charlesjTEXAX
16th January 2006, 08:52 AM
END OF TIME?…..OR, TIME OF THE END?
A lot of times we hear people use the phrase “end of time” when describing bible passages. Many times the passage is speaking of the “time of the end.”
How many “ends” are there? Sometimes a “translation” will confuse the reader or lead him/her to think in another way than what the context is really written. We need to read the same message as it was intended. Many “read into” (eisgesis) what the scripture is saying instead of “reading out of” (exegete).
A good example of a “mistranslation” (or a translation that could have been better) is Matthew 24:3 –
Matthew 24:3 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? KJV
The NAS reads:
Matthew 24:3 3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Strong’s defines “aion”: <Strongs #165> aivw,n (aion)
Meaning: a space of time, an age
Origin: from a prim. root appar. mean. continued duration
Here in Matthew 24:3 the Greek word “aion” is translated “world” in the KJV where it should have been translated “age.” The Greek for “world” is “kosmos” and not “aion.” Since it is translated “world,” many think the disciples are asking Jesus about the “end of time, or the end of the world.” No, they are asking about the “end of the age.”
There are only two ages spoken of in the New Testament.
Again, the KJV, in Matthew 12:32 translates “aion” as “world”:
Matthew 12:32 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world(aion), neither in the world(aion) to come.
Matthew 12:32 32 "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come. NAS
Here in Matt 12, Jesus speaks of two ages, the present age (old Covenant age that He was living in) and the age to come (The new age He was bringing in, the New Testament age).
When you understand, that the age that was ending to be the age of the Jewish economy, you will understand that the “time of the end” would be the “end” of all things for the Jew. His world was made up of Judaism. If Jesus told them that their economy was fixing to be destroyed, then in their mind they would think of the end of time. Their “age” ended in 70 A.D. when Titus
destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. It was the end of the Jewish economy, never to be rebuilt as it was under the Old Covenant time.
You will also began to see when the “last days, the last hour” is spoken of, it is referring to the
end of the Jewish economy as it was during Christ’s time. I firmly believe the old economy ticked down until 70 A.D.
With “time of the end” in mind, I will give you a verse by verse commentary on Matthew 24.
Signs of Impending Destruction
A VERSE BY VERSE LOOK AT MATTHEW 24 OF THE SIGNS.
Messiah Jesus is asked the question: “Matthew 24:3 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (AION) (KJV)
The problem with this verse is in the last word “world.” In the Greek, the word is ‘aion’ and means “age.” This verse would have been better-translated “end of the age.” The Greek word for world is “kosmos,” but “aion” is used here.
Matthew 24:3 3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (NAS)
The New American Standard correctly translates it “age.”
[Matthew 24:5]
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
In Matthew 24 Jesus warned His disciples that false teachers would be numerous, more than ever before. Josephus, the historian, verifies the fact that near the time of the destruction of Jerusalem many false Messiahs appeared, claiming to be Christ. He says these became more numerous before the siege of Titus. Luke, the historian, records such pseudo-signs and false wonders as the magical deceptions of Simon Magus (Acts 8) which were employed on an accentuated scale before the destruction of Jerusalem by the professional deceivers mentioned in the Lord’s predictions.
[Matthew 24:6]
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Many smaller nations were at war with the Romans at that time, enemies at war with each other and rumors of war in abundance on every hand, and from every quarter as the destruction of Jerusalem drew near. Josephus verifies the fact that from every part of the empire wars followed in succession, and in waves of revolt, like the swells of the ocean, to the final dissolution of the empire.
[Matthew 24:7]
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
In the days of Claudius Caesar, before the destruction of Jerusalem, there was an unparalleled famine – the greatest famine the world ever knew occurred. The record of Matthew 24 is corroborated by the Spirit in Agabus, the prophet, as reported by Luke in Acts 11:28 –
Acts 11:28
28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Again, Josephus testified that the famine actually occurred before the destruction of Jerusalem, and the fulfillment is a matter of historical record.
[Matthew 24:8]
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Jesus is not speaking of “El Nino” some 2000 years later, but to His disciples. The great earthquakes occurred during the reign of Nero is a historical fact, and the testimony of Jesus is added to that of Josephus of an unusual number of earthquakes occurring in various countries, before the destruction of Jerusalem. Earthquakes destroyed many cities of Asia Minor.
[Matthew 24:9]
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Here are some final words for Paul, Peter, and James, and James the Less for they were all put to death before the destruction of Jerusalem.
[Matthew 24:10]
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This is the Lord’s warning of many apostasies, when the faith of the disciples would fail, as under pressure of persecution many should become offended. Such apostasies were everywhere in evidence prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the evidences of which are not only mentioned in the sacred text, but in parallel secular history. The most valuable of such historical evidence is the testimony of Josephus, who was an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem.
