Matthew 24:1–14
Jesus knew what would happen in the future. He wanted to prepare his disciples. So he described to them what would happen. Then they could be ready.
In this passage, the events were similar to some OT events. Ezekiel 11:23 told how the glory of the Lord left the Temple. It stopped on the Mountain of Olives for a short time. After this, the king of Babylon defeated the Jews. He destroyed the Temple.
Jesus spoke against the Jewish religion of his own time. (Read Matthew 23.) Then he, too, left the Temple (Matthew 24:1). He climbed the Mountain of Olives (Matthew 24:3). He said that the enemy would destroy the Temple. So, the same things would happen again. In OT days, God gave the Jews another chance. But this time there would be no second chance.
The disciples thought that awful events like this could only have one meaning. The end of the world was coming soon. The Jews in Jesus’ time thought that this was what it must mean. The disciples’ two questions in Matthew 24:3 showed this. They asked when the enemy would destroy Jerusalem city. They also asked when the end of the age would happen. Jesus answered both questions.
Matthew 24:4–14 seem to refer to an entire period. Jesus went back to heaven. And Jesus will return to this earth one day. The verses may refer to the time between these two events. Jesus had a warning for the disciples. They must not expect him to return for the wrong reasons. (Read Matthew 24:4–8.) A person may try to persuade disciples that a false thing is true. This happens today too. It is easy to agree with someone like that.
One day, Jesus will return to this earth. Jesus told his disciples about some things that would warn them about that time. (Read Matthew 24:6–8.) These signs should help disciples to be ready. The signs would be like the first pains when a woman gives birth. But there seems to be a problem. There have always been wars. There have always been famines. (These are times when there is no food. The usual cause is lack of rain.) There have always been earthquakes, (when the earth shakes). There would have to be more of these events today than there were before. But there is no evidence that this is true. So, it cannot just mean that these things would increase before Jesus returned.
The first sign that Jesus spoke about is in Matthew 24:5. He warned the disciples that there would be ‘false Christs’. This has happened many times in the history of the church. At certain times, people have expected Jesus Christ to return very soon. So, some people have been ready to believe anyone who claimed to be ‘Christ’. Jesus was not speaking to non-Christians here. He was speaking to those who call themselves his disciples. Jesus will return to this earth. He wants us to be ready all the time for this great event.
Until Jesus returns, his disciples will have many troubles. (Read Matthew 24:9–13.) There is a warning in this passage. Hard times do not show that Jesus will return soon. Some people often suffer very much. This happens at every time in history. These people might expect Jesus to return to this earth. Then he would rescue them immediately. This thought would encourage them for a time. But Jesus might not come immediately. However, Jesus wanted to comfort them. Finally, Jesus would rescue them. They could be sure about that fact.
This does not ignore the facts today. Believers’ troubles will often be very serious. They could even die (Matthew 24:9). Non-Christians will deal with them very badly. But there will be something even worse. Many Christians will lose their faith. They will not be loyal to each other. False prophets will come too. They will cause many people to believe wrong things. (Read Matthew 24:10–12.) But some people will continue to be strong to the end. God will save them (Matthew 24:13).
There is another great sign for the future. It will show that the end of this age is near. Every nation will hear the Good News (Matthew 24:14). But this does not mean that the end would come immediately. Jesus is offering comfort and confidence to believers. Terrible events will happen in the world. Members of the church will suffer. There will be difficulties. But the disciples’ task will succeed. The disciples’ job is not to look for ‘signs’. Their job is to bring people to Christ from all over the world. (Read Matthew 28:18–20.)
Questions
- Think about the fact that Jesus Christ will return to this earth. Does this promise make you happy? Or is it like a danger to you? Make a list of what you might lose on that great day. Then make a list of what you will gain. Why is it hard for some Christians to believe that Jesus will return?
- Imagine something. You know that Jesus will return in a month’s time. What would you do? What would be different in your church?
- People in this world are suffering. There are many wars. What could we say to these people about this passage?
Important truths
How to understand Jesus’ words
There are many ideas about the meaning of Matthew 24. Many of them are hard to understand. It would be impossible to describe them all here. Jesus seems to be answering two questions. First, when would the enemy destroy Jerusalem? Second, when would the end of the world come? So, we will just divide the chapter into three parts. This is the simplest method.
- Matthew 24:4–14. This is a general warning. We must not try to decide the time when the world will end.
- Matthew 24:15–35. Jesus tells about the time when enemies would destroy Jerusalem city.
- Matthew 24:36–51. Jesus teaches about the time when he will return to this earth. He advises us to be ready all the time.
