and scattered.

Here is a write-up on Judas of Galilee:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_of_Galilee


These 4 examples of false Christs fulfilled Jesus prophecy in Mat 24:5, saying they will come before  the End of the Age. They were found in the bible and external historical sources.



Q: How did the early church responded to these false Christs?

1Jn 2:18  Dear children, the last hour has come; and as you once heard that there was to be an anti-Christ, so even now many anti-Christs have appeared. By this we may know that the last hour has come. 

In the lifetime of John, there were already some false Christs whom he called antichrists or not the real Christ. It wasn't just limited to the 4 persons listed above. John heard Jesus forewarned them about the coming of the false Christ before the end of the age. So in his writings in 1 John, he is aware of these false Christs.

1 John was written just before AD70.
John is calling his time of writing as the "last hour". From "many days" to now the "last hour". It is almost close to the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, and the End of the Age in AD70. It is nearing the End.!


Note: In the book of Revelations, there is NO mention of "antichrist". The word "antichrist" comes from 1 John.
John identifies the antichrist as those who denied Jesus is the Christ or the anointed one.

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar compared with him who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He who disowns the Father and the Son is the anti-Christ. 

1Jn 4:3  and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it is already in the world. 

Q: Who is the antichrist.?
He is not a demon or a spirit. He is not Nero or Trump or the Pope.
John said: the antichrist is he who denies Jesus is Christ.

So the antichrist is not 1 or 2 persons, but any deceiver that is against Jesus as  the Messiah or the Christ. the antichrist will deny that Jesus ever came in the flesh or existed.

John is confirming the prediction of Jesus about false Christs in Mat 24:5, 11.



Side note: In fact, 1 John begins his book by writing to those  who do not know Jesus as the Christ yet. He was writing to somebody who may not believe that Jesus has came in the flesh. These undecided ones could be following after those  false Christs. From 1 John 1:1-10.

John wrote to confirm with them in v1 - v10:
v1 - we have seen and heard Jesus (physically)
v1 - we have touched Jesus (physically)
v2 - we have seen Jesus (physically)
v3 - we have seen and heard Jesus (physically)

John wasn't writing to those who already believe, because the disciples and Jesus followers cannot deny that they have seen, heard, handled and touch Jesus physically.

And if they were to believe too they will have fellowship with them and with Jesus and the Father (v4), and Jesus will cleanse their sin (v9).

In 1 John 2, the audience changed to believers, when John called them "little children of God".