Matthew 24:6 says, ” And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.” Previously I dealt with the first half of this verse, but the second half makes an important statement.

That Is Not Yet The End

Since wars and rumors of wars must take place, there would be a tendency to think that the end is upon them, but such is not the case. In fact, this warning has been ignored down through church history. Too often many have thought that because of military conflicts that the end of the age has come.[1]With the current war against terrorism in which the United States and Israel are currently engaged, some might be tempted to think that this is a sign of the end. While I do think that we could be near the end of the church age, it would not be for that reason.[2] To what does ” that is not yet the end” refer?

I have previously shown that verses 4- 31 cover the time period known as the seventieth week of Daniel or more popularly called the tribulation period. Thus, Christ is telling His disciples that when one sees the beginning of the birth pangs- the first few seal judgments of Revelation 6- then that is not the end of the seven-year tribulation period, but just the beginning. Many more events must unfold before one can ” straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

It could be possible that America’ s impending attack on Iraq could set off a series of events that could culminate in the beginning of the tribulation. Let me make it clear: I am not saying that these current events will do that, only that they could! We do not know this; we are still living in the church age, which will end when the rapture takes place prior to the beginning of the tribulation. So no matter what happens in the next few months, they will not be specific events that are prophesied in the Bible; Scripture does not prophesy church age geo-political events.

Nations and Kingdoms on the Rise

The first half of Matthew 24:7 says, ” For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Immediately we notice a difference between our Lord’ s use of ” nation” and ” kingdom.” This is an important distinction, as we will shortly see.

First, I want to examine the usage of the conjunction ” for.” Does the Greek word gar refer to the preceding or following context? Dana and Mantey tell us in their grammar that gar ” may express: (a) a ground or reason, (b) anexplanation, (c) a confirmation or assurance.” [3] All nuances of the use of gar are what we might call resultant in scope. This would mean that verse 7 is ” introducing a reason” or is ” explanatory” [4] of the preceding statement from verse 6. M’ Neile asserts that gar ” links the verse with the preceding.” [5] This means that Christ is not introducing something totally new in verse 7. It means that the ” wars and rumors of wars” of verse 6 are happening because of verse 7. So what is happening in verse 7?

The Greek word for ” nation” is ethnos. It simply means ” people” or if used of a national group of people it means ” nation.” [6] Our English word ” ethnic” is derived from this Greek word. Since ethnos is set against ethnos in this context, it must mean a ” nation,” like Canada or Mexico. On the other hand, the Greek word for ” kingdom” is basileia. This word simply means ” the territory ruled over by a king.” [7] James Morison says, ” Literally, upon nation. One nation shall rise in its anger to come down upon another.” [8] But what is the relationship between nation and kingdom?

At the very least nation and kingdom are synonyms for national entities. However, it appears to me from the context that there is a progression from nation (ethnos) to a confederation of nations that form a kingdom (basileia). Morison says that the notion of kingdom could include ” greater communities, or empire, embracing within one political sphere various distinct nationalities.” [9] If this is the case, then the passage is saying that nations will be fighting against nations and groups of nations will also be fighting against each other. This would be similar to the alliance during the Cold War where NATO was aliened against the Warsaw Pact. M’ Neile says, ” The horrors described are not local disturbances, but are spread over the known world; nations and kingdoms are in hostility with one another (not divided against itself, as in xii. 25, Is. xix. 2).” [10]

Preterist Distraction

Preterist Gary DeMar, of course, believes that this was fulfilled in the first century. He says the following:

The Annals of Tacitus, covering the period from a.d. 14 to the death of Nero in a.d. 68, describes the tumult of the period with phrases such as ” disturbances in Germany,” ” commotions in Africa,” ” commotions in Thrace,” ” insurrections in Gaul,” ” intrigues among the Parthians,” ” the war in Britain,” and ” the war in Armenia.” Wars were fought from one end of the empire to the other. With this description we can see further fulfillment: ” For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 24:7).[11]

