- Jan 17, 2016
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Thoughts on Matthew 24 (nkjv)
Context: Jesus had just finished thoroughly excoriating the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. (v. 1) As He and His disciples were departing to the Mount of Olives, the disciples directed His attention to the beauty of the temple buildings. Jesus responded to them with a shocking statement that the temple and all its buildings would be destroyed.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly,
I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be
thrown down.”
When they arrived at the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked him three questions.
1. When will these things be?
2. What will be the sign of Your coming
3. and of the end of the age?
Jesus’ answers have provided a bounty of opinions as to exactly what He meant. Those opinions are generally strongly influenced by the doctrinal orientations of the interpreters. I shall attempt to discern their meaning from the perspective of a 1st century Jewish believer in Jesus as the Messiah understanding that their concept of what the messiah would be was about to be radically changed from a king who would drive out the Romans and restore the sovereignty of Israel and bring in a “golden age.”
A significant portion of Jesus’ response, in which He predicted many events, cannot, with perfect assurance, be connected to any historical event. It is proper that we use discretion in attempting to do so.
1. “When will these things be?”
It is an historic fact that the temple was destroyed in 70 AD and not one stone was left upon another. The stones were taken away by later inhabitants and used for other building projects.
The beginning of Jesus’ answer:
Verses 4-8
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives
you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all
these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and
earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
The events He predicted were:
1. Many frauds would come claiming to be “the Christ.”
2. They would hear of wars and rumors of wars.
3. Nations and kingdoms would rise against each other.
4. There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
In order to evaluate the events of history in the light of these predictions, I suggest two questions; “Have any of these things happened?” and “Do any of these things continue to happen or are they specific to one time, and place?”
1. People claiming to be the Christ or some mystical equivalent continue to rise up occasionally and deceive many. For a list of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim claimants, see:
2. There has never been a time from the date of Jesus’ comments until today when there were not multiple wars being fought.
3. The history of mankind has been the history of nation rising against nation and it continues until today.
4. A. Famine: (20th century) There have been famines since the invention of the plow about
8000 years ago.
- China 1958-62: Between 10 and 30 million people died
- Soviet Union 1921-22: Nine million people died.
- Soviet Union (Ukraine) 1932-34: Between 7 and 8 million people died
- North-west China 1927: Between three and six million people died.
- China (Henan) 1943: 5 million people died
- North Korea 1995-99: Between 2.8 million and 3.5 million people died
- India (Bengal) 1943: Between 2.1 and 3 million people died.
B. Pestilence (a sample)
- Smallpox (430 BC? - 1979): Killed more than 300 million people worldwide in the 20th
century alone, and most of the native inhabitants of the Americas
- Spanish Flu (1918 - 1919): Killed 50 to 100 million people
- Black Death (1340 - 1771): Killed 75 million people worldwide
- Malaria (1600 - today): Kills about 2 million people per year
- Typhus (430 BC? - today): Killed 3 million people between 1918 and 1922
C. Earthquakes There have been earthquakes for all of man’s history. We have been able to
measure them for the last 100 years.
- Assam-Tibet, 1950 - Magnitude 8.6
- Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, 2005 - Magnitude 8.6
- Rat Islands, Alaska, 1965 - Magnitude 8.7
- Off the Coast of Ecuador, 1906 - Magnitude 8.8
- Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, 1952 - Magnitude 9.0
- Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1964 - Magnitude 9.2
- Chile, 1960 - Magnitude 9.5
Note: Jesus did NOT say that these events were the signs of His coming. Rather, He said that all these things are just the beginnings of the sorrows to come.”
Verses 9–14
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated
by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray
one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up
and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will
grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the
kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come.”
Those verses broken out into events:
- They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you
This started at Acts 8:1 when the Jews began to persecute the believers. It became
national policy for the Soviet Union, Red China, and every other communist country
and continues to today in Islamic nations.
- You will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
As secular humanism, socialism, and Islam spread, so does the hatred of Christians.
Christianity is also an impediment to the spread of socialism, which at its core, is
atheist and replaces God with the government.
- Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another
Christianity is divisive; it is opposed to pagan and atheist worldviews. The teachings
of scripture promote values and behaviors, such as humility, liberality, chastity,
mildness, temperance, happiness, and diligence, which are contrary to the values of
popular culture. In promoting these virtues, Christianity is deemed by out neo-
pagan culture to be harsh, restrictive, intolerant, and condemning.
- Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
False prophets, like Karl Marx and Mohammad and whoever wrote “88 reasons why
Jesus is coming in 1988”, are a dime a dozen. This has always been the case.
- Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
Love of money and power, gained by any means, displaces love of one another. We’re not there yet, but we’re working on it.
The god of secular America is Mammon.
- He who endures to the end shall be saved.
You will be saved if you stay the course!
- This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations,
This hasn’t happened yet but is in process and coming close to fruition.
- Then the end will come.
The end will come when every nation has heard the Gospel. (The word “nation”, as used in scripture, is more properly understood as “tribe” or “ethnic group” rather than the modern concept of the “nation” which is a 19th century, European, development.) That hasn’t happened yet.
