Matthew 24:1-51
VERSE BY VERSE
1As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings.
2“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3While
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him
privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and
what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
4Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you.
5For many will come in My name, saying that I am the Christ, and will deceive many.
This warning was for the future because the great deception began when the primitive Catholic church introduced many heresies. The Pentecost church had not even been started yet when Jesus spoke these words.
6You
will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not
alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Not just one war, Rome destroying Jerusalem, but many wars. Rome is not even mentioned here. Don't be alarmed. No mention by Jesus of the second temple, the end is not yet. This is future.
7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
None of this happened in the first century , the beginning of birth pains, not a great tribulation. Nations and kingdoms warring, famines and earthquakes and this is just the beginning. All of this is future. The end is not yet.
9Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
The Apostles and the church would begin to suffer persecution by the Jews and the Romans and be hated by all nations. Was the church hated by all nations in 70 AD ? Jesus said This before the Pentecost church even began therefore even this is yet future.
10At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,
11and many false prophets will arise and deceive many.
Just as Jesus warned about deception in verse 4 How could there be this falling away of many when the church had not even started yet, but will AT THAT TIME. Many false prophets did not exist at this time. This is for the future.
12Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
13But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
They end of what, the temple ? This is describing events that happen years after the church was established and was yet future when Jesus said these things. The end is salvation, the kingdom. The kingdom did not come at the destruction of the second temple. The next verses , 14 through 31 confirms what this “end” is as Jesus outlines events that lead to his return.
14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The end of what, the temple ? This end to come would be the return of Christ, yet future. This agrees with verse 13 above. Take note, there is still no mention of the second temple.
15So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),
16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house.
18And let no one in the field return for his cloak.
"You see" Strongs #G3708 Horao is not meaning these disciples would actually see with their eyes. The true meaning is deeper than that and is actually about those people in the future that see the abomination of desolation as it happens shortly before the return of Christ, not in the first century. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2 reveals this abomination.
19How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!
20Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath.
21For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.
22If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
From verse 15 to 22 describes the end, after the gospel has been preached to all nations. The elects sake, the elect sealed in Revelation 7, just before the great tribulation that the innumerable multitude come out of, where was this multitude in the first century ? This tribulation is yet future and is the worst time in human history and is a worldwide event and if not stopped by Christs return everyone on earth would be dead. This cannot be the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome. This is all yet future. In the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD it has been estimated that over a million Jews died, but was this the greatest time ever for death to come to the Jews ? During the holocaust six million Jews died and was far worse than 70 AD.
23At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.
24For
false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs
and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
25See, I have told you in advance.
There will be a false Christ, an antichrist, who will pretend to be the messiah of the Jews and the false Christians . Revelation records the miracles of the false prophet that deceive all people. Where was this false prophet in the first century ? This is what Jesus was referring to. It is all yet future. At that time. Was Jesus telling his disciples that he was returning in 70 AD because look at his comments, “if anyone says to you , here is the Christ” . This means 70 AD can’t be the great tribulation.
26So if they tell you, ‘There He is, in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Here He is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
27For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Now we are at the return of Jesus. All the events in all the previous verses led up to this point, this was a continued narrative by Jesus giving an outline of events in answer to the questions asked by the disciples. Everything Jesus said was future at the time then that he said it. Yes, Jesus said it to them in their present time but all of his response was for the future.
29Immediately after the tribulation 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 powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31And
He will send out 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.
Jesus is still answering those two questions of the disciples, “the sign of your coming and the end of the age”. Jesus did not return immediately when Jerusalem and second temple were destroyed. Therefore the second temple destruction had nothing to do with the second advent and is why everything Jesus said was for a future time, a time beyond 70 AD, as the events Jesus describes are beyond 70 AD Jesus is describing his return and the first resurrection . All of this chapter is in direct response to those questions asked by the disciples.
32Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near.
33So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.
34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.
35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
All the things Jesus said from Matthew 24:4 to Matthew 24:51 are his complete answer to, "tell us when shall these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?" The people who would witness the end of the age are hopefully you and me, more than 2,000 years after, Jesus , in Matthew 24 described the events leading up to of the end of the age, and we are the generation that may actually see the miraculous events Jesus spoke about take place. There will be a faithful remnant of GODS elect saints alive at the end of the age, not all of them will be asleep, a remnant will yet be alive, not pass away.
This cannot possibly be the first century AD that all the events Jesus mentioned took place. The people who see these things, are that future generation that will witness the return of Christ, not the people Jesus was speaking to in the first century. Luke 21:31,32 “when you see these things happening know that the kingdom of GOD is near, I tell you this generation (that sees these things and the kingdom is near) will not pass away until ALL these things have happened.
36No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Apparently Preterists have known the day and the hour since all or part of things were fulfilled according to them in the first century. The comments by Jesus begin with a warning of deception and culminate with his return, this cannot be denied. This was a continuing narrative from start to finish by Jesus.
37As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38For
in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.
39And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In the first century the Jews were not surprised and had taken up defenses as the Romans surrounded Jerusalem, they were not oblivious to what was happening. The Jews even staged attacks against the Romans as the were building their siege engines setting them on fire.
40Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
41Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
Did this happen in 70 AD ? No it did not.
42Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.
43But
understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night
the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let
his house be broken into.