As usual, when one examines the preterist view on a specific matter closely it does not correspond to what the passage is actually saying. Tacitus is describing internal conflict within the Roman Empire, not ” nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Craig Evans notes that this passage speaks of ” the expectation of global warfare and chaos . . . However, there were no major wars prior to the Jewish revolt.” [12] Meyer declares: ” As for the Parthian wars and the risings that took place some ten years after in Gaul and Spain, they had no connection whatever with Jerusalem or Judea.” [13]Commentator, M. F. Sadler is on the mark when he notes the following about the parallel passage in Mark:

If this verse is the sequence of the previous one, then it can hardly refer to the time before the destruction of Jerusalem; for then the Roman power kept the peace of the world. It is consequently explained by many commentators as fulfilled in various local tumults between the Jews who were scattered everywhere, and the various Gentile nations amongst whom they dwelt. But this by no means answers to such expressions as, ” nation against nation,” and ” kingdom against kingdom.” They seem rather to refer to such a time as the present, when the civilized world is divided into many separate nationalities.[14]

If this was the case one hundred twenty-five years ago, concerning the state of nationalism, how much more are we in that condition in our own day? Sadler adds the following comment at the parallel passage in his commentary on Luke:

I have noticed that these international conflicts seem to look rather to these latter times, when Europe and the adjacent part of Asia and Africa are divided into so many independent sovereignties, than to a time when there was but one great empire, which, as it were kept the peace amongst the smaller nationalities.[15]

Future Fulfillment

Taking into account verses six and seven, this passage is describing future events that will take place during the first part of the tribulation. Since Matthew 24:6-7 is parallel to the second seal judgment in Revelation 6:3- 4, it is further fixed within Scripture as part of the future time of tribulation. Revelation 6:4 says, ” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.” Thus, early in the tribulation the antichrist is involved in warfare against nations and kingdoms (see also Dan. 7:8, 23- 24; 9:36- 45).

Interestingly senior British diplomat Robert Cooper, who has helped to shape British Prime Minister Tony Blair’ s view of the world, has written an article that provides insight as to why Blair has been one of U. S. president George W. Bush’ s strongest supporters for preemptive military action in Iraq.[16]Cooper’ s view of history holds that for the past few centuries the world has seen the rise of nationalism, which has led to international instability. He believes that we are now in the process of moving toward a time of postmodern internationalism, with global coalitions such as the European Union as the transitional stage. Cooper believes that military force is warranted by the international community when there are renegade states like Iraq that refuse to enter into cooperation with this postmodern arrangement. Cooper explains:

What is the origin of this basic change in the state system? The fundamental point is that ” the world’ s grown honest” . A large number of the most powerful states no longer want to fight or conquer. It is this that gives rise to both the pre-modern and postmodern worlds. Imperialism in the traditional sense is dead, at least among the Western powers.[17]

He goes on to say, ” The EU is the most developed example of a postmodern system.” [18]

Since we are in a transition from a pre-modern to a postmodern world, then ” The challenge to the postmodern world is to get used to the idea of double standards.” [19] What does he mean? Since there are nations like Iraq who will not come willingly into this wonderful new international community, then they have to be dealt with in the old-fashioned way- militarily. Thus, unlike old liberalism, which tends to be pacifistic, the new liberalism is selectively militant. Cooper calls for ” a new kind of imperialism” that is built upon economic unity, while dealing militarily with dissent. This is why Cooper concludes his essay with a call for a ” cooperative empire, like Rome.”[20]

It is not surprising to me that as we see the world currently being set for post-rapture events that a European intellectual would call for a revival of the Roman Empire, but with a new postmodern twist. How interesting that the Bible envisions a similar setup during the tribulation under the antichrist. We can see from a proper interpretation of biblical passages that Scripture calls for a future time as described in Matthew 24:6-7. We should not be surprised that the same God who wrote that Scripture is moving to bring its fulfillment to pass, likely in the near future. Maranatha!

(To Be Continued . . .)

