Matthew 24 - Printer Friendly

What does Matthew 24 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

After proclaiming God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:13) and the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37–398), Jesus leaves the temple, walking toward the Mount of Olives with His disciples. Someone in the group refers to the temple, saying something about the buildings. Jesus responds with another dire statement about God's coming judgment on Israel. He says the temple will be destroyed: every brick displaced. History indicates that this prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70. After a siege of the city and the slaughter of its people, the Romans burnt the temple, then tore it apart brick by brick to reach the precious metals that had melted into the rubble (Matthew 24:1–2).

After Jesus takes a seat on the Mount of Olives with the temple in view, the disciples ask Him for more details. Their questions focus on "the end of the age," meaning the end times. They also wonder about when Jesus will return. Christ's response fills the remainder of this chapter, as well as the next (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus begins to describe a time when He will be gone from the earth and the disciples will be on their own. He warns them that many will come claiming to be the Christ: the Messiah. They will hear news and gossip about violence, conflict, and other tragedies. There will be international conflicts and famines and natural disasters. None of these will mean the end has arrived. At most, they are signs that the end is approaching (Matthew 24:4–8).

That era will bring great suffering to the followers of Christ. They will be persecuted and murdered. This hate will be due to the world's rejection of Christ. Many who seemed sincere in following Jesus will fall away under this pressure and even betray and hate their former friends. Liars will arise and lead many self-identified Christians away from the faith. Rejection of morality and law will expand. The influence of godly love will fade from the world. Those who survive these events, however, will see the gospel preached throughout the world, right as the end comes (Matthew 24:9–14).

One vivid sign of these end days will fulfill a prophecy mentioned extensively by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:13; 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). This "abomination of desolation" involves some undefined, depraved defilement of the temple. Those who see this happen should run for their lives, not even hesitating to gather supplies. Those days will be terrible beyond imagining. Jesus describes them as a great tribulation, worse than anything else in history. In fact, those events will be so terrible as to threaten all human life (Matthew 24:15–22).

While many terrible things happen in AD 70, they don't rise to the levels depicted in these descriptions. Most likely, all that Jesus describes in these passages is set to happen in what is—at the time of this writing—still the future. When Christ's second coming finally occurs, it won't be secret in any way, shape, or form. Those who claim they need to tell others that Christ has returned will be liars, without exception. The second coming will be obvious to everyone in the world, including apparent signs in nature and around the world. An otherwise-unexplained "sign of the Son of Man" will appear. As Jesus sends angels to gather His chosen ones, the rest of the world will mourn (Matthew 24:23–31).

Jesus next says that when people see these signs, they will know that His return is truly, immediately upon the world. Just as budding leaves on a fig tree signal the imminent arrival of summer, those events will indicate the return of Christ. The generation of Jesus' own time will not be the ones to see this (Matthew 21:43). Rather, those who observe the catastrophic signs will be the ones to see the end (Matthew 24:35).

At the same time, the time of Jesus' coming cannot be known or predicted by any person. The signs will be obvious—but only when they happen. Prior to then, there will be absolutely no truth behind claims to know the date of Jesus' return. That's why His followers must live in a constant state of readiness. Jesus begins to deliver parables to show how Christians should live out this attitude of preparation. The servant found faithfully doing what the master instructed will be blessed. The one wickedly serving himself will be subjected to a gruesome, miserable fate.

Matthew 24:1–14 follows Jesus and the disciples out of the temple. This comes after His devastating criticism of the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23. Christ predicts a moment when the temple will be destroyed without one stone left on another. Later, His disciples ask for more information about these future events. Jesus describes a season in which the world will be in turmoil but that alone will not be proof that the end has come. His disciples will be persecuted, killed, and hated for His name's sake. False prophets will rise and some with them will fall away from the faith.

Matthew 24:15–28 begins with a warning to all in Jerusalem to flee to the mountains when the abomination that will bring desolation to the temple stands in the holy place. This will be a terrible time, especially for those who are particularly vulnerable. That tribulation will be worse than anything ever, though another tribulation will come right before Jesus' return. It will be cut short to save some of humanity and for the sake of the elect, all those who truly believe in Christ. When He returns, everyone will know.

Matthew 24:29–31 describes the actual events of Christ's return to earth, also known as the second coming. It begins with events in the heavens, including the light of the sun being darkened and the light of the moon being lost. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear. It will be seen by all the nations of the earth, and they will mourn to see the Christ coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory. When He arrives, He will send His angels to the four corners of the earth to gather His elect.

Matthew 24:32–35 begins with Jesus' instructions to learn from the example of a fig tree. When the leaves appear, people know summer is coming. In the same way, when mankind sees all these predicted signs, they should know Christ's return is near. The generation who sees those signs will not pass way until all the predicted signs have been completed. Nothing will change this since Jesus' words will not pass away even though heaven and earth may pass away.

Matthew 24:36–51 contains an explicit warning which has frequently been ignored by false teachers. Nobody will know the precise time of His return to earth. Only God the Father knows when it will happen. Everyone will be caught by surprise at the sudden appearance of those signs, just as the people swept away in Noah's flood. Jesus' followers must live in constant readiness for His return. He uses a parable to illustrate this, describing the choices of two servants while their master was away. One was faithful and wise, the other wicked. When the master returned, the faithful one was rewarded, and the wicked one was cut into pieces.

Chapter Summary:

Jesus makes a dire prediction about the destruction of the temple. Immediately after this, while seated on the Mount of Olives, Jesus responds to a question from the disciples. They ask when judgment will come and what signs will signal His return. Christ describes a season of unimaginable world turmoil and persecution. He points to a specific moment of defilement of the temple, at which point people should run for their lives. Jesus speaks of world-threatening tribulation which will be cut short right before He returns as King and Judge. Since nobody can possibly know when He will return, His followers must live in readiness.

Chapter Context:

Jesus has just left the temple area, after delivering a blistering criticism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23). After predicting that the temple would be destroyed, He answers their questions about the end times. He speaks of a period when He will be gone from earth and they will be persecuted and killed. The world will be in turmoil, but the gospel will be preached everywhere. Nobody knows exactly when Jesus' return will be completed, so his followers should constantly be prepared. Jesus continues to teach on these themes in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 5/7/2024 1:38:25 AM