Comments on Halley and Smith Halley

Comments on H.H. Halley
Halley's Bible Handbook
on Matthew 24

As a previous essay suggested, every believer has an obligation to follow the Bereans, who determined the truth of doctrines not by accepting the words of popes and priests, but by "searching the Scriptures" daily (Acts 17:11). One should never rest on the opinion of Dr. So-and-So, but should always ask for the Biblical support for Dr. So-and-So's opinion.

I grew up with Halley's Bible Handbook. In my home questions about the Bible were routinely answered by recourse to Halley. As I became more Calvinistic and Reformed I began to see Halley's premillennial perspective. But I still consider Halley a friend, not a foe.

As the previous essay also suggested, there are two doctrines which must be re-examined, because of the profound effect they are having on our lives today. It is no exaggeration to say that hundreds of millions of people have lost their lives, and literally billions have been denied a full presentation of the Good News of Christ because Christians have refused to challenge the moral legitimacy of atheistic dictatorship, but have instead retreated from life in a longing for "the rapture."

In addition, a Berean look at the passages of the New Testament which speak of future events finds that they consistently speak of these events as being "at hand," "about to" occur, and certainly to occur within the lifetime of "this generation."

Those who hope that these events foretell a cataclysmic physical destruction of the planet and physical re-advent of Christ often impose those hopes on the texts rather than finding them there.

Halley's Bible Handbook has been revised dozens of times over the years. Below is found the 1946 17th edition. Our comments are on the right. Does he find any texts which cannot point to events in AD70, but must point to events at least 2,000 years later?

MATTHEW
GREAT DISCOURSE ON THE END Chapters 24,25. Told also in Mk 13 and Lk 21.
Chapter 24:1-44. Fall of Jerusalem, His Coming, End of World
This discourse was delivered after Jesus had left the Temple for the last time. It was about the Destruction of Jerusalem, his Coming, and the End of the World. Some of his words refer to one, some to another. Some of his words are so mixed up that it is difficult to know to just which event they refer. Perhaps it was intentional that he mixed them up. Or, perchance, it may be only a brief report of a much more extensive discourse.	It is essential to read Matthew 23 before reading Matthew 24. It is also essential to read the parallel accounts in Mark 13 and Luke 21. In Mark and Luke there is no hint that Jesus is talking about the end of planet earth. He is talking about the temple in Matthew 23, and in Mark and Luke the disciples ask Him about that: "Tell us when these things shall be? and what [is] the sign when all these may be about to be fulfilled?" Now it is quite possible that the disciples thought that the only way the mighty temple could be completely destroyed would be in some mighty cataclysm that would destroy the entire planet. But the Bible doesn't say that.
It seems plain that he had in mind two distinct events, separated by an interval of time; indicated by “these” in 24:34, and “that day” in 24:36.	There is nothing plain about this, except to the one who has not conferred with Mark and Luke. Luke in particular indicates that there is no separation whatsoever between the events described in Matthew 24:1-35 and Matthew 24:36ff. See chart.
Some would explain “this generation”, Mt 24:34, to mean this nation, that is, the Jewish race shall not pass away till the Lord comes. The more common view is that he meant Jerusalem would be destroyed within the lifetime of those then living.	There is not a single occurrence of the Greek word for "generation" in the New Testament where the meaning is "race" or "family." The context (Matthew 23) shows that Jesus is talking to the religious leaders of His day about their sins and God's impending judgment upon them. On "generation," see Mark's record of Jesus' words: "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. Mark 8:38ff. Adding Matthew's record suggests that this "adulterous generation" was being rewarded according to their works at Christ's coming: 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works. 28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.
To one looking at two distant mountain peaks, one behind the other, they seem close together, tho they may be far apart. So in Jesus’ perspective, these two events, one in some respects typical of the other, stood in close proximity, tho there is a long interval between. What he said in a sentence may be of an age. What happened in one case may be a “begun fulfillment” of what will happen in the other.	The creation of a vast gulf of time between the first section of Matthew 24 and the second section is not required by the text, it is not permitted by Luke 17, and is the product of an interpretive scheme, not a "Berean" search through the Scriptures.
His words concerning Jerusalem were fulfilled 1iterally, within 40 years. The magnificent buildings of marble and gold, that from a distance “appeared like a mountain covered with snow”, were so completely demolished, by the Roman army, 70 A D, that Josephus said it looked like a site that had never been inhabited.. (See under Heb 13:)

