Introduction
The mount of Olives is closely associated with
Messianic prophecy (see Zech. 14: 4; Luke 19: 37, 38; Acts 1: 11,
12) and it was there that the Lord uttered the so-called Olivet
Discourse of Matthew 24-25. That discourse will not be
understood unless it is accepted that Matthew’s Gospel is written
for the Jew and will be read by Jews after the Assembly has been
removed from this earth. Chapter 24 in particular will be of great
interest to them as they seek to find out what will transpire down
here—not least, in relation to themselves. Of course, the chapter
(like all Scripture) is also of interest to Christians, but it is
not for Christians, and the heavenly hope of the
Christian (see 1 Cor. 15: 51-58; 1 Thess. 4: 13-18) is not dependent
on the signs for the earth of which it speaks.
Now like some other
prophecies, the Olivet Discourse has a fulfilment that is
early and partial, and another that is remote but more complete. The
discourse also has a peculiarity in that there are three accounts of
it—not only Matthew 24-25 but also Mark 13 and Luke 21. The early
fulfilment was the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD70 which took
place within the lifetime of at least some of those who heard it.
This is what Luke 21 is chiefly (though not exclusively) focused
on—an event now past, although with ongoing ramifications for the
Jews. The other two writers speak of a more distant
fulfilment—unfulfilled even now, but more imminent with each passing
day. Some of the differences between the Gospels will be noticed as
we proceed, as well as what is said in Matthew 25, but space will
limit our consideration mainly to Matthew 24.
The Prophesied Destruction of the Temple
In Matt. 24: 1, we read that “Jesus went forth and
went away from the temple, and his disciples came to [him] to point
out to him the buildings of the temple”. Now in Mark and Luke, the
discourse follows the poor widow casting her all into the treasury
but in Matthew it is preceded by the Lord’s lamentation over
Jerusalem (see Matt. 23: 37-39) and His warning that “Behold, your
house”—significantly, no longer God’s house—“is left
unto you desolate” (v38). There is therefore a moral dimension in
the Lord going away from the temple in Matt. 24: 1 in
keeping with his announcement that “Ye shall in no wise see me
henceforth” (Matt. 23: 39). Why was He going away? Because Israel
had rejected him (see Matt. 11: 16-19; 12: 9-42 etc.).
It is with this as
a background that the disciples draw the Lord’s attention to the
temple, seemingly deaf to the solemn import of the lamentation He
had just uttered. His reply was devastating: “Do ye not see all
these things? Verily I say to you, Not a stone shall be left here
upon a stone which shall not be thrown down” (Matt. 24: 2). Herod’s
temple was an imposing building and its stones were huge—so those
listening to the Lord would immediately appreciate that He was
foretelling a catastrophic event for Judaism. Comparing the
responses of His listeners as recorded in the three accounts helps
explain how each writer presents the subsequent discourse.
All three writers
record this reaction beginning with an almost identical question:
“when shall these things be …?” (Matt 24: 3; Mark 13: 4) and “when
then shall these things be …?” (Luke 21: 7). Hence, I do not see how
any of the three accounts can be interpreted as passing over the
Lord’s answer to this specific question concerning the temple’s
destruction by the Romans. However, it is also clear that the answer
as recorded in Matthew and Mark is merged with information about
what takes place long after AD70. These two Gospels emphasise what
is later, but this does not preclude a partial applicability of the
detail to what is earlier.
As to the reaction of those with
the Lord in full, Luke speaks of anonymous questioners asking, “when
then shall these things be; and what [is] the sign when these things
are going to take place?” (Luke 21: 7). Now this is a wording that
need not take us beyond the commencement of Israel’s troubles
as having rejected Christ (see Luke 11: 14-26; 20: 9-19; 23: 18-23
etc.) and as having rejected the fresh offer after His death (see
Luke 13: 6-9; Acts 3: 17-26; 7: 54-60; 28: 16-31 etc.). Hence, while
Luke does also eventually speak of the end of their distress, when
“the Son of man” comes “with power and great glory” (Luke 21: 27;
see also vs. 31, 36)—his primary focus is on the destruction of
Jerusalem and its temple under Titus in AD70 and what is therefore
now historical. A specific and time-limited period of
tribulation for them in the distant future is not addressed at all.
In Mark, while “one
of his disciples” (Mark 13: 1) drew the Lord’s attention to the
temple’s grandeur, it is four named disciples that respond to the
foretelling of its destruction, saying, “when shall these things be,
and what is the sign when all these things are going to be
fulfilled?” (v4). “Going to be fulfilled” is far-reaching and so
Mark speaks of what is in the distant future—the culmination of the
nation’s agony in Daniel’s seventieth week (see Dan. 9: 27)—after
which Israel’s troubles will finally be ended.
