Date: February 2005 Series: - “I Want to be Left Behind” (IV) Title: Jewish Expectations

       Before we go any further, we had better consider the issue of "Bible Interpretation" and the role it plays in understanding what will/will not occur in the future.  Much of what divides people on "end times" issues revolves around pre-conceived expectations and how to read Scripture - what is "literal" versus "figurative/symbolic"?  What things have already been fulfilled in history versus what is yet to happen - and why? 

       Partial Knowledge - First of all, an element of humility (rather than dogmatic certainty) should prevail.  That doesn't mean that we can never come to any firm conclusions, but we need to be careful that Scriptural material is really the foundation for these.  The very fact that the unrealized future is at the heart of our investigation should give us reason to pause.  God has given us some information about what is to come, but we do not have "exhaustive" knowledge of these things and this opens the door for inference and speculation.  There are certain issues, like the "time" of Christ's return that have, clearly, not been revealed (Matthew 24:35,36) and there are other things for which the Apostles were given a "gag order" and not allowed to discuss further (2Corinthians 12:3,4; Revelation 10:4).  Our speculations, especially in certain areas, can get us into trouble merely because we are working with less than complete information and we often try to fill the empty areas with the plausible speculations that others confidently offer.  This is why I believe that we need to collect and give priority to plain narrative statements before we try to interpret things framed in apocalyptic and symbolic language.  More on this later.

      Expectations and Inference - Old Testament predictions that have already been fulfilled are easy to understand, for there is an "accomplished reality" about them that settles the issue of "how" it would be fulfilled.  Consider the first coming of the Messiah - from Genesis 3:15 onward, all Israel knew that Messiah was coming, but when He appeared (born in the right place, at the right time, of the right lineage) most Israelites eventually rejected Him^[1] even though He was divinely-attested with numerous signs and what happened to Him was exactly what God intended to happen (Acts 2:22,23).  Jesus enjoyed a period of widespread popularity (John 12:12-19), but something went wrong.  What was first-century A.D. Judaism expecting that would cause Peter to identify Jesus as Messiah one minute and then try to correct Him on His mission the next (Matthew 16:13-23)?  Why would money-hungry Judas make a bargain to betray Jesus, but then give back the money and commit suicide when He saw Jesus submitting to trials and execution (Matthew 27:1-5)?  Why would crowds of Jewish folks welcome Jesus into Jerusalem and "hail Him" as Israel's true king one day and then holler "Nail Him" just a week later?

      Clearly, first century A.D. Judaism had embraced expectations and mental pictures of the Messiah that were impressed by miraculous healings, the dead being raised, and crowds miraculously fed, but had trouble with the idea of a Messianic Passover Lamb (John 6) that was not going to drastically alter the Palestinian political scene.  As I look at some Old Testament Messianic prophecies fulfilled in the first coming, I can see that Judaism could have developed several plausible scenarios for the Messiah's appearance and one of these would have fit the realities very well.  There were a few rabbis teaching that Messiah would not change the overall political scene much, but their teaching didn't sell as well on the religious scroll-stands in the marketplace as did some of the more exciting scenarios (a similar situation exists now).

      Messianic Expectations - Alfred Edersheim's The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah^[2] offers us a summary of what the popular rabbinical "scenario-makers" had formulated and taught the people that caused many Jews to, ultimately, reject Jesus as their promised Messiah.  (1) Judaism had come to divide history into three eras: Before the Law, under the Law, Under the Messiah (sub-divided into his coming, period of reign, then eternity) and, I go along with them this far.  (2) Messiah would appear and do His initial work, then disappear for 45 days, and reappear to put down a Gentile assault against Jerusalem, and the Messianic kingdom would begin (lasting somewhere between 40 – 7,000 years).  (3) The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and it was believed that dead Jews would be raised to enjoy the Messianic kingdom (although Palestinian Rabbis taught that Jews who had died and were buried outside of Palestine would have to painfully roll underground until they reached the borders of Palestine before coming up out of the ground).  (4) Wheat would grow as high as palm trees and the wind would turn it to flour, miraculously.  Each Jewish woman would daily give birth to a child until each family was as numerous as the nation of Israel had been at the time of the exodus.  (5) Jerusalem would be restored, its base lifted to a height of nine miles and then the city itself reaching upwards to God's throne, with a beautiful Temple.  (6) A final Gentile revolt would result in their elimination and a new heaven/earth, wherein continual feasting and collecting jewels would occupy Jewish life for eternity.  No wonder Peter had a problem with Jesus' teaching that he was destined to suffer, die, and resurrect in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21-23) and that Herod's Temple would soon be destroyed (Matthew 24:1ff).  Thus, we can also understand why most of first century Judaism rejected Jesus as Messiah.

     "Déjà vu" all over again - It appears to me that dispensationalism (the Left Behind scenario) picks up most of first century Judaism's unsatisfied expectations (Messiah ruling an earthly Jewish kingdom) and projects them into the future as things yet to occur when Jesus returns. (to be continued)