Matthew 24
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Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end
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— Prayers ( Blue )
— Promises ( Green )
— Warnings ( Red )
— Commands ( Purple )
In Matthew 24-25 Jesus was speaking of that time of indescribable horror in the world that will focus on the nation of Israel . This is one of the most important prophetic passages in the New Testament.
The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 1, The Background ( 24:1-3 )
( 24:1-3 ) Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And 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.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
— Jesus speaks to only His disciples; what Jesus is saying is for their ears only
— The disciples thought that Jesus messianic kingdom was right around the corner
—In the minds of the Jews of Jesus’ day, the time was ripe for the Messiah’s coming
— They had suffered persecution and subjugation for many centuries and were at the time under the relentless power of Rome
— John the Baptist was reminiscent of the preaching and life-style of Elijah and many Jews were convinced Jesus was the Messiah
— That idea apparently was also still on the minds of the Twelve
— The OT prophets saw Jesus’ coming as a single event
— The disciples were now certain that Jesus’ next move would be to demonstrate His inexorable power over the nations that would soon rise up against Him
Near the Temple ( 24:1-2 )
— Although no one knows exactly what this temple looked like, it must have been beautiful
— Herod had helped the Jews remodel and beautify it, no doubt to stay on friendly terms with his subjects
— Next to the inner Temple, where the sacred objects were kept and the sacrifices offered, there was a large area called court of the Gentiles (this was where the money changers and merchants had their booths)
— Outside these courts were long porches
— Solomon's porch was 1562 feet long; the royal portico was decorated with 160 columns stretching along its 921 foot length
— Gazing at this glorious and massive structure, the disciples found Jesus' words about its destruction difficult to believe
— But the temple was indeed destroyed only 40 years later when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in A.D. 70
On the Mount ( 24:3 )
( 24:3 ) what will be the sign of Your coming
— For some time, the disciples were convinced “that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately” ( Lk 19:11 )
— These things referred to what Jesus has just been talking about, namely, the former house of God would be left desolate ( 23:38 )
— The disciples were expecting the final stages of the Messiah’s work to unfold quickly
— The nations would rise up against Him
— He would purify Jerusalem
— The Jews would regather
— He would establish His kingdom
— The disciples believed that the next time the unbelieving Jews would be when they saw Jesus coming in His glory
— It was doubtlessly such thoughts that had kept Judas superficially committed to stay with Jesus; he expected to be in His inner circle
— Even after the resurrection, they had the same expectation
— “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ( Acts 1:6 )
Q: Like giving birth to a child, Christ’s return will be punctuated with birth pangs. What is the first birth pang ( 24:4-5 )?
Part 2, the Birth Pains: Deception by False Christs ( 24:4-5 )
( 24:4-5 ) And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many
— The first ( 1st ) birth pangs is false Christs
— Deception will be at its apex ( Lk 21:8 )
— As the number of deceivers grows, so will be the number of vulnerable people who desperately look for answers to the overwhelming calamities that torment them ( 2 Pet 2:1-3; 2 Tim 3:13 )
— The epitome of these will be the Antichrist
— An insolent king, skilled in intrigue ( Dan 8:23 )
— Self-willed tyrant who magnifies himself above God and speaks monstrous evil against God ( Dan 11:36 )
— A man of lawlessness and the son of destruction ( 2 Thess 2:3 )
— Revelation calls him the beast ( Rev 11:7; 13:1-10 )
Q: What is the second birth pang ( 24:6-7a)? Should believers worry?
Disputes and Warfare among the Nation ( 24:6-7a )
( 24:6-7a ) And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom
— The second ( 2nd ) pang will be warfare
— Constant talk and rumors of war
— Believers should not be frightened, certain evidence of God’s plan unfolding
Q: What is the third sign preceding His coming ( 24:7b-8)?
Devastation throughout the World ( 24:7b-8 )
( 24:7b-8 ) And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
— The third ( 3rd ) birth pang is earthquakes, pestilence(s), diseases/epidemics and famines
— Revelation tells us that when Christ breaks the fourth seal of the scroll, authority was given to death and hades “to kill with the sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth” ( Rev 6:8 )
— When Christ breaks the sixth seal of the scroll, “there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” ( Rev 6:12-14 )
— This is just the beginning; there is much worse to come
Q: What will be the fourth labor pain described in 24:9?