Verses 15-28
Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the
housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in
the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and
to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not
be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as
has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to
deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is
in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and
flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the
carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Thoughts
Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing in the holy place”
One may reasonably conclude that Daniel’s prophesy of the “abomination of desolation” was fulfilled is 70AD when the Roman general, Titus, erected a statue of himself in the temple before having the temple destroyed along with almost the entire city of Jerusalem, and slaughtered about one million Jews thus leaving the once thriving city truly desolate. However, given that the prophesy was fulfilled by Titus, it does not necessarily follow that it will not be fulfilled again if the Jews succeed in their desire to build a new temple in modern times.
(whoever reads, let him understand),
These words are not Jesus’ words but, rather, Matthew’s. Jesus was not writing at same time He was speaking. These words were inserted by Matthew to bring attention of the reader to the words of Jesus which immediately follow.
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the
housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in
the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and
to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not
be in winter or on the Sabbath.
By the words, “pray that your flight may not be … on the Sabbath” we may understand that these words were addressed to the Jews of Judea at the time of the siege of Jerusalem. (66-70 AD)
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning
of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Although it would be a break from the temporal context of the passage, this statement may be indicative of times further into the future. There was certainly grater tribulation in the 20th century during which there were two world wars and mankind managed to continuously maintain approximately 40 wars, revolutions, rebellions, etc. for the entire 100 years.
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to
deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
These charlatans continue to plague Christianity. There is good money to be made in false religion.
Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is
in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
When He returns, Christ will come from above and descend to the earth. He will not suddenly “reveal” Himself to some select group of people. If no one observed the alleged Christ’s coming, it is a sure sign that the “Christ” is a fraud.
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also
will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there
the eagles will be gathered together.
When lightning flashes at night, it illumines everything. A flash in the eastern sky will illuminate all the way to the west.
Then there is a carcass on the ground, the eagles (buzzards) will see it as they fly and begin to circle. One can tell that there is a dead body by the circling of buzzards long before the body can be seen.
The sign of Jesus’ return will be in the sky, not on the earth, and it will be impossible for anyone who is not blind to miss it.
Verses 29-31
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and
the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will
send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Thoughts
The words “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” cannot be understood as a completed, historical event. The world has not seen “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” This passage is a transition from events that will happen within a generation (the destruction of Jerusalem) and from events that will continue to occur throughout history (wars, false christs) to the return of Christ in Glory.
The darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of stars, and the shaking of the powers of heaven is apocalyptic language for which we find reference in the Old Testament prophets.
Eze 32:5-8 “I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your carcass. I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, even to the
mountains; and the riverbeds will be full of you. When I put out your light, I will
cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and
the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of the heavens I will make
dark over you, and bring darkness upon your land,” Says the Lord GOD.
Joel 2:10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble.
The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness.
The language is poetic and descriptive of times of great stress and tribulation. Application of such language to specific, physical events can only be done by speculation.
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory.
This is a supernatural event. The unmistakable sign of Jesus will bee seen in the heavens by all of mankind; it may well be the cross.
The tribes (peoples) of the earth will mourn because they will recognize the sign of Christ and of the church, which they have not only rejected, but, in many cases, had waged war against. They will “mourn” because they will understand that the one whom they had despised has returned to rule over all the earth. It is the mourning of those who realize that they will be condemned because of their actions and that there is no escape from their doom.
All of mankind will see Christ, whom they despised, coming in great glory, such as no king of earth could even imagine. The people of the earth will be dumbstruck at the awe of the sight. The parable found at Luke 19:12-27 of the man who was made a king over a people who did not want him to be their ruler is applicable. When the man received his kingdom and returned he received an accounting from his servants as to how they had used his wealth with which he had entrusted them until he returned and then commanded; “…bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.”
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven
to the other.
This passage has parallel passages at Mat 25:31-33 and 1 Thes 4:15-17. All mankind will be gathered before Christ. The dead will be resurrected and God will separate the lost from the saved and pronounce His judgment.
Verses 32-44 When will these things happen? Jesus gave a two-part answer.
The first part: vs. 32-35
Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become
tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when
you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you,
this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
The things that would happen before that generation passed away came to pass in 70AD. These words were a prediction of what was to happen to Jerusalem and the temple within a generation.
The second part: vs. 36-44 When will Jesus return? The answer is not for us to know.
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My
Father only.
But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For
as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the
flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women
will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The conclusions to be drawn from this passage are, first, that the exact hour of Jesus’ return has not been disclosed to us. Jesus did not give a definitive answer.
Second, rather than seek to know when He is coming, Jesus told His disciples that they were to make sure they were ready for His return.
How does one make sure he is ready for Jesus return?
Verses 45-51: The answer
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over
his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom
his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he
will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart,
‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and
to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a
day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and
will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus instruction here is not to be concerned with when our Master will return but to concern ourselves with being found doing the work which our Master has given us to do (Eph 2:10) when He returns.
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
But
But if someone says in his heart, “My master is delaying his coming,” and begins
to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master
of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour
that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
That seems pretty clear to me. It’s none of our business when Jesus will return. Our business is to be doing what he commanded us to do until we die or until He returns, whichever comes first.
And that’s my opinion.
