WHAT DID OUR MESSIAH REALLY MEAN IN MATHEW 16:28
Matthew 16:28, “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (NKJV)
Did Jesus erroneously say that He would return in the lifetime of His disciples? We must first become competent workmen in our use of the Bible. This will protect our faith in God's word by clearly understanding the overall book.
2 Timothy 2:14-15, “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Paul is saying become nearly DECEPTION PROOF by becoming skilled in understanding the word of God –– then those who quote the Bible using tunnel vision cannot mislead us so easily. We should understand the full context of scriptures.
We can understand someone assuming that Jesus is referring to His second coming if taken out of context. However, the very next thing written by Matthew is the glorious transfiguration of Christ. He was referring to this next event.
Matthew 17:1-2, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”
Matthew 17:3-4, “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’”
Booths were referred to because Jesus will build the ruling Kingdom with Moses and Elijah in the Millennium, represented by the Booths of the Feast of Tabernacles. Some will wonder, “Well what about His second coming?” They assume that it should have occurred within that generation’s forty year period.
SHOULD CHRIST HAVE COME WITHIN THE TIME OF THAT GENERATION ?
People make that easy assumption but that is not the real, full meaning of His warnings. Is He saying that the second coming will be a total surprise? No He isn’t. But some signs have to be evaluated correctly to not be caught off guard.
Matthew 24:6-9, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”
All these statements were given by Jesus in answer to the question of WHEN He will come to rescue the world!
Matthew 24:3, “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’”
We true believers have to evaluate the levels of these signs correctly. Are they at unusually high levels or not.
1. Rumors of coming wars.
2. Huge wars.
3. Famines on Earth.
4. Pestilences or diseases possibly caused by biological warfare out of control.
5. Very high number of earthquakes on the planet.
6. Increased persecution of true followers of Christ and the Jewish nation.
These conditions are not easy evaluations. We naturally think any disaster in our lifetime means this is the generation that will see the second coming.
Mark 13:28-31, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near –– at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you,this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 ...My words will by no means pass away.”
Verse 33, “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
Therefore we should pray and keep doing God's work while watching carefully. If one takes the problems of the first century to be the true warning signs, then the end should have come in that generation. It did not happen. Jesus said this around 30 AD, then the end should have come by 70 AD.
DID A PATTERN OCCUR ON 70 AD OF WHAT WILL OCCUR AT THE END OF AGE?
It is certainly probable. Prophecies sometimes come in waves with an early smaller fulfillment and later the final fulfillment. One example is Joel's prophecy quoted by Peter on the first Pentecost of the Holy Spirit being poured out. It is clear that this was just the first wave –– all of Joel's prophecy was not completed then. Jesus warned true believers to quickly abandon Jerusalem when they saw armies surrounding the city. Note Acts 2:14-22.
Matthew 24:15-20, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes…”
During the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, when He withdrew the believers fled the city to safety in the hills. Then horrible disaster struck the Jewish nations in 70 AD. This is a warning also for the generation that will be alive at the end time. How close are we?
COULD CHRIST RETURN TONIGHT? NO HE WILL NOT –– HERE IS WHY
Remember that Daniel prophesied the end would come shortly after the Temple was desecrated.
Daniel 11:30-32, “…indignation against the holy covenant; and will practice; and he shall return and direct his attention to those that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and shall take away the continual sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God shall be strong, and shall act.” (DBY)
This is the prophecy given by Daniel. Jesus will not return until a Temple is available for the evil one to desecrate. You might say, “But there is no Temple today.“ Well, there was NO Temple when Daniel wrote this prediction either. Jesus will not return until a third Temple is built. But we should all continue to watch.
1 Thess 5: 3, “When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them… 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5…We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.”
ISSUES:
Are we now really closing in on the end times?
Why do we think He is coming in our lifetime?
Evaluate all six measurements above.
