Truth Magazine

By Tom M. Roberts

While walking across a field out in the country near Purcell, Oklahoma, with one of the elders of the church while in a meeting in that city, I noticed the terrible effects that erosion of the soil was causing to some pasture land. Across the middle of a large pasture, long gullies and deep cuts were found where the grass was totally gone and the bright, red clay so prevalent north of the beautiful Arbuckle Mountain range glared back at us where the cows had once grazed. And, it was evident, the erosion was not finished. Nothing was being done by the owner of the land to retard the progress of the spreading red gullies and lost topsoil. Native grasses cannot grow in the hard clay banks of gullies, so the wind and rain continue their relentless assaults on the pasture and the value continues to dwindle.

I could not help but compare the loss of that valuable land through erosion to some dear friends and brothers in Christ (as well as churches) who, through spiritual erosion, are losing their faith., In one case the vicissitudes of nature are at work on unprotected soil; on the other, the troubles and problems of life are eating away at the soul.

Eroded land can be easily seen. The sharp contrast between the green grass, the flowers of the field and the deep ocher of the gullies can scarcely go unnoticed, even from afar. But erosion of faith is more subtle and, while the Bible describes faith erosion in great detail, many fail to see it because it is visible only to the spiritual eye, not to the physical. We are not saying that spiritual erosion cannot be seen. It is, simply, that people don’t watch out for it like they do gullies in the land. But while lost topsoil contributes to a loss of retail value in land, the loss of faith often does irreparable harm to the soul.

Causes of Erosion

You know, it doesn’t take a nuclear blast to start erosion. Alone cow, walking regularly to water, often leaves a trail where the water begins to follow. Harsh winds blow the dust from the tracks. The gentle rains start a trickle and the driving storms increase the flow. Little by little, day after day, the cycles of nature add a cumulative effect that starts the soil to wash. Because the process is so slow and insignificant, one does not notice what is going on until, one day, if the farmer is fortunate, he takes inventory of the land and realizes what is taking place. With little effort, in the early stages, soil erosion can be stopped. Later, it may take a large government grant and a soil conservation expert to arrive at a solution. But erosion starts so imperceptibly that its after-effects are out of all proportion. (Did the Grand Canyon begin with a deer track leading to water?) Daily familiarity discourages objectivity and many do not see the problem until it is too late.

Isn’t the spiritual application all too obvious? Isn’t this often the course of a fall from grace? Folks, it doesn’t take a bombshell. to destroy faith if faith is left unattended and unguarded. Faith is not an absolute in our life that once attained will never change or diminish. It must constantly be attended, nourished, strengthened .and “added to” (2 Pet. 1:5, “add to your faith, virtue . . .”). We increase our faith by regularly reading God’s word (Rom. 10:17) and meditating on it (Psalms I) so that the roots of our faith reach to the Living Water and are sustained. Without this constant tending and increasing of faith, the vicissitudes of life will eat away at our foundations until faith is gone and we know not when it happened. Such has been the case on many sad occasions when Christians leave the Lord and fall back into the world. What has happened? Their faith has eroded. When did it happen? Who can tell? It did not happen at one dramatic moment, like the clap of thunder. Such occurring can not be marked on a calendar as not being a reality one day and an actuality the next. But erosion of faith is no less true because it is not easily observed. It may have started simply in the failure to read the Bible, the failure to worship, the failure to be with the saints in fellowship, or the failure to pray. By the time one “quits the church” the damage has been done. In fact, it seems that many Christians continue to “attend church” long after faith is gone. Hardly a preacher or elder will disagree with that! Many folks in the pew are there in body only, their faith being long gone.