44For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
45Who
then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in
charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper
time?
46Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
48But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’
49And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
50The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.
51Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In response to the questions asked by his disciples Jesus begins his reply in verse 4. He gives a warning about deception in verses 4 and 5. Verse 6 he predicts wars and rumors of wars but this WAS NOT TO TROUBLE THEM. These wars must happen BUT THE END IS NOT YET. verse 7 he predicts wars among the nations resulting in famine and pestilence and earthquakes in various places. Verse 8 and all these things are only the beginning of sorrows. Verse 9 he predicts the persecution of the Apostles with afflictions, murder, and hatred from all nations because of the name of Christ. Verse 10 many will be offended, betray each other and hate each other. Verse 11 false prophets will come and deceive many. Verse 12 iniquity shall abound and the love of many wax cold.
Thus far there is no mention of the second temple at all but the events Jesus does mention are in a series of events beginning from his warning of deception to love waxing cold.
Verse 13 he that endures all these things to the end will have salvation. Did the first century Jews receive salvation ?
Verse 14 the gospel must be preached in all nations as a witness then the END will come. Revelation 14:6 (Here we are in time all the way to the end, when Christ returns and still no mention about the second temple)
Verse 15 in his continuing from verse 14 about the end, the abomination of desolation, prophesied by Daniel, stands in the holy place or the holy of holies in the temple, (whoever reads let him understand).
Now this is the first mention of a temple but is it the second temple ? If it is then all the rest of Matthew 24 must involve the second temple but it is plain that when you get to verses 27,28,29,30,31 that the narrative takes us to the return of Christ which did not happen in 70 AD.
Verses 16,17,18,19,20,21,22 Involves the great tribulation, a time of trouble unequaled in all of time that will never be repeated, that if not shortened in duration would destroy all human life on earth. The description of this day eliminates 70 AD as the tribulation because none of the things Jesus said pertained to 70 AD. It is yet future. As a matter of fact everything Jesus said to answer the questions of the disciples in verse 3 begins in verse 4 and are all future and have nothing to with the second temple. What happened in 70 AD had some similar issues but could not possibly be the things Jesus described. In reality Jesus was speaking about events leading up to the end of the age when he returns, “when shall these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age” , there will be a third temple that Jesus will cleanse at his return, Daniel 8:14 and Jesus gave a list of things to watch for that would lead up to his second advent. Remember in verse 15, “let him who reads understand” this abomination will be in the third temple not the second because in the following verses is the great tribulation and return of Jesus, events that did not happen in 70 AD
Paul in , 2 Thessalonians 2:4 mentions the third temple as John does in Revelation 11:1 it is logical that if Paul wrote about a third temple then the one in Revelation 11:1 is that third temple. The antichrist re-institutes the animal sacrifices, Satan brings the deceived people under the law, the Ten Commandments and law of Moses, hence the warning not to flee on the Sabbath day in Matthew 24:20 , all those who worship antichrist and take his mark will be keeping the sacrifices and the holy days. This in effect denies what Christ did, Galatians 5:4 2 Peter 2:1 Matthew 10:33 1 John 2:22,23 and indeed Revelation 12:9 confirms that the world is deceived, but the elect saints cannot be deceived, Matthew 24:24,25 Jesus told us in advance these things. The false prophet calls fire from heaven to burn up the sacrifices and in this way deceives the people by performing a lying wonder , Revelation 13:13 thus imitating Elijah the prophet and these Trinitarian people will say, “the beast he is god” but the Jews will reject him.
In the entire chapter of Matthew 24 from verse 4 to verse 51 Jesus never mentions the second temple, he is speaking about the third temple. There is going to be another final siege of Jerusalem in the future when Israel is aligned with the antichrist thinking he is their messiah and because of all the signs and lying wonders billions of unconverted pagan trinitarians, who think antichrist is the god man Jesus, but once antichrist says he is GOD the Jews will reject him but the trinitarians will love him all the more thus causing the time of Jacobs trouble, the great tribulation that encompasses the entire planet. The antichrist forces, 10 kings, will attack the harlot Jerusalem. Revelation 17:16 Ezekiel 16:37,38,39,40,41 Isaiah 11:11,12 Other prophecies in the prophets inform us that Israel will be taken into captivity a second time .
Before the second advent Israel will be in captivity again, this time because of the ten kings of the antichrist and this is part of the wrath YAHWEH pours out on them and all nations. Jeremiah 25:15,16,17,18,19,26,28,29,30,31. This event is in Revelation 14:9,10,11 Jeremiah 51:7 Revelation 18:2,3 Revelation 17:2 Revelation 16:19
Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 24:38,39 Luke 17:26,27,28,29,30 Examine Matthew 24:3 Mark 13:3,4 Luke 21:7 In none of these accounts does Jesus in his answer speak about the second temple.
Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 in the presence of his disciples but what he said was for a future generation that would see everything he spoke about come to pass, the time of his return, those who will be alive and remaining.
Zechariah 14:1,2,3,4,5 describes an event that occurs just prior to the second advent of Christ. It is not the ancient Roman army attacking Jerusalem but all the nations will battle against Jerusalem and capture it. In Luke 21:20,21 Jerusalem is surrounded by armies (plural) not just the Roman army.
