The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 24
In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will be studying through the New Testament verse by verse. You can watch or listen to the study by going to the Online Church page.
Matthew 24:1-51 (NIV)
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel–let the reader understand– 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now–and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Kingdom of God – Now and Not Yet
The disciples struggle about what was coming was in their understanding of Old Testament prophecies. God would restore Israel to her former glory in the setting up of His kingdom. Surely Jesus had comer to that but why was He talking about Cross instead of a crown. The Kingdom had come but it was also coming. The Now and the Not Yet. Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom with His first coming, He will bring it completely with His second coming. This is what He is explaining in Chapters 24 and 25.
These chapters are given as responses to three questions asked by His disciples who are desperately trying to understand how it all fits together.
Matthew 24:3
“Tell us,” they asked, “[1] when will this happen, and [2] what will be the sign of Your coming and [3] of the end of the age?” The questions are answered, but in reverse order.
Matthew 24:4-26
Signs of the end of the age
This age and the age to come, sometimes the word age ‘aion’ has been translated world which is a little confusing. World makes it sound geographical, while age gives us the idea of time. This time and the time to come, now and not yet.
The picture given in this section of Matthew is of a time of increasing tension, disaster, and disturbance. Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, increasing wickedness, and persecution of Jesus’ followers are all involved.
These things have always been, but Jesus describes them as birth pains. Like in labor, the closer you get to the end the more frequent and the closer together are the birth pains.
In the Old Testament this time of worldwide trouble is given various names: “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” “that day,” “the Day of the Lord,” and “the Tribulation.” Against this Old Testament background, the disciples would quickly identify the time of which Jesus spoke.
Matthew 24:27-31
What will be the sign of your coming?
Jesus gives several characteristics of His return:
First, Jesus’ coming will be visible, seen as clearly as spectacular lightning from horizon to horizon which will take place immediately after the tribulation and will be accompanied by some sort of great disturbance in the heavens. There will be a big regathering of angels.
Matthew 24:32-51
When will this be?
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”
The marriage process in Israel.
What “generation” is Jesus speaking of? The term used here does not indicate people alive at that day, but Israel as a race. (Some interpret it to mean the living generation actually undergoing the Tribulation time.) By either interpretation this was Jesus’ promise of preservation. The time of trouble will not be the end of the Jewish people or of mankind.
What are we to do until He comes?
Watch for His coming. Live like He is coming today while living like He might still be a while.
Be responsible servants – redeem the time, do the Masters work.
Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!
Related posts:
- The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 41 – Mark 13 In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will...
- The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 42 – Mark 14 In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Category: Studying the Bible