“For who bath despised the day of the small things’? (Zech. 4:10). “Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth” (James 3:4). Though our faith be great, we must not allow the little grinding effects of life to wear away at it without replenishing from its source. It has been said that the Chinese invented a form of torture whereby a man is driven mad by a drop of water falling upon his forehead hour upon hour, without stop. While we might like to think that if, put to the test of “deny Christ and live,” we would accept death rather than deny our Lord, few will ever face such a test. What all of us face is the daily wear arid grind of worldly pressures, temptations to do evil, disappointments and discouragements. The bills get out of hand and we grow weary. The children give us problems and it never seems to stop. The church has problems and brethren treat us unreasonably. We have sickness and our loved ones die. From all sides and on every day, the incessant drip . . . drip . . . drip of problems eats away at our faith. Which is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back or the drop of water that finally starts the flood that sweeps away our faith? No one can tell, but a lack of perception does not deny the tragedy of a fall from God’s grace.

What To Do About It?

Once a brother or sister quits the Lord, it is all too obvious what has taken place. Then, after damage too extensive to be corrected has taken place, a family member or a fellow saint tries in vain to get the fallen to “come back to church,” as though that is the problem. But lack of faith is the problem; the other is but a symptom. And, while it is true that each one of us has the ultimate responsibility to see to our own needs (for we shall have to give answer for our own soul), it is also true that it is easier to build faith from even a glowing ember than to ignite a dead coal. We need help before we lose faith; we should help others before faith dies. It is easier to stop erosion than to rebuild a damaged field. But how, how do we keep faith from eroding?

Friend, there can be no short-cut to the first step; no substitution or viable alternative. The first thing to realize is that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). We have read that so much and yet we don’t believe it. Yet God’s word is the foundation for true faith and nothing else will do. All the positive attitude books in the world will not help in the absence of the Book. Mental health tapes are valueless if the word of God is allowed to gather dust on a shelf. Read your Bibles!

Further, turn off the world on different occasions and worship God. Worship does not just do God “good,” or glorify Him. He will be no less God if none of us worship Him. We need to worship God for the good it does us. Worship restores our soul. It builds our faith. It strengthens our spirits. Find time to worship.

Associate with other saints. True, “we must needs go out of the world” (1 Cor. 5:10) to avoid contacts with worldly people. But we must learn to choose friends who can help us be faithful and not contribute to a loss of faith. Visit and be close to other Christians.

Do good deeds for others. It is not without reason that Jesus predicated greatness in His kingdom upon service. Show me the Christian who thinks and works for the good of others and I will show you a person full of faith. Selfishness and laziness will destroy faith. Visit the sick, the widows, the fatherless. Do good to others. Be busy for the Lord. Pass out tracts in your neighborhood (have you ever done this?). Visit and talk with a weak brother or sister who needs a friend. Read good material that discusses the Bible. Teach a class. Have a Bible study in your home (have you ever done this?). These, and countless other things, contribute to a constant repair before erosion of the soil, even so must the Christian stay busy in such things to avoid erosion of the soul.

Take a walk through the pastures of your faith. Is the Lord your shepherd? Do you lie down in green pastures and walk beside the still waters? Is the Lord restoring your soul (Psalms 23)? Or do you find there the rivulets of erosion that can become the raging torrent that will sweep away your faith. Let us learn ever to watch and do these things that build us up in the most holy faith.

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 13, pp. 385, 406-407
July 7, 1983

By 

The Apostle Paul addressed his Galatian epistle to “the churches of Galatia,” suggesting a plurality of congregations in that Roman province. These congregations existed as a result of his own efforts on his second preaching tour (Acts 16:6); on his third trip Paul “went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples” (Acts 18:23).

Not so very long after this second visit, Paul wrote the Galatian epistle to deal with problems which had been found in the midst of the Galatian Christians, especially the problem of the Judaizing teachers. The seriousness of this problem can be better realized when we learn that they had removed themselves from God, had fallen from God’s grace (Gal. 1:5; 5:4). The short statement of Galatians 5:7, serves a two-fold purpose: it reveals, by contrast, their condition as Christians before the problems entered and it reveals their condition after the problems had taken their toll.

“Ye Did Run Well”

The word “run” is “a metaphor taken from the runners in a race, to exert one’s self, strive hard; to spend one’s strength in performing or attaining something; Rom. 9:16; Gal. 5:7” (Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon on trecho). The adverb “well” is also defined by Thayer as “excellently, nobly, commendably; 1 Cor. 14:17; Gal. 5:7.”

