The Unity and Continuity of Matthew 24 (the Gospel Apocalypse) [continued]

The Unity and Continuity of Matthew 24 (the Gospel Apocalypse) [continued]

Below is the eighth of multiple excerpts of commentary from The Parousia, the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell. [Note: In this excerpt, Russell continues (see two previous blog posts) to set forth his argument that Jesus' apocalyptic prophecy in Matthew 24 (with parallels at Mark 13 and Luke 21) is a continuous whole---one that cannot be broken into artificial time divisions that allegedly refer to post-A.D. 70 events, which are supposedly indicated by detectable transitions in the prophecy's subject matter. Rather, the sole focus of the A.D. 30 prophecy, known as the apocalyptic discourse on the Mount of Olives or Olivet Discourse, is the impending destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, which occurred in A.D. 70.] "At length we come to [a section in Dr. Johann Peter Lange's interpretation of Matthew 24, which Lange designates as]--- "'The Actual End of the World' (ver. 24-31) [Matthew 24:24-31] "Having made the [alleged] transition from the 'end of the world' backwards to the destruction of Jerusalem, the process [according to Dr. Lange] is now reversed, and there is another transition, from the destruction of Jerusalem to the 'actual end of the world.' This actual end is placed after the appearance of those false Christs and false prophets against whom the disciples were warned [in Matthew 24:24]. This allusion to 'false Christs' ought to have saved the critic [referring to Biblical expositor Lange] from the mistake into which be has fallen...[by arguing for a division of the apocalyptic prophecy at Matthew 24:24]. But where is there any sign of a division or transition here? There is no trace or token of any: on the contrary, the express language of our Lord excludes the idea of any interval at all; for He says: 'Immediately [Greek: eutheos] after the tribulation of those days,' [Matt. 24:29] etc. This note of time is decisive, and peremptorily forbids the supposition of any break or hiatus in the continuity of His discourse. "But we have gone far enough in the demonstration of the arbitrary and uncritical treatment which this prophecy has received, and have been betrayed into premature exegesis [interpretation] of some portion of its contents. What we contend for, is the unity and continuity of the whole discourse. From the beginning of the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew to the close of the twenty-fifth, it is one and indivisible. The theme is the approaching consummation of the [Old Covenant] age, with its attendant and concomitant events; the woes which were to overtake that 'wicked generation' [Matt. 12:45, Matt. 16:4], comprehending the invasion of the Roman armies, the siege and capture of Jerusalem [in A.D. 70], the total destruction of the temple [in A.D. 70], the frightful calamities of the people [of 1st-century Israel]. Along with this we find the true Parousia [Second Coming], or the coming of the Son of man, the judicial infliction of divine wrath upon the impenitent, and the deliverance and recompense of the faithful. From beginning to end, these two chapters [Matthew 24 and 25] form one continuous, consecutive, and homogeneous discourse. So it must have been regarded by the disciples, to whom it was addressed; and so, in the absence of any hint or indication to the contrary in the record, we feel bound to it. "6. In conclusion, we cannot help adverting [calling attention] to one other consideration, which we are persuaded has had much to do with the erroneous interpretation of this prophecy, viz. [that is], the inadequate appreciation of the importance and grandeur of the event which forms its burden---the consummation the [Old Covenant] age, and the abrogation of the Jewish dispensation [in A.D. 70]. "That was an event [the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple] which formed an epoch in the divine government of the world. The Mosaic economy, which had been ushered in with such pomp and grandeur amidst the thunders and lightnings of Sinai, and had existed for well nigh sixteen centuries,---which had been the divinely instituted medium of communication between God and man, and which was intended to realise a kingdom of God upon earth,---had proved a comparative failure through the moral unfitness of the people of Israel, and was doomed to come to an end amid the most terrific demonstration of the justice and wrath of God. The temple of Jerusalem, for ages the glory and crown of Mount Zion,---the sacred shrine, in whose holy place Jehovah was pleased to dwell,---the holy and beautiful house, which was the palladium of the nation's safety, and dearer than life to every son of Abraham,---was about to be desecrated and destroyed, so that not one stone should be left upon another. The chosen people, the children of the Friend of God, the favoured nation, with whom the God of the whole earth deigned to enter into covenant and to be called their King, ---were to be overwhelmed by the most terrible calamities that ever befell a nation; were to be expatriated, deprived of their nationality, excluded from their ancient and peculiar [i.e., special] relation to God, and driven forth as wanderers on the face of the earth, a byword and hissing among all nations. But along with all this there were to be changes for the better. First, and chiefly, the close of the aeon would be the inauguration of the reign of God. There were to be honour and glory for the true and faithful servants of God, who would then enter into the full possession of the heavenly inheritance. (This will be more fully unfolded in the sequel of our investigation.) But [after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70] there was also to be a glorious change in this world. The old made way for the new; the Law was replaced by the Gospel; Moses was superseded by Christ. The narrow and exclusive system, which embraced only a single people, was succeeded by a new and better covenant, which embraced the whole family of man, and knew no difference between Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised. ...It is this that gives such significance to the overthrow of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem: these are the outward and visible signs of the abrogation of the old order and the introduction of the new. The story of the siege and capture of the Holy City is not simply a thrilling historical episode, such as the siege of Troy or the fall of Carthage; it is not merely the closing scene in the annals of an ancient nation;--- it has a supernatural and divine significance; it has a relation to God and the human race, and marks one of the most memorable epochs of time. This is the reason why the event is spoken of in the Scripture in [apocalyptic] terms which to some appear overstrained, or to require some greater catastrophe to account for them. ...Had the true significance and grandeur of the event been better apprehended by expositors, they would not have found the language in which it is depicted by our Lord extravagant or overstrained."