An Interpretation of Matthew 24-25 (Part 15)
Dr. Thomas Ice
"for then there will be a greattribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world untilnow, nor ever shall."
-Matthew 24:21
Our Lord'sprophetic discourse continues dealing with mid-tribulational events. He says that the second three and ahalf year period will not only be "tribulation," as noted of the first half(Matt. 24:9), but a time of "great tribulation." In fact, it will be the greatest time of tribulation sincethe beginning of creation (cf. Mark 13:19), or will ever be. The focus of this time of tribulationwill revolve around the Jewish people and their land of Israel.
The Tribulation
This verse startswith a reference back to the preceding section. Ed Glasscock explains: "Verse 21 offers an explanation (gar) for the illustrations of urgency just presentedand uses the temporal adverb tote("then") to connect the previous statements with the prediction of the worsttribulation every."[1] This tells the Jewish remnant inJerusalem and Judea why they need to immediately head for the hills when theylearn of the abomination of desolation event (Matt. 24:15) has takenplace. "Evidently, this will bethe last possible moment for escape," notes James Gray. "If they do not escape, they will becaught in this great and terrible trouble. It will come so suddenly that they do not have time to gettheir things together to get out."[2]
Previously, wehave seen that the word "tribulation" was used to refer to the first half ofDaniel's seventieth week (Matt. 24:9). Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost provides an excellent statement of the usage of"tribulation":
the term tribulation isused in several different ways in Scripture. It is used in a non-technical, non-eschatological sense inreference to any time of suffering or testing into which one goes. It is so used in Matthew 13:21; Mark4:17; John 16:33; Romans 5:3; 12:12; 2 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:4;Revelation 1:9. It is used in itstechnical or eschatological sense in reference to the whole period of the sevenyears of tribulation, as in Revelation 2:22 or Matthew 24:29. It is also used in reference to thelast half of this seven year period, as in Matthew 24:21.[3]
The tribulationperiod is not exclusively a New Testament doctrine. The tribulation period is a topic that has a rich OldTestament background and the events of this time are directed toward andinvolve the nation of Israel. TheOld Testament speaks of a time of tribulation that Israel is destined to endure(in the latter days), but when this period is past it will result in nationalrepentance and the nation in a right relationship with the Lord. Note some of the following keypassages:
• "When you are in distress [i.e., tribulation] andall these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to theLord your God and listen to Hisvoice." (Deut. 4:30)
• "Alas! for that day is great, thereis none like it; and it is the time of Jacob's distress [i.e., tribulation], buthe will be saved from it." (Jer. 30:7)
• "Now at that time Michael, the greatprince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And therewill be a time of distress [i.e.,tribulation] such as never occurred since there was anation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is foundwritten in the book, will be rescued." (Dan. 12:1)
In addition tothese specific tribulation passages noted above, there is the general themedominate in the Old Testament of individuals and the nation crying out to theLord when in a time of distress and tribulation. For example this is a major theme in Psalm 107. Verse 6 says, "Then they cried out tothe Lord in their trouble [i.e., tribulation]; He delivered them outof their distresses." Note the following passages that have a similarpattern: Gen. 35:3; 1 Sam. 10:19;26:24; 2 Sam. 4:9; 1 Ki. 1:29; 2 Chron. 15:4; Psa. 20:1; 25:22; 34:17; 46:1;50:15; 81:7; 86:7; 107:6, 13, 19, 28; 116:3; 120:1; Isa. 33:2; Jer. 14:8;16:19; Jonah 2:2; Nahum 1:7.
In fact, Paulwrites about Israel's deliverance from tribulation in Romans 9-11. Romans 10:11-15 tells us that one dayIsrael will call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. This redemption will occur one day tonational Israel, but it will come during the tribulation period-the greattribulation.
Great Tribulation
Matthew 24:21speaks about the great tribulation. What is the great tribulation? The great tribulation is the last three and a half year period of thetribulation, which will culminate in the second advent of Christ. Dr. John Walvoord says:
Thegreat tribulation, accordingly, is a specific period of time beginning with theabomination of desolation and closing with the second coming of Christ, in thelight of Daniel's prophecies and confirmed by reference to forty-twomonths. In Revelation 11:2 and13:5, the great tribulation is a specific three-and-a-half-year period leadingup to the second coming . . .