From these definitions, we can understand that the Galatian Christians had been striving in a commendable way, they were exerting themselves in an excellent fashion, they had been spending their strength in a noble way, and they, no doubt, were pleasing to God while thus serving. I do not believe it would be an exaggeration to say that all Christians could be described in this way, at some time or other in our past. We were, then, serving nobly; we were performing in a commendable fashion, we were truly striving to please our God. The question that follows reveals their present condition.

“Who Did Hinder You That Ye Should Not Obey The Truth?”

They were not now obeying God’s Truth. They could not now be described as serving nobly; they could not be complimented for an excellent job, or for a commendable life. Some one was their excuse for not obeying the Truth. Vine defines the word “hinder” (enkopto) as follows: “… used of impeding persons by breaking up the road, or by placing an obstacle sharply in the , path; hence metaphorically – of hindering progress in the Christian life, Gal. 5:7, where the significance virtually is `who broke up the road along which you were traveling so well?’ ” Please notice that it makes no difference who it was that hindered them; they were still in a lost condition (Gal. 1:5; 5:4). How many of us find ourselves in this condition? We begin with enthusiasm, determination and dedication. We “run well” for a season!

A Practical Application

Who hinders us: That we do not attend all the services we can? That we do not give of our means as we should? That we do not work to lead others to Christ? That we do not make our home what the truth demands? When we fail to avoid the evils of the world as the truth directs? And, when we fail to grow as a Christian should?

We Can Control The Situation

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Cor. 13:5). We are told to make our calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10). Also, we are told to bring our lives into harmony with the Gospel of Christ (Phil. 1:27). Let each of us develop a sense of priorities (Mt. 6:33), and a proper sense of values (Mk. 8:36). Dear reader, who hinders you that you do not obey the truth? Remember, regardless of who (or what) it is, your soul is purified only in obeying the truth (1 Pet. 1:22). Inspiration says that they who do not obey the truth are foolish; “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” (Gal. 3:1).

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 12, p. 376
June 16, 1983

By Russell H. Dunaway

Perhaps one of the most controversial issues among brethren today is that which arises concerning the child of God and his sins of ignorance. Some brethren teach that if a child of God sins through ignorance, that sin of ignorance will not separate him from God; rather, this sin of ignorance will be cleansed with the blood of Christ unconditionally. In this lesson, we shall see that this is simply not taught in the Bible. Throughout the history of God’s dealings with man, provisions for a sin committed in ignorance have been made, but these provisions were conditional.

Sins Of Ignorance Under The Law Of Moses

As one studies the law of Moses, he will learn in Leviticus 4 that it was possible for a man to sin through ignorance under the law of Moses. If you will take the time to read Leviticus 4 in its entirety, you will learn that it was possible for the priest to sin through ignorance (v. 2); that it was possible for the whole congregation to sin through ignorance (v. 13); that it was possible for the rulers to sin through ignorance (v. 22); and that it was possible for the common man to sin through ignorance (v. 27). But, as you read this chapter you will also learn there were provisions made in the law for the sins these people committed in ignorance. God had provided for an atonement to be made for their sins of ignorance, but only after they had learned of the sin and only as the conditions were met (notice vv. 3, 14, 23, 28). The provisions for the sins of ignorance committed under the law of Moses were conditional.

In Leviticus 5:17, 18, we learn that not only was it possible for a person to sin through ignorance, but also that these sins of ignorance brought with them guilt (v. 17). Thus, the sins of ignorance committed under the law of Moses separated sinners from God. This is consistent with other passages found in the Old Testament dealing with sin such as in Isaiah 59:1, 2 or Ezekiel 18:4, 20. God said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Leviticus 5:17 teaches that this is just as true of a sin committed through ignorance as it is of any other sin; “though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.” Verse 18 goes on to teach that sins committed through ignorance could be forgiven, but only as the conditions were met. It does not teach that sins of ignorance were unconditionally forgiven. Provisions were made, but they did not provide for an unconditional forgiveness.

