Optimism Between the Advents
by Rev. Paul Howden
December 2, 2007
First Sunday in Advent
Matthew 24:1-34

On a warm summer night, the captain walked the deck of his ship. As a favor he had sent his crew to bed early. The vessel quietly plied the tropical waters of Southeast Asia. He noticed an oversight. One of his men had left a rope hanging over the side. The captain began to pull the rope up and put it where it belonged, but something tugged at the other end. The captain peered over the edge. It was no shark. A young man floating naked held the other end. The captain lifted up the mystery man and silently they went to the captain’s quarters. There the stranger received a change of clothes.

“How did you get here?” the captain asked. The man whispered his story. He was a fugitive he explained. He had killed a bad man on another ship and jumped overboard. Spotting the lamp of a schooner off in the distance, he set off to catch it. Removing his clothes, he swam in pitch black toward the light. Happily a rope dangled on the side.

The captain took a liking to the escapee. He hid him in his cabin, but that wouldn’t last. Next day, the officers in the other ship came aboard and searched for the runaway (who was a swim away). They asked all hands on board to watch out for a dangerous man. So one night the captain steered the ship near land, and ordered a shipmate to do an inspection above hatch. This would give his friend a few minutes to open the door on the side of the vessel, slide down a rope and swim toward the fishing village. There was only a razor-thin margin for error. The young man disappeared into the inky darkness. [One of those morally ambiguous short stories by Joseph Conrad.]

Another escape occurred during the siege of Jerusalem in June of A.D. 68. Many members of the Jerusalem church eluded the roman armies. In the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, Jesus gave instructions to the Jerusalem believers when to escape. Let’s read Matthew 24:15-20. On this Second Advent Sunday we want to see what happens between the First and Second Advent.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

What was the abomination of desolation? Luke 21:20 clarifies it: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Hence, the “abomination of desolation” refers to the armed invasion of Jerusalem. The siege has to be part of the a. of d. (Abomination of desolation). Once the heathen armies surrounded the walled city the Christians must seek the first opportunity to escape to the mountains. This order to flee contradicted the instincts of the Christians. They would want to stay inside the city and defend it. Jerusalem was the Holy City where God came to dwell with His people; it seemed like the safest place to be. Moreover, the Roman soldiers would capture anyone who tried to flee and crucify him. Nero was the Emperor at that time and Vespasian was the general leading the campaign. Vespasian had been in Judea waging battles since the summer of A.D. 67. Suddenly, after one year, the Christians got the break they were looking for. Nero committed suicide in June of 68, and Vespasian withdrew from the battlefield. Why? He wanted to take the Emperor’s throne. The Romans lifted the siege. The error was quickly remedied, but there was a narrow window of opportunity, and the Christians took advantage. They escaped. Those on the housetops came down running, not even stopping to get extra clothes or photo albums. They heeded the words of the Lord and departed post haste. According to tradition, the congregation hiked from Judea through Samaria, and crossed the Jordan River to a rock fortress in Pella. Pella was a city about sixty miles northeast of Jerusalem. That is where they stayed for the next few years. It was a marvelous getaway. The historians Josephus and Eusebius record it for us. It has been estimated that the Romans slaughtered over a million in that terrible siege, but not the Christians. This episode suggests that Matthew 24 is history. It already took place during the destruction of Jerusalem from A.D. 66-70. Other factors support this conclusion. In the first couple verses Jesus and the disciples were gazing at the vastness of the Temple complex and Jesus promised, “Not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (v. 2).

That was a shocking prediction. In the Old Covenant mind, Jerusalem was the center of the world, the Temple was the focus of worship, and the animal sacrificial system was the spiritual foundation for all believers. The Temple in Jerusalem was the place of atonement. Eliminating Jerusalem would change everything. It would signal the end of a covenantal epoch, and through Christ usher in a new one.

Verse 34 is important for dating the fulfillment of the events listed in the Olivet Discourse. Verse 34 tells us when these things will take place. After Jesus catalogues wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, false prophets, the great tribulation, and the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; after predicting eight signs and events, He tells them when they will transpire. He says in verse 34, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” Of this verse C. S. Lewis wrote, “It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.” Why embarrassing? Jesus comes off as a false prophet. He uttered these words in the year 33 A.D. and they didn’t happen within that generation. Or did they?

Maybe the events Jesus spoke of in this discourse took place before the generation then living passed away. Forty years was regarded as one generation. That was how long the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. 33 + 40 = 73. These things needed to happen by A.D. 73. The words “this generation” indicate the people living and listening at the moment Jesus spoke those words, the generation then alive and breathing. No other meaning is acceptable. C. S. Lewis and all responsible interpreters know that. The word “generation” in Scripture never means a race of people. It means forty years. The reason there is no reason for embarrassment is that these things did transpire within 40 years. Jesus was the perfect prophet. They happened as He said they would. How?

