Matthew 24. In this chapter we find the plain teaching of Jesus to His little flock of Jewish disciples. It is the same subject as the seven parables, only in plain words, not in parables. In the first few verses, Jesus foretells the destruction of the Jewish temple – which, we all know, came literally to pass. He was seated on the Mount of Olives – the very spot where His feet shall stand when He comes to reign. The disciples came and inquired privately, “Tell us, when shall these things be, and WHAT SHALL BE THE SIGN OF THY COMING, and of the end of the world (or age)?” Now read carefully Matthew 24:4-514And 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. 6And ye shall hear of wars and rumors 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. 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. 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:) 16Then let them which be in Judea 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. 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 show 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. 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. 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. 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. 36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 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. 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. (Matthew 24:4‑51), and mark, there is not one thought of the world’s conversion. He foretells there will be false Christs – deceivers – wars, and rumors of wars – famines, pestilences, earthquakes – persecutions, sorrows, death – iniquity abounding, and the love of many waxing cold. And instead of the world receiving the gospel, it is preached for a witness; and then the end comes. Much has been fulfilled; and much in this chapter has yet to be fulfilled. Bear in mind, that all these words of Jesus were spoken to His Jewish disciples, and have special reference to what shall befall that nation. In Matthew 24:1515When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15) He says to them, “When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand) then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains.” This evidently proves that the temple of Jerusalem has to be rebuilt; for the abomination of desolation is to stand in the holy place. And, if you read Daniel 12:11-1311And 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. 12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:11‑13), and compare it with Daniel 9:2727And 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), you see the fearful act of the head of the Roman power, who causes the sacrifice and oblation to cease in the midst of the week – then mark when the abomination stands in the holy place.
Then the words of Jesus will be most valuable to the godly Jews, who believe His testimony in that day. The moment they see this take place, they take it as the signal to escape. They have not even time to go into the house to fetch their clothes. Then takes place “the great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time – no, nor ever shall be.” The angel, speaking to Daniel of these days, says, “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time: and at that time thy people (that is, the Jews) shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:1-21And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:1‑2)). Clearly, then, the setting up of the abomination of desolation, and the time of tribulation, are both future. And in proof of this, our blessed Lord says, what will take place immediately after, the tribulation: “And 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” (Matt. 24:29-3029Immediately 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. (Matthew 24:29‑30)).
Most certainly, then, all tribes of the earth are not converted; or why do they mourn when Jesus comes? Jesus says, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.” How remarkably this is so before our very eyes! Though scattered among all nations, the generation or race of the Jews still exists, and waits the fulfillment of all these things. The Lord then goes on to state, “As the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” O, what a solemn thought, that this world is to go on eating and drinking – rejecting Christ, just as the world despised, the preaching of Noah, “and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be!” The most solemn warnings to watch and be ready are then given “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Terrible will be the doom of that servant who SHALL SAY IN HIS HEART, MY LORD DELAYETH HIS COMING. Yes, he calls Him, “My Lord”; but his portion will be with the hypocrites, “where there is weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.” Such are the solemn words of the Son of God. O! that my reader may be awakened to the solemn inquiry, Am I ready, and waiting for the Lord?
Matthew 25. The whole of this chapter also is upon the same subject. The illustration of the ten virgins teach most plainly, that instead of all being converted when He comes, some of those who profess to be His are shut out. All slumbered and slept. O, professor! if you should hear those words, “I know you not”; “Watch, therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.”
Another illustration is then given of this period, during which Jesus is away in heaven: “As a man traveling into a far country.” And again, the whole of His servants do not improve their talents. Then “When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory.” Then to the end of the chapter the Lord most plainly describes the judgment of the living nations at His coming. You will notice, if you read carefully, that there is nothing said in this place about the judgment of the dead: that is quite a distinct event, as we shall find as we go on in the Word.
Even when standing before the high priest on the solemn night of His betrayal, Jesus said, “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man, sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Alas, man always refused this testimony. The high priest declared it blasphemy and pronounced Him worthy of death. (Matt. 26:64-6564Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. (Matthew 26:64‑65)).
I would now turn to Mark 13. The solemn warnings of Matthew 24 are repeated: “And then shall they SEE the Son of Man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory.” Not only the porter of the house is to watch, but to mark the uncertainty of the hour when Jesus shall come, ALL are to watch. Some will say, “Ah, you do not need to think about the coming of the Lord; it will not take place in your day.” Jesus says, “WATCH ye, therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh;” at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning, lest coming suddenly, He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, WATCH.”
O, how near, then, the Lord’s coming must be. The present night of His absence is thus divided into four parts: – “even,” “midnight,” “cockcrowing,” and “morning.” Where are we? The evening of the dispensation is already past; yea, the midnight of the dark ages is past, or middle ages, as they are called. The awakening of the Reformation is past. Ah, the morning breaks. Watch! watch! the day will surely break. O, blessed are they who shall be found ready!
(Continued)