The Olivet Discourse – Part 2
December 10, 2008
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In Part 1, an exposition of Matthew 24:1-6, Mark 13:7, and Luke 21:9 was given. The exposition revealed that the disciples asked Jes us
three specific questions involving events associated with the establishment of his kingdom on the earth. They were: (1) When will Herod’ s temple be leveled
?
, (2) What things can we look for to let us know your kingdom is soon going to be established?, and (3) What things can we look for to let us know the present age of Gentile domination is drawing to a close? He began by first addressing the signs that would precede the leveling of the temple of Herod. He stated in Matthew 24:5,6, Mark 13:6,7, and Luke 21:8,9 that two things could be expected to draw their attention before the destruction of Herod’s temple: (1) Many would come claiming to be the promised Messiah, and (2) There would be many wars throughout the Roman empire, both internal, and around the vast expanse of its long borders. History confirms that is precisely what happened during the time frame before the destruction of the temple. Jesus was very clear in his instructions for them to NOT use these two things as the signs that would precede the other two questions they had asked, as he stated: “but the end (of the age) is not yet, but the end (of the age) shall not be yet, but the end (of the age) is not by and by.” So, having given them a partial answer to question one, which he will answer more completely later in the discourse, he launches into his answer to question two. How can I be sure he starts a new discourse in the next verse?
Luke 21:9,10 – But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. [10] THEN SAID HE unto them, Nation shall RISE AGAINST nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
The English words “THEN SAID HE” are “TOTE ELEGEN.” TOTE ELEGEN points to a new beginning in discourse, which has the effect of dissociating the repeated mention of the previous disturbances (From the Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume 1, Edited by W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., LL.D.) Simply stated, it amounted to Jesus saying, now that I have told you what would precede the temple destruction, I will answer your second question, the question “And what shall be the sign of thy coming,” or “What things can we look for to let us know you are soon to establish your kingdom?”
It is very tempting, and only natural, to assume that the “wars” predicted in Luke 21:9, and “Nation shall rise against Nation” in 21:10, are one and the same, but I assure you, that is not the case for three reasons.
First, to begin the new discourse, he says “TOTE ELEGEN.” Secondly, he has just advised them not to use “wars and commotions” except for a sign the temple was about to be leveled. And, last of all, because of the two Koine Greek words translated as “RISE” and “AGAINST.”
The root word used for RISE is EGEIRO, and it means to come to life, to rise from sleep, or to
come into existence.
It is used in the phrases taken from the following Scriptures.
Matthew 14:2 – He is RISEN from the dead.
Matthew 16:21 – And be RAISED again the third day.
Matthew 27:52 – And many bodies of the saints which slept AROSE.
Matthew 27:63 – After three days I will RISE again.
Matthew 27:64 – He is RISEN from the dead.
Matthew 28:6 – He is not here: for he is RISEN, as
he said.
Matthew 3:9 – God is able of these stones to RAISE up children unto Abraham.
The word used for AGAINST is EPI, and it simply means “UPON” or “ON.” One of the first things I learned in seminary was the use of the Greek prepositions. They were all placed in positions relative to a cube, and the position of EPI was “ON” or “UPON” the top pf the cube. If a thing is “UPON” another thing, it is certainly resting “AGAINST” it, but the inference that the two objects are fighting “AGAINST” one another is not valid.
EPI in the New Testament in the accusative is translated as UPON or ON some 219 times, as opposed to 33 times for AGAINST. Jesus would not advise t hem to disregard wars as a sign of his coming in one breath, and t
hen tell them to do the opposite in the next, and indeed he did not, because he used TOTE ELEGEN to mark the beginning of a new discourse.
He is answering the second question in verse 10, and advises that shortly before his second coming many new nations would come to life, rising one upon another, and ever increasing in number. Before the Great War I, the world consisted of vast colonial empires, and very few individual nations existed.
Shortly before World War II, and much more rapidly after Japan’s surrender, new nations began to come to life like weeds across the earth, rising in number one upon another with the end of the colonial empires.
When the United Nations began in 1945, some 51 nations became charter members.
By 1989, as new nations were born one upon another, it had more than tripled to 160, and now the number of nations on the earth has reached 200. False Messiahs rose before Jesus, were here in the lifetime of Jesus, and have been numerous up to the present. There have been 24 that presented themselves to
the nation of Israel since the crucifixion. I realize that in the last days they are to
increase in number, but they have always been with us. Also, the worldwide wars and commotions reached an all time record high of 25 in 1987, but have steadily declined since the drop in communist influence in the developing countries after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
I tracked war declines yearly until 1993, at which time worldwide wars had declined to 10, but the number of nations had been steadily increasing since the end
of World War I.
In November 2008 there are three ongoing wars between three small individual nations. The “EPI” in the Olivet discourse prophetically applied to nation rising upon nation as they increase in number, not to an increase in the number of wars.
Lord willing, in Part 3, I will be giving additional proof of what has been put forward in this article. So if you have reservations about the conclusions drawn in this article, hold your fire until you read Part 3