 

Endnotes
[1] For an endless supply of examples see Francis X. Gumerlock, The Day and the Hour: Christianity’ s Perennial Fascination with Predicting the End of the World(Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2000).

[2] See my views in Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy, The Truth About The Signs of The Times (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1997); or Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy, Prophecy Watch: What to Expect in the Days to Come (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1998), pp. 9- 76.

[3] H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (Toronto: The MacMillan Company, [1927] 1955), p. 242.

[4] Dana and Mantey, Grammar, p. 243.

[5] Alan Hugh M’ Neile, The Gospel According to St. Matthew (London: MacMillan, 1915), p. 345.

[6] William F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), p. 217.

[7] Arndt and Gingrich. Lexicon, p. 134.

[8] James Morison, A Practical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Mark(Boston: N. J. Bartlett & Co., 1882), p. 355.

[9] Morison, Mark, p. 355.

[10] M’ Neile, Matthew, p. 346.

[11] Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA: American Vision, 1999), p. 79. For a similar view see also Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times: A Study in Eschatological Evil(Texarkana, AR: Covenant Media Press, 1999), pp. 47- 49.

[12] Craig A. Evans, Word Biblical Commentary: Mark 8:27- 16:20, Vol. 34B (Dallas: Word Books, 2001), p. 307.

[13] Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to The Gospel of Matthew, 2 vols. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1879), vol. 2, p. 130.

[14] M. F. Sadler, The Gospel According to St. Mark: with Notes Critical and Practical (London: George Bell and Sons, [1884] 1898), p. 298.

[15] M. F. Sadler, The Gospel According to St. Luke: with Notes Critical and Practical (London: George Bell and Sons, [1886] 1911), pp. 527- 28.

[16] Robert Cooper, ” The New Liberal Imperialism,” in the Observer Worldview Extra (London: April 7, 2002) at the following Internet address: www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,680094,00.html.

[17] Cooper, ” New Imperialism.”

[18] Cooper, ” New Imperialism.”

[19] Cooper, ” New Imperialism.”

[20] Cooper, ” New Imperialism.”

After Christ’ s primary warning about religious apostasy (Matt. 24:4-5), He now turns His focus upon geopolitical events. Jesus says, ” And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs” (Matt. 24:6-8). Since we have previously seen that verses 4- 14 refer to the first half of the tribulation, it follows that these events will occur during that time, and will correspond with the seal judgments of Revelation 6.

False Messiah’ s

Before we deal with the next section I want to revisit the issue of false messiahs from verse 5. Preterists like to say ” False messiahs made regular appearances in Israel.” [1] Kenneth Gentry is more careful in his statement, but nevertheless says, ” There are many examples of great pretenders who almost certainly make Messianic claims.” [2] Gentry and DeMar are speaking of the first century. Gentry lists the following individuals as those whom he says made messianic claims: Theudas in Acts 5:36, Simon Magus in Acts 8:9- 10, and ” the Egyptian false prophet.” [3] DeMar adds to the list with the following: ” Josephus tells of ‘ a certain impostor named Theudas . . .’ Dositheus, a Samaritan, ‘ pretended that he was the lawgiver prophesied of by Moses.’ ” [4] DeMar contends that these all made claims to be the Messiah. However, none of these actually claimed to be Messiah when examined closely.

Some of these could be described as false prophets, but not false Messiahs. These preterists are playing fast and loose with the data because they have such a large investment in their view that all this took place in the first century. H. A. W. Meyer clarifies the issue when he notes,

We possess no historical record of any false Messiahs having appearedprevious to the destruction of Jerusalem (Barcochba did not make his appearance till the time of Hadrian); for Simon Magus (Acts viii. 9), Theudas (Acts v. 36), the Egyptian (Acts xxi. 38), Menander, Dositheus, who have been referred to as cases in point (Theophylact, Euthymius Zigabenus, Grotius, Calovinus, Bengel), did not pretend to be the Messiah. Comp. Joseph Antt. Xx. 5. 1; 8. 6;Bell. Ii. 13. 5.[5]