In Matthew 24:3, Jesus warns His disciples of false christs, and there were many false messiahs that appeared during that generation. A cursory study of the Roman Empire shows wars and rumors of wars. What a chaotic age! Assassinations, civil wars, unspeakable debauchery, and instability – it was truly a lawless era. It was also a time of famines and earthquakes. The Jewish historian Josephus and others bring out the fact of widespread pestilence and tremors.

Furthermore, the Gospel was preached in all the world. Some would object at this point, “How is that possible?” Paul tells the Colossians the Gospel had already been “preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23). The boundaries of the Roman Empire were regarded the totality of the earth. According to the infallible Word of God, the gospel was indeed preached to the whole world well before Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. This sign of the end was fulfilled within that generation, as Jesus had said.

The thesis that the Olivet Discourse should apply to A.D. 70 is not a novel interpretation. Around the year A.D. 320 Eusebius, the father of church history, held this view. We find Bible-believing scholars in nearly every century of Church history that have advocated this explanation of the Olivet Discourse. It is orthodox and ancient.

It clears up a lot of confusion to see Christ’s prophecies in the Olivet discourse having already been fulfilled in the past, specifically during the three and a half year siege of Jerusalem from A.D. 66 to A.D. 70. That is, the prophesy of our Lord of Matthew 24:1-34 came to pass during that generation, during the lifetimes of the people who heard Him; they do not await a future fulfillment.

What are the implications of this perspective? It neutralizes apocalyptic, gloom and doom, last days speculation. We don’t treat the world like a sinking ship, rather we work for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus no longer says, “escape to the hills.” He says “Go, disciple the nations. By the power of the Holy Spirit, invade the strongholds of Satan!” Christ has come to earth and established His Kingdom. He died for the world, rose again, ascended, was crowned King of kings, and is now ruling the earth. Look at our banners and hangings for Advent, the ladies in purple dresses. They are purple; the color of royalty. Christ rules now! Considering the coronation of Jesus to the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and taking into consideration the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on, and empowering of the church, it seems logical to conclude that the Church should be marked by hope and optimism, not despair and pessimism. Our hopes and dreams, yea the very mission of the Church is not determined by the godlessness of the world around us, not by the alarming events we read in the newspapers; rather the mindset of God’s people is determined by the grandeur and power of the ascended Lord, the promises of Scripture, and the weapons available to the Church in her warfare.

In Christ there is hope for history. Christians are optimistic. The members of the Body of Christ dream great dreams, and plan great plans. We orient our work, and aim the efforts of our families for that future era that God’s Word promises, that is, earth restored, an era when “the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” (Is. 11:9). Daniel 7:13-14 has a word for us.

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Jesus comes up to the Ancient of days, receives a kingdom and all nations eventually serve him. This is a picture of Christ’s ascension into Heaven, His establishment of the Kingdom, and the advance of that kingdom over all nations. Our Psalm says something similar in Psalm 110:1-2. God the Father says to God the Son upon His ascension into Heaven, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Footstool means submission and worship of King Jesus. Jesus is even now subduing His enemies. Dozens of similar passages could be marshaled.

Jonathan Edwards thought along these lines. While he was a child the French and Indians attacked Deerfield, Massachusetts before dawn on February 29, 1704. That is where his uncles and aunts lived. Of the 300 residents, 39 were killed, and 112 led away captive through deep snows to Canada. Jonathan’s uncle woke up, saw about twenty Indians, grabbed a coat, and ran ten miles to safety. His other uncle, aunt and cousins were not as fortunate. The Indians killed six-week-old Jerusha and six-year-old John in front of their horrified parents. The mother, Eunice, recovering from childbirth and now further burdened by inexpressible grief, faltered and fell crossing a river on the second day trek to Canada. An Indian warrior put her out of her misery with his hatchet at one stroke. The husband and surviving children were driven to Canada at spear-point. They were enslaved there for years. All this was fresh in the minds of the Edwards family as Jonathan grew up. They constantly prayed for protection for their captured relatives.

Today we know how things turned out in New England. The English Colonists prevailed in their struggles, but at that time, the early 18th century, it appeared just as likely that the French would drive the English into the sea, or the Indians would slaughter everybody. There was little sense of security.

Furthermore, Edwards’ relatives were notorious criminals. His grandmother was promiscuous and profligate; his great-aunt committed infanticide, and his great-uncle was an ax-murderer. If anybody could have been, or should have been pessimistic about the future of Christ’s kingdom it was Jonathan Edwards. Life was uncertain and frightening, sin was tenacious and deep, the enemy seemed strong, yet Edwards’ outlook was governed by the Bible; he expected, if God granted him the grace, to play a role in promoting God’s earthly kingdom at a crucial moment in the history of redemption.

