A Parting of the Ways — Part 2

Jesus and his disciples visited the buildings of the Temple on Tuesday of Passion Week.¹ The disciples expressed great admiration for their beauty, but Jesus was unimpressed. He knew the objects of their admiration were short-lived; they would soon become rubble. When he informed the disciples of this, they asked two things: when would this occur and what sign would point to it? (Matthew 24:1–3).

Jesus answered their sign request first. Seven powerful signs culminated his list (Matthew 24:27–31). We saw in our last post (here) how four signs pointed to the “great tribulation” that would come just before the Temple fell.

In this post, we will consider the other three. Each of them signaled the Messianic age Jesus had started during his earthly ministry, the new age that would remain after the fall of the Temple. The three forward-pointing signs are the Son of Man on earth (i.e., his parousia, or presence), the Son of Man in heaven, and the Son of Man gathering the elect.

The Son of Man on Earth

“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming (parousia) of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27).

The parousia (presence) of the Son of Man on earth would bring the destruction of the Temple. In turn, the Temple’s fall would serve as a sign of his parousia.

To better understand this sign, we will again stress what parousia signifies. Most Greek dictionaries and lexicons give the primary meaning of parousia as “the state of being present at a place, presence;”² “to be present;”³ or something similar. W. E. Vine says, “Parousia literally signifies ‘a being with,’ ‘a presence.’ Not infrequently it is so rendered. It thus denotes a state, not an action. We never read of a parousia to, always of a parousia with.”⁴ The “state” of interest to us is the Messianic age that would outlive the Mosaic age. Previous posts (here and here) discussed this meaning for parousia.

In the nineteenth century, Israel Warren wrote a lengthy defense of parousia meaning “presence.” After providing abundant evidence, he penned this conclusion:

For myself I freely say, that, having reflected much upon all these ways, and having tried in vain to feel satisfied with any other, I can find none which seems so simple, so accordant with common sense, so perfectly able to meet all the conditions of the problem and to exalt and honor our Lord himself, as that which regards the Parousia as covering a vast period of duration, beginning with the generation when he was on earth, and lasting long enough to include all those great events which are to make up the history of time.⁵

This meaning fits well in the disciples’ questions (Matthew 24:3) and in Jesus’ response (Matthew 24:27).

The lightning imagery Jesus connected to Christ’s parousia (i.e., his kingdom “presence”) also fits the context well. This vivid simile⁶ conveyed destruction. We saw earlier (here) that God wrote a song for Israel’s “latter days.” He gave it to Moses about 1,500 years before Jesus spoke to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple.

In that song, God said, “if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me” (Deuteronomy 32:41, ESV). Commentators have observed that “‘my flashing sword’ is, in Hebrew, ‘the lightning of my sword.’”⁷ God used lightning imagery to describe his judgment of Israel in her last days.

The prophets used this lightning simile to describe God’s judgment many times. Here is a representative list: 2 Samuel 22:15; Job 20:25; Psalm 18:14; 77:18; 97:4; 144:6; Nahum 2:4; Habakkuk 3:11; and Zechariah 9:14.

Jesus told his disciples the promised lightning of God’s judgment would come on Israel when the Temple fell. His parousia (presence) would remain.

The Son of Man in Heaven

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. . . .” (Matthew 24:30).

The Son of Man would also be in heaven. His presence there would also serve as a sign associated with the destruction of the Temple.

We can see what Jesus meant by looking at another conversation he had during Passion Week. Two days after he gave the Olivet Discourse, Jesus stood before the high priest Caiaphas to answer charges against him. Those charges related to the destruction of the Temple—the event Jesus had just predicted.

Two false witnesses testified, “This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days” (Matthew 26:61; emphasis added). The high priest inferred this accusation implied Jesus had claimed to be divine. He demanded that Jesus either affirm or deny he was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Jesus’ response to the high priest addressed both the accusation and the inference: “Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming (erchomai) on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:64 ESV; emphasis added).

As the Son of Man, Jesus would ascend to heaven after his resurrection and begin his Messianic reign. His enthronement in heaven would characterize the state of affairs from that point forward. In terms of what Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse, the sign of “the Son of man in heaven” would show his parousia (kingdom presence). Yes, he would destroy the Temple and the Jews would “see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power” when the Temple fell. The “sign of the Son of man in heaven” would be the Son of Man in heaven and this would signify the Temple’s destruction!

