First Sunday of Advent - Year A
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings – Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
ACNA Readings – Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 24:29-44
Seasonal Introduction. The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church calendar. It directly precedes and leads up to the season of Christmas. While Christmas music starts to be sung in churches around the world, Advent is more than an introduction to the Christmas season—it is a season of expectation that God will fulfill His promises.
Adventus speaks of an arrival—God coming to earth. The Nicene Creed states of Jesus: “For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” But the Nicene Creed also states: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.”
Common Theme. Law and judgment is not opposed to love and hope. We are called to live with the expectation of Jesus’ return—to live with hope and in love while obedient to the one who has authority to judge all things.
Hebraic Context. The Hebrew word for ‘to judge’ is לשפוט, (lish’phot). It means to judge in a legal sense, but it can also mean to rule in a governmental sense. In the Scriptures, the term often implies both. God, as the author and divine creator—not only of the world but also the standard of what is good and acceptable and what is evil—is the one who judges the world, both throughout history and at the end of time. God’s kingship implies a present governmental ruling (which may include various legal judgments) and a future final judgment in which all wrongs are made right and evil is punished and done away with.
Abraham acknowledged God as the ultimate judge when he argued over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”[1] The Psalms also declare that God is the judge of the world: “From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth.”[2]
Throughout the Bible, we are made aware that God can and does bring judgment on the world. During the Exodus, we see God enter into judgment against the gods of Egypt. At the same time, the book of Exodus tells us that God is not only a judge but also a redeemer, provider, sustainer, and lawgiver. Later, the prophets remind the people that judgment from the living God awaits those who walk in disobedience.
God has consistently worked with and through His creation.[3] During the Second Temple period, the responsibility to enact the final judgment was understood to be the task of the Messiah. Isaiah notes that God appointed the Messiah as a regent to rule and to judge as His representative on earth.[4] Intertestamental literature picked up on this nuance of God commissioning judges. The Dead Sea Scrolls community identified Melchizedek as the coming messiah and spoke of a day when he would execute judgment.
During the Second Temple period, there was a theological shift away from viewing God as the sole judge, with intermediary figures increasingly portrayed as participating in the exercise of justice. The Testament of Abraham describes Abel, the first son of man (Adam), as sitting on a throne where “he sits thus to judge all creation, and examines righteous men and sinners.”[5] While Abel was portrayed as judging throughout the course of history, the twelve tribes were thought to judge humanity at the end of time.[6] Nonetheless, the Testament of Abraham maintains that the final judgment belongs to God.
Similarly, I Corinthians 6:2-3 reflects this Second Temple theological interpretation of God using intermediaries to judge the world, “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” This does not mean that God is any less involved in this world—He has not abdicated His responsibilities. The theological implication is that God has always worked with and through His people. Yet, despite God’s expectation for the righteous to intercede, act justly, and at times participate in judgment, Scripture consistently affirms that God is the ultimate authority and judge.[7]
Isaiah 2:1-5. Isaiah saw a vision of a mountain that was “established as the highest of the mountains.” In Israel, the highest mountain by far is Mount Hermon. Psalm 68:15 describes it as “mountain of gods.”[8] Isaiah, however, specifies that what he is seeing is “the mountain of the house of the LORD.” He further defines the mountain as Zion—Jerusalem.
Geographically, anyone who looks at Jerusalem will instantly note that it is the lowest mountain in its immediate vicinity. Isaiah would have been very familiar with how Jerusalem should look, but his vision showed him something new. Psalm 68:15-16 contrasts the mighty mountains of the Bashan, present-day Golan Heights and Hermon, with the lesser stature of Mount Zion.
On the one side are the mountains of the Bashan, the Golan—tall and imposing, yet with good soil and grazing land from the basaltic rock. Rain and snow falls on Mount Hermon in abundance, upwards of 50-60 inches of rain annually. The limestone formation of Mount Hermon creates the largest karstic spring in the Middle East at Tel Dan (which forms the headwaters of the Jordan) and supplies the surrounding land with its abundance. Mount Zion, by contrast, is not a large or imposing mountain at all. Yet the imposing mountains of Bashan look at Mount Zion with great jealousy because it is the place God chose for His abode.