The response in
Matthew is only described as from “the disciples” (Matt. 24: 3) but
the language they are recorded there as using shows that they
understood the temple’s destruction to be bound up with yet more
momentous events: “Tell us, when shall these things be, and what is
the sign of thy coming and [the] completion of the age?” (v3). At
the outset, therefore, Matthew is explicit (where Mark is vague)
that he is going to emphasise the coming of the Lord, and the
time of the end. “These things” (the destruction of the
temple) and “the sign of thy coming and [the] completion of the age”
are the bookends of Israel’s painful estrangement from her Messiah.
The wording shows that while the terror of AD70 would pass, the
disciples realised that their nation’s trauma would never really end
until the Lord was again present with them (His coming) to (complete
the age and) usher in His reign of peace and righteousness.
Hence, if the Lord testified to
Jerusalem that “Ye shall in no wise see me henceforth
until ye say, Blessed [be]
he that comes on the name of [the] Lord” (Matt. 23: 39, my
emphasis), the disciple’s response was to ask concerning “the sign
of thy coming” (Matt. 24: 3). That coming would set in train
the completion of the age—an expression unique to
Matthew (see Matt. 13: 39, 40, 49; 28: 20)—and which refers to the
conclusion of the long period that the Jews knew as “this age”
(Matt. 12: 32) prior to the “coming age” (Luke. 18: 30) of Christ’s
public kingdom. What is presented in Matthew 24 therefore remains
unfulfilled even now for clearly the Lord has not
returned to take up His throne. Thus details which Luke associates
with AD70 (see Luke 21: 8-23) are applied in Matthew 24 to the
build-up to the completion of the age. The
destruction by Titus, terrible as it was, was merely a foretaste of
a yet more terrible judgment to come.
The Beginning of Throes
The first thing the Lord addresses in His answer
in Matthew 24, is not, however, exactly the sign of
His coming and the completion of the age. Instead, the Lord focuses
in vs. 4-8 on things that would take place some time before,
though still connected to the general time of the end—things He sums
up as the beginning of throes (see v8). Now while Luke 21:
8-11 refers to similar things, it does not use the
expression beginning of throes for there Luke is speaking of
the lead up to AD70.
Matthew begins with
the danger of being led to think that the Lord’s ‘coming’ had
already arrived: “See that no one mislead you. For many shall come
in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall mislead
many” (Matt. 24: 4, 5). Now the expectation of a Messianic deliverer
was a Jewish hope (see Matt. 2: 6; Luke 1: 71, 74; 2: 30, 32 etc.)
founded on OT prophecies (see Deut. 18: 15-19; Is. 59: 20 etc.), and
the disciples are viewed throughout Matthew 24 as representative of
godly Jews awaiting the imminent fulfilment of that hope. The
revelation of the OT led the Jews to expect a Messiah on earth (see
Micah 5: 2 etc.) and, indeed, Jesus was “manifested to Israel” (John
1: 31) there. Hence the danger of being misled by someone on
earth claiming to be the Christ. Of course, the Christian
revelation (which had not been given when the Lord spoke) teaches
that the spiritually intelligent will be waiting for Christ to come
out of the heavenly sanctuary having accomplished
redemption in fulfilment of Lev. 16: 17 (see Heb. 9: 28). I do not
doubt that in the future many Jews will have abandoned their
prejudice against the NT and be aware of such things.
Along with the
appearance of false Christs, the disciples were also warned that “ye
will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be
not disturbed; for all [these things] must take place, but it is not
yet the end” (Matt. 24: 6, my emphasis)—an increase in conflict,
though not necessarily directly impacting the disciples (as
representative Jews). However, while the surge in fighting signals
that the end is approaching, it was not to be taken as being
imminent. So what is that “end”? The “end” here is the same “end” as
in vs. 13, 14, and can hardly be anything other than “[the]
completion of [the] age” (Matt. 13: 39, my emphasis) when
“the angels shall go forth and sever the wicked from the midst of
the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire” (v49)—the
judgment of the unbelieving who are alive on the earth at the Lord’s
public return. The “end” (Luke 21: 9) is the same—when Israel’s
“redemption draws nigh” (v28). There is no connection with the end
of a supposed ‘Church age’ for the Assembly’s time is on earth is a
parenthesis not an age. The removal of the Assembly
(see 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17) neither ends the age, nor ushers in the
kingdom.
