Introduction Chapter 24 begins what is called the Olivet Discourse and concludes in chapter 25. In this chapter Jesus predicts the future. The Lord Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple which means that Jerusalem will also experience profound desolations. The disciples want to know when this will happen and what signs will precede these events (v.3). In breathtaking fashion Jesus will speak of a future time of tribulation and apostasy; the rise of false prophets (vv. 4-5;11); false messiahs leading people astray. It will be a time of anarchy (vv.6-8); apathy (vv. 12-13); affliction (vv.9-10) but it will also be a time of momentous accomplishment as the Gospel will be preached to all the nations (v.14). But the chapter has also been the subject of great controversy and misinterpretation. In order to avoid misinterpretation we must apply certain principles of Biblical interpretation to our text. We have to consider the audience (who is Jesus speaking to). There are three major divisions to this discourse or sermon; the first is addressed largely to the Jew and the Jewish people (chapter 24:1-44); the second is addressed to the professing church; the wise and faithful servants who find themselves in the Master s service at His coming (chapter 24:45-chapter 25:30). Finally we see God s dealings with the Gentiles (chapter 25:31-46). Paul hinted at this when he wrote Give no offense, either to the Jews, or the Greeks or to the church of God (see 1Corinthians 10:32). The Destruction Of Jerusalem (vv.1-3a) Matthew 24:1 2 (NKJV)1Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. In chapter 23:37-38 Jesus cried out and said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! Jesus pronounces judgment on the City and here on the Temple. The City rejects truth and the ones who bring truth. Scofield points out; The Lord Jesus leaves that which He abandons to judgment. Sober words. Once again the disciples do not seem to understand or apply the words of Jesus or the actions of Jesus to what is happening right before them. Jerusalem will fall. The Temple will be destroyed. But how could something so lovely and so costly be destined for judgment and destruction? In Mark s Gospel we read (13:1); Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 1
The Temple was a massive complex of buildings including ritual baths, steps, the Stoa or market place; a court for Gentiles, women, men and priests and then the massive Temple proper. Outside the courts were large porches or porticos Solomon s porch was 1,562 feet long and the royal porch was decorated with 160 columns stretching along its 921 foot length. The marble pillars were 40 feet high carved from single slabs. I have walked the length of the retaining wall of the ancient site dug out and now called the Rabbi s tunnel. The stones that remain from the retaining wall are awesome and the buildings must have been awe inspiring. No one knows for sure what the Temple and buildings looked like but the reconstructions provide some best archeological guesses. Anyone who has seen the Parthenon or other ancient classic buildings can experience a sense of awe and wonder. But Jesus sees in all the gleaming stone and massive buildings something else Jesus saw the complex as a symbol of the emptiness of religion without God (see Life Application Bible Commentary; Ephesians; p. 464). Now Jesus plainly predicts the destruction of the Temple. Not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Jesus peers into the future when Temple worship and Temple sacrifice cease. Those who have grown up in Church have experienced some sense of the sanctity of the Church. But the Jews sense of sanctity for this place is almost always lost on the modern reader. Remember Jesus called it My Father s House (John 2:16). The Jewish Temple was a marvel of the ancient world. The second Temple had its beginnings during the time of Ezra after the exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 6:14-15). The Temple was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes (in the second century B.C) and then rebuilt by the Maccabees later. Major renovations to the Temple Mount and the Temple began under Herod The Great in about 20 B.C. and continued until 64 A.D. The Temple complex was astonishing. There is no such thing as a sacred space that rejects the holiness of God and the ministry of Jesus. Some scholars have suggested a dual or double meaning in Christ s answer. Does the remarks of Jesus refer to two temple destructions one in the near future (70 AD) and one in the far future? Remember for the Jew the Temple represented the real presence of God. Jesus claimed to be the Lord of the Temple. Jesus insisted on its purification. Jesus predicts its destruction. 2
It would seem that some of the predictions came literally to pass in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem but others remain unfulfilled. 3Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? The Mount of Olives sits just east of Jerusalem above the Kidron Valley. There you have a panoramic view of the entire Temple Mount precinct. The disciples ask three questions: 1. When will the Temple be destroyed? 2. What is the sign of Christ s coming? 3. What is the sign of the end of the age? The answer to this first question in not answered in Matthew s gospel but rather in Luke 21:20-24. Jerusalem is destroyed (24b) and occupied by Gentiles. In short order destitution (vv.20-21) as survivors flee the city disaster (vv.22-23) as God s judgment descends in one of the most severe judgments to fall on the City. This follows a description of death as people are killed and enslaved; doom as strange signs in the heavens appear (v.25); distress (v.26) as even the most courageous hearts melt with fear and delight (vv.27-28) as Christ returns on the clouds with power and glory. When will the Temple be destroyed? Soon. What will be the sign of your coming? The second part of the question is a reference to the coming of the Messiah reign in God s kingdom! In the disciple s mind the one event would lead immediately to the next event! Jesus will give a prophetic picture of that time; events leading up that time. He will also talk about far future events leading up to the last days, His return to the earth and His judgment of the people of the earth. This has led many conservative Bible teachers and scholars to conclude that Jesus must have been speaking of both near and far events. 3
The Lord s Coming (3b) (3b)... And what will be the sign of Your coming... The answer is found in Matthew 24:29-44. The Lord says it will be swift or sudden (v.27) like the lightening flash across the sky! In short order Jesus describes a slaughter (v.28; 40-41); a signal the Son of Man appears in the Heavens (v.30) and a summons (v.31) angels celestial cosmic beings circling the earth and a trumpet sounds that gather the people of Israel from the remote regions of heaven and earth. The End Of The World (v.3c) (3c)... and of the end of the age? The answer is found in Matthew 24:4-28. The description that Jesus provides begins with warning about increasing deception and apostasy (vv.4-5); the rise of false prophets (v.11) leading people astray. The rise of false Christs and false messiahs leading people astray; times of anarchy wars break out (vv.6-8); apathy the love of many grow cold (vv.12-13; a time of unprecedented affiction (vv.9-10); as believers are hated and hunted and betrayed and butchered. In the next few weeks we will look at the Lord s great warning that we must guard against deception (v.4). Jesus then gives a series of signs: 1. False Messiahs deceiving many (v.5). 2. Global violence (vv.6-7). 3. Natural disasters (v.7b). AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING (v.8). 4. Severe religious persecution (v.9) 5. A Terrible Apostasy (falling away); betrayal division (v.10) 6. The rise and proliferation of false leaders offering false hope (v.11). 7. An increase and proliferation of sin and cold apathy (v.12) 8. Inspiring stories of faith and perseverance among the saints (v.13). 9. Global evangelism (v.14). 4
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