Understanding Eschatology: The End of the Jewish Age
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"As we continue now with our study of the crisis in eschatology the point I want to look at in this session is this question: When Jesus spoke about His coming at the end of the age did He mean by that phrase the 'end of the age' the end of world history, or was He talking more specifically about the end of the Jewish age?" [00:00:06]
"Now, the reason I read from the New King James is that it reads differently from the original King James. And now if you'll follow with me for a moment I'll read from the original King James. In verse 38 we read, 'The field is the world' -- that's exactly the way the New King James renders it -- 'the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one.'" [00:01:40]
"In verse 38 the Greek word is the word 'cosmos,' which is the common word used to describe the world. We talk about cosmic events and so on. That's the Greek word cosmos. Then in verses 39 and 40 we have the Greek word 'aion,' which means 'age' or epoch, not world." [00:03:09]
"Now, when we look at Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse, which is found in the 21 chapter of his gospel, and I'll turn your attention to that now. We have some details in Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse that are not found in either Matthew's version in Matthew 24 or in Mark's version in Mark 13." [00:05:39]
"Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. And let not those who are in the country enter her. Now, remember I mentioned that early on in this series that this was contrary advice to what was the universally accepted plan of survival in the case of a military assault or a siege." [00:06:32]
"One person said give me one argument for the truth of Christianity, and the answer was the Jews, that the Jewish people had maintained their identity, their ethnic origins without a homeland for 2,000 years, and they gather on a regular occasion and they'll say to each other, 'Next year in Jerusalem.'" [00:08:38]
"Now, here is the critical verse: 'And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.' Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Now, here Jesus doesn't talk about the Jewish age or the Gentile age, He doesn't use that language." [00:10:06]
"Now, I said earlier that there are those who were called full preterists who believe that not only the elements of the Olivet Discourse were fulfilled in the first century, but all of the New Testament prophecies with respect to the future have already taken place, including the final coming of Christ, the great resurrection, the rapture, and all the rest." [00:11:44]
"Now, just as a matter of parenthesis at this point, let me remind you that what transpired in 1948 with the recreation of the Jewish state, the State of Israel, after almost 2,000 years, and perhaps even more significantly, the recovery of the city of Jerusalem from the control of the Gentiles in 1967, with the seven day war -- or the six day war, however many days it was -- in any case, those two events have triggered perhaps more eschatological speculation than any two events in the last 500 years, because of people who are looking for the restoration of the nation of Israel as a supreme sign of the end times." [00:14:01]
"Now, in any case the most important point here is that for the second time we see this phrase in the New Testament, 'the times of the Gentiles.' And if there's any doubt about what it is distinguished from in Luke, there is no doubt about it in Romans, that the times of the Gentiles is a timeframe that is distinguished from the times of the Jewish people." [00:19:22]
"Now, again, the temptation in every generation is to think that, because we all desperately want to see the final consummation of the kingdom of Christ, and every generation should be diligent and vigilant and have that hope burning in their breast. But for now I'm just trying to say that if the age of the Gentiles begins in -- when we know that the times of the Gentiles begin in AD 70 -- if that's the case would it not follow logically that the times of the Jews, or the Jewish age ended in AD 70? -- the end of the Jewish age, the beginning of the Gentile epoch, if you will." [00:21:05]
"Now, quickly, before our time is up, I want to give some references of other timeframe references that are not by any means exhaustive, but that refer to the nearness expectancy of the last days according to the writers of the Scriptures. In Matthew 10:12, 'You'll not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.'" [00:21:51]
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"Now, the reason I read from the New King James is that it reads differently from the original King James. And now if you'll follow with me for a moment I'll read from the original King James. In verse 38 we read, 'The field is the world' -- that's exactly the way the New King James renders it -- 'the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one.'" [00:01:40]
"In verse 38 the Greek word is the word 'cosmos,' which is the common word used to describe the world. We talk about cosmic events and so on. That's the Greek word cosmos. Then in verses 39 and 40 we have the Greek word 'aion,' which means 'age' or epoch, not world." [00:03:09]
"Now, when we look at Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse, which is found in the 21 chapter of his gospel, and I'll turn your attention to that now. We have some details in Luke's version of the Olivet Discourse that are not found in either Matthew's version in Matthew 24 or in Mark's version in Mark 13." [00:05:39]
"Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. And let not those who are in the country enter her. Now, remember I mentioned that early on in this series that this was contrary advice to what was the universally accepted plan of survival in the case of a military assault or a siege." [00:06:32]
"One person said give me one argument for the truth of Christianity, and the answer was the Jews, that the Jewish people had maintained their identity, their ethnic origins without a homeland for 2,000 years, and they gather on a regular occasion and they'll say to each other, 'Next year in Jerusalem.'" [00:08:38]
"Now, here is the critical verse: 'And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.' Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Now, here Jesus doesn't talk about the Jewish age or the Gentile age, He doesn't use that language." [00:10:06]
"Now, I said earlier that there are those who were called full preterists who believe that not only the elements of the Olivet Discourse were fulfilled in the first century, but all of the New Testament prophecies with respect to the future have already taken place, including the final coming of Christ, the great resurrection, the rapture, and all the rest." [00:11:44]
"Now, just as a matter of parenthesis at this point, let me remind you that what transpired in 1948 with the recreation of the Jewish state, the State of Israel, after almost 2,000 years, and perhaps even more significantly, the recovery of the city of Jerusalem from the control of the Gentiles in 1967, with the seven day war -- or the six day war, however many days it was -- in any case, those two events have triggered perhaps more eschatological speculation than any two events in the last 500 years, because of people who are looking for the restoration of the nation of Israel as a supreme sign of the end times." [00:14:01]
"Now, in any case the most important point here is that for the second time we see this phrase in the New Testament, 'the times of the Gentiles.' And if there's any doubt about what it is distinguished from in Luke, there is no doubt about it in Romans, that the times of the Gentiles is a timeframe that is distinguished from the times of the Jewish people." [00:19:22]
"Now, again, the temptation in every generation is to think that, because we all desperately want to see the final consummation of the kingdom of Christ, and every generation should be diligent and vigilant and have that hope burning in their breast. But for now I'm just trying to say that if the age of the Gentiles begins in -- when we know that the times of the Gentiles begin in AD 70 -- if that's the case would it not follow logically that the times of the Jews, or the Jewish age ended in AD 70? -- the end of the Jewish age, the beginning of the Gentile epoch, if you will." [00:21:05]
"Now, quickly, before our time is up, I want to give some references of other timeframe references that are not by any means exhaustive, but that refer to the nearness expectancy of the last days according to the writers of the Scriptures. In Matthew 10:12, 'You'll not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.'" [00:21:51]
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