As you study further in the law of Moses, there were provisions made for the sins of ignorance, but you will also see that there were no provisions made for the man that had sinned presumptuously (Num. 15:22-31). Even in this passage, however, the provisions that God made for the sins committed in ignorance were conditional. As long as a man had not met the conditions for forgiveness of a sin committed in ignorance, he was guilty of that sin.

In Ezekiel 18, we learn that “the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ezek. 18:20, 21). Again we see that a man is guilty of his sins (whether committed in ignorance or not) and that he shall bear the iniquity of those sins, unless he meets the conditions that God has given. He is a sinner and must seek forgiveness on God’s terms.

It is quite common for those who teach an unconditional cleansing of the sins which a child of God commits in ignorance to refer to Psalms 19:12 where David said, “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.” Therefore, let us look at this passage and see if it teaches an unconditional forgiveness of sins of ignorance. In the first place, let us consider, “Who can understand his errors?” Is David here teaching that we cannot understand what our sins are? Of course not! Sin is defined by John as “transgression of the law.” Thus, if a man could not understand what his sins were, he could not understand what the law of God is. Paul said that we could understand God’s law when we read it (Eph. 3:3-5). Thus, David could not be saying that it is impossible for a man to understand what his sins were, for we can understand that, if we will read the word of God and study it. The word of God gives warning to the servant of God and he receives the reward for keeping the word of God (Psa. 19:11). I suggest to you that David is here saying the same thing that Solomon said in Proverbs 16:2, i.e., “every man’s way is clean in his own eyes.” We have the tendency to say, “I am satisfied with my life,” but those who say that are confused about the whole matter. The question is not, “Am I satisfied,” but “Is God satisfied?” Man has a tendency to think in terms of his own reasoning and understanding and thus, by my own understanding, it is not possible for me to understand my errors. But I can understand my errors by looking into the perfect law of liberty (Jas. 1:25; Jer. 10:23). This is what David is saying in Psalm 19. No man, in and of himself can understand his errors. We must rely upon the word of God (vv. 7-11), rather than on human wisdom.

In the second place, when David said, “cleanse me from secret faults,” of what was he speaking? Was he speaking of sins committed through ignorance? Well, that certainly is one opinion! But, that is not the only opinion. It could be argued as well that the secret faults of Psalm 19:12 are those faults of which other people were not aware. The whole argument made from Psalm 19 is based upon an opinion of what is said, rather than the fact of what is said. It begins with an assumption, and thus, if the assumption is false, then the conclusion that follows from that assumption would also be false.

However, let us assume that David is speaking of sins that he has committed of which he is unaware. Would this mean that David was asking for an unconditional forgiveness of his sins of ignorance? Not at all! The whole point that David makes in Psalm 19 is that the word of the Lord reveals the will of the Lord, and that as we study and learn the will of the Lord, we can keep His will and be rewarded when this life is over. Nature reveals the existence of God (Psa. 19:1-6). The word of God reveals the will of God (Psa. 19:7-11). Keeping the will of God secures the reward of God (v. 11). Thus, David is not here asking for an unconditional forgiveness (i.e., forgiveness without the appropriate sacrifices) of sins of ignorance; rather, he is asking for the ability to learn of his sins, so that he can turn from them, keep God’s will, and receive the reward. As Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:5, “And if a man strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully.” David had to learn the rules and abide by them to receive the prize, the reward.

Jesus’ Teaching On The Sins of Ignorance

In Luke 12:47, 48 Jesus makes a distinction in the punishment of the man who sins against his knowledge, and the man who sins in ignorance. The man who sins against his knowledge will be “beaten with many stripes,” while the man who sins through ignorance will be beaten with “few stripes.” It should be observed that the man who sinned through ignorance was still accountable for his sins. He was punished for them; he did receive stripes, though they were few stripes. Thus, ignorance does not excuse a man from the responsibility for his sins. Jesus taught that the man who sinned in ignorance, “though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and he shall bear his iniquity.”

