Matthew 24 is of great significance when studying the end times. After Jesus predicated the fall of Jerusalem, His disciples asked Him Privately able what he had said.
- Matthew 24:1-3
- And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
- And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
- And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Here is Jesus’ answer broken down so that you can better understand it.
Be careful of Deception.
- Matthew 24:4-5
- And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
- For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
- Matthew 24:7
- And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
War, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will become common.
- Matthew 24:6-7
- And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
- For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
This is only the beginning of the end (sorrows).
- Matthew 24:8
- All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Persecution shall be bad.
- Matthew 24:9-10
- Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
- And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
- Matthew 24:12-13
- And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
- But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
- Remember that the persecution did get bad.
- Acts 8:1-4
- And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
- And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
- As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
- Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.
- Acts 8:1-4
The Gospel will be preached everywhere before the end.
- Matthew 24:14
- And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Remember the question was a two-part question.
- the 1st question is “when shall these things be?”
- This is a question to when the temple would be destroyed.
- the 2nd question is “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
- This is about the end of the world.
These verses are about the destruction of the temple.
- Matthew 24:15-20
- When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
- Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
- Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
- Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
- And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
- But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
- The city was taken. Those that understood these verses had warning about the sign to leave before it was too late.
- I believe that there will be a third temple build. That temple will be the final fulfillment of the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
This part (I believe) is for the end of the world, The Tribulation.
- Matthew 24:21-22
- For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
- And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Still we are warned of deception
- Matthew 24:23-28
- Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
- For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
- Behold, I have told you before.
- Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
- For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
- For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
There will be signs in the sky.
- Matthew 24:29-31
- Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
- And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
- And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Next Jesus instructions them to learn a parable of the fig tree.
- Matthew 24:32
- Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
- So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
This generation means that this age or time period will end when all has been fulfilled.
- Matthew 24:34-35
- Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
- Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
The Coming of Jesus
- Matthew 24:36
- But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
- For more information, please read Understanding Jesus’ Return: Myths and Truths
The coming of Jesus is compared to the time of Noah.
- Matthew 24:37-39
- But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
- For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
- And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
- For more information on this topic, please read Judgment of Mankind: Lessons from Noah’s Days
Then Jesus explained that some would be taken and some left.
- Matthew 24:40-42
- Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
- Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Always be ready
- Matthew 24:42-44
- Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
- But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
- Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Jesus explains that we are the servants. Those that are faithful and wise will be rewarded.
- Matthew 24:45-51
- Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
- Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
- Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
- But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
- And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
- The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
- And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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