The mountain of the house of the LORD will maintain its relevance as Isaiah is seeing Mount Zion in “the latter days.” Where Jerusalem was humble in the time of Isaiah, it will be lifted up. Jerusalem’s importance was never its geographical or political power. Jerusalem became globally significant solely because God chose it as the place where He dwells and reigns.
The nations who come to the mountain of the LORD will come to a King and Judge. The people will desire to be taught and to walk in the way of God’s torah. Subservience and obedience to God and God alone is necessary—for God will judge the idolatrous and the proud. As Jerusalem is lifted high with obedient foreigners streaming to it, the lofty mountains of Bashan will be brought low, just as an idol-worshiping Israel would be humbled.[9] God judges—but His judgment is good, and He chose to dwell among His people because He cares for them.
Isaiah speaks throughout his writing of God’s care for His people on this mountain:
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them… They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”[10]
“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine… and He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces.”[11]
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer.”[12]
God’s judgment brings peace not only to the house of Jacob, who are also called to “walk in the light of the LORD,” but also to foreigners who seek God.
Psalm 122.[13] David starts his psalm by speaking of the house of the LORD. Exodus spends almost as much time describing the building of the tabernacle as it does recounting the history of the exodus from Egypt.[14] The tabernacle is clearly important to God—just as it was important to King David.
The tabernacle was originally set up in Shiloh, in the land of Ephraim.[15] So how did the house of the LORD move to Jerusalem? In the time of Eli and Samuel, the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. From that time until the Ark was moved into the Temple in Jerusalem, it dwelt in random locations.[16] Why wasn’t the Ark returned to the Tabernacle in Shiloh? What Samuel does not mention is that after the Philistines defeated Israel and took the ark, they almost certainly continued on to Shiloh and sacked it, including the Tabernacle.[17]
From the time of Eli until David moved the Ark of the Covenant into a tent in Jerusalem, the people of Israel may not have had a “house of the LORD.”[18] David’s family was devoted to God and obedient to His word. However, as a child (and even as an adult), where would his family have gone on pilgrimage without a tabernacle? The Scriptures are clear that, in the time of David, the Passover (and likely the other pilgrim festivals) was neglected in comparison to the time before the tabernacle was destroyed.[19] So when David finally brought the ark to Jerusalem and placed it in the tent he had prepared for it, he danced with all his might and provided bread, meat, and raisins to all the people.[20]
Pilgrimage and coming into the presence of God were not considered a burden but rather a joy. David begins by stating, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the House of the Lord.” This verse sets the tone for the heart of the worshiper. Are they happy and joyful to encounter the Lord, or are they performing this duty against their will? The same question applies to all Christians today: are we glad to go worship God or do we find it a burden?
Two themes move concurrently in the psalm. Jerusalem is a place of judgment but also a place of peace. Peace is a central thought in Judaism. One of the sacrifices in the Torah is called the Peace Offering, זֶבַח שְׁלָמִים, where the word ‘peace’ is in the plural form. This led Jewish sages to comment on this plural form, concluding that peace is not restricted to earth but also a desired quality for heaven.[21] David suggests that justice and peace go together.
David fought multiple civil wars in his time—once against the descendants of King Saul, and again against his own son. David himself was never able to enter the Temple of the LORD, for it had not yet been built in his own time. God said of David, “You may not build a house for My Name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.”[22] David gathered the material for the Temple and brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, but more than that, he exhorted the worshiper to pray for the peace of Jerusalem—a city that, throughout history, has known much conflict and strife.
When we pray for peace, we are also praying for justice. Peace and prosperity are the fruits of justice, for a society of injustice cannot be a society of peace and safety—nor can it be a place of worship. David asks the Lord that those who do pray for Jerusalem will receive a blessing in return.
Jerusalem became the focal point for pilgrimage and a direction of prayer because the Lord had chosen to place His Name there. Under the kingship of David, Jerusalem would become the capital of the Israelite nation. It would also become the spiritual capital of the world—the place where God would build His Temple, call His people to gather regularly, and dwell among His people. David concludes the psalm by stating that he will seek the well-being of Jerusalem “because of the House of the Lord.” God had commanded the Israelites to construct a Tabernacle in order that He would dwell among His people.[23] David understood the joy of being in the house of God, for that meant being in the presence of the living God.
