THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AND THE LAST DAYS

1 AND as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

FORTHCOMING WOES
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

THE GREAT TRIBULATION
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judæa flee to the mountains:
15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING UNKNOWN
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

1And as he went out of the Temple, one of his disciples saith vnto him, Master, see what maner of stones, and what buildings are here.

2And Iesus answering, said vnto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone vpon an other, that shal not be throwen downe.

3And as he sate vpon the mount of Oliues, ouer against the Temple, Peter, and Iames, and Iohn, and Andrew asked him priuately,

4Tell vs, when shall these things be? And what shalbe the signe when all these things shalbe fulfilled?

5And Iesus answering them, began to say, Take heed lest any man deceiue you.

6For many shal come in my Name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceiue many.

7And when yee shall heare of warres, and rumors of warres, be yee not troubled: For such things must needs be, but the end shall not be yet.

8For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdome against kingdome: and there shalbe earthquakes in diuers places, and there shall be famines, and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrowes.

9 But take heed to your selues: for they shall deliuer you vp to councels, and in the Synagogues ye shall be beaten, and ye shalbe brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

10And the Gospel must first be published among all nations.

11But when they shall lead you, and deliuer you vp, take no thought before hand what ye shall speake, neither doe yee premeditate: but whatsoeuer shall bee giuen you in that houre, that speake yee: for it is not yee that speake, but the holy Ghost.

12Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the sonne: and children shall rise vp against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

13And ye shall bee hated of all men for my Names sake: but hee that shall endure vnto the ende, the same shall be saued.

14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing where it ought not (let him that readeth vnderstand) then let them that be in Iudea, flee to the mountaines:

15And let him that is on the house top, not goe downe into the house, neither enter therin, to take any thing out of his house.

16And let him that is in the field, not turne backe againe for to take vp his garment.

17But woe to them that are with child, and to them that giue suck in those dayes.

18And pray ye that your flight bee not in the winter.

19For in those dayes shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created, vnto this time, neither shall be.

20And except that the Lord had shortened those dayes, no flesh should be saued: but for the elects sake whome he hath chosen, he hath shortned the daies.

21And then, if any man shall say to you, Loe, here is Christ, or loe, hee is there: beleeue him not.

22For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shewe signes and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, euen the elect.

23But take ye heed: behold, I haue foretold you all things.

24 But in those dayes, after that tribulation, the Sunne shalbe darkned, and the Moone shall not giue her light.

25And the Starres of heauen shall fall, and the powers that are in heauen shall be shaken.

26And then shal they see the Sonne of man comming in the cloudes, with great power and glory.

27And then shal he send his Angels, and shall gather together his elect from the foure winds, from the vttermost part of the earth, to the vttermost part of heauen.

28Now learne a parable of the fig tree. When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaues, ye know that summer is neere:

29So ye in like maner, when ye shal see these things come to passe, knowe that it is nigh, euen at the doores.

30Uerely I say vnto you, that this generation shall not passe, till all these things be done.

31Heauen and earth shal passe away: but my words shall not passe away.

32 But of that day and that houre knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in heauen, neither the Son, but the Father.

33Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

34For the Sonne of man is as a man taking a farre iourney, who left his house, and gaue authority to his seruants, and to euery man his worke, and commanded the porter to watch:

35Watch ye therefore (for ye knowe not when the master of the house commeth, at Euen, or at midnight, or at the cocke crowing, or in the morning.)

36Lest comming suddenly, he finde you sleeping.

37And what I say vnto you, I say vnto all, Watch.

I == Matt 24:1 ; Luke 21:5

II == Luke 19:44

IV == Matt 24:3 ; Luke 21:7

V == Jer 29:8 ; Eph 5:6 ; 1st Thess 2:3

VIII == Matt 24:8

IX == Matt 10:17-18 ; 24:9 ; Rev 2:10

X == Matt 24:14

XI == Matt 10:19 ; Luke 12:11 ; 12:14 ; Acts 2:4 ; 4:8 , 31

XII == Mic 7:6 ; Matt 10:21 ; 24:10 ; LUke 21:16

XIII == Dan 12:12 ; Matt 10:22 ; 24:9 , 13 ; Luke 21:17 ; Rev 2:10

XIV == Dan 9:27 ; Matt 24:15 ; Luke 21:21

XVII == Luke 21:23 ; 23:29

XIX == Dan 9:26 ; 12:1 ; Joel 2:2 ; Matt 24:21

XXI == Matt 24:23 ; Luke 17:23 ; 21:8

XXIII == 2nd Peter 3:17

XXIV == Dan 7:10 ; Zeph 1:15 ; Matt 24:29-31 ; Luke 21:25

XXVI == Dan 7:13-14 ; Matt 16:27 ; 24:30 ; Matk 14:62 ; Acts 1:11 ; 1st Thess 4:16 ; 2nd Thess 1:7 , 10 ; Rev 1:7