Sins Of Ignorance and the Crucifixion of Christ

Concerning those who crucified Christ, Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:47). Peter acknowledged in Acts 3:17 that Jesus was crucified because of ignorance, but in Acts 2:38 he also commanded them to “repent and be baptized every one of you.” Jesus prayed that they would be forgiven, and that prayer was answered only as they met the conditions that God gave. Sins of ignorance are forgiven only as the conditions are met.

Sins of Ignorance and The Israelites In Paul’s Day

In Romans 10:1-3 we learn that the Israelites of Paul’s day were zealous, but they were ignorant of God’s righteousness (the gospel – Rom. 1:17). Thus, they set out to establish their own righteousness. Theirs was a sin of ignorance, yet, they were lost and in need of salvation. Yet, Paul went on to teach that they could be saved if they met all of the conditions that God gave them (Rom. 10:9, 10).

Sins Of Ignorance And The Works Of The Flesh

In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul gives a listing of some of the works of the flesh, and he states that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” If you will notice the first of these sins of the flesh, you will see that it is “adultery.” There are some people who are members of the body of Christ and yet are engaged in an adulterous relationship (perhaps it is an unscriptural marriage relationship). Sometimes this baptized believer is ignorant of there being anything wrong with his unscriptural marriage relationship, and so, he continues to be united with a woman that he is unscripturally married to, thinking that there is nothing wrong with it (some preachers take the position that baptism will somehow wash away the first marriage of the person involved in a second unscriptural marriage relationship). Does this man have any grounds on which to hope for a home in heaven when this life is over? Will God automatically cover his sin of ignorance with the blood of Christ until he learns better? The Apostle said that it was not possible for such a person to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Ignorance will not change the law of God, and the violation of the law of God will not go unpunished because of ignorance (Heb. 2:2). This is true of adultery, of fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, etc. The only way that we can read in the Bible for a man to be forgiven of his sins of ignorance is for him to repent and turn from them, confessing them to the Lord and asking forgiveness of them. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1 Cor. 6:9).

Sins Of Ignorance And 1 John 1

In 1 John 1:5, John said, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Whenever a Christian sins through ignorance, is that sin in the light, or is it in darkness? John said that it was in darkness, for there is no sin in God. John went on to say, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Whenever a child of God sins, even if he sins through ignorance, he is in darkness. If he is in darkness, he is not in fellowship with God. Thus, the only way that he can have fellowship with God is to get back into the light (v. 6). How does a man get from darkness to light? John tells us in verse 9. He said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We enter fellowship with God when we obey the gospel; we continue in fellowship with God as we walk in the light. We depart from fellowship with God when we sin. We re-enter fellowship with God when we turn from our sins and ask God to forgive us of them. Thus it is that Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The only way that one can read in the Bible by which the sins of a child of God are forgiven, including those committed in ignorance, is to learn of them, turn from them, and seek forgiveness on God’s terms. He must meet the conditions that God has given. Not one passage in the Bible teaches that God forgives sins of ignorance unconditionally!

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 12, pp. 372-373
June 16, 1983

By Dan King

The Signs of the Destruction

Matthew 24:4-33 relates the signs which were to give warning to the disciples of Christ that the fall of Jerusalem was imminent. They were not to be the signs of the end (v. 6), as the dispensationalists argue, but of the beginning of sorrows (v. 8)! We shall list them as they were offered by Jesus, discussing them in his order.

(1) False Christs (v. S). Josephus says that the days before the Roman devastation of Jerusalem were times when importers were in abundance. “The land was overrun with magicians, seducers, and importers, who drew the people after them into solitudes and deserts to see the signs and miracles which they promised to show them by. the power of God.”

(2) Wars and Rumors of Wars (vv. 6-8). The years before 70 AD were years of instability and insurrection both in Palestine and throughout the Roman world. In June 68 AD, Nero died and a blood-bath ensured; three emperors arose in quick succession (Galba, Otho, Vitellius); each died violently. The last murder (within a year) brought Vespasian to the throne. He was the emperor who dispatched Titus to Jerusalem to carry out his fateful mission.