== I will continue this with "End of Time, Part 2" ======
A lot of times we hear people use the phrase “end of time” when describing bible passages. Many times the passage is speaking of the “time of the end.”
How many “ends” are there? Sometimes a “translation” will confuse the reader or lead him/her to think in another way than what the context is really written. We need to read the same message as it was intended. Many “read into” (eisgesis) what the scripture is saying instead of “reading out of” (exegete).
A good example of a “mistranslation” (or a translation that could have been better) is Matthew 24:3 –
Matthew 24:3 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? KJV
The NAS reads:
Matthew 24:3 3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Strong’s defines “aion”: <Strongs #165> aivw,n (aion)
Meaning: a space of time, an age
Origin: from a prim. root appar. mean. continued duration
Here in Matthew 24:3 the Greek word “aion” is translated “world” in the KJV where it should have been translated “age.” The Greek for “world” is “kosmos” and not “aion.” Since it is translated “world,” many think the disciples are asking Jesus about the “end of time, or the end of the world.” No, they are asking about the “end of the age.”
There are only two ages spoken of in the New Testament.
Again, the KJV, in Matthew 12:32 translates “aion” as “world”:
Matthew 12:32 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world(aion), neither in the world(aion) to come.
Matthew 12:32 32 "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come. NAS
Here in Matt 12, Jesus speaks of two ages, the present age (old Covenant age that He was living in) and the age to come (The new age He was bringing in, the New Testament age).
When you understand, that the age that was ending to be the age of the Jewish economy, you will understand that the “time of the end” would be the “end” of all things for the Jew. His world was made up of Judaism. If Jesus told them that their economy was fixing to be destroyed, then in their mind they would think of the end of time. Their “age” ended in 70 A.D. when Titus
destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. It was the end of the Jewish economy, never to be rebuilt as it was under the Old Covenant time.
You will also began to see when the “last days, the last hour” is spoken of, it is referring to the
end of the Jewish economy as it was during Christ’s time. I firmly believe the old economy ticked down until 70 A.D.
With “time of the end” in mind, I will give you a verse by verse commentary on Matthew 24.
Signs of Impending Destruction
A VERSE BY VERSE LOOK AT MATTHEW 24 OF THE SIGNS.
Messiah Jesus is asked the question: “Matthew 24:3 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (AION) (KJV)
The problem with this verse is in the last word “world.” In the Greek, the word is ‘aion’ and means “age.” This verse would have been better-translated “end of the age.” The Greek word for world is “kosmos,” but “aion” is used here.
Matthew 24:3 3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (NAS)
The New American Standard correctly translates it “age.”
[Matthew 24:5]
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
In Matthew 24 Jesus warned His disciples that false teachers would be numerous, more than ever before. Josephus, the historian, verifies the fact that near the time of the destruction of Jerusalem many false Messiahs appeared, claiming to be Christ. He says these became more numerous before the siege of Titus. Luke, the historian, records such pseudo-signs and false wonders as the magical deceptions of Simon Magus (Acts 8) which were employed on an accentuated scale before the destruction of Jerusalem by the professional deceivers mentioned in the Lord’s predictions.
[Matthew 24:6]
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Many smaller nations were at war with the Romans at that time, enemies at war with each other and rumors of war in abundance on every hand, and from every quarter as the destruction of Jerusalem drew near. Josephus verifies the fact that from every part of the empire wars followed in succession, and in waves of revolt, like the swells of the ocean, to the final dissolution of the empire.
[Matthew 24:7]
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
In the days of Claudius Caesar, before the destruction of Jerusalem, there was an unparalleled famine – the greatest famine the world ever knew occurred. The record of Matthew 24 is corroborated by the Spirit in Agabus, the prophet, as reported by Luke in Acts 11:28 –
Acts 11:28
28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Again, Josephus testified that the famine actually occurred before the destruction of Jerusalem, and the fulfillment is a matter of historical record.
[Matthew 24:8]
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Jesus is not speaking of “El Nino” some 2000 years later, but to His disciples. The great earthquakes occurred during the reign of Nero is a historical fact, and the testimony of Jesus is added to that of Josephus of an unusual number of earthquakes occurring in various countries, before the destruction of Jerusalem. Earthquakes destroyed many cities of Asia Minor.
[Matthew 24:9]
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Here are some final words for Paul, Peter, and James, and James the Less for they were all put to death before the destruction of Jerusalem.
[Matthew 24:10]
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This is the Lord’s warning of many apostasies, when the faith of the disciples would fail, as under pressure of persecution many should become offended. Such apostasies were everywhere in evidence prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the evidences of which are not only mentioned in the sacred text, but in parallel secular history. The most valuable of such historical evidence is the testimony of Josephus, who was an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem.
== I will continue this with "End of Time, Part 2" ======