Matthew 24

Matthew 24:1

XIII. THE KING’S OLIVET DISCOURSE (Chaps. 24, 25) Chapters 24 and 25 form what is known as the Olivet Discourse, so named because this important pronouncement was given on the Mount of Olives. The discourse is entirely prophetic; it points forward to the Tribulation Period and the Lord’s Second Coming. It primarily, though not exclusively, concerns the nation of Israel. Its locale is obviously Palestine; for example, let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Mat_24:16). Its setting is distinctly Jewish; for example, Pray that your flight may not be … on the Sabbath (Mat_24:20). The reference to the elect (Mat_24:22) should be understood as God’s Jewish elect, not the church. The church is not found in either the prophecies or parables of the discourse, as we shall seek to demonstrate. A. Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple (24:1, 2) The discourse is introduced by the significant statement that Jesus went out and departed from the temple This movement is especially significant in view of the words He had just uttered, … your house is left to you desolate (Mat_23:38). It reminds us of Ezekiel’s description of the glory departing from the temple (Eze_9:3; Eze_10:4; Eze_11:23). The disciples wanted the Lord to admire the architectural beauty of the temple with them. They were occupied with the transient instead of the eternal, concerned with shadows rather than substance. Jesus warned that the building would be so completely destroyed that not one stone would be left on top of another. Titus tried unsuccessfully to save the temple, but his soldiers put it to the torch, thus fulfilling Christ’s prophecy. When the fire melted the gold trim, the molten metal ran down between the stones. To get at it, the soldiers had to remove the stones one by one, just as our Lord predicted. This judgment was executed in a.d. 70 when the Romans under Titus sacked Jerusalem.

Matthew 24:3

B. The First Half of the Tribulation (24:3-14) 24:3 After Jesus had crossed over to the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately and asked Him three questions:

