Matthew 24
Since many in the religious world today use Matthew chapter 24 to promote their ideas concerning Revelation, especially Revelation chapter 20, I felt the need to include a lesson on that chapter. Many say that Matt. 24 is an explanation of events immediately prior to the second coming of Christ. They believe it describes a seven year period of great tribulation between the "rapture" and the establishment of an earthly kingdom by Christ. Others have tried to interpret all the events described in this chapter as being fulfilled by the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Both of these interpretations leave many difficult questions unanswered.
This lesson will be somewhat different from the previous lessons because of the need for verse by verse discussion. I hope you will take out your Bible and open it to Matt. 24. You will then be able to go back and read sections which have been discussed and understand how they relate to other sections of the chapter. I believe you will find this lesson to be a very reasonable and Biblical explanation of Matt. 24.
The Setting Matt 24:1-2
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.(KJV)In these verses we see the disciples coming to Jesus to show him the Temple. They were obviously proud of the majesty of that building and its significance to the Jewish people. The first Temple was constructed by King Solomon as a house in which God could dwell among his people. This building became the center of prayer and worship to God for the nation of Israel. As long as Israel was faithful to God, He would dwell among them in the temple, and Israel would flourish as a nation. But, when Israel became unfaithful to God, He would no longer fight their battles for them, and Israel would fall. Solomon's temple was eventually destroyed by Babylon and the Israelites were taken captive because of their unfaithfulness.
Babylon eventually fell to the Medes and Persians, and King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem. The second temple was eventually built during the time of ing Artaxerxes of Persia. God's laws of worship were reinstated and the Jews once again flourished as they returned to following the ways of God. In about 175 B.C. this temple was also ravaged and eventually became a fortress of war. Once again when the temple was destroyed, the Jewish people were undergoing a period of great hardship.
The Temple which Jesus and His disciples were viewing was a renovation of the second temple, and it had been constructed by King Herod. Construction began about 19 B.C. and the main building was completed about 9 B.C., although the entire temple was not completed until approximately A.D. 64. It was a magnificent building of immense proportion. During this time the Jewish nation was once again at peace.
From this we see that the standing of the temple had great significance to the Jews. It meant they were in a time of peace and prosperity. The destruction of this temple would signify a time of great hardship and persecution for the Jewish people.
The Questions
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (KJV)These questions have been used in many ways to interpret Matt. 24. The point I would like to make is that the disciples were mistaken about the timing of these events. They asked questions concerning the end of the world as Jesus was explaining events which were to take place at the destruction of Jerusalem. They assumed the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world would take place at the same time. Jesus had just told them that the temple would be destroyed and they asked, "when shall these things be?" But they must have assumed that the world would end at the same time because they also asked, "what would be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" It is very critical to understand this because the main point of the dissertation in Matt. 24 is to explain to the disciples that the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world would not take place at the same time. Therefore, Jesus begins to tell them not to be deceived into thinking that he would return at the destruction of Jerusalem.
Be not Deceived
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.Jesus did not want his disciples believing that the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world would take place at the same time, so he begins to warn them about believing those who say that Christ has come back to earth. In the remainder of the chapter, Jesus is going to explain the difference between the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He warns them not to believe those who claim that He has returned. He tells them in v:5, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." He warns them in v:23, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not." He repeats this in verses 25 and 26 for emphasis sake as he says, "Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not." The disciples thought that the awesome destruction of the temple which he described would surely be at the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. Jesus is going to explain to them that there will be absolutely no mistaking his second coming. It will be an event so great that everyone will know exactly what has happened. He does not want them to be deceived by those claiming that He has returned at some time other than the actual end of the world.
Events That Must Take Place Before The End of the World 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.Jesus told his disciples that many events must take place before he would return the second time. Verse 6 says there shall be wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet. What "end" is He speaking of? It is the end of the world. That was the question the disciples posed to him in verse 3. Jesus is answering the questions which the disciples asked. He says there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places. The disciples were to be afflicted and killed. People shall betray one another and hate one another. False prophets will arise and deceive many. Because of sin, the love of many will grow cold. The gospel must be preached in all the world and then the end of the world will come. Many events were to take place before the end of the world and Jesus did not want his disciples to be deceived when someone told them that He had returned during one of these events and could be found in a certain place. He did not want them to associate any of these events He described with His second coming and the end of the world. The events described in these verses will continue to take place all during the Christian dispensation. They were not confined to the time between the speaking of these words and the destruction of Jerusalem. They will continue to take place until Jesus comes again at the end of time.
