Matthew 24:1-35
Good morning! As we move
into chapter 24 in the book of Matthew, let’s look back and get a glimpse of
where we are in Jesus’ life on earth.
It is now the middle of
the Passion Week, only days from Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Jesus has been
in Jerusalem during the day and staying a few miles to the east in Bethany each
night.
On Sunday, the first day,
of the Passion Week, Jesus was ushered into the city riding on a donkey’s colt
as the people laid cloaks and palm branches before him all the while shouting
“Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!”
Then, Jesus entered the
temple courts and cleared the corrupt money changers and those buying and
selling there. This week, I happened to read the account of these events in
Mark’s gospel. There it says that Jesus also prevented anyone from carrying
merchandise through the temple courts. It seems in addition to the money
changers and buyers and sellers, other people were using the temple courts not
as a place of worship but a short cut carrying whatever goods they needed to
transport directly through the temple courts. The focus of many people in the
temple courts was not on God but on themselves.
Each subsequent day, Jesus
was in the temple courts teaching and being questioned. The events of the
Passion Week are jam packed. It is still only Monday or Tuesday as we reach
Matthew 24. The questions to trap Him, the parables He told, the repeated astonishment
of the crowds, the seven woes, all these events happened in the course of one
or at most two days.
Lord Jesus, speak to us
from these words in Matthew 24. Help us to see the things that You would like
us to see and understand. We see that you know all things. Reveal to us Your
truth. Thank You for giving us Your Word. Teach us we pray in Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Jesus
left the temple and was walking away when His disciples came up to Him to call
His attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” He asked. “Truly
I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be
thrown down.” – Matthew 24:1-2
Here are a few views of
the temple and the temple mount. The photos are from the current day. One taken
from a more southern position on the Mount of Olives. The other is from a more
northern position on the Mount of Olives above the Garden of Gethsemane. Herod
had expanded the temple area with retaining walls making this large plaza
covering nearly 40 acres.
If you remember, one of
the temptations Jesus faced in Matthew 4 was to throw Himself down from the
pinnacle of the temple. Scholars estimate that the temple was 150 feet or 15
stories tall in Jesus’ time. For reference, the Dome of the Rock which is the
golden dome you see in the pictures is 115 feet tall. There were many buildings
in and around the temple mount, and the disciples were obviously impressed by
this.
I think most people are
impressed by large buildings and monuments. I can be. The temple and the temple
mount are among some of the most impressive structures in human history. I
don’t think it is a surprise that the disciples would talk about this to one
another and even Jesus.
Jesus response though is
quite startling. He doesn’t just say that the temple will be destroyed. It will
be utterly destroyed to the point that there is not one stone left on another. What
would be the cause of such destruction? In part, it would be fire. In part, it
would be vengeance. In part, it would be greed.
In 70 AD, almost 40 years
from the events of Matthew 24 and following a Jewish rebellion, the Romans
finally surrounded the inner city of Jerusalem including the temple. After a
considerable siege, they broke through the walls and attacked the defenders
around the temple. There was bitter fighting and ultimately, the temple itself
was set on fire. There is some debate on whether the Roman commanders actually
intended for this to happen.
The temple had a great
deal of gold leaf on paneling in the holy of holies, gold fixtures and
furnishings throughout, and gold adornments on its exterior. While some of the
furnishings were removed as plunder by the Romans, much of it was burned in the
fire. There was considerable gold in the ruins of the temple.
In vengeance, the stones
of the temple were individually pulled apart to remove the temple completely as
a place of pride or identity for the Jewish people. Furthermore, the temple was
deconstructed to completely remove the gold from the ruins as much as possible.
The spoils from the temple
were great and were in fact used to build the famous Colosseum in Rome. A
reconstructed inscription found at the Colosseum says, “the emperor Vespasian
ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general's share of the
plunder.”
One last thought on the
temple before we move on. There is debate even today on where exactly the
temple stood. There is not really any controversy that the temple was located
beyond the extents of the 37 acres of the temple mount. It’s just that the
footprint of the temple and the inner courts was 6-8 acres. The temple was so thoroughly
razed and the site so extensively modified by the Romans, Muslim and Crusader
eras that doubts exist as to where the temple was actually located in that
space. (Lambert Dolphin)
I find all the history
fascinating, but I think the important thing we should draw from these two
verses is that Jesus tells His disciples what is going to happen not quite 40
years in the future in a point of fact kind of way. Jesus is God. Additionally,
we can also be warned not to put our hopes in things built by people. We can be
impressed. We can express that to others.