1. When would these things happen; that is, when would the temple be destroyed?
2. What would be the sign of His coming; that is, what supernatural event would precede His return to the earth to set up His kingdom?
3. What would be the sign of the end of the age; that is, what would announce the end of the age immediately prior to His glorious reign? (The second and third questions are essentially the same.) We must remember that these Jewish disciples’ thinking revolved around the glorious age of the Messiah on earth. They were not thinking about Christ’s coming for the church; they knew little if anything about this phase of His coming. Their expectation was His coming in power and glory to destroy His enemies and rule over the world. Also we should be clear that they were not talking about the end of the world (as in the KJV), but the end of the age (Greek, aion). Their first question is not answered directly. Rather the Savior seems to merge the siege of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 (see Luk_21:20-24) with a similar siege that will occur in the latter days. In the study of prophecy, we often see the Lord moving almost imperceptibly from an early, partial fulfillment to a later, final fulfillment. The second and third questions are answered in verses 4-44 of chapter 24. These verses describe the seven year Tribulation Period which will precede Christ’s glorious Advent. The first three and one-half years are described in verses 4-14. The final three and one-half years, known as the Great Tribulation and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer_30:7), will be a time of unprecedented suffering for those on earth. Many of the conditions characterizing the first half of the Tribulation have existed to an extent throughout human history, but will appear in greatly intensified form during the period under discussion. Those in the church have been promised tribulation (Joh_16:33), but this is far different from the Tribulation which will be poured out on a world that has rejected God’s Son. We believe that the church will be taken out of the world (1Th_4:13-18) before the day of God’s wrath begins (1Th_1:10; 1Th_5:9; 2Th_2:1-12; Rev_3:10). 24:4, 5 During the first half of the Tribulation, many false messiahs will appear who will succeed in deceiving multitudes. The current rise of many false cults may be a prelude to this, but it is not a fulfillment. These false religious leaders will be Jews claiming to be the Christ. 24:6, 7 There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. It would be easy to think that we are seeing this fulfilled today, but what we see is mild compared to what will be. Actually the next event in God’s time schedule is the Rapture of the church (Joh_14:1-6; 1Co_15:51-57). There is no prophecy to be fulfilled before then. After the church is removed, God’s prophetic clock will begin and these conditions will quickly manifest themselves. Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will occur in various parts of the earth. Even today world leaders are alarmed by the specter of famine due to the population explosion. But this will be accentuated by the shortages caused by wars. Earthquakes are attracting increasing attentionnot only those now occurring but also those that are expected. Once again, these are straws in the wind, and not the actual fulfillment of our Savior’s words. 24:8 Verse 8 clearly identifies this period as the beginning of sorrowsthe onset of birth-pangs which will bring forth a new order under Israel’s Messiah-King. 24:9, 10 Faithful believers will experience great personal testing during the Tribulation. The nations will conduct a bitter hate campaign against all who are true to Him. Not only will they be tried in religious and civil courts (Mar_13:9), but many will be martyred because they refuse to recant. While such testings have occurred during all periods of Christian testimony, this seems to have particular reference to the 144,000 Jewish believers who will have a special ministry during this period. Many will apostatize rather than suffer and die. Family members will inform against their own relatives and betray them into the hands of bestial persecutors. 24:11 Many false prophets will appear and deceive hordes of people. These are not to be confused with the false messiahs of verse 5. False prophets claim to be spokesmen for God. They can be detected in two ways: their prophecies do not always come to pass, and their teachings always lead men away from the true God. The mention of false prophets adds confirmation to our statement that the Tribulation is primarily Jewish in character. False prophets are associated with the nation of Israel; in the church the danger comes from false teachers (2Pe_2:1). 24:12 With wickedness rampaging, human affections will be less and less evident. Acts of unlove will be commonplace. 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. This obviously does not mean that men’s souls will be saved at that time by their enduring; salvation is always presented in the Bible as a gift of God’s grace, received by faith in Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection. Neither can it mean that all who endure will escape physical harm; we have already learned that many believers will be martyred (v. 9). It is a general statement that those who stand fast, enduring persecution without apostatizing, will be delivered at Christ’s Second Advent. No one should imagine that apostasy will be a means of escape or safety. Only those who have true faith shall be saved. Although saving faith may have lapses, it always has the quality of permanence. 24:14 During this period, the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed worldwide, as a witness to all nations. As explained in the notes on Mat_4:23, the gospel of the kingdom is the good news that Christ is coming to set up His kingdom on earth, and that those who receive Him by faith during the Tribulation will enjoy the blessings of His Millennial Reign. Verse 14 is often misused to show that Christ could not return for His church at any moment because so many tribes have not yet heard the gospel. The difficulty is removed when we realize that this refers to His coming with His saints, rather than for His saints. And this refers to the gospel of the kingdom, not the gospel of the grace of God (see notes on Mat_4:23). There is a striking parallel between the events listed in verses 3-14 and those of Rev_6:1-11. The rider on the white horsefalse messiah; the rider of the red horsewar; the rider of the black horsefamine; the rider of the pale horsepestilence or death. The souls under the altar are martyrs. The events described in Rev_6:12-17 are linked with those in Mat_24:19-31.

Matthew 24:15

C. The Great Tribulation (24:15-28) 24:15 At this point we have come to the middle of the Tribulation. We know this by comparing verse 15 with Dan_9:27. Daniel predicted that in the middle of the seventieth week, that is, at the end of three and a half years, an idolatrous image would be set up in the holy place, i.e., the temple in Jerusalem. All men will be ordered to worship this abominable idol. Failure to comply will be punishable by death (Rev_13:15). Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). … The erection of the idol will be the signal to those who know the Word of God that the Great Tribulation has begun. Note that the Lord wants the one who reads the prophecy to understand it. 24:16 Those who are in Judea should flee to the mountains; in the vicinity of Jerusalem their refusal to bow to the image would be quickly detected. 24:17-19 Utmost haste will be necessary. If a man is sitting on the housetop, he should leave all his possessions behind. Time spent in gathering belongings might mean the difference between life and death. The man working in the field should not return for his clothes, wherever he may have left them. Pregnant women and nursing mothers will be at a distinct disadvantageit will be hard for them to make a speedy escape. 24:20 Believers should pray that the crisis will not come in winter with its added travel hazards, and that it will not come on the Sabbath, when the distance they could travel would be limited by law (Exo_16:29). A Sabbath day’s journey would not be enough to take them out of the danger area. 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. This description isolates the period from all the inquisitions, pogroms, purges, massacres, and genocides of history. This prophecy could not have been fulfilled by any previous persecutions because it is clearly stated that it will be ended by the Second Advent of Christ. 24:22 The tribulation will be so intense that unless those days were shortened, nobody would survive. This cannot mean that the Great Tribulation, so often specified as lasting three and a half years, will be shortened. It probably means that God will miraculously shorten the daylight hoursduring which most fighting and slaughter occur. For the elect’s sake, (those who have received Jesus) the Lord will grant the respite of earlier darkness. 24:23-26 Verses 23 and 24 contain renewed warnings against false messiahs and false prophets. In an atmosphere of crisis, reports will circulate that the Messiah is in some secret location. Such reports could be used to trap those who sincerely and lovingly look for Christ. So the Lord warns all disciples not to believe reports of a local, secret Advent. Even those who perform miracles are not necessarily from God; miracles can be satanic in origin. The Man of Sin will be given satanic power to perform miracles (2Th_2:9-10). 24:27 Christ’s Advent will be un mistakableit will be sudden, public, universal, and glorious. Like the lightning, it will be instantly and clearly visible to all. 24:28 And no moral corruption will escape its fury and judgment. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. The carcass pictures apostate Judaism, Christendom, and the whole world system that is leagued against God and His Christ. The eagles or vultures typify the judgments of God which will be unleashed in connection with the Messiah’s appearing.