Jesus had used this manner of speaking earlier:

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. (Matthew 12:38–41)

The “sign of the prophet Jonas” was Jonas “three days and three nights in the whale’s belly.” The “sign of the Son of Man in heaven” would be the Son of Man reigning in heaven. This sign would point from the destruction of the Temple forward into the new age.

The Son of Man in heaven would fulfill Simeon’s prophecy at Jesus’ birth: “And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:34). Jesus was the agent for the “rising again” of many Israelites. To them, he brought eternal life. He advanced them “to a higher status (anastasis)”⁸ and they entered the kingdom⁹ (or, the parousia).

Jesus would also signify the “fall” of many in Israel. The “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21) associated with the destruction of Jerusalem fulfilled this prophecy, at least in part. Over a million Jews throughout the land of Israel “fell” to the sword, famine, and pestilence. Many of the national leaders of Israel—the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, etc.—“fell” from their positions and failed to enter the kingdom.

Simeon was right, Jesus himself was a sign.

The Son of Man Gathering the Elect

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31).

The Son of Man would be present in the earth and in heaven not only to judge unfaithful nations but also to build up his own holy nation by gathering his elect (cp. 1 Peter 1:2; 2:9). The start of this Messianic-age gathering was a sign of the Temple’s doom.

Prophetic Precedent

The gathering sign is one of the most prominent themes assigned to the Messianic age. Every section of the Old Testament—the law, the writings, and the prophets—contains the promise that God would gather his people to the Messiah during the coming age.

In the law, Moses recorded Jacob’s final blessings on his sons. Regarding Judah, he said: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh¹⁰ come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10; emphasis added).

In the writings, God said the Messiah would “gather my saints together” (Psalm 50:5; emphasis added).

The prophets contain many “gathering” passages. Isaiah said the Messiah “shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11; emphasis added). This would follow the ministry of the one we now know as John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3–4).

This gathering would be part of a much bigger picture. God would establish the Messiah’s rule over kings (Isaiah 41:2) and establish justice among the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:1–3). The Messiah would “prevail against his enemies” (Isaiah 42:13) and “magnify the law, and make it honourable” (Isaiah 42:21).

One aspect of the gathering in this context is of particular importance to our prophetic model: the gathering would link to God’s judgment of Israel. God would give “Jacob for a spoil,” pour “upon him the fury of his anger,” and “set him on fire round about” (Isaiah 42:24–25). He would preserve the faithful in Israel through this judgment (Isaiah 43:1–4) and “bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west” (Isaiah 43:5; emphasis added).

How could Jesus have made his gathering sign conform any closer to Old Testament prophecies? Like them, he associated the gathering of the elect with his establishment of the Messianic kingdom in the last days of the Mosaic age. Like them, he connected the gathering to God’s judgment on Israel after the flesh.

We have no reason to think he was speaking of a different gathering than they had foretold.

Method of Gathering

The prophets help us understand how the gathering would occur. It would be a gradual process, like that of a flower growing until it blossoms: “He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit” (Isaiah 27:6). The video below shows this blossoming and prepares us for what Isaiah says next about the way Jesus gathers his elect.

When God purged “the iniquity of Jacob,” he would break off the withered boughs (Isaiah 27:9–11). Then, “he that formed them” promised they would be “gathered one by one” when the great trumpet would be blown (Isaiah 27:12; emphasis added). This one-by-one gathering has already accomplished a great harvest, but the best is yet to come. The trumpet is still sounding! Can you hear it?

The Trumpet and Angels

The last passage above suggests we should look to the Old Testament to understand Jesus’ trumpet imagery associated with the gathering of the elect. A trumpet blast had assembled Israel after the flesh (Jeremiah 4:5). Because many things in Israel’s Old Covenant life represented (or, were types of) things on a higher plane in the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11), we can surmise the Messianic age would use a higher-order trumpet to gather God’s people.

Isaiah confirms a trumpet would be blown to gather God’s people unto the Messiah: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem” (Isaiah 27:13; emphasis added). A trumpet blast would gather the people in the Messianic age.

Later, Isaiah tells us more about this trumpet. To announce judgment against Israel, God told Isaiah to “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). The trumpet represents the voice of God’s messengers to his people.