As always in war,
if “nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom” (Matt. 24: 7) then what follows are “famines and
pestilences” (v7; Compare Rev. 6: 1-8). However, there is also that
whose cause cannot be traced back to the human element, namely
“earthquakes in divers places” (Matt. 24: 7) and this shaking of the
earth signifies that God Himself has begun to act in
judgement. The conclusion that Matthew records the Lord as drawing
from these events is, “But all these [are the] beginning of throes”
(Matt. 24: 8) where throes refers to intense pain as in
childbirth. That
it is only the beginning
of throes shows that the crisis-point of Daniel’s last week
(when Israel has to flee into the wilderness—see Rev. 12: 6) is yet
future. As already mentioned, Luke 21 leaves out the expression
the beginning of throes altogether, as the chapter ignores
Daniel’s final week in its entirety, passing immediately from the
events of AD70 to the coming of the Son of man in power and glory
(see v27).
The
Glad Tidings of the Kingdom
We have
seen that in the beginning of throes, the Lord exhorted His
disciples to “See that ye be not disturbed” (Matt. 24: 6) but in v9
He warns them of what is really the reverse: “Then shall they
deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you; and ye will be
hated of all the nations for my name’s sake”. This clear progression
in danger will begin to affect the disciples (as representative
Jews) in a quite personal way and is distinctly
connected to the divine message with which they are associated.
In v14 it is said
that “these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in
the whole habitable earth, for a witness to all the nations, and
then shall come the end”. There is no doubt, therefore, that it is
because they are preaching Jesus as the Christ that
believing Jews “will be hated of all the nations for my name’s
sake” (v9, my emphasis). Not, of course, that the gospel
preached in Matt. 24 will be identical to what is preached today
(see 1 Cor. 15: 3, 4)—impossible, because at the time the Lord was
speaking, He had neither died nor risen. Instead, it is “these
glad tidings” (Matt. 24: 14, my emphasis)—a message the disciples
were already familiar with, namely the glad tidings
of the kingdom (the good news of Christ’s public reign on
earth as foretold by the prophets). That Gospel had been preached
previously (see Matt. 3: 1, 2; 4: 23; 9: 35)—including by the
disciples themselves (see Matt. 10: 7). Indeed, what is set
out in Matt. 10: 5-42 is the template for the future, though then
the preaching will no longer be
restricted to Israel (see vs. 5, 6) but will go out to “all the
nations” (Matt. 24: 14). The word nations once again
demonstrates that the disciples are representative of a godly Jewish
remnant for it is always used by Matthew to describe the Gentiles
in contrast to the Jews (see Matt. 4: 15; 6: 7, 32; 18: 17
etc.).
However, while the
believing Jews will be “hated of all the nations” (Matt. 24: 9),
there will also be vicious Jewish opposition, for Matt. 10: 17, 18
(comp. Mark 13: 9) speaks of the disciples being delivered up to
sanhedrims and to synagogues (inexplicable if they were not
themselves Jews). There is no indication that this persecution
occurred at the time of the mission of the twelve (see
Mark 6: 30) and its fulfilment must therefore be yet future.
Tribulation will also expose the falseness of the profession of
faith in Jesus in many and “then will be many offended, and will
deliver one another up, and hate one another” (Matt. 24: 10; compare
Matt. 13: 21). Mark 13: 12 (“But brother shall deliver up brother to
death, and father child; and children shall rise up against parents,
and cause them to be put to death”) details how even families will
turn on one another. This, and the divine help the persecuted will
receive in answering their accusers (see Mark 13: 11; Luke 21:
14-15), is given much earlier in Matthew (see Matt. 10: 19-21).
At the same time,
“many false prophets shall arise and shall mislead many” (Matt 24:
11)— the word many suggesting a concerted drive by the enemy
to deceive God’s people on earth (by contrast, Rev. 11 speaks only
of two prophets on the Lord’s side—see vs. 3, 10). The turmoil of
the day naturally lends itself to persons claiming to be able to
provide divine wisdom and direction, but these will “come … in
sheep’s clothing” (Matt. 7: 15), and prophesy in the name of
Jehovah, even though Jehovah had not sent them (compare Jer. 14:
14). The Lord’s counsel was that “By their fruits then surely ye
shall know them” (Matt. 7: 20) as witnessed by the comparison
between the betrayal by family members in Matt. 10: 21 and Elijah’s
future manifestation in Mal. 4: 5 when he will “turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers” (v6).