Deliverance of Believers to Tribulation ( 24:9 )
( 24:9 ) “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
— The fourth ( 4th ) labor pain will be severe persecution of believers by the evil, ungodly world
— “deliver you up” or “giving over” is a technical term that means arrested by the police
— “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” ( Mark 13:9 )
— We see those who are persecuted under the alter which John describes when Christ breaks the 5th seal of the scroll
— “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” ( Rev 6:9-11 )
Q: What is the fifth birth pang ( 24:10-13 )?
Defection of False Believers ( 24:10-13 )
( 24:10-13 ) And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
— The fifth ( 5th ) birth pang is that many so-called believers will defect
— Outward identified with Christ but they prove by their desertion that they never belonged to Him
— You may not be facing intense persecution now, but Christians in other parts of the world are
— As you hear about Christians suffering for their faith, remember that they are your brothers and sisters in Christ; pray for them!
— Ask God what you can do to help them in their troubles
— When one part suffers the whole body suffers
— But when all the parts join together to ease the suffering, the whole body benefits ( 1 Cor 2:26 )
Q: What three reasons does Jesus give for their desertion ( 24:10-13 )?
The price is too high
The deception of the false teachers will be too convincing
Sin will be attractive
Going Deeper
The Cost will be too High ( 24:10 )
— Every noble cause has hangers-on who love to be associated with it while it is popular but who fall away as soon as criticism or conflicts arise
— Christ’s church is no exception ( 1 Jn 2:19; Jn 8:31; Matt 7:23 )
— The sham Christians who fall way during the Tribulation will not be true believers who are simply weak and cowardly but unbelievers who reveal their true character when they openly reject Christ and viciously betray His people
— The defecting false believers in the end times will not be satisfied simply leaving the church but will join in tis persecution, they will deliver up one another
— God’s people will be betrayed by those once in their fellowship
The Deception will be too Convincing ( 24:11 )
— These false teachers will teach false and satanic doctrine
— Overt evil and false religion
— From Revelation 17, it is clear that false religion will flourish during this time
— False religions in that day will have one thing in common: hatred for the people of god and the true gospel
Sin will be too Attractive ( 24:12-13 )
— Love for truth grows cold but love for evil grows hot
— People will flaunt their sins
— Paul warned, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away” ( 2 Tim 3:1-5 )
— Selfish desire, and every moral vice will run rampant
— Men will be engulfed in a tidal wave of corruption and they will glory in it
— Endurance is always a mark of salvation
— It is not that a person’s endurance will produce salvation but that his endurance will be a spirit-empowered product and reality that he is saved
— Endurance shows that we belong to Christ
— Perseverance of the saints is a very basic element of salvation teaching in the N T
— It states that people who are genuinely saved do not depart from the faith ( Jn 8:31; 1 Cor 15:1-2; Col 1:21-23; Heb 2:1-3; 4:14; 6:11-12; 10:39; 12:14; James 1:2-4 )
Declaration of the Gospel to the Whole World ( 24:14 )
( 24:14 ) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will
— The sixth ( 6th ) and last birth pang is the world-wide declaration of the gospel
— Despite the deception of false Christs and false teachers
— Despite unparalleled warfare, pestilence and disaster
— Persecution of the saints
— Defection of false believers
— The gospel will go forth!
— God will supernaturally present the gospel to every person on earth
— After that proclamation from heaven, man’s day will be finished and his opportunity for salvation over because then the end will come
The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 3, The Abomination of Desolation ( 24:15 )
( 24:15 ) “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand)
— In this verse, Jesus does three things:
— Authenticates Daniel
— Highlights Daniel 9 (“the 70 Weeks”) as the key to end time prophecy
— Explains precisely what the “Abomination of Desolation” is and that it stands in the Holy Place (note: This is how we know there will be a Temple standing).
— The sign of these birth pains will be abomination of desolation spoken about by Daniel
— Luke adds, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” ( Lk 21:20 )
— In other words, it is while Jerusalem is encompassed by enemy nations who threaten to destroy her that this sign will occur
— A time is coming when Israel will be massacred by an enemy they thought was their friend
— They will no longer trust in a human alley and will only trust in the Lord ( Jer 30:5-9 )
— This sign is triggers the Tribulation against the Elect who are persecuted for the second half of Daniel’s 70th week
Q: What was the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel ( 24:15 )?