Romans 13:11-14.[24] While Jesus prepared Himself and His disciples for His upcoming death, the disciples argued about who among them would be the greatest. Jesus washed their feet, showing humility, and then told them that they owed a debt.[25] How can they repay that debt? By following Jesus’ example and washing one another’s feet. Paul, in Romans 15:1, tells the strong that they owe a debt to bear with the failings of the weak. Why? “For Christ did not please Himself.”[26] He goes on to state that the Macedonians and those in Achaia were pleased to give to the poor in Jerusalem, but also that they owed a debt to the saints in Jerusalem.[27]
Paul tells us that we ought not to owe anyone anything. To owe is to be bound to the one we owe, and we can only have one master.[28] But we are to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”[29] Like the armor of God, we are to don “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”[30]
Jesus clothed Himself with humility as He served with love. He suffered the weak to come to Him and was compassionate. As we follow Jesus, we do owe one another our love. While we often separate love from law, they both come from the same source: God. God commanded us not to commit adultery, murder, or steal, and not to be drunken or to live in sexual immorality. This is the law. But living in obedience to all of God’s laws can be summed up in the two great commandments, “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Paul turns to the words in Isaiah, where God speaks in comfort to those who are righteous and who know the law of God. God powerfully redeemed Israel, and “the ransomed of the LORD shall return.”[31] He did so through His great strength: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD.”[32] His righteousness and His salvation will be forever and to all generations.
Isaiah also told those who had drunk the wrath of God due to their own drunken ways: “Wake yourselves, wake yourself, stand up O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath… Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city.”[33] The wrath of God had come upon Israel, but the salvation of God “is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” This was true in the days of Isaiah, in the days of Paul, and in our own time.
Isaiah states that we are to awaken. We are not to continue living according to the ways that brought the wrath of God. Paul makes the exact same argument: “Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime… Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 24:36-44.[34] Advent doesn’t start with great joy but with great tribulation, and after the tribulation will come the Son of Man. “In those days” is a well known Hebraic saying that marks a concrete moment when a particular event or circumstance has, is, or will occur. It is often linked with judgment—from God’s judgment of all mankind at the flood, to judicial justice when coming before priests and judges, to the people judging all things from their own perspective.[35] During the Second Temple period, it was also linked to the end times—both judgment and salvation: “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Juday will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely.”[36]
While Isaiah and Jeremiah speak at length of the Messiah, Matthew 24:30 instead speaks of the coming of the Son of Man. During the Second Temple period, the title "the Son of Man" primarily drew its significance from the book of Daniel.[37] In its original context, the reference is to an eschatological character (the Son of Man) who ascends from Earth to Heaven to encounter the Ancient of Days. The character of the Son of Man in the book of Daniel appears in the context of a heavenly judgment scene.
In the book of Daniel the Ancient of Days (God) presides over a seated court as books are opened. Authority to judge and to rule is handed over to the Son of Man, who enters this heavenly judgment scene. This Son of Man will now judge the world. When this eschatological verdict is to be given is not known. But Matthew speaks of His coming causing mourning among the tribes of the earth.
And so, Jesus continues to warn His disciples to heed the metaphor of the fig tree. The leaves of the tree provide a hint as to the season. In Israel, there are two distinct seasons: winter and summer—rain and no rain. The division between summer and winter is ingrained in the lives of anyone living in this land. Winter brings the rains, a mercy that falls on both the just and the unjust. But at the end of the winter come three things: Harvest, Summer, and Salvation—or judgment.
The narrative of salvation, vividly portrayed in the Biblical holidays, is intricately tied to these two seasons. All of the major holidays appointed by God in the Torah fall within just half the year: the summer. Summer, kaitz (קיץ), is connected to the end, ketz (קץ), in Hebrew. The grace and mercy of God in winter has ended or is just about to begin—but there comes a time for salvation and judgment.