His Second Coming
By far the larger part of this great discourse is devoted to the subject of Jesus’ Coming Again. With his death only three days away, and knowing that his disciples would be stunned almost out of their faith in Him and His Kingdom, he takes a good deal of pains to explain to them that they would yet realize their hopes in a far grander way than they had yet ever dreamed.
Jesus’ thoughts dwelt a great deal on his Second Advent:
“When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him”, Mt 25:31.	But Matthew 16 and Mark 8, above, say that this would occur before those who heard His words would die.
“The Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and render to every man according to his deeds”, Mt 16:27.	Halley omits the next verse 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.
“As the lightning comes out of the east and is seen even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be”, Mt 24:27.	Read in context, and with a little thought, this verse does not support a future coming of the kind most frequently imagined -- a literal physical coming of Christ at a specific geographical point (usually Jerusalem): Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22 Then he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 They will say to you, 'Look there!' or 'Look here!' Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 But first He must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Note the use of "generation." Then consider that Jesus had just said that the Kingdom does not come with observation. When lightning flashes behind your back, and someone who saw the bolt says "Look there!" and you turn around, what do you see? Nothing. Jesus uses the metaphor to express an event which is unpredictable, unexpected, and is noticed by the entire world: exactly the characteristics of the destruction of Jerusalem.
“As it was in the days of Noah, so shall the coming -of the Son of Man be”, Mt 24:37.	Judgment catches the unwary off guard.
“Likewise as it was in the days of Lot: . . ; in the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed”, Lk 17:28-30.	But in the next verse, Luke says, {31} In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. And this is clearly a warning to those who would soon see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, [and] know that its desolation is near. (Luke 21:20)
“They shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”, Lk 21:27.	But the timing of this coming in glory is explicitly spelled out in Matthew 16:27-28, above.
“Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, . . . of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels”, Mk 8:38.	Again, Halley omits the very next verse: And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. Halley also omitted material crucial to understanding the phrase "this generation": Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed . . . .
“I am going to prepare a place for you, and I will come again to receive you unto myself”, Jn 14:2-3.	See material on John 14. John Bray writes: Some think that John 14:1-3 teaches a rapture of Christians to Heaven. It does not. It does not even say that Christ will take anybody to Heaven, He spoke of “mansions” where He and His disciples would be. The Greek word for “mansion” is “mone” and means an abiding place or a residence. Jesus used that same word in that same chapter, vs. 23, when He said “we will come unto him, and make our abode (“mone”) with him.” He had just said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (vs. 18). This is also what He had just said in verse 3, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” Was He talking about two different comings in this chapter, using the same word for “mansions” in both places? Jesus said He would come to “receive” His disciples (have a “friendly encounter”). He did not say He would take them to Heaven. Jesus said He would make His “abode” with us. This would be in the person of the Holy Spirit. We become the mansions of which He spoke in verse 2. He is saying that Christians will become the dwelling places of Christ in the Father’s house. One theologian (Robert Gundry in First the Antichrist, page 112) took this viewpoint of John 14:2-3: “Conclusion: John 14:2-3 isn’t talking about the second coming and a rapture of Christians to heaven for the duration of the tribulation or of any other period of time, but about Jesus’ coming to the disciples in resurrection after the crucifixion and providing them abodes in himself through giving them the Holy Spirit.” My own thoughts have led me to believe that this prediction of Jesus was fulfilled at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended, filled the Christians, and thereafter never left them (John 14:16). The writer of Hebrews could confidently write, “But Christ as a son over his own house; WHOSE HOUSE ARE WE…” (Hebrews 3:6). 1 Pet 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are being built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
