Originally Posted by
jakester
ok, Tess - first off, how are you? Good to see you around.
Secondly, I appreciate your thoughts and even bothered to read Matthew. I'm not one to read one verse (the one you quoted) so I read all of Matthew 24 to see what's going on. Before I offer my interpretation, I thought I'd at least make it known that you and I (and everyone for that matter) have a set of lenses that we bring to the Scriptures when we read them. We already have a set of assumptions that we can sometimes impose upon the text as we read it. I have done it before and because I am more aware of it now, I see my tendencies to do that. What I have realized is that we put a lot of stake in our theology and we are not casual about changing the way that we see things. This is why we can become very passionate about insisting our view is right because so much of our emotion and heart is tied to what we believe. As a phenomenon, Tess, do you recognize that such a thing as I am describing is true? Ok, back to the matter at hand.
So when I read Matthew 24 beginning at v 3, I was struck by what is going on (editorial comment: I personally do not hold any position on the rapture because I have not studied it so I feel that I am mostly neutral on the subject). The disciples have come to Jesus and are asking him what will be the sign of his coming and the close of the Age.
First he says there will be wars and rumors of wars but that...the end is not yet.
Secondly he says nations will rise against nations, and famines and earthquakes in various places...all these are the BEGINNING of the birth pains.
Thirdly, he says his followers will be delivered up to tribulation and put to death and hated for his name sake. Many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another (the Judas-type disciples). False prophets will come to lead others astray. Love will grow cold...but the one who endures to the end will be saved. The gospel will be proclaimed to all the world, and then the END will come.
In verse 15, Jesus continues to elaborate on what he has already said. He's giving more meat to his prediction by spelling out in greater detail what will happen. The abomination of desolation (spoken of by Daniel) takes place and he tells his readers to run.
Finally he says that then there will great tribulation, such as hasn't been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be. And if those days hadn't been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
This is my point. It seems to me that what Jesus is describing here is a time where his people will be caught in the middle of war between God and his enemies. Since the enemies of God cannot get at God, they are bent on killing his people and trying to destroy them. Because the intensity of that persecution and hatred will be so great, Jesus is saying that length of time that is the Tribulation will be shortened or else nobody would be saved. By that I think he means people's faith would be tested so greatly (like that of Job but perhaps even more intense) that unless God was merciful to end the trial, no mere human could withstand that trial.
Tess, in my opinion, I think what you may be doing is mixing two ideas together:
1) God pouring out his wrath on unbelievers
2) God's people going through the tribulation
Perhaps you have other pieces of the puzzle that I don't have (from other passages you have read, etc.). I wholeheartedly agree with you that God is not going to punish his people or pour out his wrath on them. If that were true, then most of the New Testament teaching goes completely out the window. But the idea of God's people going through an immense struggle between good and evil, God and his enemies, is something that is not at all beyond the scope of what we are called to as believers.
What are your thoughts? Thanks, Tess.