XXVIII == Matt 24:32 ; Luke 21:29-33

XXXI == Isa 40:8

XXXIII == Matt 24:42 ; 25:13 ; Luke 12:40 ; 21:34 ; Rom 13:11 ; 1st thess 5:6

XXXIV == Matt 24:45 ; 25:14

XXXV == Matt 24:42 , 44

 

 

 

 

1 As he was making his way out of the temple area one of his disciples said to him, "Look, teacher, what stones and what buildings!" 2 Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down." 3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple area, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 "Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be when all these things are about to come to an end?" 5 Jesus began to say to them, "See that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name saying, 'I am he,' and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. 8 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These are the beginnings of the labor pains. 9 "Watch out for yourselves. They will hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors and kings because of me, as a witness before them. 10 But the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at that hour. For it will not be you who are speaking but the holy Spirit. 12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 14 "When you see the desolating abomination standing where he should not (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, 15 (and) a person on a housetop must not go down or enter to get anything out of his house, 16 and a person in a field must not return to get his cloak. 17 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. 18 Pray that this does not happen in winter. 19 For those times will have tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of God's creation until now, nor ever will be. 20 If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he did shorten the days. 21 If anyone says to you then, 'Look, here is the Messiah! Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22 False messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders in order to mislead, if that were possible, the elect. 23 Be watchful! I have told it all to you beforehand. 24 "But in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, 27 and then he will send out the angels and gather (his) elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. 28 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. 30 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. 35 Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. 36 May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

v 1-4 Jesus abandoned the temple to destruction, but the disciples could not see how this could be or fit in with the coming kingdom, so they call His attention to the magnificence of the temple. Some of the foundation was blocks of white marble 67.5’ long, 9’ wide and 7.5’ high and ornamented with gold, both inside and out. As Jesus foretold, they were all torn apart in AD 70 when the temple was burned and the Roman soldiers pried blocks apart to get to the melted gold.

SIGNS OF JESUS' COMING AND THE CLOSE OF THE AGE.

When they got to the Mount of Olives, His statement of desolation, 23:38, prompted four disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew, to ask Him privately: (1.) When shall these things be? (2.) What shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the age? ( Mk. 13:4 And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?) The discussion that followed is called the “Olivet Discourse”. There is nothing to do with the Church in Mt. 24 and 25. The disciples questions relate to Jerusalem, Israel, and the Lord’s second coming in glory to establish His kingdom. Matthew did not record the answer to the first question, but Lk. 21:20 does. Jerusalem will be compassed with armies. The disciples thought from Zech. 14:1-3 that the destruction of Jerusalem would usher in the kingdom. This would not be AD 70 but yet future. (The Church has been raptured before these things take place, but we will see preliminaries.) Some point out that coming can be translated here, “Thy full presence”, as they expect Him to usher in the Kingdom on earth.

v 5-13 Tim LaHaye makes a good point that war and rumors of war have long existed, but v 6. “the end is not yet”. Some of this refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, AD 70 and the events that followed. However it has a longer term meaning. A conflict, v 7, just between two nations, and then becoming world wide fits World War 1 and no other conflict in history. Then v 8 these are just the beginning of birth pains listed below. They all took place immediately after that war and continue in the present. These were signs of the latter days, not the last days. “The Beginning Of The End”. However, these verses can also refer to events of the first half of the Tribulation, which is the Seventieth Week of Daniel. There is Silas comparison to the seven seals of Rev. 5 and 7. v 4,5 compare with Rev. 6:3,4, Antichrist False Christs v 6-8 compare Rev. 6:3,4, Warfare Wars and rumors of wars Rev. 6:5,6 Famine Stresses including famine Rev. 6:7-11 Death and martyrdom General problems Rev. 6:12-14 Earthquakes Earthquakes Mark 13: 10-12 adds that before then the gospel will be preached before all nations, the Holy Spirit will teach them what to speak, and family members will betray one another to death. Similar in Lk. 21:12-19. Many of these things were suffered by the Apostles and continue to be by believers before the start of Daniel’s 70th week.