His Coming will be heralded with “a great sound of a trumpet”, Mt 24:31, as of old the nation was gathered together, Ex 19:13,16,19. The fact that Paul repeated this expression, “the trumpet shall sound”, in connection with the resurrection, 1 Cor 15 :52, and in I Thes 4: 16 says, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God”, indicates that it may be more than a mere figure of speech. An actual, sudden, grand historical event, in which He assembles to himself his own from among the living and the dead, on a vast and mighty scale.	See material on the "trumpet" and "gathering," which are frequently-appearing concepts. We need to compare Halley's verses with all the other verses using the same rhetoric. An examination of Matthew 24-25 with II Thessalonians 1-2 is especially revealing. In Matthew you have the threat of persecution with the promise of the Parousia for vindication and judgment on the persecutors--the city of Jerusalem. In II Thessalonians 1 you have the church being persecuted, and that persecution is instigated by the Jews, Acts 17. Those being persecuted are promised vindication at the coming of the Lord in fire and vengeance. The Thessalonians were suffering the persecution promised and foreseen by Jesus. Why then is the coming of the Lord in vindication in Thessalonians not the same coming of Jesus in vindication and judgment as that of Matthew 24:29-31? See also Matthew 16:27-28. II Thessalonians and the Olivet Discourse \| Don K. Preston
Neither his coming to Jerusalem in judgment 70 A D; nor the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (the apostles did not think that Jesus came on the day of Pentecost; years after that they were still looking for him) ; nor his coming to his people again and again in new experiences; nor our going to him in death; none of these can exhaust the meaning of Jesus’ words as to his Coming again.	We should look at specific verses in the spirit of the Bereans, to see if any of them demand a yet-future fulfillment.
It is best not to be too dogmatic as to certain concomitant events connected with his Coming. But if language is a vehicle of thought at all, certainly it takes a good deal of explaining and interpreting to make anything else out of Jesus’ words than that he himself looked forward to his Coming Again as a definite historical event in which he himself personally and literally (not in his fleshly body, but in his glorified body) will appear to gather to himself and to eternal glory those who have been redeemed by his blood.	It is the Scripture than must explain and interpret Jesus' words. On gathering, click here. On glory, click here. If language is a vehicle of thought at all, certainly it takes a good deal of explaining and interpreting to make anything else out of Jesus’ words than that he himself looked forward to his Coming Again as a definite historical event within the lifetime of those who saw and heard Him: Matthew 11:16-19 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, {19} The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. Matthew 12:41-42 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. {42} The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Mark 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. Mark 13:30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Luke 7:31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? Luke 11:30-32 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. {31} The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. {32} The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. Luke 11:50-51 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; {51} From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. Luke 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
And it is best not to cloud the hope of his Coming with too detailed a theory as to just what is going to happen when he Comes. Some people, we suspect, will be dreadfully disappointed if Jesus does not work on the schedule which they have mapped out for him.
It is related that Queen Victoria, deeply touched by a sermon of F. W. Farrar on the Lord’s Second Coming, said to him: “Dean Farrar, I should like to be living when Jesus comes, so that...I could lay the crown of England at his feet.”	It would be interesting to learn more about this event, since Farrar was a preterist. Concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, he wrote: "It was to this event, the most awful in history - 'one of the most awful eras in God's economy of grace, and the most awful revolution in all God's religious dispensations' - that we must apply those prophecies of Christ's coming in which every one of the Apostles and Evangelists fixed these three most definite limitations - the one, that before that generation passed away all these things would be fulfilled; another, that some standing there should not taste death till they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom; and third, that the Apostles should not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come. It is strange that these distinct limitations should not be regarded as a decisive proof that the Fall of Jerusalem was, in the fullest sense, the Second Advent of the Son of Man which was primarily contemplated by the earliest voices of prophecy" The Early Days of Christianity, (1882) Vol. 2, p. 489.

Next: Wilbur M. Smith in Wycliffe Bible Commentary