REFUTING THE A.D. 70 THEORY - 4
REFUTING TH E A.D. 70 THEORY - 4
Yeow Chin Kiong
It so happens that the A.D.70 historical event,- the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple built by the returning Jews under orders of King Cyrus of Persia (Ezra 1:1-2; 6:14-15),- was the subject of Jesus' prophetic teaching some 4 decades before. During Jesus' last visit to the holy city, His disciples pointed to the temple and its adornment (Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5), in response to which the Lord prophesied that the temple would collapse although He did not say when.
Their curiousity piqued, the disciples asked our Lord, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" Jesus' answer to these two questions was given as He sat on the Mount of Olives and is recorded in Matthew 24:4 to 25:46. These are verses of prophecy that precisely answer the disciples' two questions: the Lord gave some signs to indicate when "these things" (i.e. the stones of the temple be thrown down, Matthew 24:2) BUT stated that nobody except God the Father knew anything about when His second coming and the end of the age would occur, so that He could not provide definite "signs" of both events. His two-part answer comprised Matthew 24:4-35 about the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple AND Matthew 24:36 to 25:46 about His second coming and the end of the age. The two events were not to happen simultaneously, the destruction of Jerusalem's temple to happen after the indicative signs Jesus shared BUT His second coming to occur at a time that was a mystery even to Himself (Mark 13:32).
The core error of A.D.70 theorists is their insistance that the entirety of Matthew 24:4 to 25:46 refers to a singular happening, meaning to them that the fall of the Jerusalem's temple, the Lord's coming again and the end of the age would happen at the same point in time, (together with the general resurrection of the dead, final judgment, the establishment of the new heaven and new earth, the rewarding of the faithful eternally in heaven and punishment of the unrepentant wicked eternally in hell). They suppose that all those important events took place in A.D.70. The A.D. theorists ignore completely the pivotal transition verses Matthew 24:34-36, "34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all this things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Clearly, we agree that the temple that Jesus prophesied would fall fell in A.D.70. but our Lord did not say anything else related to religious matters occured at A.D.70.
The contrasts between Matthew 24:4-35 (about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in A.D.70) and Matthew 24:36 to 25:46 (about Jesus' second coming and the end of the age) are evident in the following 9 points -
1. Plural "these things" (Matt.24:3, 33-35) and "days" (Matt.24:19,22, 29) about A.D.70, while "that day" (Matt. 24:36) and singular "day and hour" (Matt.24:36, 42, 44, 50; 25:13) about 2nd Coming.
2. Events and happenings localized in Judaea (Matt.24:16) for A.D.70, while events universal, involving all nations (Matt.25:32) during 2nd Coming
3. Jesus' disciples to flee (Matt.24:16) about A.D.70, while both disciples and alien sinners to
gather before Him (Matt.25:32 following) for 2nd Coming.
4. Judgment on Jewish nation and not on Christians - National (Matt.23:28) for A.D.70 while judgment on both righteous and unrighteous of every nation (Matt.25:31-46) for 2nd Coming.
5. No visible coming of Christ so don't look for Him (Matt.24:4-5, 23-26) for A.D.70 while visible coming of Christ (Matt.24:38-41, 46-51; 25:6,10, 13, 19, 31-32 etc.) for 2nd Coming
6. No conversation of Christ with the people in Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D.70, while Christ converses with good and evil (Matt.25:12-13, 19-30, 34-46) after 2nd Coming.
7. Entry into eternal kingdom not closed, either implicit or explicit in A.D.70, while door shut, with no prospect of being opened again (Matt.25:11-13, 46) after 2nd Coming.
8. "Time" and life continues (Matt.24:16-21) for A.D.70, while "time" will end and humans will enter the eternal state (Matt. 25:34, 41, 46) after 2nd Coming
9. Persecution will follow Christians after Jerusalem's fall while no persecution will follow the 2nd Coming,- only rest (Matt.25:34) and life eternal (Matt.25:46)