Matthew 24
(part 5)
Now this next chapter will begin to address the question of whether or not these three parallel passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke are all actually talking about the same event? I will also address some interesting geological phenomena that seems to fit into Mathew 24. So let's jump in here and make some comparisons.
Mark:
Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24 are almost identical in sentence structure as it pertains to the phrase: "..after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light…" The only difference is that the word "immediately" is inserted into the passage in Matthew. The rest of the verse in Matthew 29 is it's own verse in Mark: (Mark 13:25)
All three New Testament passages make a reference to "this generation shall not pass", followed by references to the destruction of the cosmos.
The "tricky" Bible:
So this raises a question; which involves an anomaly we see other places in the New Testament. Language that looks like it's describing one event, is actually describing an event that happened more than once. More than one Greek woman came to Jesus. More than one Roman centurion came to Jesus. More than one woman with an issue of blood came to Jesus. Even though in all accounts, the language used is very similar to the other account. They are actually different incidences.
Is this what we are seeing in these parallel passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke? We can also reasonably throw Daniel 7 into this mix; because I believe Daniel 7 gives us a very important piece of information, in relation to this concept of similar language used to describe different events. And in this case of the "coming(s)" of Christ; are also parallel events.
I believe the Scripture was deliberately written this way with the intent to weed out the more diligent from the less "diligent" reader; or less "able" in terms of cognition or (more specifically) access to information. This becomes more obvious the closer we get to the end, as greater numbers of people have the tools to study the Bible than ever had in history. This is due to the fact that most nations around the world employ some sort of educational apparatus for the masses; (thus increased literacy, because most of us have been taught how to read). Also, the floodgates of access to information have been opened due to technology.
As per our individual motivational impetus to study Scripture? Scripture itself says: it is to "the glory of God to conceal a matter and the honor of kings to search it out". (Proverbs 25:2)
Now let's compare a couple other passages. Matthew 19:28 and Matthew 25:31 throw in another detail: "sit on His throne" and "glory". Both of these passages depict very distinctly that this event coincides with the end of time.
Matthew 19 says: "….you which have followed me, in the regeneration (bodily resurrection of the dead) when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory…."
Matthew 25 distinctly speaks of the "nations gathered" (for judgement) "before the throne".
Information about Judgement Day?
Now going back to Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Are any of these passages actually talking about the end of time? In direct relation to the atonement; I would say: "no". But in projected relation to what the atonement accomplished (which involves judgement); I would say: "Yes."
Do these passages portray a "duel prophetic application"? One as a "direct fulfillment" (regarding atonement) and the other, more as what we might deem in literary terms; a "foreshadowing" of Judgement Day?
We know "The End" and the destruction of the cosmos is coming. There is ample Scriptural description of that event. And if there actually are not prophetic parallels that happen in these two separate events; (the atonement to the end of the Mosaic religious system and the end of the last days) well, we certainly appear to have an awful lot of "coincidences".
So let's take a closer look at each passage and see if we can find some specifics that would tie it to a certain time or event.
Matthew 24:
In this passage we have two verses that talk about the "coming of the Son of man". Verse 27 compares this coming as lightening shining from east to west. (Keep this lightening phrase in the back of your mind; we'll get to it in a minute.) The term "glory" isn't used in this verse though. The next verse talks about eagles gathered to a carcase and the verse after that sets the time as "immediately after the tribulation of those days". "Of those days" is an important clue that there will be days following this.
Now note verse 30: "…. appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven…" First note that it's a "sign" that is seen. The Greek word comes from a word base that means to "signify" or "indicate". It's the "indicator of the Son of man" but it's not (actually) the Son of man (or at least the whole of the Son of man at this point). Now note who's seeing this "coming". (Heaven is.) This is the "sign" of the "coming of the Son of man" because he's yet to return to heaven in whole personhood. Remember this is prior to the resurrection and there comes a bodily ascension 40 days later.
The next phrase says that all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Here again we have "clouds of heaven", but also "with power and great glory".
"Power" here is the Greek word "doonamus" which means "power", "mighty work", "miracle". (It's also translated virtue.) It's a supernatural presentation of God made manifest in a "property", which the object it's manifest in doesn't naturally have. Interestingly though, this word "glory" here comes from the root word "to think".
The end result of the presentation of this "mighty work" and "think" is that the tribes of the earth mourn. I'd explained in previous passages that part of what we are seeing here, are things happening in the spiritual realm of what we don't physically see. The "tribes of the earth" in hades / Sheol mourn over their now determined state, when they see Christ deliver the elect from Sheol / "Abraham's bosom". Those left in Sheol understand they remain under condemnation. Here's one application of the tribes of the earth mourning.
The second is what earth sees as in relation to what heaven sees. Heaven sees the disembodied Son of man coming as the lamb slain to open the scroll. Earth sees the "sign" of that occurrence.
Earth's fault lines = Scars of Judgement?
Now what was the sign? "As the lightning shines from east to west." That is the initial sign earth sees. The final rendering of what that sign will come to be, is the "splitting" of the earth and sky, as the Son of God descends in glory to sit on His thrown in judgement.