And yet, Paul explained it
well in I Corinthians 7:29-31, “What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the
time is short. From now on those who … use the things of the world [should live],
as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing
away.” I Corinthians 7:29, 31 Let’s continue with our passage (or we’ll never
get done!) …
As
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell
us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming
and of the end of the age?” – Matthew 24:3
At this time, the
disciples still did not grasp that Jesus was going to be crucified and rise
from the dead. Keep in mind that Jesus has told them this already in Matthew
16:21 and 20:17-19. In the first case, Peter had rebuked Jesus saying that it
wouldn’t happen. In the second case, we saw James and John’s mother come and
ask Jesus if her sons could sit on His right and left in His kingdom. In their
minds, they anticipated a physical earthly kingdom both political and
spiritual. Though it doesn’t expressly say it, perhaps the disciples had
wrongly interpreted Jesus’ words that the temple would be utterly destroyed as
a step in the introduction of a political kingdom led by Jesus.
Regardless, the disciples
respond to Jesus’ explanation that the temple will be destroyed with three questions.
(1) When will this destruction of the temple happen? (2) What will be the sign
of Your coming? (3) What will be the sign of the end of the age?
Jesus response is not
exactly clear on when He is answering which question. And, his answers are not
in the order of how the questions are asked. He starts with the last question
about the end of the age in vv. 4-14. Then, we see His response regarding the
destruction of the temple in vv. 15-22. Then, we have his answer about His
coming in vv. 23-31.
So, what will be the sign
of the end of the age?
Jesus
answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name,
claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and
rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must
happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” – Matthew 24:4-8
Jesus likens the end of
the age to birth. I’ve only been an observer to the birthing process, but a
baby isn’t born in an instant. Even before a mom goes into labor, there are
contractions that let her know that the time is drawing near.
Regarding the end of the
age, things which to us often seem cataclysmic: wars, people claiming that the
end has come, famines, earthquakes; these are not even the signs of the end but
the beginning of the signs of the end.
“Then
you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be
hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the
faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear
and deceive many people.” – Matthew 24:9-11
Though it is a hard truth,
Jesus had already told the twelve that they would be handed over to local
councils and flogged when he had sent them out in Matthew 10:17. All the way
back at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:15, Jesus had warned against false
prophets. At that time, He explained that it was possible to discern false
prophets by their fruit. At the end of the age, these things will grow worse
with some turning away from Christ.
“Because
of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who
stands firm to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 24:12-13
Jesus had told the twelve
during the same sending out in Matthew 10:22 that even though His followers
would be hated because of Him, the one who stands firm to the end will be
saved. We should give thought to standing firm and what that looks like. I
think of passages like Ephesians 6 (vv.10-18) where Paul writes about putting
on the full armor of God. Exodus 14:13 also has a beautiful promise about
standing firm, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance
the LORD will bring you today.” We stand firm in the hope of God’s deliverance.
We don’t stand firm in our own strength. In Him, our love will not grow cold.
“And
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony
to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14
I feel like this verse is
used more and more as a motivator for people to share their faith. And perhaps
more so to increase interest in reaching unengaged, unreached people groups. The
idea being that the sooner people “preach to the whole world,” the sooner Jesus
will come back. I’m not sure that’s exactly what Jesus’ meaning is here. I believe
the thought here contrasts with verses 12-13. In spite of an increase of
wickedness and love grown cold, the gospel will continue to go forth generation
after generation to the whole world. In part, this continuation of the gospel
going out is a testimony against man-made structures like buildings and nations.
Romans 10:18 gives a
complimentary thought saying, “But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they
did: ‘Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of
the world.’ ” The sentence “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their
words to the ends of the world,” comes from Psalm 19 where it speaks that the
heavens declare the glory of God. There is a multitude of voices going out with
the gospel into all the earth from God, from creation, from disciples or
followers of Jesus.
God does not want anyone
to perish but rather wants everyone to turn to Him. (II Peter 3:9) That
includes UPG’s and UUPG’s. What are UPG’s and UUPG’s? A UPG is an unreached
people group. A UUPG is a subset of the broader group UPG. A UUPG is an
unreached, unengaged people group. “A UPG, an unreached or least-reached people
is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing
Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group
without outside assistance.” UUPG’s consist of “those with no access to a
Bible, believers, or a body of Christ.” For more information on UUPG’s you can
check the International
Missions Board of the Southern Baptists or Finishing the Task
For more information on UPG’s you can check the Joshua Project.
