End of the age in Matt. 24:3

[zwan]

What do the preterists around here think of the "end of the age"?

What concept do you have?
Is it past? Or future?
Any evidence for your view?

From what I know of the partial preterist RT France, I think he views the "end of the age" as something still future that will happen with the second coming.

But I think some preterists will say it happened AD70?

[Little Shepherd]

Pretty much, yeah. The end of the age would have been confirmed by the destruction of the temple, just like Jesus said. And that happened in AD 70.

[Obsidian]

Try to think of it as "the end of the dispensation."

[seanD]

Does this include all of Mat 25 or is Mat 25 not part of Mat 24:3?

[TyRockwell]

The disciples asked two questions, "What will these things be?" was the first question, and they asked it about the destruction of the temple. Much of Jesus' answer was to that question.

But they also asked, "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

The disciples associated the end of the age with Jesus' Second Coming. And Jesus didn't correct them on that point.

Jesus didn't say the destruction of the temple was the end of the age.

[TyRockwell]

Pretty much, yeah. The end of the age would have been confirmed by the destruction of the temple, just like Jesus said. And that happened in AD 70.

Where do you get the idea that Jesus said the destruction of the temple was 'the end of the age?'

[Little Shepherd]

Where do you get the idea that Jesus said the destruction of the temple was 'the end of the age?'

I didn't say that. I said it was one sign of the end of the age. Verse 2 is Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple, and in verse 3 His disciples asked Him in a single question about this(including the other events mentioned previously in Matthew 23) and His coming and the end of the age, as if they were all tied together. And in the following verses Jesus lays out the signs, treating them everything included in His disciples verse 3 question as a related series of events.

[Darfius]

Pretty much, yeah. The end of the age would have been confirmed by the destruction of the temple, just like Jesus said. And that happened in AD 70.

Matthew 28:20

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

My God, gents, according to Little Shepherd, Jesus is no longer with us.

[TyRockwell]

I didn't say that. I said it was one sign of the end of the age. Verse 2 is Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple, and in verse 3 His disciples asked Him in a single question about this(including the other events mentioned previously in Matthew 23) and His coming and the end of the age, as if they were all tied together. And in the following verses Jesus lays out the signs, treating them everything included in His disciples verse 3 question as a related series of events.

Excuse me, but the disciples asked Jesus TWO, questions! This is simple reading comprehension!

Question 1 : When will these things be?

Question 2 : And what will be the sign of your coming, and the end of the age?

Didn't you ever learn how to diagram a sentence in grade school?
There is a "when" question, directly related to the destruction of the temple. Then there is an "and" connecting to another sentence, a "what" question.

The use of "and" in this case indicates a compound sentence, making one sentence out of two sentences. After the "and" there is what would have been a second sentence. In this case "and" joins two questions into one sentence.

Question one, referred the things Jesus had mentioned in chapter 23, the desolation and destruction of the temple. But the disciples asked a second question that Jesus had not ellaborated on. It was his statement, "You will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' " (Matt 23:39)

They thought that the destruction of the temple must be at the return of Jesus, his Second Coming, at the end of the age. All they asked in that regard, is "what will be the sign" of it? Apparently, Jesus had told them he was going away, returning to the Father in heaven, and that he would come again from heaven. They would have known, too, that John the baptist had warned the people of a "coming wrath."

So Jesus is answering both questions in his discourse. Beginning in verse 4, he first refers to things that would happen before the destruction of the temple, things that would concern the disciples. He told them there would be false christs who would deceive many, and they would hear of wars and rumors of wars, and to "see to it that you are not alarmed. All these things must happen, BUT THE END [of the age] is NOT YET."
IOW, all those things, including the temple's destruction were not signs of his Second Coming and the end of the age. The signs are not until verses 29-31. Then he goes on in verse 7 with more things that will affect them that will lead up to the temple being destroyed. Then he goes on to say that those things were just the beginning of birth pains. Now birth pains lead to a coming, so he is putting more events beginning before the temple's fall and lasting until his coming again.

In Luke's account of this discourse, he tells of more things that will happen to them, BEFORE the temple would fall:
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luke 21:11-13 (KJV)

Back to Matthew 24:9-12, Jesus foretells more things that will happen to them, and in verse 13, beginning with them, "He who stands firm to the end will be delivered. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." All those persecutions, which is the same word used for tribulation, accompany testimony to all nations (Luke 21:13, and Matthew 24:14), and continue to the end of the age and Jesus 2nd Advent.

Jesus is describing a long period of tribulation lasting from before the temple would be pulled down, to the end of the age at his Second Coming.

[seanD]

Matthew 28:20

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

My God, gents, according to Little Shepherd, Jesus is no longer with us.

I guess the preterist argument here would be to assume that there two ages? This way they can use one age to describe the 70 CE age, and the other age to describe the end of time when it's convenient for them.

[Little Shepherd]

My God, gents, according to Little Shepherd, Jesus is no longer with us.

Or that He was stating something to comfort His disciples. Because I know whenever I tell someone "I'm here for you during this hard time," there's an unspoken "but after that, I'm so out of here."

[Darfius]

Or that He was stating something to comfort His disciples. Because I know whenever I tell someone "I'm here for you during this hard time," there's an unspoken "but after that, I'm so out of here."

Are you seriously suggesting that Christ spoke out of turn?

[Little Shepherd]

Are you seriously suggesting that Christ spoke out of turn?

This question doesn't even make sense.

[Darfius]

This question doesn't even make sense.

It certainly made more sense than your post, but I was asking if your claim was that Christ said something He did not mean.

[Little Shepherd]

It certainly made more sense than your post, but I was asking if your claim was that Christ said something He did not mean.

Nope, and I didn't even hint at such a thing.