Destruction of Jerusalem In verses 15 through 22, Jesus is going to further describe the destruction of Jerusalem. Remember, in verses 1 and 2 the disciples began to show Jesus the temple, but Jesus told them that it was going to be destroyed. Now, He is giving them more information concerning the time in which that destruction will occur. It will be a time of great suffering. He even gives them instructions concerning what they should do when this time comes in order to save their lives. He is explaining to them that even though this will be a time of great tribulation, it is not His second coming or the end of the world. The destruction of Jerusalem is only one of many times of tribulation which must occur during the Christian dispensation and before the end of the world.
Matt 24:15-22
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Be Not Deceived
Now, notice the verses which immediately follow the information which Jesus gives them concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. He tells them not to be deceived when someone tells them that Christ has returned. He does not want them to believe that He will return and the world will end with the destruction of Jerusalem.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.Notice the emphasis Jesus places on this message in verse 25. It is much like we would say today, "I told you once and I'm going to tell you again." He absolutely does not want them to be deceived when someone tells them that He has returned because of some great event which has occurred on this earth.
Coming of the Son of Man In the following verses, he begins to tell them what His second coming and the end of the world will be like. He is telling them that there will be absolutely no mistaking the second coming of Christ. It will be an event which everyone will recognize.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.Everyone on this entire earth will know with great certainty when Christ returns again. There is absolutely no need for them to expect that Christ has returned during the destruction of Jerusalem. The description of this great event continues in verses 29 through 31. Please read the following verses and notice how they describe the second coming of Christ and the end of the world.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.We have long wrestled with the meaning of these verses because of the statement, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days." In fact we have attempted to interpret these verses, along with much of the chapter, as pertaining to the destruction of Jerusalem because of this statement. So, please notice carefully the comments made here.
In order to understand this section, we must first understand what "days" are being referred to in verse 29 when it speaks of "those days." Again, verse 29 says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:" We commonly interpret them as the days of the destruction of Jerusalem because of the term "tribulation." The times of the destruction of Jerusalem were certainly times of great tribulation as stated in verse 21, but those were not the only times of tribulation. The entire gospel age is spoken of in verses 6 through 14 as a time of tribulation. Please read those verses again. There are to be times of wars famines, pestilences and earthquakes. Many were to be killed. People would hate and betray one another. Iniquity will abound and the love of many will wax cold. These events will take place all during the Christian dispensation, and "immediately" after the tribulation of those days Christ will return and the end of the world will come. Remember, the intent of this chapter is to show the disciples that the end of the world is not the same time as the destruction of Jerusalem. He is telling them of events which must take place before He will come again and the world will end. Now, notice that this interpretation completely eliminates the possibility of a 1000 year reign of Christ upon this earth because the end of this would will come immediately after the tribulations of the Christian dispensation are finished.
The Parable 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.In these verses Jesus is using a parable to further explain the message of this chapter. It is similar to the way we might use an illustration in a lesson to emphasize what we are teaching. Jesus is saying that they will will be able to read the signs of the times and determine the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. It will be like watching a fig tree and understanding that when it begins to put out leaves, summer is near. He is saying that they should watch for events which indicate that Jerusalem is about to be destroyed and when they see these events take place, they should leave Jerusalem. He further explains that the generation of people who were alive at that time would still be alive when Jerusalem was destroyed. This information should have been very helpful in reading the signs of the times and knowing when that destruction was about to take place.
The Coming of the Son of Man 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.It is very important to notice the contrast in verse 36. He has just explained that they would be able to read the signs of the times and know when Jerusalem was about to be destroyed. Then verse 36 says, "But of that hour and day knoweth no man." They could know when Jerusalem would be destroyed, but they could not know when Christ would return. It would definitely be at some time other than at the destruction of Jerusalem.
Conclusion The main point of this chapter is the explanation by Christ to his disciples that His second coming will not be the same event as the destruction of Jerusalem. He says that many events must take place before He returns the second time and that the disciples should not associate his coming with some major event that takes place on this earth. He further explains that there will be absolutely no mistaking his second coming. It will be an event unlike any which has ever taken place on this earth. His second coming will take place immediately after the tribulations of the gospel age. There will be no 1000 year reign or any other period of time between the end of the world and His second coming. The end of the world will take place simultaneously with His second coming.
Also, the disciples were told that they should be able to read the signs of the times and determine when the destruction of Jerusalem was about to take place, but no man will know when the Lord is coming the second time. Jerusalem would be destroyed during the lifetime of the generation of people living at that particular time, but no indication is given as to when Christ will return the second time.
Matthew chapter 24 gives much information concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of Christ. We must be able to separate the two events and constantly be prepared for the Lord's return.
Study Pages
Home Page
Lesson 1 - Pattern used to Study Revelation
Lesson 2 - Holy City - The Bride of Christ
Lesson 3 - Parallel Comparison of Israel and the Church
Lesson 4 - Mount Sinai/Mount Zion
Lesson 5 - The 144,000
Lesson 6 - The 1000 Year Reign
Lesson 7 - Armageddon
Lesson 8 - The Great Tribulation