Why 99.7% of Christendom falsely read-in '70 A.D.'

In Matthew, Jesus Christ gives four parables outside the house and three inside the house. The four are designed so the multitudes can hear but can’t understand, and the three are strictly for His disciples’ ears, informing them who they are and what they’re going to do.

“He’s doing it so the multitudes can’t get it but the disciples can,” explains Jordan. “He’s focusing now on training the ‘little flock’ for the ministry they’re going to have in the future. And from this point on in Christ’s ministry, that’s the focus.

“Matthew 16:20 says, ‘Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.’

“Wait a minute! I thought He wanted everybody to know that! Not now. Did you realize the Lord Jesus Christ came to the place where He said, ‘Don’t go tell everybody who I am’?

“He says, ‘Pete, you’re going to be the leader of the ‘little flock,’ but don’t tell anybody else,’ and He begins to draw back and de-emphasize His Messianic office. He does the same thing in chapter 17.

“He goes up on the Mount of Transfiguration; He’s transfigured in front of them. Verses 8-9 say, ‘And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
[9] And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.’

“That’s what Peter in II Peter 1 declares. Christ says, ‘From here to the resurrection don’t tell anybody.’ They’re no longer out trying to convert the nation.

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“If you were to read some of the old-line dispensationalists like Scofield, Ironsides and some of the brethren one hundred years ago, they put the fall of Israel in Matthew 12 and the reason they did is what we’re reading right here.

“Obviously something took place at that point in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in relationship to the nation where He backs up from this public offer, and claiming Himself to be the Messiah, and now He’s training this ‘little flock’ of Believers He’s gathered together for the ministry they’re going to have after His resurrection.

“Hebrews 2:3 is one of the greatest proof texts that the Body of Christ, the dispensation of grace-- nothing new began on the day of Pentecost: ‘How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.’

“Hebrews 2 is totally unaware of anything new beginning in Acts 2. The first part of the Book of Acts, according to Hebrews 2, is a continuation of what Christ taught in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. You see that? That’s a powerful passage.

“What He’s doing in Matthew with the ‘little flock’ after Matthew 12 is He’s training them for the ministry they’re going to have over here—one that’s going to carry them through the Tribulation period into the kingdom. He prepares them for that ministry.

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“If you go to Matthew 24 and try to put yourself in that passage, you’re not there. It reads, 'And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
[2] And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
[3] And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world.'

“The disciples want to know about the end of the world. They come to Him privately. Luke 21 is what’s called the ‘second Sermon on the Mount,’ coming from the Mount of Olives. In Matthew 5, He gives what we call the original Sermon on the Mount. In the Bible, a mount is a picture and a sign and a prophetic symbol of a kingdom, so you have the king sitting, giving the constitution of His kingdom in Matthew 5-7.

“Now, He’s going to do the same thing in Matthew 24. By the way, He sits on the Mount of Olives. Where did He leave from in Acts 1? The angel said that same Jesus you see go away in like manner is going to come back. When He comes back, where’s the first place He puts His feet on the earth? Zechariah 14:14 says it’s the Mount of Olives.

“So immediately when you start in Matthew 24 you know you’re going to be reading about the Second Coming of Christ. You’re reading about this thing that’s going to bring in that kingdom.

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“The common teaching is that Luke 21 and Matthew 24 have a reference to the events that took place in 70 A.D. when the Roman army came in and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. That is just absolute nonsense. I’m sorry. It comes from not paying attention to the text.

“Most of Christendom, when they teach about this, are what are called ‘Preterists.’ You know, R.C. Sproul or Hank Hanegraaf, D. James Kennedy, on and on. The word ‘preterist’ means past. They believe the Second Coming of Christ has already taken place. They believe we’re in the kingdom NOW and that all of prophecy has been fulfilled in the past. They teach that 70 A.D. is when the Second Advent of Christ took place.

“They use a quote out of Josephus when he describes the Roman army coming in and the visions that they were supposed to see—all a bunch of hocus-pocus stuff and they say, ‘That’s what all that is.’ That is dangerous nonsense. 70 A.D. has nothing to do with anything in the Bible!

“Now, I understand I’m a nobody and a peon and yet I’m contradicting about 99.7 percent of everybody out there. I don’t care. I can read sixth-grade English.

“Luke 21:5-6 says, [5] And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
[6] As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

“This is the same situation as in Matthew. This is Luke’s record of what Matthew’s talking about.

“The passage goes on, “7] And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
[8] And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
[9] But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

“Verses 20-22 say, ‘And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21] Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
[22] For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.’

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“If that’s 70 A.D. what happened in 70 A.D.? ‘That all things that are written are fulfilled.’ That’s the Preterists’ verse. Scofield’s got that listed as 70 A.D. I’m sorry; it ain’t.

“Verse 23: ‘But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.’

“You know what that’s talking about? That day of wrath over here when all the things about that day of wrath that are written are going to be fulfilled. That’s not talking about 70 A.D.

“Why do they say 70 A.D.? Verse 24: ‘And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.’

“And they say, ‘Well, see, there’s 70 A.D.’ That’s not 70 A.D. That’s Zechariah 14:1-3. That takes place in the middle of the tribulation.

“I can’t help it if the Bible prophecy teachers don’t understand how to fit that verse into their charts. That verse is right and their charts are wrong.

“What Jesus is talking about to these guys is not something in the past. He’s talking about to these fellows, ‘Listen, that stuff isn’t being fulfilled. That stuff waits to be fulfilled over in the future.’

“How do I know? You read verse 22 and you can’t miss that when this is fulfilled everything in that prophetic program is going to be done that has to do with the wrath of God being poured out. That can’t be 70 A.D.

“I’m fascinated to read the commentaries of Luke. I think, ‘What were they reading?!’ It’s fascinating people don’t seem to notice that Luke 21 is not the same thing as Matthew 24. Luke 21 was a public conversation.

“Mark 13:3 says, ‘And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately.’ He doesn’t even have the whole bunch of them there; He’s just got those four guys. So this is a PRIVATE conversation.

“Again, He’s not instructing the whole crowd; He’s taking His apostles Peter, James, John and Andrew, and He’s going to give them some private instructions. He teaches them how to understand the parables: ‘Those guys, I don’t want them to get it; I want you to get it. Here’s how to interpret it.’ ”