Understanding Matthew 24: Parallels

In my previous article, I began an analysis of Matthew 24. It is important to understand the proper audience relevance of the text in order to interpret it correctly. As such, it should be noted that Matthew 24 cannot escape its contemporary audience. By analyzing aspects of Matthew 21-23, this was affirmed for us without question.

This article is going to focus on Matthew 24:4-14. Something that I love about John's gospel account is that it happens to be missing the Olivet Discourse! I believe this is because he penned the book of Revelation in place of the Olivet Discourse. In fact, the parallels are unmistakable. Many view Matthew 24 as something entirely different than the book of Revelation (I would say this is due to a lack of study on their part), but the parallels we will examine will prove otherwise. Therefore, the focus of this article will be acknowledging these parallels, and establishing a first century context for Revelation, as a result.

It should be noted that I will not be presenting every parallel. For a brief analysis such as this, it is too much effort to note every single parallel. Considering Revelation's chapters parallel themselves, pointing out some of these parallels in various places throughout Revelation will deliver the same results as an exhaustive study. I believe this will be enough to make my case.

On top of the parallels found in Revelation, I will also be showing the fulfillment of these signs in various places throughout the New Testament.

So, without further ado, let's study.

The Signs

After the disciples asked for the signs of the temple's destruction (i.e., Jesus' “coming” and the “end of the age”), Jesus answered them thoroughly:

4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24:4-5)

Jesus also warned of false prophets and the iniquities that would abound:

11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive man. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24:11-12)

The church in Thyatira was running into problems with false prophets (in this case, a prophetess):

20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman, Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2:20).

Revelation 13 paints a very detailed, symbolic picture of false Christ figures. The beasts of this prophecy were worshiped (13:4,8,12,14-18) and enforced their dominance by such means. Futurists would argue that the white horse of Revelation 6:2 represents such a thing, for Christ also descends on a white horse (Revelation 19:11). Thus, we have a contrast of false Christ vs. true Christ, and perhaps they are not incorrect to make such a comparison.

There are many references to false prophets in the New Testament, some of which likely proclaimed Christ-like powers. The book of Acts mentions Theudas (5:36), as well as Judas of Galilee (5:37). People were warned to stay away from this crowd (5:38). Truly, their means of deception were great, and they posed a serious threat to the faith of many. One must not neglect Simon of Acts 8, who used sorcery to deceive people into believing he was of God (verses 9-11). I believe he was a false Christ.

Peter warned of such people (2 Peter 2:1-3), as did Paul when he spoke of the deceitful Judaizers (2 Corinthians 11). One of these Jewish false prophets happened to be a sorcerer. His name was Barjesus (Acts 13:6). Hymenaeus and Philetus were also on the list of false teachers, because they had claimed the resurrection had already occurred (2 Timothy 2:16-18). This is, of course, different than the Full Preterist position, for the parousia had not yet occurred at that time. Therefore, these two false teachers were deceiving many, and wrecking their faith, by preaching an incorrect time of the resurrection.

These warnings can also be found in Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4; 2 Timothy 3:13; 1 John 4:1; and 2 John 7. Truth be told, false prophets and false Christs were very much present in the first century, just like Jesus said they would be.

Jesus also warned of wars, affliction, and betrayal:

6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24:6)

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom... (Matthew 24:7a)

9They shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. (Matthew 24:9-10)

If I didn't know any better, I'd say this sounds an awful lot like the red horse of Revelation:

3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)

The release of the red horse signifies wars and betrayal, just as we find in the words of Jesus. Wars seem to have been commonplace during this time. As Gary DeMar notes in his book, Last Days Madness, the Annuls of Tacitus addresses the periods of tumult in Germany, Africa, Thrace, Gaul, among the Parthians, in Britain, and Armenia (DeMar, p. 79). First century historian, Flavius Josephus, had no need to write full accounts of this multitude of wars, because so many Greek and Roman authors had already done so (The Wars of the Jews, 4:9:2).

Famine is a result of war, and with all the wars that were occurring during the first century it is no surprise that Jesus told his disciples about these famines:

7...and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (Matthew 24:7b)

I believe the black horse and pale horse of Revelation fit the bill:

5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat upon him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:5-8)

Premillennial end times junkies seem to think that every earthquake that causes some kind of damage are somehow signs of the end. Jesus said these things would come to pass, but the end would not be yet (Matthew 24:6). Thus, earthquakes were simply minor signs, if you will. Jesus was claiming that they'd occur (they occur everyday), but he was not telling his disciples to see them as a sign of an imminent end of the age. The Bible does record three occurrences of earthquakes, two of which were pretty severe (Matthew 27:54; 28:2; Acts 16:26).

The famines are a bigger deal. Again, given the amount of turmoil during the first century, the famines were a natural result. Acts 11:27-29 is one such reference to these famines (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1-5; Romans 15:25-28). I recommend reading what historians Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, and Eusebius have to say about the severity of these famines.

The last aspect of our analysis is the completion of the great commission:

14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto the nations; and then shall the end come.

Jesus later commissioned his disciples to fulfill this:

19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the [age]. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Paul claimed that this was fulfilled, meaning the “end” was near during his lifetime:

23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; (Colossians 1:23)

Conclusion

The parallels between Matthew 24 and Revelation are not hard to pick out. As observed in the previous article (http://fulfilledfocus.blogspot.com/2013/02/understanding-matthew-24-setting-context.html), even Matthew 21-23 can be observed in the text of Revelation. Couple that with the contemporary fulfillment of these signs throughout multiple New Testament books, and we have for ourselves further evidence for the first century context of not only Matthew 24 (cf. Luke 21; Mark 13), but also Revelation. These parallels will continue to be connected in later articles. I pray this has been beneficial to you.

Blessings in Christ,

Jason Watt