Verses 1-14 seem to be a general overview of the Tribulation, the troubles in 9-14 refer to the second half of the Tribulation, and indicate the end is near.

THE DESOLATINING SACRILEGE

v 14-18 Verse 15 is definitely the mid point of the Tribulation. The Antichrist will break the treaty of peace with Israel at that time and he will establish his own center of worship in the temple. This is the abomination of desolation spoken of in Dan. 7 and 8. Those in Judea are warned to flee without thinking about taking belongings, even to return for a coat. It will be especially difficult for those pregnant, with babies or in the cold.

v 19-23.. This describes some of the Great Tribulation, the last half of the 7 years. In mercy for the sake of the elect, God will shorten the days so people can survive. Many will be deceived by false Christs, false prophets and miracles performed. So they are not to be deceived into going to look for Christ, because when He comes it will be with great splendor and suddenly. After the Tribulation birds will flock to the carcasses, so this verse can be simply explained that wherever moral corruption exists, divine judgment will fall.
Predication of the Savior concerning His second coming Mt 24: 29-41

WHERESOEVER: Christ's coming shall be sudden, and manifest to the world over, like lightning: As eagles are gathered about a dead body mankind will be gathered around Christ.

THE STARS: Flaming meteors resembling stars.

THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN

v 24-27 Immediately after the distressful days of the Tribulation there will be unusual phenomenon in the heavens. Lk. 21:25,26 adds perplexity in the seas and men’s hearts failing them for fear. We don’t know what the sign is, but Christ will come with power and great glory. It may be that the brightness of His coming will be such that the light of the sun becomes as insignificant as a match when the light is turned on. The unsaved mourn because they know judgment is coming, (The final victory of Armageddon immediately takes place) but a trumpet will sound to gather the elect from wherever in the world they have been scattered by persecution. It is not stated to where the angels will gather them. It may also involve resurrection of O T. Saints to join in the kingdom. The content of preceding verses applies primarily to the generation that will be living in that day. As many believe the Church is not involved in this at all, it is a reminder that we too should be watchful, prepared and waiting for the Rapture.

THE SIGN: The cross of Christ.

THE LESSON OF THE FIG TREE

24-37 As leafing out of a fig tree is a sign summer is near, all the things in v 4-28 are a sure sign to the generation living then (not in Christ’s day) that the coming of Christ is near. Some believe that the word generation as used here means that the nation of Israel, though scattered by Rome, will, as a race, still be rejecting Christ, and will not pass away till all these things are fulfilled. Of course they do not pass away even then. Christ’s word is sure, and shall not pass away. Jesus linked the time of His coming again to the days of Noal. Jesus regarded the flood as an Historical fact.

SHALL PASS: They will become a new heaven and earth.

IGNORANT AND UNSTABLE 2 PETER 3:16 TWIST TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION 2 PETER 3:16

THE NECESSITY FOR WATCHFULNESS

No one knows the exact time of Christ’s return, not even Christ in His humanity, but only the Father knows, so Christ would know in His divinity. Some put a bad connotation on the people of Noah’s day eating, drinking and marrying, but there is nothing wrong with that. They were wicked, but this does not refer to wickedness, but to their going about the normal pursuits of life with no thought of God. When the flood came suddenly, they were unprepared. The people of that future day are also sinners, but the point is, they will also be going about the normal things of life and unprepared and unrepentant.

The limits of the Tribulation in time are known to God. Men of the period will know in generalities, but they will not know the exact time, so the admonition is to be ready. If we know in generalities when a thief will come we can make preparations fit for that general time, even though the exact time is not known.

THE FAITHFUL AND THE UNFAITHFUL SERVANT

The coming of the Lord is a test of servants. The faithful servant cares for the household, while the evil servant does not anticipate the Lord’s return and treats his charges in a mean manner. He well be caught unexpectedly when the Lord returns and will be dealt with for his hypocritical behavior. He will be separated from God eternally and suffer the torments of the lake of fire. Insight on the life of Christ is added in Lk. 21:37,38 as people came to the temple early to hear Him teach much of the day, but nights He spent at the Mount of Olives.