First, God showed His salvation and judgment in Passover. Fifty days later, you have the salvation God showed at Mount Sinai as he gave the people his instructions and guidance to live by. As summer progresses, so too does the need for God’s grace and mercy. His salvation culminates in the High Holy Days. The Festival of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashana, serves as a warning to the people. Then comes Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, where the people confess their sins. And finally comes Sukkot, the festival of booths, where God comes and dwells among His people. During this festival, the first drops of rain are expected to fall, once again showing the grace and mercy of God as His blessings are showered on both the just and the unjust, marking the onset of winter. Except God does not dwell with those who practice injustice and worship idols—with the wicked.
In addition to the seasonal metaphor, the first mention of a fig tree in Scripture appears in the Garden of Eden, where its leaves were used to cover the shame of Adam and Eve. The sight of fig leaves reminds us of our wickedness and the judgment that accompanies it. The fig tree featured at the beginning of the Bible, and here the fig leaves are used as a warning for the end of time.[38] So when we see summer approaching, as the fig tree puts out its leaf, we see that the time of judgment is upon us as the mercies of the rainy season have ended and surely it is the time to repent.
The interpretation and application of the term ‘this generation’ and ‘all these things take place’ in Matthew 24:34 has been, and still is, a major area of theological debate. There are three common lines of interpretation.[39] On one hand, there is the assertion that no one knows the timing of the Second Coming, and on the other, there is the command to watch and observe the season. This implies a readiness and a high level of expectancy.
Whichever interpretation you choose, in explaining when to repent, Rabbi Eliezer told his students to “Repent one day before your death.” His disciples asked him, “But does anyone know the day of their death?” Eliezer responded, “All the more reason to repent today.”[40] We may not know the day or the hour of judgment. But we do know that this is the season in which to recommit ourselves to watchful prayer and humble obedience. Not because of a fear of the future, but because of an eager optimism through faith in the soon return of Jesus.
Jesus taught us to be alert, active in prayer, and watchful—not watching the world, but examining ourselves. His description of the incredible calamities and persecutions that were coming sounds terrifying and, understandably, people will panic. Talking about the end of the world can be quite unsettling. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, Jesus encouraged His followers to adopt a posture of hope and confidence, not fear or timidity. In Luke 21:28, Jesus told His followers, “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”[41]
We will all have to stand before the Son of Man, who will judge the world as He was given authority by God. How, then, should we behave? As we remember both the first coming and the second coming of the Son of Man, we are encouraged to put away deeds of darkness, contemplate the coming judgment, and repent. In some of His final words in Revelation, Jesus called us to repent—for surely He is coming soon.
Hebraic Perspective. In the first century, among the Jewish people, there was an expectancy of the coming redeemer—the hoped for Messiah who would free them from the Roman yoke and usher in a period of peace and prosperity. The prophets instilled a sense of hope and expectation, proclaiming that God would hear the prayers of His people and send the redeemer. They also spoke of the abrupt appearance of the Messiah. Malachi 3:1 prophesied, “And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”
During His ministry, Jesus spoke several times of the return of the Son of Man.[42] In Revelation 1:3, He encouraged the faithful to be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming was near. In Luke 12:40 Jesus taught His disciples to watch for His return. “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” There is a tension here: we are commanded to remain ready and be expectant, yet the actual return of Jesus is sudden and unexpected.
This hope and expectation remains alive in the Church. We look forward to Jesus’ return, acting with the understanding that He will come soon. At the same time, we know that when He does come it will be as a thief in the night. Although we do not know the day or the hour, we prepare for His return—not by stopping what we are doing but by using our time to love God and our neighbour as we ought.[43]
While there is a great sense of hope, particularly for those in a place of tribulation, there can also be a sense of fear and dread for those in a place of comfort and security or unbelief. God’s return will shake the earth and we will all face Him as He sits in judgment. Unfortunately, not all within the church will look to this day with hope; some may even be deceived. Though we desire the day of the LORD, it will be a day of judgment.
