1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2And 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. 3And 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?
Mark 13:3 tells us that it was Peter, James, John, and Andrew who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask these questions. Jesus had said that the temple would be completely destroyed. The questions of the disciples show that at this point they understood that Jesus would depart and return. Their questions also show that they anticipated that the destruction of the temple, Jesus’ return, and the end of the age (Greek: “αιων”) would all happen at the same time. The destruction of the temple took place at the hands of the Roman army in 70 AD, but Jesus’ return and the end of the age preceding His kingdom are still in the future. Almost 2000 years have already passed since 70 AD. This intervening time period in which the church would be formed and active had not yet been fully revealed. Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew contain Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ questions. In His answer, Jesus did not speak of the 2000 intervening years. His answer speaks to Israel and mostly concerns the events of the future last days.
In Daniel 9:24-27, the angel Gabriel brought to Daniel clear information about the events of the last days. In Daniel 9:26 we read, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” Daniel was told that Messiah would be “cut off” and that afterward the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary would be destroyed. This destruction of the temple took place forty years after the crucifixion of Jesus. God was judging Israel for their having rejected the Messiah.
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
It is significant that the first word of response that Jesus gave to the disciples’ questions was a warning not to be deceived. The time immediately prior to His return will be a time of great deception. In verse 24 of this chapter, Jesus’ words imply that it will not be not possible for true believers to be deceived. God will keep them from being deceived. So why is Jesus’ first response to His disciples a word of warning? Surely warnings are one of the ways that God keeps His people from being deceived.
Verses 4-14 speak of two groups of people: “you” (the disciples, the true believers) and “many.” It is the “many” who will be deceived.
6And 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. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows.
False Christs, wars, famines, and pestilences. These coming events parallel in kind and in order the ride of the first four horses of Revelation 6. In the same chapter of Revelation, a great earthquake takes place at the opening of the sixth seal. But Jesus’ words tell us that there will be lesser earthquakes, too. He said that “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The word He used for “sorrows” means “birth-pains.” The false Christs, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will be the beginning of birth-pains.
Isaiah wrote, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8). Israel will give birth to a new nation of children, a new population of Israel that will recognize and worship the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel’s birth-pains will be brief because it is not Israel who will accomplish this birth. Isaiah then wrote, “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God” (Isaiah 66:9). It is God who will bring about this birth.
In Daniel 9:27, in the word of prophecy given to him by the angel Gabriel, we learn that a false Messiah will make a “one week” (seven-year) covenant with Israel. In the middle of that seven-year period, this false Messiah will show his true self and begin to severely oppress Israel. The first 3½ years of that period will be “the beginning of sorrows;” God will begin to bring judgment on Israel and on the other nations because they have rejected His Son. Jesus said, “all these things must come to pass.” It is through these things that God will bring Israel to faith in their Messiah, whom they rejected, and will bring all nations to account for their sin.
These verses are not addressed to the church. There was no church when Jesus spoke these words. The church would not be formed until Pentecost and will be taken to heaven before the start of the seven-year Tribulation period. Jesus told the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:10, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
9Then 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. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Verse 9 begins with the word “then.” Verses 9-14 tell about the period of time which comes after the time which Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows.” That is, verses 9-14 describe the second 3½ years of the seven-year Tribulation period spoken of in Daniel 9:27.
As in verses 4-5, there are two distinct groups of people indicated in these verses: “you” and “many.” “You” – that is, the true believers – will be delivered up to be afflicted, will be killed, and will be hated by all nations on account of Jesus’ name. “Many” – that is, those who have professed to be believers but are not – will stumble, will betray and hate one another, will be deceived by false prophets, and will grow cold in their love for Christ and His people. Jesus also earlier spoke of the “many” when He said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).
It is the true believers who will endure in their faith. In verse 13, the expression “the end” does not have the article “the” in the Greek text. In verse 14, “the end” does have the article. Some true believers may be killed before the end of the Tribulation period; enduring “unto the end” means enduring in faith through whatever circumstances each person faces.
