Perspectives:

Preterism claims Matt 10:23 (you will not have gone through the cities of Israel  before the Son of Man comes) as an imminency passage. Preterism also claims that the gospel was preached in all the world in the New Testament generation (Col 1:6, 23). Aren’t these contradictory?

Response by:

Jim Wade, William Bell, Larry D. Siegle

Jim Wade

    Students of God’s word should be intrigued when confronted with seeming contradictions in the Scriptures. Why? Because we know God’s revelation conveys a consistent message. Conflicts in our understanding only highlight areas where we need to study and grow. When ideas appear to clash, our interpretation of at least one of the passages is incorrect. The challenge of resolving the conflict should spur us to study, not seek comfort in the thought that others accept the traditional view with its own set of conflicts. Indeed, it is the discomfort of such conflicts which compels diligent students to dig deeper rather than retreat. That said, the seeming contradiction posed in this issue is not, as we shall see, a contradiction at all.

Jesus didn’t pull any punches when he commissioned the Twelve disciples as recorded in Matthew chapter 10. He made it clear that many would not only reject their message but persecute them as well. It is in this context that the relief promised at His coming appears. The disciples were to understand that, although things would be difficult, their relief would come before they evangelized all the cities of Israel. This statement is irrefutable evidence that the disciples would still be involved in their mission when He came.

Paul was equally clear in his letters: The gospel had been preached in all the world during his lifetime. Whether one takes “the world” to be the old covenant world or the Roman Empire, the fact remains that the gospel had been preached to the nations. (We will come back to this point shortly.)

Suggesting that these two thoughts are contradictory is based on an unwarranted and erroneous assumption, namely, that the Twelve were solely responsible for preaching the gospel in all the world. No one who believes Christians still have a part in fulfilling the Twelve’s original commission can logically insist the disciples alone were responsible for it in the first century. Even a casual reading of the biblical text reveals that others were involved in fulfilling the mission. Hence, the plain text of Scripture tells us that the Twelve were not themselves responsible for completing the “worldwide” mission. Rather, the commission was fulfilled as the good news spread from person to person.

Furthermore, a brief reflection on the events of Pentecost will serve as evidence that the propagation of the gospel to all nations began that very day. It could even be said that the gospel was preached to all the world that day, even if the audience was limited in scope. We read in Acts 2:5, “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.” The text is clear: Men from “every nation” were present to hear the first presentation of the gospel message.

Some commentators tell us that wealthy Jews (here used in the broader sense to include the Diaspora) maintained homes in Jerusalem for the express purpose of having a place to stay when they came to keep the feasts. They were among those assembled on Pentecost who “were pricked in their hearts” (Acts 2:37). They were among the distraught who learned that they had crucified their Deliverer. They experienced the grace and forgiveness which answered the question of every heart, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Are we to think that these men returned to their homes and remained silent about what they heard and experienced? Anyone who has been brought to Christ, especially as an adult (or who has witnessed such a conversion), can relate to the pure joy and excitement that overflows at every opportunity. Surely those who received Peter’s message carried it with them to their family and friends throughout the Roman Empire. The bottom line is that the Twelve had help! They did not have to go through all the cities of Israel personally for the message to be heard.

Beyond that, Jesus’ commission does not demand that every individual or every city had to be taught before the end would come. The commission of Christ, properly understood, never required that every individual was to hear the gospel before the end came. There never has been (and never will be) a time when every living individual has heard the gospel message. Children are born every minute and they will not be able to effectually hear the message for years to come. To anticipate such a day is without biblical (or logical) foundation.

Paul was not only trained in the Scriptures, he was personally taught by our Lord through special revelation. To say he “knew his stuff” would be an understatement. Yet, we find no evidence he thought the completion of the world mission contradicted the Master’s words in Matthew. If he noted no conflict, we are hardly in a position to disagree.

In conclusion, it is expected that those who reject the Scriptures will always see contradictions in the text, and no explanation will ever satisfy them. However, those who honor the text should be willing to set aside faulty assumptions and let Scripture speak for itself. When we attempt to force the divine text to conform to our human understanding, we end up confusing (or deceiving) ourselves and providing additional fodder for those who point to our faith as failure.

We have been entrusted with a glorious message. May we be diligent students and faithful witnesses of the glory revealed to us in the Christ.

(Recommended reading: “Into All the World: Then Comes the End,” Don Preston, www.eschatology.org)

William Bell

    The question is asked, “Why, if the coming of the Son of Man happened in AD 70, do the Scriptures say that the apostles would not have completed preaching to the cities of Israel till the Son of Man comes?” Let’s begin our response by examining the context of Christ’s commission to the apostles.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matt 10:16-23)

In the larger context, Matthew10:1-4 describes the call of the apostles, followed by the commission of the Twelve to go preach. Beginning in verse 16, the instructions shift to the subject of persecution. The disciples would face severe trials preaching a gospel which would “turn the world upside down.”

Observe that Jesus sends them out as harmless sheep in the midst of devouring wolves. While there is a concern for the safety of the apostles, Christ makes no effort to conceal the persecution they will face.

