Matthew
24:1-28
Lesson 49
24:1-28
Lesson 49
Matthew 24:1-28
Jesus on His return 1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 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. 3 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? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 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. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 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. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 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. 15 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:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 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. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 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. 27 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. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. |
Margin notes:
"Departed from the temple." (24:1) - This was Jesus' last visit to the Temple. It's Tuesday, Jesus has only three days to live. "Shew him the buildings of the temple." (24:1) - The Temple complex was made up of numerous buildings and was one of the most impressive man-made sights in the world. "There shall not be left here one stone upon another." (24:2) - Jesus' prediction was fulfilled in 70 AD when the Roman General Titus besieged Jerusalem and utterly destroyed the Temple. The Temple was set on fire, and the building stones were pulled apart to retrieve the gold leaf that had melted from the structure. "He sat upon the mount of Olives." (24:3) - Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse on the Mount of Olives, the exact spot where He will return (Ezekiel 11:23; Zechariah 14:4-9). "When shall these things be?" (24:3) - When will the Temple and Jerusalem be destroyed? Jesus gives a cryptic answer in Luke 21:20 and 21:24. "The end of the world." (24:3) - Some Bible scholars believe the proper translation of this verse is "The end of this age." They may be right, as our research shows that the original transcript uses the Greek word "αυτής," which in fact means "a period of time," or "age." "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (24:3) - Jesus answers the disciple's question in verses 24:4-33. Additional note: This is a controversial passage. Many Bible scholars believe that "Verses 24:2-14 have a double interpretation: They give (1) the character of the age - wars, international unrest, famines, pestilences, persecutions, and false Christs. This is not the description of a converted world. But (2) the same answer applies in a specific way to the end of the age, i.e., Daniel's seventieth week (see Daniel 9:24)." ("The New Scofield Reference Bible," published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; page 1033) "Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (24:5) - Jesus sees false Christ's as a serious problem. He warns against them again in verse 24:24 below and John 5:42-43. The apostle John also warned us against false messiahs in 1 John 2:18. "In divers places." (24:7) - "In various places." "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you." (24:9) - "Then they will persecute and kill you." "Then shall many be offended." (24:10) - "Then many will fall away." "Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (24:11) - Jesus repeatedly sounds the alarm against false prophets (Matthew 7:15). "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (24:12) - "Because sin will be everywhere, the love in many people will grow cold." "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world." (24:14) - Before Christ returns, the Gospel will be preached throughout the world. Although Jesus' disciples may have thought this was impossible, advancements in technology such as radio, television, and the internet have made it achievable. This widespread dissemination of the Gospel will serve as a sign that the Second Coming is near (Revelation 14:6-7). "The abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel." (24:15) - "The desecration of the Temple spoken of by Daniel." Jesus is referring to Daniel 9:27; 11:31, and 12:11. Daniel predicted the Temple's desecration 600 years before it happened. See above for more information. "Let him which is on the housetop." (24:17) - In Jesus' day, many homes had outside staircases that led to flat roofs. People could sit above the noise of the house to relax and catch a cool breeze. "Them that give suck!" (24:19) - Means "Woman who are nursing." "For then shall be great tribulation." (24:21) - The Tribulation was predicted in Joel 2:1-2. This verse is where we get the word "Tribulation" from. "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved." (24:22) - "Unless those days are shortened, no one will be saved." Many Bible scholars believe that Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14 predict that "those days" will last three and a half years ("a time, and times, and half a time"). "The elect's." (24:22) - Means God's chosen people. "Lo, here is Christ." (24:23) - "Look, here is the Messiah." "There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders... they shall deceive the very elect." (24:24) - In the last days, false prophets will perform satanic miracles that even deceive some Christians (Revelation 13:13-15). See also the warning in Deuteronomy 13:1-5. "For as the lightning cometh out of the east...."(24:27) - Jesus promises to return. See also Luke 17:24. "Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." (24:28) - "Wherever bodies are, there the vultures will gather together." "The meaning of this somewhat puzzling verse is illuminated in the final dialogue between God and Job (Job 39:27-30). The spiritual application here is that, where moral corruption exists, divine judgment falls." ("The New Scofield Reference Bible," published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; page 1034) |