In verse 3 the disciples asked Jesus, “when shall these things be?” They also went on to ask about the end of the age. In their minds, the destruction of the temple, Jesus’ return, and the end of the age were events that went together. In verse 14, Jesus answered their question about when the age which precedes His kingdom will end. He said, “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.” Revelation 7:1-8 speaks of 144,000 Jewish servants of God who will be sealed in their foreheads before the start of the trumpet judgments which take place in the last 3½ years of the Tribulation period. It seems likely that it will be the work of these 144,000 servants of God to tell the nations about the imminent return of Christ to establish His kingdom on earth. When they finish this work, the age which precedes Christ’s kingdom will end.
Jesus said that “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Today also, we see in the world an increasing rejection of God’s standards. To watch this happening can be discouraging to real believers in the Lord Jesus. But as we stay in His Word and encourage one another, He will keep our love from growing cold.
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
In verses 4-14 Jesus told His disciples about two periods of time, the second of which would culminate in the end of the age which precedes His return and the establishment of His kingdom. The first period of time He called “the beginning of sorrows” (verse 8). The second period of time will bring even more severe persecution of God’s people. In speaking of the Antichrist who will oppress God’s people at that time, Daniel wrote, And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Daniel 9:27). This prophecy says that the Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel for “one week” (seven years) but will break his covenant in the middle of that week. The first half of that seven-year period is the time that Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows.” The second half will be the period He spoke of in verses 9-14. The second half is the same period of time that is called “forty and two months” and “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” in Revelation 11:2-3. In verse 15 of Matthew 24, Jesus tells His disciples about the event that will take place between the two divisions of the seven-year Tribulation period.
Jesus’ warning indicates that the start of the second half of the Tribulation period would be marked by “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet.” In Daniel 9:27, we read about “abominations” (plural), but that word “abomination” occurs only twice in the singular form in the book of Daniel, in 11:31 and in 12:11. The first of these occurrences concerns the actions of the Seleucid leader Antiochus Epiphanes. That verse says, And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate (Daniel 11:31). The historian Josephus described what Antiochus did. Josephus wrote, “And when the King had built an idol altar upon God’s altar he slew swine upon it, and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the Jewish religious worship in that country.” (Antiquities of the Jews (XII.5.4). Josephus recorded that the Seleucid king Antiochus built an altar for an idol on top of the altar in the temple in Jerusalem and killed pigs on that altar. That was “the abomination that maketh desolate.” Antiochus severely persecuted the Jews.
When Daniel received his prophecies, the persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes was still in the future. Daniel also prophesied of another, later “abomination that maketh desolate.” In Daniel 12:11, he spoke of the actions of the future Antichrist. He wrote, And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Antiochus Epiphanes was an evil leader in the past who prefigured the future Antichrist. In Daniel 8:9, Antiochus is described as a “little horn” who would come out of one of the divisions of the broken empire of Alexander the Great. In Daniel 7:8, the Antichrist is described as a “little horn” who would come to power in the context of the Roman empire in the last days. Both are called “little horn” because Antichrist will be a worse version of Antiochus.
Jesus said that the future abomination of desolation would “stand in the holy place.” What did He mean? In II Thessalonians 2:3-4, Paul wrote, Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. The future Antichrist will go into the rebuilt temple in Israel and will declare himself to be God. Like Antiochus Epiphanes, Antichrist will commit sacrilege in the temple and will severely persecute the Jews.
The rest of Matthew 24:15 says, “(whoso readeth, let him understand).” If this note is inserted by Matthew, then Matthew was probably referring to the readers of this book of Matthew. If this note is part of Jesus’ sentence, then it probably refers to readers of the book of Daniel. The latter case seems more likely. It seems that Jesus was saying that readers of Daniel need to understand that Daniel spoke of two different people and two different events and times when he wrote about “the abomination that maketh desolate.”