Parts of the Christian world suffer extreme persecution while other parts live and work in affluence and security. For everyone, the end will come swiftly, as a thief in the night. Jesus said redemption was near for those bowed down. Why are they bowed down? It is because they are under duress, perhaps facing persecution or even martyrdom. These verses are words of comfort, assuring the suffering that their trials will soon come to an end (although the exact moment of redemption is unknown). How we live and behave in anticipation of this day is the hallmark of the believer. It is not marked by self-indulgence but by self-control.
Endnotes
[1] Genesis 18:25
[2] Psalm 76:8, see also Psalm 50:6, 58:11, 75:7; Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3
[3] The New Testament contains several promises that the saints will become judges in the world to come. Exactly what is inferred, judicial, governmental, or both, is unclear.
[4] See Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-5, 42:1-4
[5] Testament of Abraham 1.13. From this Hebrews 12:24, after declaring that God is the judge of all, stated that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant and His sprinkled blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. This referenced the understanding that Abel was an intermediary judge placed by God in order to judge the wicked.
[6] The Testament of Abraham is not Scripture in any traditions, but it does inform what and how people thought. Revelation 20:4 also declared that the martyrs would reign and judge with God after the judgment of Satan. Additionally, the disciples would judge in the world-to-come on 12 thrones.
[7] Jude 1:9 recognizes a Second Temple theological interpretation of an intermediary that seems to have developed based on their understanding of Biblical ritual cleanliness. Deuteronomy 34:5-6 states that Moses died “and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab”. Given the antecedent where God was speaking to Moses, it seems obvious that he was the one that buried Moses. However, since touching a dead body makes one unclean, the interpretation developed that the pronoun “he” was not God, but an intermediary figure. Rather than refuting this theological interpretation, Jude affirmed it, stating that it was the archangel Michael who was involved in the burial of Moses, even though it is clear from the verse that Michael did not dare to judge on his own. Angels sometimes carried out the judgment of God but in this case, even Michael, an Archangel, asks God to be the one who judges and rebukes Satan.
[8] It could also be the Mountain of God. “הר אלהים” can speak of local gods of Canaan and Phoenicia or of the God of Israel.
[9] Isaiah 2:6-17. God’s judgment against Israel should be expected when they are disobedient and follow foreign gods; it is the promise of God in Deuteronomy. But God also stated that His covenant with Israel was an everlasting covenant. A declaration of judgment does not mean that God has abandoned Israel. “For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you… For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed.” (Isaiah 54:7-10)
[10] Isaiah 11:6-9
[11] Isaiah 25:6-8
[12] Isaiah 56:6-7
[13] This is one of the four psalms of Ascent that are attributed to David (Psalms 122, 124, 131 & 133) Traditionally, the psalms of Ascent are thought to be used as songs and prayers by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the three pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
[14] Exodus 25-31, 35-40
[15] Joshua 18:1; I Samuel 1:3
[16] After being returned by the Philistines, the ark was in Beth Shemesh, Kiryat Yearim, the house of a foreigner (Obed-Edom), and finally in a tent in Jerusalem (but not the Tabernacle, משכן).
[17] Jeremiah 7:11-15 corroborates the theory and archaeology that Shiloh and the Tabernacle were sacked by the Philistines.
[18] The High Priest resided in Nob, a city in Benjamin neither mentioned in the division of the land nor given to the Levites. The priests of Nob may have continued in a temporary residency, serving the people of Israel. At the least, they continued to bake the shewbread for the tabernacle (I Samuel 21:6) until they were slaughtered by Saul. But the Ark of the Covenant was not kept in Nob.
[19] II Chronicles 35:18 states, “No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah.” The last mention of a festival pilgrimage is that of Elkanah and his family.
[20] II Samuel 6:17-19; I Chronicles 16:1-3
[21] When Jewish people pray “Oseh Shalom Bimromav” they are asking for there to be peace in heaven. Similarly, in the Lord’s prayer, we pray that God’s will be done on earth and in heaven (και in Greek is simply the connecting “and”, not necessarily “as it is”).