Matthew 24:29

D. The Second Advent (24:29-31) 24:29 At the close of the Great Tribulation there will be terrifying disturbances in the heavens. The sun will be darkened, and since the moon’s light is only a reflection of the sun’s, the moon will also withhold its light. The stars will plunge from heaven and planets will be moved out of their orbits. Needless to say, such vast cosmic upheavals will affect the weather, tides, and seasons on earth. A faint idea of what it will be like is given in Velikovsky’s description of what would happen if a heavenly body came close to the earth and caused it to tilt on its axis: At that moment an earthquake would make the earth shudder. Air and water would continue to move through inertia; hurricanes would sweep the earth and the seas would rush over continents, carrying gravel and sand and marine animals, and casting them on the land. Heat would be developed, rocks would melt, volcanoes would erupt, lava would flow from fissures in the ruptured ground and cover vast areas. Mountains would spring up from the plains and would travel and climb on the shoulders of other mountains, causing faults and rifts. Lakes would be tilted and emptied, rivers would change their beds; large land areas with all their inhabitants would slip under the sea. Forests would burn and the hurricane and wild seas would wrest them from the ground on which they grew and pile them, branch and root, in huge heaps. Seas would turn into deserts, their waters flowing away. 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. We are not told what this sign will be. His First Advent was accompanied by a sign in heaventhe star. Perhaps a miracle star will also announce His Second Coming. Some believe the Son of Man is Himself the sign. Whatever is meant, it will be clear to all when it appears. All the tribes of the earth will mournno doubt because of their rejection of Him. But primarily the tribes of the land will mournthe twelve tribes of Israel. … then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn (Zec_12:10). Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. What a wonderful moment! The One who was spit upon and crucified will be vindicated as the Lord of life and glory. The meek and lowly Jesus will appear as Jehovah Himself. The sacrificial Lamb will descend as the conquering Lion. The despised Carpenter of Nazareth will come as King of kings and Lord of lords. His chariots will be the clouds of heaven. He will come in regal power and splendorthe moment for which creation has groaned for thousands of years. 24:31 When He descends, He will send His angels throughout the earth to gather together His elect people, believing Israel, to the land of Palestine. From all the earth they will gather to greet their Messiah and to enjoy His glorious reign.