16then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:21for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Jesus said that whenever the abomination of desolation will be seen standing in the temple, the people in Judaea should flee into the mountains. This flight to a place of safety from the Antichrist is surely the same as that spoken of in Revelation 12:
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:6)
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)
The woman spoken of in Revelation 12 is Israel. The people of Israel will flee – probably through the mountains near Jerusalem to a wilderness area beyond the mountains. There God will provide for them for 1260 days, “a time and times, and half a time” – the last 3½ years of the seven-year Tribulation period.
Jesus said that they should flee immediately, not even taking time to collect belongings for the journey. At that time some people will be out on the flat roofs of their homes, while others will be working in the fields, but there will be no time to hesitate. Fleeing to the mountains will be hard for women who are pregnant or nursing children. Harsh weather conditions or the lack of transportation options on a Sabbath day would also make things more difficult. But hurrying will be essential. Jesus said, “then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” The following 3½ years will be so bad that no one would live through that time unless it were shortened. God will shorten the number of those days for the sake of the true believers who will be in the world at that time.
The flight of those in Judaea to a place of refuge will probably be for more than one cause. The immediate reason will be to get them away from physical harm. Jerusalem will be attacked by the armies of Antichrist, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months (Revelation 11:2). When the prophet Joel described this attack, he wrote, They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief (Joel 2:9).
But fleeing will also provide a spiritual protection for those who flee. The Antichrist and his false prophet will seek to force all people to receive his mark on their right hand or on their forehead and to worship a statue of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:14-16). By fleeing to the wilderness, many of the people in Israel will be kept from taking the mark of the beast.
Probably one reason for Jesus’ saying that the people in Judaea should flee immediately is that Antichrist will send his army after them. Revelation 12:15 says, And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. But God will help Israel and will open the earth to swallow the army of Antichrist (Revelation 12:16).
23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24For 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. 25Behold, I have told you before. 26Wherefore 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. 27For 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. 28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
These verses begin with the word “then,” introducing a statement of conclusion. Verses 23-28 contain a summary warning about the attempts at deception that will occur during the period that precedes Christ’s return. Jesus spoke about false Christs in verse 5 when He described the events of the first half of the Tribulation period. He spoke of false prophets in verse 11 when He described events in the second half of the Tribulation. Revelation 13:11-18 tell about a false prophet who will perform miracles to deceive the people of the earth in order to convince and require them to worship the Antichrist and his statue. Revelation 16:13-16 tell about three demonic spirits who are under the command of Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet. These demonic spirits will do miracles to deceive the rulers of the world. John described them as being like frogs. It seems likely that they will take the form of false prophets when they go out to deceive.
Jesus warned His disciples not to believe it when people say that Christ has returned. His return will not be in secret. Rather, it will be as obvious as a lightning bolt. He used what may have been a common saying at that time: “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” When Jesus returns, He will return in judgment. There will be carcasses, and there will be vultures. In Ezekiel 39:4, God said to those who will oppose Him, “Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.” In speaking of Christ’s return, Revelation 19:21 says, And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Jesus’ second coming will be as obvious as a lightning bolt and as the bodies of people slain in battle. His return will not be in secret.
Verse 24 contains great assurance for every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that false Christs and false prophets would deceive the very elect “if it were possible.” The words “if it were possible” tell us that it is not possible. In John 10:5. Jesus said concerning sheep, “...a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” He said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). God will not let any true believers be deceived by the false Christs and false prophets of the Tribulation period.
29Immediately 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: 30and 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.
Jesus very clearly specified the time at which His words in these verses will be fulfilled. These things will take place “immediately after the tribulation of those days.” In verses 4-26, Jesus described the events of the future seven-year period of Tribulation. In verses 27-28, He said that His return would be as obvious as a lightning bolt and that His return would bring great judgment. Now, in verse 29, He begins to detail what will happen at the moment of His return. Jesus said that the sun, moon, and stars will stop giving light. That means that planet earth will be in complete darkness. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.