Thatthe period would be a time of unprecedented trouble is brought out clearly inRevelation 6-19. . . . Putting allthese Scriptures together, it indicates that the great tribulation will markthe death of hundreds of millions of people in a comparatively short period oftime.[4]
The New Testamentuses the term "great tribulation" in three other places, in addition to Matthew24:21. While Acts 7:11 does notrefer to the last half of a future seven-year period, the other two do asfollows:
• "Behold, I will cast her upon a bedof sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds." (Rev. 2:22)
• "And I said to him, 'My lord, youknow.' And he said to me, 'Theseare the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white inthe blood of the Lamb.'" (Rev. 7:14)
The "greattribulation" is said by Jesus in Matthew to be the greatest since the worldbegan, or ever will be for the Jewish people. Mark 13:19 is even clearer where our Lord says, "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as hasnot occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created, until now,and never shall." "Since thebeginning of the creation" makes it very clear that this time period will bethe greatest time of tribulation for the Jewish people in all history. John MacArthur says
No time or event in the history of Israel fits the descriptionof the holocaust Jesus is here speaking of. The horrifying time is further described in some detail inRevelation 6-16, where the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments exhibit theescalating intensity of God's wrath upon sinful, rebellious mankind. Both the books of Revelation and ofDaniel make clear that the Antichrist will tyrannize the world for "a time,times, and half a time" (Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14), that is, a year, twoyears, and a half year, or three and one half years (Rev. 11:2; 13:5). Clearly, the events described by ourLord, by Daniel, and by John must refer to the same great holocaust at the endtime, just before the millennial kingdom is established on earth.
Christ is clearlyusing the language of Daniel 12:1, which says, "Andthere will be a time of distress [i.e.,tribulation] such as never occurred since there was anation until that time; and at that time your people." Joel 2:2 also employs similar languagewhen it says, "A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thickdarkness. As the dawn is spreadover the mountains, so there is a great and mighty people; there has never beenanything like it, nor will there be again after it to the years of manygenerations."
Itis significant that in both of these passages, the time of tribulation resultsin the redemption of the Jewish remnant. Just such a redemption is described in Matthew 24:29-31 where it says,"But immediately after the tribulation of those days . . . And He will sendforth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His electfrom the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."
Purging TheRebels
As I have beensaying, the purpose of the tribulation, especially the great tribulation, inrelation to the nation of Israel is to prepare her for final redemption. This is taught in the passages citedabove about her deliverance from tribulation. We also find in passages, like Ezekiel 20 and 22, the Lordproviding an overview of Israel's entire history. Often the prophet recounts the nation's past history ofdisobedience and then predicts that there will come a time in the future whenthe nation will finally become obedient to the Lord. Usually this will come after the nation has gone through atime of great trial and tribulation as we see in Ezekiel 20:33-38. But the significant thing is that atthe end of this process the nation is brought into "the bond of the covenant."
• "As I live," declares the Lord God,"surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath pouredout, I shall be king over you. AndI shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where youare scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrathpoured out; and I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and thereI shall enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in thewilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,"declares the Lord God. "And I shall make you pass under therod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purgefrom you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them outof the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land ofIsrael. Thus you will know that Iam the Lord." (Ezek. 20:33-38)
Zechariah 13-14records a similar scenario as we have seen in many of the Old Testamentpassages noted above. This passagespeaks of all the nations of the world sending armies to surround Jerusalem,yet through this time of tribulation, the Israel is converted and rescuedthrough the personal return of Christ. The following passage from Zechariah 13 speaks of God purging outtwo-thirds of Israel, but saving the remaining third.
• "And it will come about in all the land," declares the Lord, "that two parts in itwill be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part throughthe fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I willanswer them; I will say, 'They areMy people,' and they will say, 'the Lord is my God.'" (Zech.13:8-9)
Conclusion
Matthew 24 issimilar to these Old Testament passages in that Christ predicts the nation willpass through the time of great tribulation (verse 21), but when these eventshave transpired, Jesus will return and rescue the elect remnant (verses29-31). Christ's prophetic sermonas recorded in Matthew follows the well-established pattern found in the OldTestament. Since Matthew 24 speaksof tribulation followed by immediately by rescue (verse 29), then His prophecyhas to be future to our time since the Jewish people have never gone throughanything like that in past history. Maranatha!
(To BeContinued . . .)
Endnotes
[1] Ed Glasscock, Matthew: Moody Gospel Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press,1997), pp. 470-71.
[2] James R. Gray, Prophecy on The Mount: A Dispensational Study of the OlivetDiscourse (Chandler, AZ: Berean Advocate Ministries, 1991), p.78.
[3] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958), p. 170.
[4] John F. Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), p. 188.
[5] John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur NewTestament Commentary: Matthew24-28 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), p. 44.