Now go back to what's happening on earth during the crucifixion. We know the sun is darkened for 3 hours and the moon does not give its light. It also talks about "stars falling from heaven."
I'd mentioned earlier that the "great tribulation" likely indicated the commencement of the unraveling of the cosmos. "The powers of the heavens are shaken." (Super novas, shooting stars etc. that we still see the effects of now; as it takes time for the light from those occurrences to reach earth.) If Christ hadn't completed the atonement; Judgement Day would have likely commenced that Sunday morning.
So what was the "sign" in heaven that earth saw?
The texts say "As lightning shines from east to west". (Yet lightning doesn't travel "east west" it travels from ground to sky.) Unless…. (of course) its what's called "earthquake lightening".
I covered some aspects of this in Theory on Angels, Ghosts and Extra-Terrestrial Life. "Light orbs" are balls of electromagnetic energy released from the planet when the tectonic plates move. There is another earthquake phenomena that looks like tongues of blue fire coming from the earth. It almost looks like a form of aurora borealis, as it emanates from the horizon line; but doesn't travel in ribbons across the sky.
And yet still, there is an "earthquake lightening" that travels along the ground. (It can travel into the air too and produce massive balls of electromagnetic energy in the sky that resemble explosions.) Yet because most techtonic plates on earth run "north south" most earth quake lighting also runs "north south". Yet the "sign" of the Son of man on earth, was lightning running "east west".
We know there was an earthquake at the crucifixion. Scripture says the graves were opened and many bodies rose and walked around in the holy city post resurrection of Christ. Yet we also have the record of the veil of the temple being torn.
Today, geologically there is a fault line in Jerusalem that runs "east west"; literally through the middle of the city on the southern side of what is today, the standing remains of the Antonia Fortress; (which many mistakenly believe is the "temple mount"). Now people assume this fault line has been there for millions of years; yet just like the super nova / shooting stars we see today; it's legitimate to ask whether or not that was really the case. Is all of this part of the "signs" (of pending Judgement) those on earth saw at the time of the judgement of Christ for the sake of the elect?
Now looking at a global fault line map. There is one giant east / west fault line zone that runs from about the east coast of Spain to the east coast of India. It "forks" about Pakistan and one prong runs north along the boarder of China and Russia, while the other runs the east coast of India into the ocean next to South East Asia. This fault continues under the ocean, past Australia and connects to the "Ring of Fire" series of fault lines that run up the east coast of Asia (past Japan) and down the western coasts of North and South America. There's also a circular fault line at the South Pole that basically runs under the ocean encircling Antartica. Ironically, most of Earth's human population lives along this east / west fault zone that spans across Europe and Asia. Turkey and Iran are the two nations with the most seismic activity.
Now here's an interesting hypothesis. Is what we see in the fault lines of the planet, the scars that were left as a result of all that was going on during the atonement? Just as we see geological evidence of the flood that covers the planet; is this an "indicator" of the "foundation" of the coming recreation of the cosmos? That would certainly make historical contextual sense, as God acts in human time to complete His redemption plan.
As per "lightening" "east to west" and the direction of this fault line? It encompasses India and the Middle-East and seems to taper off along the east coast of Spain. Did this fault line (or rather its major contributing factor) start "in the east" (by India) and travel west?
To answer that question; let's go back in time a little bit to the flood. The continents were divided "in the days of Pelage" after the flood. Now if we follow the fault line from the "ring of fire" around South America we see that it "attaches" to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which follows all the way up into Northern Scandinavia "somewhere". Here's where it gets hard for scientists to map because the topography of the very "end" (beginning) of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is actually above the water line and the volcanic activity that is part of that ridge is actually responsible for parts of the formation of Europe.
The Ural Mountains are where the Asian and European plates are said to "meet". But was that actually the initial fault line that started the continental divide way back from the flood? Are the Ural Mountains the original onset of volcanic activity caused by the forces of the flood waters upon the earth?
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (Genesis 7:11)
Is the origin point of "lightening flashing from east to west", as depicted in the judgement of the flood; where the "Mid-Atlantic Ridge" actually began? Somewhere in the vicinity of what is today the Caspian Sea (Northern Iran). (Remember, Iran is the most seismically active land area on Earth.) Did the flood waters that divided the earth begin that division starting "in the east" through what would become the Ural Mountains, creating the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, severing North and South America from Europe and Africa, running around South America, up the west coast of North America, down the east coast of Asia, north of Australia, across the east coast of India, across the southern portion of the Asian plate back to…. Jerusalem!
Now millennial later; what happens with the gospel? It starts in Jerusalem and the major regions of the Middl-East, makes its way west into Africa, through Europe, into North and South America and finally the last region of the world to get the gospel "en mass" is the Far East. The most "western" peoples from Jerusalem. It's the same direction the fault line hearkening all the way back to the flood travels. Yet another "interesting coincidence"?
The next chapter (Matthew 24 - part 6) will address the ascension of Christ and what may have been visible of this event to the rest of earth's peoples.