Category Archives: Interpretation

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM

Christ, Interpretation, Israel July 30, 2024 Leave a comment

PMW 2024-059 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Triumphal entry

I have been doing a few surveys in Matthew’s Gospel. These are showing the failure of Israel and the expectation of Gentile salvation. I will skip now to the end of Matthew to continue this survey. By this means, I am tracing Matthew’s highly-structured presentation of Jesus’ ministry to show how it leads up to the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24–25. Now in Matthew 21:10 Jesus enters Jerusalem (for the first time in this Gospel). Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the home of God’s temple, the seat of the high priesthood and their religious rule over Israel.

Matthew is clearly organizing his material to emphasize Jesus’ climactic entry into Jerusalem to confront and rebuke Israel’s religious authorities. As noted above, this confrontation has been brewing since Matthew 16:21: “From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (cp. 20:18). Continue reading →

MATTHEW’S EARLY NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS

Interpretation, Israel June 4, 2024 Leave a comment

Jerusalem afraidPMW 2024-043 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

When reading Matthew, we should notice its narrative flow. Especially its presentation of Israel and her leaders as they oppose Christ from the very beginning. This flow leads inexorably to the Olivet Discourse and the judgment on the Temple.

MATTHEW 2:1
In Matthew 2:1 the Apostle reports that men “from the east” come to worship Jesus. This historical information is unique among the Gospels and is designed to stress Matthew’s particular thematic concern regarding the demise of Israel and the arising of the Gentiles in God’s plan. “The magi’s actions recall scenes such as those in Isa 60 and Ps 72 in which Gentiles bring gifts to acknowledge the final establishment of God’s reign on Mount Zion.” [1]

Because these Gentiles appear, “all Jerusalem [the capital of Israel and the holy city of the Jews] was troubled” at this news (2:3b). Thus, Matthew includes the story of Herod and the arriving of the Magi to show that “in this narrative the Jews and their king are ranged against the infant Jesus, but Gentiles do him homage.” [2] Continue reading →

NARRATIVE FLOW IN THE GOSPELS

AD 70, Interpretation, Olivet Discourse May 31, 2024 Leave a comment

GenrePMW 2024-042 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In my last posting I noted that an important issue impacting the preterist interpretation of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew is: narrative flow. We will now briefly consider this matter.

GOSPEL GENRE

To properly recognize Matthew’s redemptive-historical flow, we must understand that the Gospels are not biographies per se. J. K. Brown declares Matthew to be “theological history or theological biography.” This is a helpful observation, though more needs to be said.

Gospel scholar John Wenham notes that “gospel” is a “newly invented genre.” Therefore, Warren Carter states that “because of their theological content and pastoral orientation,” the Gospels are “a unique genre in the ancient world.” Clark Pinnock explains that “these works constitute a new literary phenomenon. They are not biographies as such, for they omit much material normally found in such works.” Continue reading →

PRETERIST IMPULSES

AD 70, Interpretation, Preterism May 28, 2024 Leave a comment

Narrative flowPMW 2024-041 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

The interpretation of the Olivet Discourse that applies its opening portion to first-century Israel is called “preterism.” [1] This theological term derives from the Latin preteritus, which means “gone by, past.” [2] The evangelical, orthodox preterist sees many (not all! [3]) important New Testament prophetic passages as being fulfilled in the first century, thus in our distant past. These prophetic events transpired in the era surrounding the AD 70 destruction of the Jewish temple. These events powerfully, publicly, and permanently close the old covenant, typological era (Heb. 8:13; cp. Matt. 21:33–43; John 4:21–23). Continue reading →

ON MISSING JESUS’ POINT

AD 70, Interpretation, Olivet Discourse May 24, 2024 Comments: 2

Missing the targetPMW 2024-040 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

The Olivet Discourse has a large presence in the Gospel record (two whole chapters of ninety-seven verses in Matthew, as well as being preserved in Mark 13 and Luke 21). But since so many evangelical Christians are hypnotized by its prophecies of woe (generating multi-million-selling books), and since, as we will see, it is a valuable tool for apologetics in confirming the integrity of biblical prophecy (showing Christ’s ability to prophesy future events), it well deserves our careful consideration in the contemporary eschatological debate.

Unfortunately, Christ’s woe-filled teaching found pointedly here is woefully misunderstood practically everywhere. This is as true among biblical scholars as it is among evangelical students. And it is especially true among self-appointed, back-slapping “prophecy experts” (also known as “televangelists”). Therefore, as Michael Theophilos notes: “It is no understatement to suggest that more ink has been spilt on this chapter, with its synoptic parallels, than on any other in the Gospel narratives.” [1]
Continue reading →

THE END-TIME RESURRECTION (1)

Interpretation, Resurrection May 3, 2024 Leave a comment

PMW 2024-034 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.resurrection

As Christians we recognize the resurrection of Christ as of enormous significance in the Christian worldview. Paul dogmatically states: “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17). Clearly for him, Christ’s resurrection is foundational to our hope of salvation.

In this article I will deal with just one of the redemptive-historical effects of Christ’s resurrection: the eschatological resurrection of believers. Christ’s resurrection not only secures our present redemption for glory (Rom. 4:25; 10:9-10) but our future resurrection to glory (Rom.8:23). Continue reading →

INTERPRETING MESSIANIC PSALMS

Interpretation, Israel, Last Days December 26, 2023 Leave a comment

PMW 2023-099 R. T. France

I am reading R. T. France’s excellent work, Jesus and the Old Testament. He has much that is helpful for the postmillennialist and the (orthodox) preterist. Below I will quote three paragraphs that ought to be an encouragement to my readers. These present to us a helpful hermeneutic approach to many Old Testament passages.

I am sure France did not intend them as postmillennial observations, but they do help us in understanding the postmillennial hope nonetheless. Continue reading →