(3) Persecution of the Saints (vv. 9-10). The first wave of persecution occurred in Palestine at the hands of the Jews. The second came at the instigation of Jewish leaders in the diaspora and unhappy pagans. The third wave began in 64 AD under Nero, who blamed Christians for the burning of Rome. The book of Acts records the murder of Stephen (chap. 7), the persecution of Saul of Tarsus (8:1-3; 9:1-2), the death of James by the hand of Herod (Acts 12:1-2), numerous instances of persecution of Paul and his associates as they worked in different localities to spread the gospel, and even evidences the beginning of Imperial persecution in the imprisonment of Paul and his trial before Nero.

(4) False Prophets (v. 11). Such men were many in number in the days before the final war. Times of great instability have always bred them in abundance. False prophets among the Christians also arose. Their presence is confirmed in the New Testament at Corinth (2 Cor. 11:13-15), Galatia (1:7), etc.

(5) Departures from the Faith (vv. 12-13). Each false prophet and challenge to the truth naturally brought losses numerically.

(6) Gospel to All the World (v. 14). Most premillennialists try to make much of the fact that mass communication today is necessary to fulfill the letter of this sign. The invention of television and radio, satellite communication, etc., make this a possibility, according to them. But this expression has the meaning it has elsewhere: it refers to that portion of the world then known and ruled by Rome (cf. Lk. 2:1). Paul says that this feat was already accomplished in his own day: “The truth of the gospel… is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing… the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven’. . .” (Col. 1:6, 23).

(7) The Abomination of Desolation (vv. IS-20): This was to be the signal for Christians to flee the place – destruction was near at hand. “When therefore you see… then let them that are in Judaea flee. . .” (w. 15-16). What this “desolating sacrilege” was precisely has been debated in modern times. Whether it was Titus and his soldiers in the proximity of Jerusalem or in the Holy places with their pagan emblems, or yet some sacrilege which we do not know about that they committed – we cannot be sure. Perhaps the clue of Mark is a help, when he says: “the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be. . .” (13:4). Some have surmised that this is a reference to the Zealots installing in the final days of the sanctuary the imbecile Phannias, an unrighteous man, who thus “usurped a position that was not his.” I am sure they had less difficulty understanding what this meant than do we.

(8) Great Tribulation (v. 21). The bloodshed at the fall of Jerusalem and her Temple along with the other cities and towns of the land at the coming of Titus and his Tenth legion in 70 was utterly indescribable, shocking to our sensibilities. Josephus gives us some impression of the horrors of that time in his history, but written history can never truly capture the red of blood or the sight of carnage. Neither can it give a true impression of the agony of human suffering in the wake of such an awful tragedy.

(9) Apocalyptic Signs (vv. 29-31). On account of its graphic symbolism some authors wish to assign this portion of the chapter as answer to the final question and see it in connection with the speech without explanation. Too, it takes no notice of similar language in the Old Testament prophets. Actually each expression has its counterpart in Old Testament prophecy.

There is also the problem of Christ’s use of the word “immediately” in the context of the events of 70 AD: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days. . .” (v. 29). The view which makes this refer to the end of the world is forced to either ignore this word or assume Jesus was mistaken about it. The modernist does the latter without a blink of the eye. Those who have respect for Scripture would be better served by a more reasonable way of reading it.

Since most people are not overly familiar with the figures of biblical prophecy, we will include here a brief series of parallels from the Old Testament. The stars becoming dark, the moon not giving its light, etc. (v. 29), is paralleled in the picture of the fall of Babylon (Isa. 13:10), the fall of Idumea (Isa. 34:4, 5), and the judgment against Egypt in Ezekiel 32:7-8. The “sign of the Son of Man,” the coming, etc., have parallels in the day of judgment on Egypt and Ethiopia (“a day of clouds”) in Ezekiel 30:3-4; in Ezekiel 19:1 Jehovah rides on a swift cloud to bring judgment on Egypt. The picture of His “coming” is consistent with other quotations from Jesus which do not necessitate an actual physical return but instead a “presence” in some event or happening (cf. Matt. 16:28; 26:64). This “coming” cannot be the second coming, for Luke 21:27 and Mark 13:26 refer it to the fall of Jerusalem. See also Isaiah 19:1 and Zephaniah 2:7. The “Gathering of the Elect” (v. 31) is a figurative picture of the Christians fleeing the city. Comparison may be made with Zechariah 2:6ff.; Hosea 1:11, etc. When the revolt against the Romans broke out in 66 AD, the Christian community (having been warned by Jesus) forsook the city and fled to Pella, one of the cities of the Decapolis. Christians did not return until after 135 AD.