[22] I Chronicles 28:3
[23] Exodus 25:8
[24] ACNA reading includes Romans 13:8-10
[25] John 13:14, “και υμεις οφειλετε”
[26] Romans 15:3, “οφειλομεν”
[27] Romans 15:26-27, “οφειλοθσιν”
[28] Proverbs 22:7, “the borrower is the slave of the lender.” See also: Matthew 23:16-22
[29] Romans 13:14
[30] Colossians 3:12-14
[31] Isaiah 51:11
[32] Isaiah 51:9
[33] Isaiah 51:17, 52:1
[34] ACNA reading includes Matthew 24:29-35
[35] Genesis 6:4; Deuteronomy 17:9, 19:17; Judges 18:1, 19:1.
[36] Jeremiah 33:15-16
[37] Mark 14:62 makes it clear that the Son of Man is a reference to Daniel 7:13 while the author of Revelation (1:7) references the same verse in declaring boldly that the Son of Man in Daniel is, indeed, Jesus the Messiah.
[38] The fig tree also became a metaphor for the study of the Torah during the Second Temple period. Those who were blessed by God would sit under a fig tree to study, be guided by, and let the wisdom of God’s instruction guard them.
[39] The first sees ‘this generation’ as referring to those people listening to Jesus at this point in His ministry. Many in this group of people would still be alive to witness ‘all these things’ which, in this line of interpretation, refers to the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, plus the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 67-70). ‘All these things’, then, is not understood to include the Second Coming because to do so would imply that Jesus was mistaken about the timing of His return.
The second understanding takes the view that ‘this generation’ refers not to those alive when Jesus gave this teaching, but refers to Jewish people as a distinctive race of people. Here, the word generation is used in an ethnic and not a chronological sense. This view allows one to affirm (without concluding Jesus was mistaken) that ‘all these things’ does refer, primarily, to the Second Coming of Jesus, and not just to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the historical destruction of Jerusalem in the first century. In this line of interpretation, the teaching of Jesus is understood to be saying that the Jewish people (and the Jewish nation) will be in place to witness the Second Coming. In this case Jesus is affirming the teaching given in Jeremiah 31:35-37 that the nation of Israel will not disappear from human history. In this line of interpretation, there are many Christians who see not just the promise of the preservation of Jewish people until (and beyond) the Second Coming, but also the presence of a Jewish nation (when the Messiah returns) as being affirmed by scripture. In this case, the restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948 has huge ‘end-times’ (eschatological) implications.
Thirdly, there are those who interpret ‘this generation’ as those people listening to Jesus when He gave this teaching, but interpret ‘all these things’ as a reference to the Second Coming. Therefore, one concludes that perhaps Jesus was expecting to return and to establish His Kingdom within one generation of His ascension, as we see Paul the apostle likewise consider the return of Jesus to be imminent. There is an unknown element to the nature of the return of the Messiah. Even Jesus declares that only the Father knows the day and the hour. This begs the question: how could Jesus not know because as ‘God’ He would know everything? This could be construed as a theological conundrum for Christians and it should definitely serve as a warning to anyone trying to predict the end of the age. In this thinking, it is suggested that the divine side of Jesus has voluntarily surrendered His omniscience in taking the form of a man (also explaining such verses as: “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature”). He has done this in obedience and love of the Father. He thus urges us to keep watch in eager anticipation of His return.
[40] Babylonian Talmud, tractate Shabbat 153a
[41] Amos stated that Israel should not desire the day of the LORD as it would be a terrible day (Amos 5:18). However, for those who are persecuted, there will also be hope–redemption will come. Anecdotally, I’ve met a lot of people who are obsessed with the dates, times, and signs of the last days. Few of these people have their heads bowed to the ground because of deep persecution based on their obedience to the LORD. If we are so obsessed with the day of the LORD, perhaps we would be better served to seek the LORD, bring justice to the world, and act righteously—for the needy are at our gate. Otherwise, we may not be counted among those for whom redemption will come, rather it will come to those whom we turn away.
[42] Matthew 16:27, 24:30-44, 25:31-32 (and Mark 13:26-27); Luke 21:27-28; John 12:2-3
[43] If Jesus were to return tomorrow, we should work hard to provide for our family, care for the lonely, the widow, and the orphan, and (as one famous theologian stated) plant an apple tree. We should also repent.