by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
Before we continue with our discussion of The Olivet Discourse, allow me put in a few words about the Asbury Revival in Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, USA.
Asbury University is just across the Asbury Theological Seminary. The University itself was founded in 1890 by John Wesley Hughes. He was a minister who was called by God in a Methodist revival meeting in an old schoolhouse in Kentucky. The University is itself named after Bishop Francis Asbury, one of the founders of American Methodism and the Methodist Episcopalian Church, who answered John Wesley’s call for ministers from England to go to America.
The Revival or Awakening phenomenon started last February 8 after the regular chapel service at Hughes Hall in the Asbury University. It has continued with non-stop worship, prayer, singing, testimony, healing, deliverance, etc. The Revival has attracted not only members of their community but inter-denominational people from different parts of the USA and even had visits by some people from other countries as well. And as one pastor related, young people, the Gen Z, were at the forefront of the Revival. There were no big church names or personalities who were leading. It seems the spontaneous outpouring of worship is being orchestrated by the Holy Spirit himself. Apparently, this 2023 Revival or reawakening is not the first that occurred here in Asbury University. There was also the 1970 Asbury Revival.
As I watched the YouTube accounts of different people and pastors giving their impressions and insights about their visit to the Asbury Revival on-campus, one particular eyewitness testimony struck me. This pastor (Wayne Hilsden, who is based in Israel for 40 years was interviewed by author/editor/host Joel C. Rosenberg; https://youtu.be/M99CxjPEQd4) spoke about Gen Z and the youth’s longing for something amidst a world seemingly without meaning or hope. One of the young people at the podium asked if there were any among the more than 1,500 nameless faces in Hughes Hall who experienced “suicide ideation”. To the pastor’s astonishment, around 50 young people rose up and immediately, those around them gathered around each one, laying their hands on them and prayed for them and with each other! To me, this is an outpouring of the Spirit, a magnificent display of God’s love and grace for those who need it. It is also a wonderful example of what the Body of Christ is really like.
We at CRL who are involved with our various ministries should sit up and watch, listen and pray. We need to pay attention to what is happening at Asbury. Other Universities and Colleges in the USA are reporting similar phenomena. May it be a new move of God to ignite fires of revival upon the whole world. And may we at the UP and at CRL experience an apparent glorious move of God such as this!
We now resume with the Olivet Discourse as found in Matthew 24:1-51 with parallel accounts in Mark 13:1-37 and in Luke 21:5-38; and continuing to Matthew 25.
As seen earlier, in Matthew 24:3, the disciples asked the Lord privately while he was sitting at the Mount of Olives 2 related questions. When compared with its parallels in Mark 13:4 and Luke 21:7, the Gospel writers record the same 2 questions: when will the destruction of the Temple happen and what is the sign, that this is about to happen.
The first Jerusalem Temple that Solomon built had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. It was rebuilt by Zerubbabel during the Persian rule of the Holy Land and later massively reconstructed and grandiosely enlarged by Herod the Great. Construction was still on-going at the time of the Lord’s visits. But now, he has just declared that not one stone on top of another would remain. The Temple’s destruction would be a signal crisis to the Jews. Regular and scheduled daily, weekly, monthly and annual festival day(s) sacrifices were a main feature of the Temple. If there is no Temple, how can the Jews fully obey the Torah and practice their religion?
Given this, the disciples must have been a bit anxious to know exactly when this thing that the Lord Jesus had prophesied would happen. And when he answered, he foretold quite a few more things.
In Matthew 24:4-5 the Lord warns his disciples of false messiahs who will come in his name and says that many will be misled by those emphatically claiming “Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ χριστός” (I AM the Christ/Messiah). This is paralleled by Mark 13:5-6. Here the false messiahs emphatically claim “Ἐγώ εἰμι” (I AM [he]). Meanwhile Luke 21:8 parallels both Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts and adds a bit more. Luke has the false messiahs coming in the Lord’s name emphatically claiming “Ἐγώ εἰμι” (I AM [he]) and “Ὁ καιρὸς ἤγγικεν” (The time has drawn near/close). Luke further adds the Lord’s admonition to his disciples not to go after these false messiahs.
Next, in Matthew 24:6 the Lord Jesus says the disciples are about to hear of wars and rumors/reports of wars. He commands them to see/perceive, (but) not be disturbed/agitated/alarmed; for it is necessary to happen, but it is not yet the τέλος (“telos” meaning end, consummation, end-goal). Note that the Lord makes it a point to say that these things happening do not yet mean the end. Mark 13:7 is a very close parallel. The parallel in Luke 21:9 adds or chooses words which are more descriptive for his Gentile audience: it is necessary for these things to happen first but it is not immediately the end.
As the next verse (Matthew 24:7) has it, the Lord further says that ἔθνος (“ethnos” meaning nation/Gentile race) will rise against nation, and βασιλεία (“basileia” meaning kingdom) against kingdom. This clause is a typical Hebraic literary pattern of a restatement or reiteration of a previous idea – of wars and rumors/reports of war. This verse ends with a warning that there will be λιμοὶ (plural form of λιμός “limos” meaning famine, hunger) and σεισμοὶ (plural of σεισμός “seismos” meaning earthquake, shaking) in some places/locations. Matthew 24:8 ends the unit/paragraph in the Greek with the Lord’s declaration that all these things are the ἀρχή (“arche” meaning beginning) of ὠδίνων (plural of ὠδίν “ódin” meaning childbirth/labor pains).
The parallel account in Mark 13:8 contain the thought, ideas and even the same major Greek words found in Matthew 24:7-8 (e.g., ἔθνος; βασιλεία; λιμοὶ; σεισμοὶ; ἀρχή; and ὠδίνων). There is a minor reversal of the order of 2 words: Mark 13:8 mentions σεισμοὶ, earthquakes ahead of λιμοὶ, famines. Luke 21:10-11 contains all of the revelations given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:7-8 and adds some other ideas found in other places. Luke uses the adjective μεγάλοι (plural of μέγας “megas” meaning great) for the earthquakes (Luke 21:11). Aside from earthquakes and famines, Luke adds that there will be λοιμοὶ (plural of λοιμός “loimos” meaning pestilence or plague); φόβητρά (plural of φόβητρον “phobétron” meaning fearful sight, cause of terror); and also great signs from the heavens.
By and large therefore, Matthew 24:4-8 is backed up by the parallel accounts in Mark 13:5-8 and Luke 21:8-11 mentioned above.
We will continue after returning from a short trip to Bacolod and Roxas City.
God bless us all.