(10) The Lesson of the Fig Tree (vv. 32-33). As the fig tree gives obvious and incontrovertible proof of the nearness of summer, so the signs which Jesus gave would indicate the end of the Jewish state. The “signs of the times” were, therefore, indicators of the fall of Jerusalem and were fulfilled in the years preceding 70 AD. They do not refer to the end of the world or to the second coming of Christ. To argue for a “second fulfillment” (as do all premillennialists) is to make a case without any scriptural support whatever. The proof of this view must come from somewhere besides the Bible, because it cannot be found therel Some claim “the language transcends what happened in 70 AD,” but in doing so they ignore the essential nature of prophetic language, which is regularly hyperbolical. We would urge the reader to spend some time in the prophets, reading their messages and paying special attention to their use of figures and symbolism. Study of the prophets, you will find, is the best possible refutation of false theories having to do with prophecy.

Time of Fulfillment: One Generation

Jesus said that within one generation Jerusalem would come under attack and the Temple would be devastated (vv. 34-35): “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” All that He had mentioned in His foregoing remarks, the signs and signals of Jerusalem’s catastrophic demise, all these were to take place before the end of one generation. Attempts by dispensationalists to make “this generation” and end-time generation are doomed to failure on account of the context. If I said to you that certain things would happen before the end of “this generation,” would you not understand me to be speaking of the generation in which we today live? Of course you would. Why would we want to take the words of Jesus any differently? I suggest to you that we would not – unless we were bent upon proving something which Jesus Himself did not say or intend by his words. Premillennialists know “one generation” in the Bible is roughly forty years (Hebrew dor, Greek genea), the time between a man’s birth and the birth of his son (though some are now saying it is seventy to avoid the passage of time since the beginning of the modern state of Israel in 1948). Among the Greeks a “generation” was from 30 to 33 years (Herodotus 2.142; et al.; Heraclitus, ch. 11). They avoid, or attempt to avoid, the conclusion “this generation” meant the one in which the hearers lived by assuming the ones who should see the signs would be distinct from those first hearers. But that generation did see the signs and did flee the city just as Jesus warned them to do! Jesus spoke in the year 30 AD, the fall of Jerusalem occurred in 70, so the forty year mark was very precise. We cannot find a single reason for looking for another fulfillment of this great prophecy. In point of fact, it stands as a testimony to the power and foreknowledge of Christ, who predicted the event in such great detail during a time of peace and prosperity many years previous.

All sorts of mental gymnastics have been attempted to avoid the plain meaning of Christ’s words. Some who reject premillennialism but think this portion alludes to the second coming of Christ (McGarvey, Fourfold Gospel, p. 632) see it as a reference to “the Jewish family or race,” so that it “becomes a prophecy that the Jewish people shall be preserved as such until the coming of Christ.” The Greek word genea does at times have the meaning “race, stock, or family,” but the context is too clear to allow it to have this definition here. The entire sentiment and mood of the first portion of the chapter was such as to give the hearers the distinct impression they would live to see that of which the Lord spoke. If this is not true, then Jesus definitely gave the wrong impression by what he said, and we are not ready to say that.

What is the relation of Matthew 24 to the existence of the modern state of Israel? Simply put, there is none. The return of Israel to her land, the existence of a modern state, the rebuilding of the Temple, etc., are nowhere mentioned in this chapter or its parallels. The Israel of Jesus’ day, the nation of Jesus’ day, the Temple of Jesus’ day, and the generation of Jesus’ day – these are the indisputable objects of Christ’s words!

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 12, pp. 369-371
June 16, 1983