A false profession
of allegiance to the coming King (as a result of the preaching of
the “glad tidings of the kingdom”—Matt. 24: 14) will not survive the
tide of evil that precedes that return and the ‘faith’ of such will
be abandoned. Hence “because lawlessness shall prevail, the love of
the most shall grow cold” (v12). The proof of genuine
affection is then spelt out: “but he that has endured to the end,
he shall be saved” (v13). This verse needs to be read in the
light of v22: “and if those days had not been cut short, no
flesh had been saved” (my emphasis). Salvation in the
chapter refers not to souls, but to flesh—bodies. It is about
physical deliverance. For confirmation of this, see the
similar reference in Matt. 10, “and ye shall be hated of all on
account of my name. But he that has endured to [the] end, he
shall be saved” (v22). This is preceded by “and children shall rise
up against parents and shall put them to death” (v21) and followed
by “And be not afraid of those who kill the body” (v28). Hence when
the Lord says that he that has endured to the end will be saved, He
means that those alive at the end of the age will be delivered by
the appearing of the Son of man from heaven. A bright prospect is
put before such—the returning King, and glory in the kingdom with
Him. As for those “slain for the word of God, and for the testimony
which they held” and “their brethren, who were about to be killed as
they” (Rev. 6: 9, 11; see Matt. 24: 9) though these are not
physically delivered by Christ’s coming, they will be raised to
enter the kingdom (see Rev. 20: 4).
Whether their lot
is to be martyred or to be alive when the Lord comes, believing Jews
will be occupied in the testimony of the kingdom, and once that
testimony has been given “in the whole habitable earth” then “shall
come the end” (v14)—when Christ comes to take up His rights on earth
as king. However, before that end, Israel as a nation will
pass through a period of unspeakable horror that will lead many of
them to look to the despised Jesus of Nazareth for deliverance. This
period of terror commences with a pivotal moment that sets in motion
the lead up to the end of the age.
The
Abomination of Desolation
As prophesied by Daniel, the Gentile leader of a
revived Roman empire will make a covenant of peace with the nation
of Israel, and then “in the midst of the week” of seven years he
will break off the agreement and “cause the sacrifice and oblation
to cease” (Dan. 9: 27) in a rebuilt Jewish temple. In its place, he
will set up “the abomination that maketh desolate”
(Dan. 12: 11, my emphasis; comp. Dan. 11: 36, 37; 2 Thess. 2: 4).
This abomination is the signal to believing Jews that, whatever
trials they have suffered up to now, an even severer period of
persecution—the “great tribulation” (Matt. 24: 21), “the time of
Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30: 7)—is about to start, and that they must
now flee if they are to be preserved alive. Hence, “When therefore
ye shall see the abomination of desolation, which is spoken of
through Daniel the prophet, standing in [what is a] holy place, (he
that reads let him understand,) then let those who are in Judaea
flee to the mountains” (Matt. 24: 15, 16). Of course, neither the
temple nor the sacrificial system associated with it have existed
since AD70 (comp. Hosea 3: 4)—showing it must be set up again before
the end of this age.
The pivotal moment
described in Luke 21: 20 (see also Luke 19: 43, 44) is very
different to Matt. 24: 15 (though still associated with the warning
for those in Judaea to flee): “But when ye see Jerusalem encompassed
with armies, then know that its desolation is drawn nigh”. This is
clearly a reference to a more immediate prophetic fulfilment—the
destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its temple in AD70 when the
then existing sacrificial system was brought to an end. Now of
course Daniel also foretold the destruction of the city and the
sanctuary by the Romans (see Dan. 9: 26) but that is between the
sixty ninth and seventieth weeks, while the abomination of
desolation is set up in the middle of the seventieth week (see v27).
Again, in Luke 21 it is the city “Whose desolation is
drawn nigh” (v20), while Matthew 24 refers to an abomination
of desolation.
As soon as the
abomination of desolation is seen then “those who are in Judaea” are
to “flee to the mountains” (Matt. 24: 16). In Luke 21 the Lord gives
a similar exhortation but adds “and those who are in the midst of
it”—the city—“depart out, and those who are in the country not enter
into it” (v21) and history records that those who ignored this
warning perished in the Roman siege. In both Gospels, the mountains
are presented as a place of refuge, while the words “those who are
in Judaea” (Matt. 24: 16; Luke 21: 21) cannot be intelligently
understood as referring to anyone but Jews—in Luke, those fleeing
the Romans in AD70, and in Matthew, those fleeing the persecution of
the great tribulation (comp. Rev. 12: 6). Again, with the temple
removed, Luke 21: 24 only says “Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of [the] nations until [the] times of [the] nations be
fulfilled”, a wording that gives scope for the insertion of
centuries before the end of the age. Matthew, by contrast, is
focused on that short period when not only the city, but “the court”
of a rebuilt temple will be “given [up] to the
nations, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty-two
months” (Rev. 11: 2).