Legal difficulties and trials before the Sanhedrin Council, and before governors and kings, are all detailed vividly in the Acts of the Apostles. The trials would involve betrayals by close family relationships; brothers, fathers, mothers and children all would set one against another even to the point of death. The apostles would be hated of all men for Jesus’ name sake, yet were instructed to endure or labor under such trials until the end.

Amidst this formidable opposition and distress, Jesus offers the apostles comfort and reprieve from persecutions through flight to other cities for refuge. According to Acts chapter 17, Paul did not remain in Thessalonica when he met with persecution there. Rather, he fled to Berea, a place where he not only found refuge for a time but also favorable response to his message. Later, his persecutors followed him to Berea.

Jesus assured the apostles that throughout their apostolic ministry, they would always find some city of refuge in Israel to which they could flee. They would not exhaust those available cities before the Lord returned. In this, Jesus assured the apostles that they could protect themselves as much as possible by fleeing to the next city.

This was practical wisdom for their self-preservation. They were not to recklessly run into harm’s way, but were to do everything reasonable to protect themselves against unreasonable and violent men.

Hence, the text is teaching that the Lord’s coming would occur during the lifetime of the apostles. Jesus promised to come before they would have gone through all the cities to which they could flee for refuge. It was a comforting assurance that amidst their trials, they would always find some relief.

Matthew 10:23 does not demand the fulfillment of the world-wide preaching of the gospel prior to Christ’s Second Coming. However, it does affirm that the gospel was in fact preached in the lifetime of the apostles. Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations then shall the end come” (Matt 24:14).

This is the same end found in Matthew 10:22, referring to the end of the Jewish age, which concluded before the first-century generation passed away.

The reference to the Holy Spirit’s ministry also confirms the first-century pre-Parousia time. The apostles were assured of the miraculous powers of the Spirit until the consummation of the Jewish age (Matt 29:20; 1 Cor 1:7, 8).

No one today can fulfill this commission as they would not be equipped with the powers of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was poured out for the last days of Israel (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-20).

Mathew 10:23 is, therefore, a text which teaches an imminent coming. The lifetime of the apostles, the persecutions, and the ministry of the Spirit within the last days of Israel support this conclusion.

The fact that the Son of Man would come before the apostles exhausted all the cities of Israel demonstrates that soon-to-come Parousia was the same coming taught elsewhere in the New Testament. It came to pass at the end of the Jewish age in the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, when all things written were fulfilled (Luke 21:20-32).

Therefore, the text does not demand that preaching must continue in Israel today until Christ returns. The apostles fulfilled this mission in the first century by carrying the gospel to all, even in the midst of severe opposition.

Larry D. Siegle

While attending a theological school some years ago, one of the very first verses that attracted my attention to the Preterist paradigm was Matthew 10:23, “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.” What an incredible statement! Could the “Second Coming” of Jesus have actually been so close at hand?

Other statements in the New Testament affirm what is called “the nearness of expectation” as it relates to that generation and not to those who would live thousands of years in the future (Matt 23:36; 24:34; Mark 8:12, 38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 7:31; et al.). History also records the marvelous fulfillment of “all things written” as having been consummated with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Luke 21:22).

Regarding the “great commission” given by the Lord Jesus to His disciples following His resurrection from the dead, the scope and magnitude of the outreach would be “all the world” (Mark 16:15), and “all the nations” (Matt 28:19), even to the extent of “all creation” (Mark 16:15 NASB), or “every creature” (KJV). Other references in the New Testament point to the grand fulfillment of the commission over an approximately forty-year period during which time the message had been proclaimed “in all creation under heaven” (Col 1:23) and “made known to all the nations” (Rom 16:26).

If these statements are true, then how could Jesus have said that His “coming” would take place before His disciples could “finish going through the cities of Israel”—a seeming contradiction. Students of the Word should keep in mind the contextual circumstances from which the statement arises. Matthew 10:1-42 depicts Jesus sending out His disciples on a mission limited to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (v. 6), after which they would return and report the results of their preaching efforts (Luke 9:10). Scholars are in agreement that not all of what Jesus had foretold took place within that short span of time before they returned with their report. During this journey, the disciples did not encounter “governors and kings,” nor were they beaten “in the synagogues”—events that would unfold following the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Acts 16:22, 37; 2 Cor 11:23-25). Although Jesus’ prophetic statement reached into the future, it was restricted to the limitations of the “nearness of expectation” of that generation.

The statement of Jesus was a call to urgency—a message that time was soon running out and the kingdom of heaven was “at hand” (Matt 10:7; 16:28). Before the disciples would have the opportunity to “go through the cities of Israel,” the end would occur. It must be understood that the preaching to “all creation” or “all the nations” does not necessarily imply that the disciples were compelled to personally travel to every single city in the “world” for the work to be accomplished. The Bible reveals that, following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, thousands responded to the message of salvation (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 11:24; 13:48 et al.).

Even though the apostles themselves would not have had time to travel “into all the world” during the short span of forty years, the multiplying principle of preaching, teaching, and ministry would propel the message far and wide. There is no contradiction between Jesus’ statement in Matthew 10:23 and those later recorded by the Apostle Paul as an inspired commentary and testimony of how the fulfillment of those words took place. Both Jew and Gentile were brought together into the “one body” as predicted (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17-21). The amazing dissemination of the gospel took place just as had been predicted and the end came right on time, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14).