preterist interpretation of Matthew 23:37-39

[Tim C.]

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" - Matthew 23:37-39

How do preterists interpret this passage?

-Tim

[Hitch]

Correctly

[Tim C.]

Correctly

Explain the passage, Hitch.

-Tim

[wfaber]

Paul says in Romans 11:25-26 that Israel is partially hardened against the Lord until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. Afterwards, he says, "All Israel will be saved." I take that to mean that sometime yet in the future, the Jews will come to the Lord, after which he will return, and they will see him coming in the air.I know this doesn't fit the hyperpreterist chronology.

[dizzle]

Just dropping in a quick comment and a plagiarism of myself:



Matthew 23:37-39: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Jesus in light of this pronounced condemnation laments over the city of Jerusalem. Why the city? Cities and their leadership are often intertwined in the Bible. He makes it explicit here that in pronouncing doom upon the leadership, He was pronouncing doom upon Jerusalem, and makes reference to His longing for her faithfulness throughout the ages, and that now, the penalty has come home to roost. The city and Temple are also bound up together for it is the Temple that is the "House" that is left desolate. In this section Jesus just pronounced the doom of the religious hierarchy and system of His day ~ Jerusalem, and the Temple. We today, two thousand years removed, have a hard time really grasping just how heavy this was, and the utter shock this must have caused His disciples. This was made all the more shocking that Jesus was in the Temple itself as He was saying these things.

Now, there is a difficult statement here that some futurists clutch unto, but it cannot mean what they attempt to say. We may have some differences as to what it does mean, but we can rule some things out.

Matthew 23:39: ...you shall see Me no more till you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Now what in the world does this mean? Well one thing it cannot be referring to is "physical sight" as they certainly "saw" Him after that statement. It certainly is a promise of the withdrawal of Himself in some way until they repented, without any assurance that they would in fact repent. It is an utterly conditional promise [De LDM 60-62], and has nothing directly to do with "seeing" Christ at the Second Coming. The Second Coming is utterly foreign thus far to anything said. Jesus was not talking about leaving at all, never mind having to come back. His statements utterly focused on His rejection of the Old Covenant order and the Old Covenant system.



This is an isolated piece, http://www.preteristsite.com/docs/warrenend.html#matt2337, of the larger commentary, http://www.preteristsite.com/docs/warrenend.html

[InChristAlways]

ooops. Sorry no post.

[PaulT]

Great comment.

[Hitch]

Paul says in Romans 11:25-26 that Israel is partially hardened against the Lord until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. Afterwards, he says, "All Israel will be saved." I take that to mean that sometime yet in the future, the Jews will come to the Lord, after which he will return, and they will see him coming in the air.I know this doesn't fit the hyperpreterist chronology.Well WF the same author declared that Israel's time of salvation is the present;


Isa 49:1-8
1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.
5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
(KJV)




2 Cor 6:2
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
(KJV)

[Tim C.]

Paul says in Romans 11:25-26 that Israel is partially hardened against the Lord until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. Afterwards, he says, "All Israel will be saved." I take that to mean that sometime yet in the future, the Jews will come to the Lord, after which he will return, and they will see him coming in the air.I know this doesn't fit the hyperpreterist chronology.

That sounds like a pretty good partial preterist explanation to me. Not sure why Hitch didn't like it.

The only problem now, is why would Paul refer to those Jews as "Israel"?

-Tim

[Tim C.]

Matthew 23:39: ...you shall see Me no more till you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!"

Now what in the world does this mean? Well one thing it cannot be referring to is "physical sight" as they certainly "saw" Him after that statement. It certainly is a promise of the withdrawal of Himself in some way until they repented, without any assurance that they would in fact repent. It is an utterly conditional promise [De LDM 60-62], and has nothing directly to do with "seeing" Christ at the Second Coming. The Second Coming is utterly foreign thus far to anything said. Jesus was not talking about leaving at all, never mind having to come back. His statements utterly focused on His rejection of the Old Covenant order and the Old Covenant system.

I don't see any problem here for futurism. Seems to be an obvious reference to the second advent. Compare Zechariah 13-14.

-Tim