In verse 3, the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of His presence and of the end of the age. He is now answering their question. He said that He would be seen “coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the departure of the glory of God from the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 9:3;10:4,18; 11:23). The presence of God left the temple because of Israel’s sin. But Ezekiel was also given a vision of a return of the glory of God: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. In Ezekiel’s vision, the returning glory of God then again filled the temple (Ezekiel 43:2-5). The “sign of the Son of Man” that Jesus spoke of is probably His own great glory. At a moment when planet earth lies in complete darkness, Jesus’ glory will appear like lightning that comes out of the eastern sky and goes to the west.
Verse 30 says, “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.” This is likely the fulfillment of God’s Word given to the prophet Zechariah: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). Verse 12 of that passage says, “And the land shall mourn, every family apart.” The Greek expression translated “tribes of the earth” in Matthew 24:30 could also be translated “tribes of the land.” According to the prophecy in Zechariah 12, that seems to be the meaning. All the tribes of Israel will mourn when they see the Messiah Whom they crucified returning with power and great glory. Perhaps while they are in the wilderness (Ezekiel 20:33-38) or perhaps at that moment, God will grant them genuine repentance and forgiveness.
31And 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.
Isaiah wrote, And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem (Isaiah 27:13). The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy of Isaiah is yet future. Jesus will gather the scattered people of believing Israel from the face of the whole earth. This is probably also the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets described in Leviticus 23:23-25 and in Numbers 29:1-6. The Feast of Trumpets was followed on the third day by The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32). The great sound of the trumpet at Jesus’ return may be His own voice. When John had a vision of the ascended Christ in Revelation 1, he described the voice of Jesus as being a great voice, as of a trumpet (Revelation 1:10).
32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
The fig tree is a symbol of Israel. In Joel 1:7, the LORD speaks of the land of Israel as His vine and His fig tree. In Luke 13:6-10, Jesus described Israel as a fig tree that did not bear fruit. The disciples were probably startled that He used a parable of a fig tree whose branch grew tender and which put forth leaves. They would have remembered that only a short time earlier He had cursed a fig tree which had no fruit. At that time, He said, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever,” and that fig tree withered away (Matthew 21:19). His cursing of the fig tree was apparently a statement that the opportunity for old unregenerate Israel to bear fruit was over. So, when Jesus used the example of the branch of a fig tree again becoming tender and of it putting out leaves, His disciples should have understood that this parable contained a message of promise of new life for Israel in the future.
Then Jesus said, “so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” The subject of the words “it is near” is not specified. The statement could also be translated, “know that He is near, even at the doors.” When all the things Jesus told about in verses 4-26 happen, He Himself will be “at the doors.” His return will be very, very near. His use of the example of a fig tree showing new life tells us that during the Tribulation period, Israel will begin to display a new tenderness of heart toward God and His Word.
Jesus told His disciples, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” In the previous verse, He said to His disciples, “when ye shall see all these things....” Did Jesus mean that His disciples would see the events that He described in verses 4-26 and that they would be the generation during which all these things would be fulfilled?
In Matthew 23:34-36, Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.”
Some have thought that “this generation” meant the generation living at that time and that the events Jesus spoke of in that passage and in Matthew 24 were fulfilled in the first century, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem which took place in 70 A.D. That conclusion does not seem to fit the context of these verses. Clearly, 70 A.D. was still nearly 40 years away at the time Jesus spoke these words. Many, perhaps most, of the scribes and Pharisees He was speaking to in Matthew 23 would likely have died by 70 A.D. Also, when Jesus spoke of “all these things” in 24:33-34, He included the time period of verse 21, where He said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” In Matthew 10:23, He told His disciples, “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.” When Jesus addressed the twelve disciples in Matthew 10 and then again in Matthew 24, He also looked beyond them to believers who would be living during the future Tribulation period. He was speaking of a time yet future, just before His second coming. He said that the tribulation of which He spoke would be followed immediately by His visible coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The tribulation of which He spoke was not the destruction of Jerusalem which took place in 70 A.D. The generation that He spoke of was the same as that of the fig tree that He cursed – the generation of old, unregenerate Israel. Old, unregenerate Israel still exists but is not bearing fruit. The old Israel that rejected the Messiah will not pass away until the events of the Tribulation take place.