Matthew 24:32

E. The Parable of the Fig Tree (24:32-35) 24:32 Now learn this parable from the fig tree. Again our Lord draws a spiritual lesson from nature. When the branches of the fig tree become green and tender, you know that summer is near. We have seen that the fig tree pictures the nation of Israel (21:18-22). For hundreds of years Israel has been dormant, with no government of its own, no land, no temple, no priesthoodno sign of national life. The people have been scattered throughout the world. Then, in 1948, Israel became a nation with its own land, government, currency, stamps, etc. Spiritually, the nation is still barren and cold; there is no fruit for God. But nationally, we might say that its branches are green and tender. 24:33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the very doors! Israel’s emergence as a nation means not only that the beginning of the Tribulation is near, but that the Lord Himself is near, at the very doors!If Christ’s coming to reign is so near, how much more imminent is the Rapture of the church? If we already see shadows of events that must precede His appearing in glory, how much closer are we to the first phase of His Parousia, or Advent (1Th_4:13-18)? 24:34 After referring to the fig tree, Jesus added, Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. This generation could not mean the people living when Christ was on earth; they have all passed away, yet the events of chapter 24 have not taken place. What then did our Lord mean by this generation? There are two plausible explanations. F. W. Grant and others believe the thought is: the very generation that sees the beginning of these things will see the end. The same people who see the rise of Israel as a nation (or who see the beginning of the Tribulation), will see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven to reign. The other explanation is that generation should be understood as race. This is a legitimate translation of the Greek word; it means men of the same stock, breed, or family (Mat_12:45; Mat_23:35-36). So Jesus was predicting that the Jewish race would survive to see all these things accomplished. Their continued survival, despite atrocious persecution, is a miracle of history. But I think there is an added thought. In Jesus’ day, this generation was a race that steadfastly refused to acknowledge Him as Messiah. I think He was predicting that national Israel would continue in its Christ-rejecting condition till His Second Coming. Then all rebellion will be crushed, and only those who willingly submit to His rule will be spared to enter the Millennium. 24:35 To emphasize the unfailing character of His predictions, Jesus added that heaven and earth would pass away but His words would by no means pass away. In speaking of heaven passing away, He was referring to the stellar and atmospheric heavensthe blue firmament above usnot to that heaven which is the dwelling place of God (2Co_12:2-4). The dissolution of the heaven and the earth is described in 2Pe_3:10-13 and mentioned again in Rev_20:11.

Matthew 24:36

F. The Day and Hour Unknown (24:36-44) 24:36 As to the exact day and hour of His Second Advent, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. This should warn against the temptation to set dates or to believe those who do. We are not surprised that angels do not know; they are finite creatures with limited knowledge. While those living prior to Christ’s return will not know its day or hour, it seems that those familiar with the prophecy may be able to know the year. They will know, for instance, that it will be approximately three and one-half years after the idol image is set up in the temple (Dan_9:27; see also Dan_7:25; Dan_12:7, Dan_12:11; Rev_11:2-3; Rev_12:14; Rev_13:5). 24:37-39 In those days, however, most people will be indifferent, just as in the days of Noah. Although the days before the flood were terribly wicked, that is not the feature emphasized here. The people ate, drank, married, gave in marriage; in other words, they went through the routines of life as if they were going to live forever. Though warned that a flood was coming, they lived as if they were flood-proof. When it came, they were unprepared, outside the only place of safety. That is just the way it will be when Christ returns. Only those who are in Christ, the ark of safety, will be delivered. 24:40, 41 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken away in judgment, the other will be left to enter the Millennium. Two women will be grinding at the mill; they will be instantly separated. One will be swept away by the flood of judgment; the other left to enjoy the blessings of Christ’s reign. (Vv. 40 and 41 are often used as a warning to the unsaved, in reference to the Rapturethe first phase of Christ’s coming when He takes all believers to heaven and leaves all unbelievers behind for judgment. While that might be a valid application of the passage, the context makes it clear that the interpretation has to do with Christ’s coming to reign.) 24:42-44 In view of the uncertainty as to the day and the hour, men ought to watch. If someone knows his house is going to be broken into, he will be ready, even if he doesn’t know the exact time. The Son of Man will come when least expected by the masses. Therefore, His people should be on the tiptoes of expectancy.

Matthew 24:45

G. Parable of the Wise and the Evil Servants (24:45-51) 24:45-47 In the closing section of this chapter, the Lord Jesus shows that a servant manifests his true character by how he behaves in view of his Master’s return. All servants are supposed to feed the household at the proper time. But not all who profess to be Christ’s servants are genuine. The wise servant is the one who is found caring for God’s people. Such a one will be honored with vast responsibility in the kingdom. The master will make him ruler over all his goods.24:48-51 The evil servant represents a nominal believer whose behavior is not affected by the prospect of his Master’s soon return. He begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards. Such behavior demonstrates that he is not ready for the kingdom. When the King comes, He will punish him and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, where people weep and gnash their teeth. This parable refers to Christ’s visible return to earth as Messiah-King. But the principle equally applies to the Rapture. Many who profess to be Christians show by their hostility toward God’s people and their fraternization with the ungodly that they are not looking for Christ’s Return. For them it will mean judgment and not blessing.