— Rather than one specific object, event or person, it could be seen as any deliberate attempt to mock and the reality of God’s presence
— Daniels prediction came true in 168 B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the sacred temple altar ( Dan 9:27; 11:30-31 )
— Jesus’ words were remembered in A.D. 70 when Titus placed an idol on the site of the burned temple after destroying Jerusalem
— In the end times the antichrist will set up an image of himself and order everyone to worship it ( 2 Thess 2:4; Rev 13:14-15 )
— These are all “abominations” that mock God
Going Deeper
— Jesus told of six signs of His coming that would be like birth pangs
— Now, what triggers the birth, His coming, is the abomination of desolation
— Virtually every Bible scholar identifies the abomination as the sacrilege committed by Antiochus IV, the Syrian king who ruled Palestine from 175-165 BC as a surrogate of the Greek empire
— He called himself Epiphanes, “manifest god”
— His enemies called him Epimanes, “mad man” (but not to his face)
— When he died he was totally insane
— Slaughtered thousands of Jewish men
— Sold their wives and children into slavery
— He desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and forcing the priests to eat the meat
— This was a preview of the ultimate abomination by antichrist
— Daniel talks about the abomination of Desolation ( Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 )
— Daniel predicted 70 weeks for this all to take place ( Dan 9:24 )
— 490 years before Messiah would establish His kingdom
— It started with an issue of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem
— King Artaxerxes in 445 BC ( Neh 2:5-6 )
— Daniel also explained that “seven weeks and sixty-two week” (69 weeks, or 483 years) would pass “until Messiah the Prince” ( Dan 9:25 )
— It has been calculated that it was 483 years since the decree of Artaxerxes until Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
— Before the 70th week Messiah would be “cutoff” and the antichrist would destroy the city and temple ( Dan 9:26 )
— This happened with Jesus’ crucifixion and destruction of the temple AD 70
— The last week, or seven-year period, of the seventy weeks will start when Israel makes a covenant with the Antichrist, thinking he will be her great deliverer
The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 4: Perils to Come ( 24:16-20 )
( 24:16-20 ) “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
— When antichrist desecrates the temple, in the second-half of the tribulation, Jesus said flee to the mountains
— From Zechariah we learn that not every Jew will be successful in attempting escape ( Zech 13:8-9 )
— 2/3 will perish
— The Nazis of WWII will pale in comparison
— For the saved Jews, there will be divine help in fleeing and hiding ( Rev 12:5-9 )
— Urgency
— If on the roof, don’t go downstairs to a few clothes
— No material possession is worth a second of delay
— This is not the time to take a stand for Christ
— The time of testimony will be past
— By the word of the Lord Himself— believer’s only sensible option is to flee
Severe Calamity ( 24:21-22 )
( 24:21-22 ) For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened
— No time or event in the history of Israel fits this description of a great holocaust
— The elect could represent the nation of Israel ( Is 45:4 )
— It could be those who become Christians during the Tribulation ( pre-millennial view )
Q: What did Jesus say about His second coming ( 24:23-31 )?
Subtle Confusion ( 24:23-27 )
( 24:23-27 ) “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
— False teachers will infiltrate the refugees
— They will try to deliver some of these Jews into the hands of the antichrist
— These false leaders will even perform signs and wonders
— His coming will not be drawn out
— It will be sudden, quick like a lightening flash, public and visible
Sinful Corruption ( 24:28 )
( 24:28 ) For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
— That statement was possibly common proverb in Palestine
— By the end of the Great Tribulation, the world will have filled up its full measure of sin and will have spiritually decayed into a wretched and virtually lifeless carcass
Q: What will be man’s reaction when the see Christ coming as He promised ( Rev 16:9 )?