For the Jews in
Matthew 24, the essence of the message is the need for urgency in
escaping: “let not him that is on the house come down to take the
things out of his house; and let not him that is in the field turn
back to take his garment” (vs. 17, 18). The equivalent words are
absent in Luke 21: 21 because the context is a prolonged siege. Of
course, flight may be unavoidably impeded: “woe to those that are
with child, and those that give suck in those days. But pray that
your flight may not be in winter time nor on sabbath” (Matt. 24: 19,
20). Of course, the sabbath (which only Matthew refers to) is
uniquely restrictive for a Jew (see Acts 1: 12).
The Great Tribulation
“The
great tribulation” (Rev. 7: 14) or “the time of Jacob’s trouble”
(Jer. 30: 7) will be ferocious, “such as has not been from [the]
beginning of [the] world, until now, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:
21). Luke uses less evocative language (“for there shall be great
distress upon the land and wrath upon this people”—Luke 21: 23)
for his main perspective is AD70 and,
terrible as AD70 was, it was but a preview of the great cataclysm to
come. The great tribulation is unique in its intensity, such that
“if those days had not been cut short, no
flesh had been saved; but on account of the elect those days shall
be cut short” (Matt. 24: 22). The “elect” refers to a remnant within
the apostate nation of Israel rather than the
Assembly, for the elect are gathered, not by the Lord Himself (comp.
1 Thess. 4: 16, 17), but by the angels that He sends (see Matt. 24:
31). As noted before, salvation in the Olivet discourse is in
relation to “flesh” (v22)—that is, it relates to bodies and physical
deliverance. It does not refer to the salvation of souls. Clearly,
if God did not intervene, none of the believing Jewish remnant would
be alive by the close of the tribulation (Luke 21 omits any
reference to deliverance for clearly in the destruction of Jerusalem
in AD70 there was no rescue and the days were not cut short).
Now Matt. 24: 22 does not say of the
tribulation that ‘those days shall be concluded’ but “those days
shall be cut short” (my emphasis)—literally,
mutilated—and the words “shall be” indicate a future action to
curtail the period’s length (comp. Rom. 9: 28). Such a cutting short
may seem to be at odds with the precision of, for example, the 1260
days of the woman fed in the wilderness (see Rev. 12: 6). However,
(and setting aside questions about how many days make a prophetic
month or year) there is no reason why these 1260 days must be in
precise alignment with the period of active tribulation
for God’s people. Other Scriptures teach (or at least imply) that
the length of the tribulation will be three and a half years
or forty-two months, (see Dan. 7: 25; Rev. 11: 2; 12: 14) but
in the Jewish method of reckoning, part of a month or year is
sufficient to count it as if it were in full. Thus, for example, if
only one day of a calendar year fell in a king’s reign, then that
was sufficient to say that he reigned that year. Thus the days
of the great tribulation can be “cut short” (Matt. 24: 22) without
affecting its length in months or years.
The next section
begins with the word Then which connects the promised
Messianic deliverance implied by the days of tribulation being cut
short, with the danger of being taken in by false
deliverers beforehand: “Then if any one say to you, Behold, here is
the Christ, or here, believe [it] not. For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets” (Matt. 24: 23). The danger is greater
than in the earlier “beginning of throes” (v8) where “many shall
come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall
mislead many” (v5) for now we also read that the false Christs (and
false prophets) will “give great signs and wonders so
as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (v24, my emphasis).
Thus in the great tribulation itself, the false Christs and
prophets will be marked by miracles of such magnitude that even
genuine saints are at risk of being taken in (while those not
‘elect’—unbelievers—will certainly be deceived). Now since the
disciples were familiar with the Lord (and hence were unlikely to be
fooled) His words “Behold, I have told you beforehand” (v25) do not
apply to them personally, but only as they represent godly Jews in a
future day. Furthermore, such words illustrate how important the
synoptic Gospels (particularly Matthew) will be for the those Jews
in helping them differentiate between what truly comes from God and
what is false. The Jewish remnant are to look up, not around (comp.