There are a tremendous
number people in unreached people groups still today. The Joshua Project’s
current estimate is 7,407 groups totaling more than 40% of the world’s
population: 3,230,234,000. Even though much progress has been made, there is
much work to be done to see the gospel of the kingdom preached to the whole
world. There was one aspect of unreached peoples that I had not previously
understood until I was preparing for this message. The Joshua Project also
considers the diaspora of different people groups around the world as unreached
groups. For example, there are 100,000 Nepalese in the United Arab Emirates,
200,000 Nepalese in Malaysia, and 300,000 Nepalese in Myanmar. Each of those
nations has their own challenges for the gospel. How much more so are the
challenges among immigrant or migrant populations of other people groups?
Let’s come back to our
passage. If you recall, the disciples had asked Jesus three questions. We
transition here from looking at the last question, “What will be the sign of
the end of the age?” to their first question, “When will this destruction of
the temple happen?”
“So
when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes
desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand …”
– Matthew 24:15
Okay reader, do you
understand? Daniel 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11 make reference to “the abomination
that causes desolation.” In the case of Daniel 12:11, it is combined with the
daily sacrifice being abolished. This abomination is a detestable act which
desecrates the holy place causing its desolation. Daniel’s primary reference is
when Antiochus Epiphanes erected a pagan altar to Zeus on the sacred altar of
the temple in Jerusalem in 168 BC. That event was more than 350 years after
Daniel wrote that prophecy. But there appears to be more to this. Prophecy is
both amazing and mysterious, and a single prophecy can refer to more than one
event.
There are two more stages
in the fulfillment of this prophecy. First, there is the destruction of the
temple in 70 AD which we have already talked about. Additionally, there will be
another temple built where an image of antichrist will be set up (II
Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 13:14-15) which has not yet happened.
“…
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the
housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go
back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant
women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter
or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the
beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days
had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect
those days will be shortened.” – Matthew 24:16-22
Again, we can see two
levels here. When I read these verses in Matthew, I think it does not exactly
fit with the siege of Jerusalem because the desecration and destruction of the
temple didn’t happen until after the city was taken. But if you read Luke
21:20, there Jesus says, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies,
you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee
…” At the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Christians did flee Jerusalem and the
surrounding areas to the mountains of Jordan near the city of Pella in
particular. In 70 AD, the immediate distress at the temple was something
unparalleled. The fighting there as described by Josephus is horrific. It is so
tragic that I do not want to share it with you. There is senseless slaughter in
it, soldiers going after and pursuing defenseless ones even down into drainage passageways.
If it had been allowed to continue unchecked, no one in the city would have
survived.
There is another period of
distress to come. Daniel 12:1 speaks of “a time of distress such as has not
happened from the beginning of nations until then.” There will be another time
when those who are in Judea should flee to the mountains as described in
Revelation.
There was one more
question that the disciples asked that we have not touched on just yet. “What
will be the sign of Your coming?”
“At
that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There He
is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I
have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the
wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not
believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the
west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass,
there the vultures will gather. ” –
Matthew 24:23-28
We can go all the way back
to the magicians of Egypt who faced off against Moses and Aaron. They were able
to perform some signs to discredit Moses. Looking forward, II Thessalonians 2
(v.9-11) and Revelation 13 (v.15) speak of those who will perform great signs
and wonders deceiving those who do not love the truth.
But we see, Jesus coming
will be unmistakable. It will be visible all over. I have heard some reputable
teachers talking about technology and how it is good that we have television or
smart phones and now we can understand how everyone on the earth will see Jesus
return at the same time.
Looking at this
description of lightning here and then a passage like Revelation 1:7 where it
says, “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him,” I expect
something supernatural. You will not need an iPhone or a TV set to see Jesus
coming again. Somehow, someway, it will be evident to all.
Verse 28, the last
sentence there sort of stands out. Commentators were not super confident on how
to explain it. The explanation I felt most comfortable with relates it to
Revelation 19:17-18 where an angel calls out to the birds of the air to come
and gorge themselves on the slain enemies of the king of kings. The reference
to vultures and the carcass could be related to the judgment and wrath to come.
“Immediately
after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies
will be shaken.’ Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And
then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” – Matthew 24:29-30
Jesus begins here quoting
from Isaiah both from chapter 13 and 34 which are prophecies about the coming
judgment of the Lord. The imagery we see here is also similar to events in
Revelation 6 and 8. There will be effects to be seen in the heavens. Sadly, the
people of the earth will mourn at the appearance of Jesus. That too reminds me
of Revelation 6 where peoples of every class and rank hide in caves and among
the rocks, calling out for the mountains to fall on them rather than face the
one who sits on the throne and His wrath.
