Luke 17: A.D.70 Or The Second Coming?
By Bruce Terrry
In
the previous article
I noted that Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 discussed two themes: the
desolation of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the second coming of
Christ. These three passages are similar, although there are some differences.
One of the major differences is that Luke gathers together much of the material
relating to the second coming and puts it in chapter 17:22-37, leaving most of
chapter 21 referring to the desolation of Jerusalem. Now one of the ways that
these three passages are misunderstood is by seeing the whole discourse as
relating only to the desolation of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. By logical inference,
those who teach this say that Luke 17:22-37 is also referring to the desolation
of Jerusalem. The next step is to teach that II
Peter 3 is referring to the end of the Jewish age, and not to the end of the
world. When followed to its logical conclusion, this view presents all the
passages relating to the second coming, the resurrection, the end of the world,
and the final judgment as being symbolic for what happened in A.D. 70 and thus
completely does away with any future hope.
The Problem
Actually a correct
understanding of Luke 17:22-37 is important for a correct understanding of
Matthew 24. The reason for this is that similar scriptures are used in both
passages. The relationship between the two may be diagrammed as
follows:
(Pictured: Chart
by Kingdom Publications)
Now those who teach that
Luke 17 is talking about A.D. 70 make the following argument: Matthew 24:17-18
is parallel to Luke 17:31. But Matthew 24:17-18 is talking about the desolation
of Jerusalem. Therefore Luke 17:31 is talking about the same thing.
This is the crux of the argument in a nutshell. The argument continues along
this line: Luke 17:22, 24, 26, 30, 31, 34 are all
taking about the same day. Since Luke 17:31 is talking about the desolation of Jerusalem, all these verses are talking about
the desolation of Jerusalem. But Luke 17:26-27 is parallel to
Matt. 24:37-39 and Luke 17:35-36 is parallel to Matt. 24:40-41. Therefore Matt.
24:37-41 is talking about the desolation of Jerusalem. But this section is talking about
the advent (Greek parousia) of the Son of
Man. Therefore the advent of the Son of Man must have happened at the
desolation of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and all of Matthew 24 is
talking about that event. Those who carry the argument to its logical
conclusion could continue along this line. The "advent" (Greek parousia--Matt.
24:3, 27, 37, 39) is also found in I Cor. 15:23; I Thess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; II Thess.
2:1, 8; James 5:7, 8; II Peter 1:16; 3:4, 12; I John 2:28. The "completion
of the age" (v. 3) is also found in Matt. 13:39, 40, 49; 28:20. The
"end" (v. 6) is also found in I Cor. 1:8; 15:24; I Peter 4:7. The "birth-pangs"
(v. 8) are also found in I Thess. 5:3. The
"clouds" (v. 30) are also found in Rev. 1:7. The "trumpet"
(v. 31) is also found in I Cor. 15:52; I Thess. 4:16. The "angels" (v. 31) are also found
in Matt. 13:39, 41, 49; 25:31. The "gathering" (v. 31) is also found
in II Thess. 2:1. The exhortation to
"watch" (v. 42) is also found in I Thess.
5:6. The analogy of coming as a "thief" (v. 43) is also found in I Thess. 5:2; II Peter 3:10; Rev.
16:15. Therefore all of these "second coming" passages are in reality
talking about the desolation of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
The Solution
But at this point soberer
minds will say, "Hold it! These passages are not talking about the
desolation of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. You only have to read
them to see that they're not." And this is true! But they all are
linguistically tied together. So where is the problem in the logic? The problem
is all the way back in the crux of the argument. The fact that Matthew 24:17-18
is parallel to Luke 17:31 does not mean that they are
talking about the same thing. (The argument is sometimes expanded to say that
Matt. 24:26-27 is parallel to Luke 17:23-24 and Matt. 24:28 is
parallel to Luke 17:37. But in fact Matt. 24:26-28 is talking about the second
coming. The point is that the advent of the Son of Man will not be a secret
happening at the desolation of Jerusalem--in the wilderness or in the inner
room. Rather it will be as obvious as the lightning in the sky, as the vultures
circling a dead body. So the case that Luke 17 is talking about the desolation
of Jerusalem must be built on the parallel
between Luke 17:31 and Matt. 24:17-18.) But as we said before, the fact that
these two passages are parallel does not mean that they are talking about the
same thing. To say that they are involves an unspoken assumption. And that
assumption is that similar wording in different contexts must always be talking
about the same thing. But this assumption is not true. John 2:14-17 is parallel
to Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; and Luke 19:45-46. But the event in John 2
happened early in Jesus' ministry, while the event recorded in the other
passages happened during the last week before His crucifixion. Jesus told both
the paralytic brought by his four friends and the man by the pool of Bethzatha, "Rise, take up your pallet" (Mark 2:11; John 5:8). Similar sayings are
found in Matthew 10 where Jesus sends out the twelve and Luke 10 where He sends
out the seventy-[two]: preach that the kingdom is near, a laborer is worthy of
his food, let peace come on a house, more tolerable for Sodom, and sheep in the
midst of wolves. More to the point is the saying that a servant is not greater
than his master, which is used in two different places to teach two different
lessons. It is used in Matt. 10:24 to mean that the apostles, like Jesus, would
be maligned. It is used in John 13:16 to show that the apostles should follow
the example of Jesus in washing one another's feet.
So the point is this: just
because similar events or sayings occur in two parallel passages,
that does not mean that they are necessarily talking about the same
thing. In fact, the same saying can be used to teach two different lessons in
two different contexts. Always the meaning of words must be determined from
their context. But can the saying about the person on the housetop or in the
field not going to get his possessions have two different meanings in two
different contexts? Yes, it can and does. In Matthew 24:17-18 it is showing the
urgency of fleeing to the mountains when the armies surround Jerusalem. This was fulfilled in A.D. 66 when
the Roman general Cestius Gallus surrounded Jerusalem with the Twelfth Legion and other
soldiers. When the siege was temporarily lifted, those who did not flee were
trapped in the city and destroyed. But in Luke 17:31 the saying is used to exhort disciples of Christ not to try to hold on to earthly
possessions and ties when Christ comes again, for all these things will be
destroyed. Lot's wife tried to and was destroyed
herself. Christians must renounce the things of this life (Luke 14:33; I John
2:15-17). We can't take them with us. Therefore we must lay up our treasures in
heaven (Matt. 6:19-21).
Final Admonition
The doctrine that Matthew
24 (all of it), Luke 17, and II Peter 3 are talking about the desolation of Jerusalem
rather than the second coming has for several years been taught among us.
Already I have heard of gospel preachers teaching that the world will not be
finally destroyed by fire. And some of them are even teaching that the
resurrection is already past. I knew such a young man. He followed this
teaching to its logical conclusion and decided that the resurrection happened
in A.D. 70. The last I saw of him he was reading a book on Zen Buddhism, for he
thought he already had all that Christianity had to offer. And he did, if he
was right! This teaching is false. And the danger of false teaching is that it
can cause people to abandon the faith and be lost. I am not merely speaking of
possibility; I am speaking of fact. It has happened! As Jesus said, "by their
fruits you shall know them." Brothers who teach this doctrine, let me
encourage you to restudy this teaching and abandon it. It is a new teaching
among us and does not promote the spiritual well-being of the hearers. And you
must look to your own selves also, knowing that those of us who are teachers
will be judged with a stricter judgment (James 3:1).
--May 1981
This article
orginally was published as:
Terry, Bruce. 1981. Luke 17: A.D. 70 or the second coming? Firm Foundation 98 (July 7).