Luke 21: 28: “But when these things begin to come to pass, look up
and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws nigh”) for the
real Christ will manifest Himself, not on the earth but out of
heaven. Hence: “If therefore they say to you, Behold, he is
in the desert, go not forth; behold, [he is] in the inner chambers,
do not believe [it]” (Matt. 24: 26). Telling the disciples
beforehand what will be said concerning the false Christs preserves
them from being deceived. Whether as claimed to be outside normal
society (“in the desert”) or as arising amongst the people (“in the
inner chambers”), all are false. The coming of the true
Messiah will be unmistakable, “For as the lightning goes
forth from the east and shines to the west, so shall be the coming
of the Son of man” (v27). This light will be of such brilliance that
believing Jews can discount any other signs and wonders, however
great. Indeed, this glory has been previewed in chapter 17, where
Matthew describes how the Lord was transfigured and His “face shone
as the sun, and his garments became white as the light” (v2).
Closely connected
to the Lord’s return is what appears at first glance to be a
somewhat abstruse insertion: “[For] wherever the carcase is, there
will be gathered the eagles” (Matt. 24: 28). The eagles (or
vultures) are birds of carrion, and the sense here is that not only
will the Lord’s coming be deliverance for the godly but that it will
also be damnation for the unbelieving alive on the earth at that
time (compare Rev. 19: 17, 18). As Luke 17: 30 tells us, “after this
[manner]” (the judgement of the days of Noah and Lot—see vs. 26-29)
so “shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed” (v30).
The Lord’s Coming
In the
next section of Matthew 24, the Lord returns to the order of events
prior to His return and speaks of how “immediately after the
tribulation of those days the sun shall 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” (v29). Commentators are
divided on whether these verses should be taken literally or as
symbolising political upheaval (or perhaps both) but I see no reason
why there cannot be physical signs in the visible heavens before the
public manifestation of Christ (as was the case at both His birth
and His death—see Matt. 2: 2; Luke 23: 45). Indeed, the symbolic
interpretation seems at odds with the timing of these heavenly
signs—not in the tribulation as one might expect, but “after
that distress” (Mark 13: 24, my emphasis), and before
the Lord actually returns. Luke 21 (which passes over the
tribulation altogether) adds “the roar of the sea and rolling waves”
(v25)—and such phenomena would follow the slightest disruption of
the settled orbits of the heavenly bodies. Notice too that Luke
speaks only of “signs in sun and moon and stars” (v25)—he omits the
sun being darkened, for example, since such specific events did not
occur in AD70.
We have now arrived
at the culmination of the prophecy: “And then shall appear the sign
of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the
land lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24: 30). From the
language used, it would seem that the sign of the Son of man
precedes His actual coming (the sign may refer to the flash
of light described in v27)—and the actual arrival is processional
(as befits a king) rather than instantaneous (comp. Rev. 19: 14, 19
etc.). In any case, it is clear that those watching will know
He is coming before they actually see Him coming. Now
while both Mark 13: 26 and Luke 21: 27 describe the Lord’s coming as
being seen by those on the earth, only Matthew describes its effect
on some of them: “and then shall all the tribes of the land lament”
(Matt. 24: 30). This is a particularly Jewish reaction to the Lord’s
return—a view strengthened by the emotional response recorded
elsewhere (compare Zech. 12: 10-14; Rev. 1: 7).
At the same time,
the Lord “shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and
they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from [the
one] extremity of [the] heavens to [the other] extremity of them”
(Matt. 24: 31). This gathering of the elect needs to be
distinguished from the gathering of the darnel in Matt. 13: 30
(gathered before the wheat—comp. Matt. 24: 40-41) for
which “The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather
out of his kingdom all offences, and those that practise
lawlessness” (Matt. 13: 41; see also v49).
The Fig-tree and This Generation
The discourse now turns to a series of
interconnected subjects which form the necessary background to the
Lord’s important exhortations to “watch” from Matt. 24: 42 onwards.
The first subject is the parable of the fig-tree: “But learn the
parable from the fig-tree: When already its branch becomes tender
and produces leaves, ye know that the summer is near. Thus also
ye, when ye see all these things, know that it is near, at the
doors” (vs. 32, 33). This rapid budding of the fig-tree is primarily
given as a figure of how quickly events will move, such that when
“all these things”—what the Lord has spoken about previously—are
seen, then believing Jews are to conclude that the Lord’s coming is
very imminent—“at the doors” (v33). However, the fact that Luke in
his account gives “the fig-tree and all the trees”
(Luke 21: 29, my emphasis) suggests that there is more to the choice
of the metaphor than its rapid budding alone. The fig-tree is a
picture of Israel (see Luke 13: 6-9; John 1: 48 etc.), and when the
nation of Israel begins to show life after its long dormancy it is
evident that “the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21: 31). “All the
trees” (v29) suggests that the revival of other
nations significant in prophecy is also in mind. Furthermore, if the
words “when ye see all these things” (Matt. 24: 33) are taken as
including the parable of the fig-tree itself, then this would
necessarily make the parable a definite sign.
