What is the meaning of Matthew 23:39

United Kingdom of Israel (courtesy Wikipedia)

By Spencer D Gear

This verse has bred some controversy among evangelical Christians who consider that all of Israel will be saved during the Millennium (the supposed 1,000 year reign of Christ on the earth at his second coming). Here are a couple of examples:

# ā€˜Paul has already argued that the Jews have not stumbled beyond recovery, and Jewish branches can be grafted back in if they believe, so when he says they are hardened until the full number of Gentiles comes in, he implies a temporary hardening. And the following verses say that the Jewish people are still loved, that their calling cannot be revoked, and that God will have mercy on them. Paul believes that most of the Jews will be saved, because Deuteronomy 32 predicts a time when they will accept Jesus as their Saviorā€™ (available HERE).

# ā€˜Even though Paulā€™s warnings did not influence all to repent and believe in Jesus at that time, Paul knew that in the long runā€”in the futureā€”Jesus would come again to earth and those who had not previously had a full opportunity to recognize Christ and receive salvation would then have the opportunity to do so.

As Paul said, ā€œAnd so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ā€˜The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sinsā€™ā€ (Romans 11:26-27).

Godā€™s festivals reveal His plan of salvation for mankind, and through the meaning of one of these festivalsā€”the Feast of Tabernaclesā€”we understand that Christ will return to earth and reign for 1,000 years. During this millennial reign of Christ, Satan will be bound so there will no longer be the religious deception and confusion that exists today,Ā  and people of all nationalities will have their opportunity to hear Godā€™s truth, repent of their sins and receive salvation (Revelation 20:1-4) (available HERE).

What about Matthew 23:39?

Matthew 23:39 reads: ā€˜For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”‘ (ESV).

There are a few constructs in the Greek language that may help with our understanding:

1. ā€˜Forā€™,Ā  the Greek gar, provides the beginning of the reason for 23:38 as to why the house will be left desolate.

2. To whom is Jesus speaking? Matt 23:37 begins with ā€˜O Jerusalem, Jerusalemā€™, so it seems obvious he is addressing the Jews.

3. There is a double negative in this verse that is not highlighted by the English translations. The NIV translates the verse as, ā€˜I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lordā€ā€™. This is associated with the verb ā€˜will not seeā€™ ā€“ a futuristic subjunctive mood (ESV, NIV). The double negative is ou me and means something like ā€˜by no means will seeā€™, or as Lenski translates, ā€˜In no way shall you see me from now onā€™ (Lenski 1943:925). Jesus is referring to his death. They will not see him again untilā€¦.

4. ā€˜You sayā€™. The ‘humin … humwn’ (ā€˜youā€™) of 23:38-39 is a plural pronoun in Greek and when we link the plural pronoun with the second person plural of the verbs, we know that he is addressing more than one Jew. Heā€™s speaking to a group of Jews who are in his presence and their house is going to be ā€˜desolateā€™ with his death.

5. However, among this group there is a group that will eventually say, ā€˜Blessedā€™ to the One who comes in the name of the Lord. ā€˜Blessedā€™, eulogemenos, is a perfect tense participle, so it indicates that they are saying ā€˜blessedā€™ now and there are continuing benefits of being blessed. ā€˜He who comesā€™ is literally ā€˜the coming oneā€™, which is common language for the promised Messiah. So,

6. There must have been a group among these Jews that was ā€˜blessedā€™ by Jesusā€™ presence and that blessing will have continuing results when ā€˜he comesā€™, which again is another reference to the Messiah.

7. I do not find in this verse any indication that ALL of the Jews in Jesusā€™ presence or all of the Jews of future Israel would welcome him at his second coming as Messiah. But,

8. If we look broader than the Gospels, we find in Paulā€™s writings that there is ā€˜a remnantā€™ (see Rom 10:18-11:5) of the Jewish people who started in the days of Jesus and continued in the future who repented and had faith in him. They will be the ones who will be able to mean what they say, ā€˜Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lordā€™. That is not possible for secular Jews.

9. I know that there are people who designate themselves as chiliasts and others (premillennial pre-tribulation) whom Iā€™ve heard in the evangelical churches with which I have contact, who believe that there will be a final conversion of the Jews as a nation during the millennium (1,000 year reign of Christ on the earth). I do not see that, but the consistent teaching of Scripture is that a ā€˜remnantā€™ will be saved and this remnant can genuinely proclaim, ā€˜Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lordā€™. An extension of this is that I regard Israel and the church as distinctly different groups.

Chiliasm or Millenarianism is based on the Greek word for a thousand years in Revelation 20 and is promoted by those who believe in a future literal Millennium of 1,000 years of peace on earth after Jesus’ second coming and before the final judgment.

Thatā€™s how I understand the meaning of Matt 24:29 in my spiritual journey. Not all premillennial supporters support Chiliasm and the conversion of the nation of Israel to Christ, but there is a considerable number who do.

Works consulted

Lenski, R C H 1943. Commentary on the New Testament: The interpretation of St. Matthewā€™s gospel. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers.

Copyright Ā© 2013 Spencer D. Gear. This document last updated at Date: 2 April 2016.