Jesus used this trumpet imagery in conformity with this prophetic precedent. He would gather the elect with “a great sound of a trumpet” (Matthew 24:31). He would use his messengers (or angels) as agents to accomplish the gathering. Since, in at least one case, the voice of an Old Testament messenger was “like a trumpet” to God’s people, we expect Jesus had something similar in mind in the Olivet Discourse.

Confirmation

Jesus had two other conversations during Passion Week that show we are on the right track. The first shows by way of contrast what Jesus meant by “gather.” On Tuesday,¹¹ just before giving the Olivet Discourse, Jesus confronted the Jews with their unbelief. He said, “how often would I have gathered thy children together . . . and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37). Later that day, Jesus contrasted their non-gathering with the angels’ successful gathering of the elect (Matthew 24:31).

Jesus used the same Greek word for “gathering” in both instances. The Jews rejected Jesus and would not be “gathered” to him in faith. The elect, however, would obey Christ’s messengers and be “gathered” to him. Jesus used the word “gathering” twice within a few hours. He meant the same thing in Matthew 24:31 as he had meant in Matthew 23:37. This sets up the amazing contrast between the Jew’s unbelief and the elect’s faith. Any other meaning for “gathering” in Matthew 24:31 spoils this contrast.

The second conversation occurred two days later. (We mentioned this conversation above.) During Jesus’ trial, Caiaphas said it was better for Jesus to die than for the Romans to destroy the nation. The apostle John commented on his words: “And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” (John 11:51–52). This is the one-by-one gathering of the prophets and it is also the gathering of which Jesus spoke in the Olivet Discourse.

After Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven, Paul understood his role in these terms. He said the Galatians had received him “as an angel of God” (Galatians 4:14). This “angel” labored to bring the elect to the Messiah. He told Timothy that he endured “all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10). Paul was fulfilling Jesus’ gathering mandate in God’s kingdom before the Temple fell.

The “gathering of the elect” is an age-long process. Throughout the parousia (presence) of Christ, the trumpet-voice of Christ’s messengers—his angels—will announce the gospel. The elect will receive this gospel as “the word of God” himself (1 Thessalonians 2:13; cp. 1:4) and come to Christ. This gathering of the elect will continue throughout Christ’s parousia (1 Corinthians 15:23, Greek) until he has subdued all his enemies (1 Corinthians 15:25).

We should, therefore, resist making arbitrary assumptions about what Jesus means by the angels, trumpet, and gathering. Our prophetic model will account for these signs in conformity to Old Testament precedent.

Conclusion

The last section of Jesus’ sign list contains three signs that point to the Messianic age. One was Jesus’ parousia, his “presence” with his people during the New Covenant age. Another was the Son of Man in heaven, from where he would rule over the events surrounding the destruction of the Temple. He would also send his messengers (or angels) to gather the elect. All these signs accompanied the destruction of the Temple and are consistent with prophetic precedent.

Jesus has now answered in full the disciples’ sign question. None of his signs pertain to some distant event disassociated from the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.

We are now ready to study the next part of Jesus’ response to the disciples’ questions: his answer regarding when the destruction of the Temple would occur (Matthew 24:3).

1. The days between Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and his resurrection on the first day of the week: Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
2. Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 780; emphasis added.
3. Albrecht Oepke, “Παρουσία Κτλ.,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-76), 5:859.
4. W. E. Vine, Collected Writings of W. E. Vine (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 5:149; emphasis added.
5. Israel P. Warren, The Parousia: A Critical Study of the Scripture Doctrines of Christ’s Coming; His Reign as King; the Resurrection of the Dead; and the General Judgment (Portland, ME: Hoyt, Fogg & Dunham, 1879), 78–79. Emphasis added.
6. E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible Explained and Illustrated (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1968), 732.
7. Earl S. Kalland, “Deuteronomy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol 3, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 215. Emphasis added. See also ESV, margin: “the lightning of my sword.”
8. The figurative meaning of the Greek word (ἀνάστασις) that literally means resurrection. See T. Friberg, B. Friberg, N. F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 52.
9. Cp. Luke 7:28.
10. I.e., the Messiah.
11. A. T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of Christ (New York: Harper, 1922), 169.