Having spoken in
the previous verse of how suddenly the completion of the age would
come (as pictured by the rapid budding of the fig-tree) the Lord now
teaches that it is the very same unbelieving generation that had
rejected him in the Gospels (see Matt. 11: 16; 12: 39, 41, 42, 45;
16: 4; 17: 17; 23: 36) that would be unprepared for His return:
“Verily I say to you, This generation
will not have passed away until all these things shall have taken
place” (Matt. 24: 34). Since much
of what Matthew 24 speaks of has not yet been
fulfilled it is clear that the expression this generation must have a wider
moral sense that encompasses not only the first century
but also the run up to the end of the age. A generation in this
sense is found elsewhere—for example Ps. 12: 7, where it is plainly
not limited by time. It is also interesting that while the Lord was
“rejected of this generation” (Luke 17: 25), the words “this
generation shall in no wise pass away until all come to pass” (Luke
21: 32) are inserted by Luke not in connection with
AD70 but after speaking of the Son of man coming with
power and great glory, and the kingdom of God being near (see vs.
27, 31, 36).
Amidst all this
prophesied turmoil, the Lord now provides an anchor on which His own
can rest: “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words
shall in no wise pass away” (Matt. 24: 35). The sense is clearly to
demonstrate the certainty of what He is saying to His
disciples about the future—emphasised by the strong negative (“shall
in no wise”) and the removal of “The heaven and the earth”—that
which, even in times of great upheaval, seems permanent. This
certainty provides the confidence needed by those Jews who will
surely read this Gospel in the coming evil day.
The
Unreadiness of the Unbelieving
Following this reassurance, the Lord returns to the subject of being
prepared for His coming at all times, for “of that day and hour no
one knows, not even the angels of the heavens, but [my] Father
alone” (v36). There was therefore a possibility of it arriving at a
time when it was not expected. However, this ignorance
is only of “that day and hour”—it does not refer to the year
(which spiritually intelligent Jews will be able to calculate with
some accuracy from the starting point of the covenant
made with the Roman beast in Dan. 9: 27 (not, as many believe, the
rapture of 1 Thess. 4: 16,
17—which is independent of events on
earth). Clearly neither the 1260 days of Rev. 12: 6 or Rev.
11: 3 (actually there several days longer—see v11) can be used to
calculate the Lord’s return with complete precision.
The angels are referenced here in Matt.
24: 36 because in the completion of the age they will come with the
Son of man (see Matt. 16: 27; 24: 31; 25: 31) as His harvestmen (see
Matt. 13: 39, 41, 49). Their ignorance of the timing of the Lord’s
coming (when they, as heavenly beings, might be expected to be aware
of such things) reinforces the restricted nature of such knowledge.
Mark, of course, tells us that even the Son does not know (see Mark
13: 32)—a statement that some would fritter away rather than simply
believe. The point of all this, clearly, is that men cannot afford
to trifle with these things, for there will be no time to get
ready when the Lord does return.
Of course, the
Lord’s return will be unexpected by the unbelieving, and He
illustrates this with an OT example: “But as the days of Noe, so
also shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as they were in the
days which were before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day on which Noe entered into the ark,
and they knew not till the flood came and took all away; thus also
shall be the coming of the Son of man”. (Matt. 24: 37-39). Hence
life will go on ‘as normal’ prior to the Lord’s return just as it
did in the days before the flood—marriage, in particular, assumes a
future. The sense here of “knew not” is that those in Noah’s day had
no real expectation of impending judgement. Of course, Noah was “a
preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2: 5) but his testimony was not
believed. Similarly, God will give a testimony to the coming of the
Son of man, but, as Peter says, “at [the] close of the days” (2 Pet.
3: 3) there shall come mockers saying, “Where is the promise of his
coming? for from the time the fathers fell asleep all things remain
thus from [the] beginning of [the] creation” (v4). Despite the
turmoil in the world, the thought of Christ’s return will not be
taken seriously and so “as a snare shall it come upon all them that
dwell upon the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21: 35)—as utterly
unexpected as finding one’s foot in a trap.