The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 5, The Sign of the Son of Man ( 24:29-31 )
( 24:29-31 ) “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other
—The whole universe starts to disintegrate ( Lk 21:25-26 ; Zech 14:6-7; Jer 30:7 )
— The earth this held together by the power of God, and when that power is diminished, the resulting chaos will be inconceivable
— Men will literally die of fright
— The Son of Man will appear in the sky
—The sight of Him in blazing glory will be so unbearably fearful that rebellious mankind will cry out for the mountains and rocks to fall on them ( Rev 6:16 )
— Instead of running to Him for repentance, men will flee in continued rejection, cursing and Blaspheming His name ( Rev 16:9 )
— Among other responsibilities, angels are God’s gatherers
— In that day they will be used to gather unbelievers for judgment and punishment ( 13:41, 49 ) and believers for reward and glory
Going Deeper
— Isaiah predicted the end time destruction ( Is 13:6-12 )
— His prediction was directed at the near time fulfillment of the destruction of Babylon ( cf. Dan 5:30-31 ) which occurred in 539 BC
— Isaiah continued with a description which in no way could be confined to Babylon ( Is 13:13-16 ) and must apply to Jesus’s teaching here
— Other OT writers describe of locus plagues the foreshadow the “day of the Lord” ( Joel 2:1; 10-11; 30-31; cf. Rev 6:12-13 )
— “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.” ( Hag 2:6-7 )
— Although all believers before the Tribulation will have died or been raptured ( 1 Thess 1:10; Rev 3:10 ), they will witness Christ’s glorious appearance on earth. They will in fact, “be revealed with Him in glory” ( Col 3:4 )
— God’s wrath starts after the sun, and the moon, and the cosmic signs ( Rev 6:12-16; Matt 24:29-31 ), martyrdom against the elect takes place before these cosmic signs ( Rev 6:9-11 )
Q: The parable of the fig tree is extremely brief. What message is Jesus conveying in these few words ( 24:32-35 )?
The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 6, The Final Generation ( 24:32-35 )
( 24:32-35 ) “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
— Among the many passages in Scripture that describe the Lord’s second coming, Matthew 24-25 is unequaled because it is the message coming from Jesus’ Himself
— After He told them of the series of signs that will precede His coming, the disciples were no doubt wondering when all this would take place
— The parable of the fig tree is a transition to His answer to the disciple’s question
— Generation refers to those living in the end times; these signs will be experienced by one generation
— The leaves of the fig tree represent the birth pains and other signs of His coming
— Just as the budding of the fig leaves means it is not long before summer, so the generation alive when the signs occur will not have long to wait for Christ’s appearance
Going Deeper
— Unfortunately, this parable, like many others, has often been confusing and misleading
— Some interpreters, for instance, contend that the fig tree represents Israel
— The popular view is that the budding fig tree refers to Israel’s becoming a political state in 1948
— Because Jesus does not identify the fig tree to be Israel, that meaning would have been totally obscured to the disciples and anyone who lived before 1948
— In that view, Jesus would not have been using a parable to clarify His meaning but rather to conceal it
Already fulfilled?
— Some contend that these events refer to AD 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem
— But these events are too universal and cataclysmic to represent the geographically but limited devastation of Jerusalem
— That did not involve “famines and earthquakes” ( 24:7 ), believers being “hated by all nations” ( 24:9 ), false Christs and false prophets ( 24:5, 11 ), the preaching of the gospel to the whole world ( 24:14 ), or the abomination of desolation ( 24:15 ).
— Nor was the sun darkened, the moon extinguished, or the stars dislodged from their places ( 24:29); most important of all, Jesus did not appear then
— See Gary DeMar for the preterist view that contends the prophecies of Matthew 24-25 have taken place (Personally, I think this is interesting but a waste of time. DeMar completely ignores the book of Revelation in his defense of this position)
Q: Will the church go through the Tribulation (24:34 )?
— There are three views and it depends on when you believe the church will be raptured (i.e. “this generation” ( 24:34 ) )
— The Great Tribulation is the last 3 1/2 years of the seven year period of the second half of Daniel’s 70th week
— Pretribulationists
— Christ removes His church before the Tribulation
— This generation could not in this view, include any of the redeemed alive now
— Many will be saved during the tribulation by the preaching of the two witnesses ( Rev 11:3 )
— Posttribulationists
—Those who hold to the view that the rapture will take place after the Tribulation, believe that this generation could include the redeemed presently living if the Tribulation were to occur during their lifetimes
— Persecution of the elect ( Matt 24:9; 24:21-22 ) is the church
— In other words, any believer alive at the beginning of the Tribulation would be subject to its calamities, including possible martyrdom
— Only those believers who survive that great holocaust would therefore be raptured, after enduring seven years of hell on earth
Q: No one will know when Christ will return. What might be the consequences if we did know his return ( 24:36-15 )?