There is a consistency and
coherency of Scripture. Things fit together. The more you read and study the
Word, the more you see these connections. Here Jesus has already told the
disciples what is to come. The Son of Man, Jesus Himself, will return on the
clouds. Though it has not yet happened at this point in time, Jesus will ascend
into the clouds after His resurrection. The angels of Acts 1:11 then tell the
disciples, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come
back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
“And
He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” – Matthew
24:31
His elect are His chosen
ones. It includes all those who follow Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, you are
one of His elect. This gathering at a trumpet call is described in multiple
places. My study bible had eight different cross references for just this
verse. Obviously, we won’t dive into all that. Since Jesus hasn’t described
this event with detail here, I won’t try to explain the many interpretations
with respect to timing of this gathering event.
I Thessalonians 4: 16-17
is probably the most closely related reference. It says there, “For the Lord
himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever.”
There is a great reunion
to come where all the saints of all times will be joined together with the
Lord, “and so we will be with [Him] forever.”
Let’s wrap up our passage.
What is the timing of these things?
“Now
learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its
leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these
things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” –
Matthew 24:32-34
There does not seem to be
any special significance of the fig tree other than the fact that it has a
known cycle of seasonal growth. The parallel passage in Luke makes this
interpretation clear because it mentions the fig tree but also says “and all
the trees.” What are the things that are to be seen? Well, we heard about the
abomination of desolation. This was followed by a great tribulation that if it is
not cut short it will destroy everyone. Then come signs in the heavens. Once
you see those things, then you know that Jesus’ return is imminent.
Which generation will not
pass away? This does not fit with the disciples’ generation. All these things
did not come to pass before they had passed on. The generation is the one who
sees the twigs of the fig tree get tender. Scripture gives us other ways to see
that the fig tree is beginning to put out its new growth.
It is rather easy to say
that we are closer now to Jesus’ return than ever, right? I think too that we
can see some things that were foretold in Scripture that have happened in our
time that had not happened in the 2000 years prior. The establishment of Israel
as a nation is one. The recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by
more and more nations is another. The acknowledgment and establishment of
diplomatic relationships between Arab and other Muslim nations with Israel is
yet another. Are we that generation that will see the Lord’s return? I cannot
say for sure. Jesus Himself said that He did not know the time. There is not
yet a temple in Jerusalem. The abomination that causes desolation cannot
desecrate the temple until the third temple is built.
Many have spoken of the
rebuilding of the temple, but it is not clear when this could happen. In
reading on the temple, I was surprised to find more than one plausible location
on the temple mount which would not result in an interference with the Dome of
the Rock or the Al-Aqsa mosque which are existing buildings on the temple
mount. Whatever the answer, when a solution is found for rebuilding the temple,
that will reveal that we are that much closer to Jesus’ return. It will happen.
“Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” – Matthew 24:35
The things that Jesus has
said are a sure thing. At the beginning of chapter 24, Jesus explained that all
the stones of the temple would be pulled down and not one would remain upon
another. This happened just as Jesus said. As amazing and even unbelievable some
prophecies might seem, we must keep in mind the One who has spoken them to us. Jesus
is the one who died and rose again. There is no one like Him. He is the only
begotten of the Father. He is God and man. We would do well to listen to Him.
In the meantime, we are
blessed to understand the kingdom of God in a way that the disciples did not
yet understand in Matthew 24. They were still anticipating a conquering king. That
day will come, but before that, Jesus brought His kingdom in a completely
different way.
I like Luke 17:21. There
Jesus had been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. First,
Jesus told them the kingdom does not come by observation or figuring stuff out,
nor does it come by declaration, saying, “Here it is!”
Why not? “Because the
kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) That was Jesus explanation of the
kingdom of God. Not a militaristic or political kingdom, but an internal one. This
is the good news of the kingdom that we read about earlier in Matthew 24:14.
When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate before the crucifixion in John 18:36, He
said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” If it were of this world, there would
have been soldiers to fight for it. Jesus withdrew from those who wanted to
make Him an earthly king. Jesus was here to do something far greater than build
an earthly kingdom. Hebrews 1:3-4 explains it well.
The
Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So He became as much superior to the
angels as the Name He has inherited is superior to theirs. – Hebrews 1:3-4
By purifying us from our
sins, Jesus has made not only a kingdom, but a family. We are not soldiers or
servant but children of God. John 1:12 says it. Paraphrasing a bit to put it in
the present tense, “To all who receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He
gives the right to become children of God.” Amen. “Heaven and earth will pass
away, but His words will never pass away.” Stand firm in the truth. Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for
what You have done for us that we will be caught up with You in the air and
that we will be with You forever. We worship and praise You and it is in Your
Name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
For more information on UPG’s you can check the Joshua Project.
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