The Lord’s disciples asked him, “when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus had just given the prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem that precipitates the question. They used the same word, sunteleias, that Daniel uses in Daniel 12:4….
In Matthew 13:39-40, Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and tares. He said that the “harvest is at the end of this age” (sunteleia aionos). Jesus was, then, living in the Mosaic age. Verse 43 has Jesus saying that at the end of the age the righteous would “shine like the brightness of the…
The passage in our title reads, “These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come” (NKJV). The arrival of the Holy Spirit that marked the last days implies that the end or goal of all past types and shadows has arrived…
What is particularly noteworthy about Josephus’ report after the death of Ananus is that John of Gishala began his own tyranny and broke off from the rest of the faction. He writes, “Now, some submitted to him out of their fear of him, and others out of their good-will to him; for he was a…
The description of complete anarchy and profanation of the temple implied would only have been allowed at a certain period of time. This man “sits in the temple, setting himself forth as God.” The sedition before the fall of Jerusalem would allow for this gross misuse of the temple. The text seems to suggest that…
Luke’s account reads, “And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, when your enemies shall cast up a bank…
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,[a] you have no need to have anything written to you. For you, yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security” then sudden destruction will come upon them as…
Today, we are constantly reminded by religious leaders as they appeal to the same promise given to saints of the first-century. The same mistake is made here that is made when applying the promise of the Holy Spirit today. Both are applied to today’s people who are far removed from the historical context of the…
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare…
As noted in our last blog, we are told that the brethren in Thessalonica waited for His Son from heaven to return and deliver them from the wrath of God (1 Thess. 1:10). This theme is repeated throughout Paul’s letters to them. In the first letter alone, we have the following mentions: 1. 1 Thessalonians…