Compare both Mal.
3: 1 and 1 Thess. 5: 3 where the word suddenly means
unexpectedly.
This fatal
unawareness is illustrated by the Lord with: “Then two shall be in
the field, one is taken and one is left; two [women] grinding at the
mill, one is taken and one is left” (Matt. 24: 40, 41). The key word
is Then, which clearly links back to the “coming of the Son
of man” (v39). Those taken, are taken for judgment, while the “left”
(vs. 40, 41) refers to those spared to enter the kingdom on earth.
It has nothing to do with the rapture—which, in any case, was
unrevealed at the time (see 1 Thess. 4: 15).
In the parallel
passage in Luke 17: 34-37, the answer to the disciple’s question,
“Where, Lord?” (that is, where are they taken?) shows
that those removed are taken for judgement: “Where the body [is],
there the eagles will be gathered together” (v37).
Watching, Serving and Rewards
So much
for the lack of expectation in the unbelieving—what ought to be the
attitude of those who professedly are looking for Jesus of Nazareth
to return as their Messiah?
In one word:
watch (grhgorew)—which
means be awake and be vigilant. Thus: “watch
therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord comes” (Matt. 24:
42). This theme is something the Lord develops in the subsequent
parable of the ten virgins (see Matt. 25: 1-13 and particularly v13)
but here He simply adds that: “if the master of the house had known
in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and not
suffered his house to be dug through [into]. Wherefore ye
also, be ye ready, for in that hour that ye think not the Son of man
comes” (Matt. 24: 43, 44). If
a man knew exactly when a thief was going to rob his house then,
obviously, he would stay alert at that time. Of course, unlike the
householder, the disciples did not know exactly “what watch” (v43)
of the night their Lord was coming (comp. Mark 13: 35) but they
had been told about it and therefore ought
to be “like men who wait their own lord whenever he may leave the
wedding” (Luke 12: 36).
The expectation of
the Lord’s return was also to stimulate them to work—because as His
servants they would be called to give an account on His return.
Watchfulness therefore is coupled with good stewardship (a matter
which the Lord develops further in Matt. 25: 14-30): “Who then is
the faithful and prudent bondman whom his lord has set over his
household, to give them food in season?” (Matt. 24: 45). God’s
people have been left to look after their Lord’s interests on the
earth, and faithfulness now will lead to reward in the coming
kingdom: “Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find
doing thus. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all his
substance” (vs. 46, 47). Here there are no grades of reward as in
Matt. 25: 14-30 for it is simply a question of those who truly love
the Master and those who do not. Those who love their Lord, having
been faithful over His interests in this world, are given place over
His interests in the world to come. Those who do not love their
professed Lord, having proved their unregenerate state by their
unfaithfulness, go into judgement: “But if that evil bondman should
say in his heart, My Lord delays to come, and begin to beat his
fellow-bondmen, and eat and drink with the drunken, the lord of that
bondman shall come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an
hour he knows not of, and shall cut him in two and appoint his
portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the
gnashing of teeth” (vs. 48-51). Note that the bondman speaks
in his heart—that is, his real feelings differ from what he
professes—and it is only just, therefore, that his portion should be
appointed “with the hypocrites”.
This teaching
regarding accountability is said to the disciples and hence relates
to the Jewish remnant in which watchfulness and good
stewardship (proving genuine belief) result in place and reward in
the coming kingdom, whereas sleeping and bad stewardship (and hence
mere profession) results in rejection and judgement. In the final
section of the Olivet discourse (see Matt. 25: 31-46) the
Gentiles alive on earth when the Lord comes are taken up on
the basis of their attitude to the Lord’s “brethren” (v40; see also
v45)—godly Jews—who came preaching the Gospel of the kingdom to them
(compare Matt. 10: 14, 15). The outcome of this judgement is that
“the righteous” will go “into life eternal” (Matt. 25: 46) and
“inherit the kingdom prepared” for them “from [the] world’s
foundation” (v34)—or, as Luke 18: 30 puts it “in the coming age life
eternal”. By contrast, those who rejected the Gospel of the kingdom
will “go away into eternal punishment” (Matt. 25: 46).
Conclusion
Our rapid survey of the Olivet discourse is now
complete, although much more could be said—both on the discourse,
and other relevant portions of Matthew’s Gospel. If the reader is
stimulated to study these things in more detail for himself, then
the writer’s aim will have been achieved.