Daniel 12:7 says, “And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”
“For a time, times, and an half,” – that is, for 3½ years, the second half of the seven-year Tribulation period – the Israel that rejected Christ will experience “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” In this way God will “scatter the power of the holy people,” as Daniel wrote. Then all these things will be finished.
In verse 35, Jesus added a declaration of the absolute inviolability of His Words. He said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Jesus said that only the Father knows concerning “that day and hour.” Mark 13:32 says, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” How is it that Jesus Himself would not know the day and hour of His return? It is significant that verses 30 and 37 of Matthew 24 speak of the sign and coming of the Son of Man. In His humanity, Jesus lived in perfect dependence on and in the perfect fulness of the Holy Spirit. In His humanity, He limited Himself to what the Spirit gave to Him. After His resurrection, however, His disciples asked Him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” In answer to their question, Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:6-7). After His resurrection, Jesus did not say, “I don’t know.” He said, “It is not for you to know.”
37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For 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, 39and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s second coming to bring judgment and establish His kingdom. But He told His disciples in these verses that at the time of His coming, people in the world will just be going on with their lives as usual. Things will be like they were before the flood. Until the very day that Noah entered the ark, people paid him no attention. Then the flood came and took them all away. Only those who entered the ark survived God’s judgment. At Jesus’ return, there will not be a physical ark to get into. He is the ark. He knows which people have put faith in Him and which people have not.
He said, “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.” In these sentences, Jesus used a different word for “taken” (“παραλαμβανω”) than that which He used in verse 39 (“αιρω”). In verses 40 and 41 He used the same word that is used in Matthew 17:1 when He took Peter, James, and John with Himself to the mountain where He was transfigured. The man in the field and the woman at the mill who are taken are being taken to safety; they are like the ones in the ark. The ones who are left are those who will be judged as in the flood.
Jesus said, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” His words to the disciples look beyond them to the Israel that will be in the world at the time of the Tribulation period. Today we also should be vigilant, but Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 were not addressed to the church.
43But 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. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50the 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, 51and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In these verses, as in verses 40-41, two groups of people are described: those who are real believers and those who are not. In verse 43, “the goodman of the house” (i.e. the head of a house; the word does not mean “good”) is about to have his house broken into by a thief. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus does not come to His own people as a thief. The head of the house that Jesus spoke of represents those who are not believers. In verse 44, Jesus said, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” When He says, “ye also,” He is speaking of His disciples. Believers also need to be prepared for His return, but Jesus will not come to His own people as a thief. Jesus may also have been speaking especially to Judas, who was still among the disciples.
In verse 45, Jesus speaks of “a faithful and wise servant,” but in verse 48, He speaks of “that evil servant.” The first represents those who are true believers; the second represents those who are not. Jesus said that the faithful servant will be set over all his lord’s goods. He was speaking of the responsibility that would be given to the faithful servant in the coming kingdom of heaven. The evil servant will be cut in two and judged as a hypocrite. In the latter part of verse 51, Jesus said, “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Clearly, He was speaking of the judgment of hell. Hell does exist, and there is conscious torment of unbelievers after death.
If these verses describe two groups of people, believers and unbelievers, why does Jesus refer to both groups as servants of one lord? When God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Moses and the people sang these words: “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation” (Exodus 15:13). With the blood of the Passover Lamb, which pictured the blood of Christ, God redeemed Israel as a nation out of bondage in Egypt. Within that redeemed nation, however, there were then and there are today both believers and unbelievers. The church will be taken to be with Christ before the coming seven-year Tribulation period begins. After the church is taken, God’s servant nation will again be responsible as His stewards. Those of Israel who do not believe and do not live in anticipation of the return of the Messiah will be counted as unfaithful servants. Those of Israel who do believe and who faithfully serve God during that time will be given responsibility in the kingdom of Christ when He returns.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.