He believed that prayer meetings, evangelism, and missionary work would cause worldwide revival and earthly restoration. Here is George Marsden’s synopsis of his views. As I read this, keep in mind that Edwards believed that the millennium would transpire before Christ’s Second Coming: “The biblical pictures of the coming kingdom were awe inspiring. Edwards allowed that the millennium might mean either a thousand years or a very long time… During the long era that would follow, almost everyone would truly follow Christ. As a result, wars would cease, nations would dwell together as brethren, ‘the wolf should dwell with the lamb.’ There would be a ‘vast increase of knowledge,’ and ‘all heresies and false doctrines shall be exploded.’ In short, the triumph of Christ’s kingdom ‘is an event unspeakably happy and glorious.’” [Jonathan Edwards, A Life. P. 335.] There would be great health, peace, longevity, a population explosion, and a flowering of the environment. The Church would become the beautiful bride adorned and ready for the coming of her Groom, King Jesus. (Rev. 19:9; Is. 65:17 ff.)

Edwards’ view is perhaps a tad overly optimistic. Earthly restoration is not some perfect or utopian condition. Tares and wheat will both exist commingled until the end. Nevertheless, this optimistic faith propelled Edwards and his generation to amazing feats for God’s glory. David Brainard’s missionary heroics among the Indians is an example. Edwards wrote one hundred years before the invention of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine, a teaching that tends to create apathy for the Church and Christian culture. After all, why work for Christ’s kingdom before the Second Coming if it is destined for utter failure?

The late David Chilton had this to say, “We must stop acting as if we are forever destined to be a subculture…We should not see ourselves as lonely outposts surrounded by an increasingly hostile world; that is to bear false witness against God. The truth is just the opposite of that. It is the devil who is on the run; it is paganism which is doomed to extinction. Christianity is ultimately the dominant culture, predestined to be the final and universal religion. The Church will fill the earth.” [Paradise Restored. P. 212.]

During Advent we observe the comings of Christ. He came to earth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. That was His first Advent. He will come again for His Bride at the end of time after she defeats her enemies. That will be His Second Advent, at which time He will transform the entire cosmos.

For several centuries the Church celebrated Christmas in March, April and May. But then they set the date at December 25, the winter solstice. The nights get longer and longer leading up to December 25. Darkness has reached its nadir, its low point, yet on the same day that dynamic begins to change. After December 25, the light of day will gradually grow longer until we reach June 25, the most light of the year. That is one way to illustrate the time between the two advents. December 25, represents the First Advent; June 25, represents the Second Advent. During that interval the glory and splendor of Christ shines more and more brightly. No doubt, there will be cloudy days, and times when the night seems to dominate the light, but over the course of time we see that light is conquering darkness. This is an Advent theme that comes out in the Collect for Advent. Christ is the light, and we reflect His light to the extent we behave in a Christ-like manner. That being the case, throw away the works of darkness. Cast away those sins that hinder the progress of God’s earthly kingdom. Put on the armor of light. Cast away prayerlessness; put on a daily prayer habit. Cast away sarcasm and anger; put on love and kindness. Cast away ingratitude and self-pity; put on joy and thankfulness. Cast away sloth; put on discipline. Cast away lust; put on purity. Cast away theft and covetousness; put on contentment. Cast away cowardice; put on courage. Cast away harshness and impatience; put on gentleness and perseverance. Cast away pride and vanity; put on humility. Cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. To the extent you are able to cast away darkness and put on light you are advancing the kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is big. Therefore, God calls you to become part of something bigger than yourself; He adopts you into His family and into His Kingdom. His family is huge, and His kingdom covers time and eternity. Your orders are to get involved in the Church and disciple the nations. Every Christ-like thing you do in Church and in your vocation has a purpose toward growing the Kingdom of God. This movement transcends your earthly existence. You are part of something that is universal, eternal, and redemptive. It started thousands of years ago, and will continue until Christ comes again. 

When you pray, it furthers the Kingdom of God. When you read your Bible it does the same. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little, and God uses your deeds for growing His Kingdom. God uses the preaching of His Word and the celebration of His sacrament to vanquish the enemy. Every person you witness to, every time you sing in the choir, or attend church and listen to a sermon or participate in the Lord’s Supper, or help a person who is needy, God is using you to further is kingdom. See yourself in the larger scheme of things. Christ is King, and He sends you to fight and pray and worship on behalf of His Kingdom. Be resolved this Advent to serve your King, your Elder Brother, your King Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.

[Recommended books on the subject: Paradise Restored by David Chilton; Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar; and David B. Currie’s Rapture: the End-Times Error that Leaves the Bible Behind. This last work is by a Roman Catholic a-millennialist.]