The Signs of Christ’s Coming — Part 7, Ready or Not ( 24:36-51 )
— The exact day and hour will not be known by any human being in advance
—Unbelievers might be tempted to put off receiving Him until the last minute
— But even if they planned to wait until the last minute, they would not know if they would live until that time, like the rich farmer ( Lk 12:16-20 )
— And during this generation many will pass away by natural causes and by the hand of Antichrist
— The fact that they have put off following Christ gives evidence that they have no sincere desire
— If the indescribable perils of the Tribulation will not persuade us to turn to the Lord, the knowledge of His exact arrival will not
Going Deeper
— Even the angels in heaven do not know the precise time. Although they enjoy intimacy with God and do His bidding ( Is 6:2-7 ), and continually behold His face ( Matt 18:10 ), they are not privy to this secret
— When Jesus spoke these words He did not know
— Although He was fully God and fully man ( John 1:1, 14 ), Christ voluntarily restricted His use of certain divine attributes when He became flesh ( Phil 2:6 )
— It was not that He lost any divine attributes but that He voluntarily laid aside the use of some of them and would not manifest those attributes except as directed by His Father ( Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38 )
— Jesus obediently restricted His knowledge to those things that the Father wanted Him to know
— The Father revealed certain things to the Son as He reveals them to all men — through the Scripture, through the Father’s working in His life, and through the physical manifestations of God’s power and glory ( Rom 1:19-20 )
— In addition to those ways, some truths were revealed to the Son directly by the Father
— But in every case Jesus’ human knowledge was limited to what His heavenly Father provided
Q: How did the people react to Noah’s preaching and warning about the flood ( cf. 2 Pet 2:5; Gen 6:5, 11; Matt 24:38 )? According to Jesus, what will be the attitude of most people during the last days?
Alertness ( 24:37-42 )
( 24:37-42 ) But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
— Jesus’ coming will be swift and sudden
— But despite the perilous signs and wonders, they will simply be unconcerned about the things of the Lord, especially the prospect of His imminent return to judge them
— There will be no opportunity for last-minute repentance or bargaining
— ( 24:38 ) eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage
— While Noah built the ark, he also preached ( 2 Pet 2:5 )
— They laughed when he spoke of the coming flood
— They were as unconcerned about his preaching as they were about his building the ark
— Noah had built and preached for 120 years without having the slightest impact on anyone outside of his immediate family
Q: How can we know that taking away of people in Matthew 24:39-41 is a taking away of unbelievers into judgment and not a snatching of believers in the Rapture ( cf. 1 Thess 4:16-17 )?
— ( 24:41 ) Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left
— One will be taken to judgment and the other will enter the kingdom
— This is the same separation described in the next chapter by the figures of the sheep and goat judgment ( 25:32-46 )
Readiness ( 24:43-44 )
( 24:43-44 ) But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
— We don’t know when the Lord is coming but we do know that the thief will be breaking into the house very soon and we should prepare accordingly
— The NT frequently compares the second coming to a thief’s coming ( Lk 12:35-40; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Pet 3:30; Rev 3:3; 16:15 )
— As far as the ungodly are concerned, He will come and take away everything they have, all the things they have cherished and trusted in instead of Him
Faithfulness ( 24:45-51 )
( 24:45-51 ) “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
— Unbelievers represent the evil slave, who will be help responsible for what they do with their stewardship from God
— Some will be aware of their lost condition and need for a Savior but will fulfill their own selfish interests because they think My master is not coming for a long time
— We all hold whatever God has given us in trust from God and will be held responsible
— All unbelievers — those who completely reject the Lord and those who think one day they will trust Him, will suffer the same destiny of hell
— Jesus’ warning is not simply to inform unbelievers about the horrors of judgment but to warn of the dangers of spiritual procrastination and motivate them to avoid it while there is still time
Q: Question for everyone: Are YOU ready?
Going Deeper
In his commentary on this passage, William Barclay relates the following story to illustrate the danger of spiritual procrastination
“There is a fable which tells of the three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin men. The first said, ‘I will tell them that there is no God.’ Satan said, ‘That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God.’ The second said, ‘I will tell men that there is no hell.’ Satan answered, ‘You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell for sin.’ The third said, ‘I will tell men that there is no hurry.’ ‘Go,’ said Satan, ‘and you will ruin men by the thousand.’ The most dangerous of all deceptions is that there is plenty of time.“
Additional Resources
MacArthur, John. Matthew 24-28. Moody Press, 1989.
MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.
MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Moody Press, 1987.
MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.
Bible Study Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2024%20Continued.html
DeMar, Gary. Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church. American Vision, 1999.
William Barclay. The Gospel of Matthew, vol 2. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975.
Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.
William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.