Another says, ” The first and second centuries saw quite a few famous false prophets who made eschatological claims,” as I have noted above. However, they further say, ” That any of them (before Bar Kochba) said, in so many words, ‘ I am Messiah’ , is undemonstrated by the sources.” [6] Finally, Leon Morris tells us, ” in this place the meaning is rather that they will claim for themselves the name Messiah, Jesus’ own title.” Morris explains:

This will surely be a reference to the last days, for there is little evidence that any of the turbulent men so active preceding the fall of Jerusalem ever claimed to be the Messiah. Some claimed to be prophets, but that is not the same thing.[7]

” The statement that such persons will come, ‘ in my name,” means either that they will come using the name of Jesus or that they will come assuming the messianic of Jesus, as is spelled out in the explicit claim that follows,” says Donald Hagner. ” The claim to be the Christ means here the claim to be the eschatological Messiah.” [8]

Even if some first century individuals did claim to be the Messiah- they did not- it would not fulfill this passage. This is one of the many reasons that it looks to the future tribulation and the coming of the beast of Revelation, popularly known down through Christendom as the antichrist.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

Verse 6 begins with an interesting Greek word- mell™- which is usually not translated into English, but it carries the idea of ” about to.” Since it is in the future tense, this opening phrase has the sense of ” You are going to be about to hear . . .” [9] This indeed is the case!

The Greek word polemos is a general word for war and connotes the ” whole course of hostilities” rather than just the individual battles that comprise the larger war campaign.[10] This is a reference to actual wars that will be taking place in reference to the future Jewish people. Meyer says that this phrase is a ” reference to wars near at hand, the din and tumult of which are actually heard, and to wars at a distance, of which nothing is know except from the reports that are brought home.” [11]

Here we have the future parallel to Revelation 6:4 and the red horse judgment, which is said ” to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.” The first seal judgment of Revelation 6:2 is the rider on a white horse, who is a counterfeit Christ, which correspond to verses 4- 5 of Matthew 24. This means that antichrist begins the tribulation with a false peace that soon turns into multiple wars breaking out throughout the globe. There will be war that those in Jerusalem will see themselves and those further away that they will only hear about.

To whom is the Lord addressing His comments in this discourse? I believe that it is not to the church, but ” to the Jewish disciples as they then were, and as they will be.” [12] William Kelly expounds upon this aspect:

the Lord is predicting about the Jewish remnant, . . . And this, because many things must yet be accomplished before the Jews can come into their blessing. But for Christians, all things are ours in Christ even now; the blessing is never put off, though we await the crown at His coming. Again, many parts of scripture speak of scenes of anguish before the Lord’ s coming; others make Christians to be expecting Christ at any time. These scriptures cannot be broken, nor can they contradict one another; and yet they must do so, if they be applied to the same people.[13]

These wars of the tribulation are described in verse 7 as, nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This description depicts multiple struggles taking place on various levels; international conflict will be raging all around. Nations fighting nations, such as if the national entities of France and Germany fought one another. Kingdom against kingdom, such as if NATO were to fight the former Warsaw pact nations. This is the kind of geopolitical conflicts depicted in Daniel and Revelation, which are within the context of a future tribulation. This is not what took place in a.d. 70. Rome was an empire that fought against Israel- a single nation. Such a first century situation does not resemble nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. M’ Neile notes, ” The horrors described are not local disturbances, but are spread over the known world; nations and kingdoms are in hostility with one another.” [14]

Do Not Be Frightened

Jesus tells His disciples that they should not be frightened. The Greek word for frightened is only used here, in the parallel passage of Mark 8:15, and by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:2. A. T. Robertson says is ” means to cry aloud, to scream, and in the passive to be terrified by an outcry.” He renders this passage as follows: ” Look out for the wars and rumours of wars, but do not be sacred out of your wits by them.” [15]

All three uses of this word are found within the context of the tribulation. Apparently this is going to be a very scary time for those who do not understand that God is in control of these things. Paul makes a similar statement in 2 Thessalonians when he says, ” that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come” (2:2). The Thessalonian believers thought that they were in the day of the Lord or the tribulation. Paul tells them not to be disturbed, because they were not in the day of the Lord.

