No Flesh

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:... Matt. 24:22

Chapter 24 of Matthew is held by many to be the greatest prophecy in the Bible. I certainly agree. We are warned of deception at its beginning. Yet deception and bad interpretation abounds concerning these words.

I had a young seminarian say, "My professor says this is speaking of the Maccabean revolt." I assume his professor knew the date of this revolt. It was in 168-167 BC, about two hundred years before Jesus gave the prophecy. The professor has Jesus prophesying an event that occurred two hundred years before! And does the professor believe that the intervention of God prevented all flesh from perishing?

Another false teaching is that the Roman destruction of the temple in 70 AD was in view. Did God intervene in this destruction? Would a Roman attack on Jerusalem endanger all flesh?

This is the kind of teaching many seminary students receive. Many young people do not question their teachers--their mis-leaders. Some even graduate to go on and teach what they have been told. No wonder seminaries are often called "theological cemetaries".