Bernard Muller wrote: ↑Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:35 pm
to Ben,
But the days are cut short in Matthew, too (24.22)
But here, that is referring to the great tribulation, when the Jews were in disarray, until the leadership & the teaching of the Pharisees changed that.
Where in Matthew are you getting this stuff about the tribulation having to do with the disarray before the Pharisees set things in order?
And I just noticed: the tribulation in gMark becomes the great tribulation in gMatthew. Maybe "Matthew" wanted to differentiate his great tribulation with the one in gMark?
Or maybe "great tribulation" is just a good name for a tribulation such as has never been seen before?
It feels to me as if you are reading your dating schema
into the text rather than reading it
out of the text:
Matthew 24.15-29a: 15 "Therefore when [ὅταν] you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then [τότε, "at that time," correlated with ὅταν, as is common] let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; 18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! 20 But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; 21 for [γάρ] then [τότε, "at that time"] there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. 22 And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. 23 Then [τότε, "at that time"] if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29a But immediately after [εὐθέως δὲ μετὰ] the tribulation of those days....
The great tribulation is not coming
after the days of flight; wishing for your flight not to be on a Sabbath day or during the winter makes little sense if the tribulation in question is coming
after your flight, no matter what. (The γάρ connects the tribulation to the prayer: pray for these small favors
because the tribulation will be great.) Rather, the idea is that it will already be bad enough (a "great tribulation," after all), so you may as well pray that it will not be at a time which would make things even harder. In other words, τότε is best thought of as "at that time," the time of the abomination of desolation, the flight to the mountains, and all of that. Likewise, the τότε in verse 23 is also best thought of as "at that time," during the time of tribulation ("those days" which have been cut short), since the cosmic signs and the
parousia are said to come
immediately after the tribulation, leaving no room for the false prophets if they pop up only (next in order) after the tribulation period.