Twice, once by our Lord and once by Paul, they describe a natural human reaction to thinking that one is in the tribulation as the temptation to cry out in pain. We can understand why one would think this way as we come to realize from the seal judgments of Revelation 6, that describe this specific time as a time in which over a quarter of the earth’ s population will be killed (Rev. 6:8).

What is the antidote to this frightening knowledge? Simply to know that, ” those thing must take place” (verse 6). Meyer says, ” The reflection that it is a matter of necessity in pursuance of the divine purpose (xxvi. 54), is referred to as calculated to inspire a calm and reassured frame of mind.” [16] Believers are comforted to know that ” if God says that something shall be, then it must be.” [17] Morris explains: ” They have one thing going for them that the general public has not: they know that God is over all and that his purpose will in the end be worked out. This is the significance of it is necessary.” [18]This phrase lets us know that God is in control of what is seemingly out of control- His judgment.

Judgment is a necessary part of God’ s plan because there is evil in the world. Before the Lord can usher in His kingdom- since it will be a righteous kingdom- He must purge out evil through judgment. This can be a scary thing if one does not know God and His plan. Knowing the predetermined plan of God is one of the comforting aspects that prophecy provides for the people of God during a time of global upheaval. Judgment must happen because God is a righteous God who has limits to His patience.

Conclusion

James R. Gray has the following excellent summary of this passage:

Matthew 24:6 and Revelation 6:3- 4 are parallel. The red horse symbolizes war. The purpose of the rider is ” to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another” (Rev. 6:3). Many perceive the first half of the Tribulation as a time of great peace. That is not so. The Antichrist will be perceived as a man of peace because of his great deceptive ability. The fact is he comes to power and stays in power because of war (Dan. 7:8, 24). The tribulation will bring war and more wars. The book of Revelation prophesies of many wars, not only in chapter 6, but also in 16:12- 15, 17:14, 19:1 ff, and 20:8. These will not only be in invasions of Palestine (Daniel 9:26- 27, 11:40- 45, Zechariah 12:2- 11, Revelation 12:9- 17).[19]

(To Be Continued . . .)

 

Endnotes
[1] Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church, (Power Springs, GA: American Vision, 1999), p. 73.

[2] Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Perilous Times: A Study in Eschatological Evil(Texarkana, AR: Covenant Media Press, 1999), p. 46.

[3] Gentry, Perilous Times, pp. 46- 47.

[4] DeMar, Last Days Madness, p. 74.

[5] Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to The Gospel of Matthew, 2 vols. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1879), vol. 2, p. 128.

[6] W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison, Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, 3 vols. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1997), vol. 3, pp. 338- 39.

[7] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), p.597.

[8] Donald A. Hagner, Word Biblical Commentary: Matthew 14- 28, Vol. 33B (Dallas: Word Books, 1995), p. 690.

[9] Randolph O. Yeager, The Renaissance New Testament, 18 vols. (Bowling Green, KY: Renaissance Press, 1978), vol. 3. p. 277.

[10] Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, [1880] 1953), p. 322.

[11] Meyer, Matthew, vol. 2, p. 129.

[12] William Kelly, Lectures on The Gospel of Matthew (Sunbury, PA: Believers Bookshelf, 1971 [1868]), p. 482.

[13] Kelly, Matthew, p. 483.

[14] Alan Hugh M’ Neile, The Gospel According to St. Matthew (London: MacMillan, 1915), p. 346.

[15] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, VI vols, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), vol. I, p. 189.

[16] Meyer, Matthew, vol. 2, p. 129.

[17] Davies and Allison, Matthew, vol. 3, p. 349, f.n. 81.

[18] Morris, Matthew, p.598.

[19] James R. Gray, Prophecy on The Mount: A Dispensational Study of the Olivet Discourse (Chandler, AZ: Berean Advocate Ministries, 1991), pp. 29- 30.