Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
In the last post, Jesus had been answering the disciples' question about the signs of the coming end of Jerusalem. They had asked in the same question, as if they assumed it would happen at the same time, what would be the signs of His coming. This is where it gets very difficult to interpret. Even Biblical scholars are mixed on the meaning of verses 29 through 31. I will take them all in context:
(Matthew 24:29) "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (30) 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. (31) And 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."
It starts "immediately." "Immediately" would seem to have to mean regarding the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus said in verse 21 that there would be great tribulation "such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." The historian Josephus confirmed that never had a city suffered so much as when Jerusalem fell. Therefore, verse 29 would seem to be saying that immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun would be darkened, etc. So what would happen immediately after? The sun would be darkened. That is a very reasonable thing to happen after the fall of Jerusalem. The sun would be darkened by the smoke and dust of destruction; likewise, the moon. But what about stars falling from heaven and the powers of the heavens being shaken? Those seem like the kind of things that would happen during or at the beginning of the tribulation. That makes sense if you take the meaning of verse 27 in the last post to be as some suggest that the immediate coming of Jesus would be in the act of destroying Jerusalem in the form of the Roman army sweeping in from the east like lightning and sweeping across it westward.
To continue with the assumption that it is Jesus leading His destruction forces with all the fire and fury of the powers of the heavens, verse 29 said it would happen after the tribulation of those days. So what would be the tribulation that happened prior to the final destruction of Jerusalem? It would seem to be wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution, and death. Then would the sign of the Messiah appear. Whether it would be an actual visual sign, or just the knowledge that it was Jesus in the fury of the heavens the people observed, there would be the sign of His coming to destroy Jerusalem. Then all the tribes of the earth would mourn. This would seem to mean the tribes of Israel, as other countries were not usually said to be divided into tribes. All the tribes of Israel would certainly mourn as they saw the actual destruction sweep across Jerusalem with the power and fury of heaven.
Then there is verse 31: "And 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." For the first time in my life, I can actually see this in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem. If the Son of man coming in the clouds with the force and fury of the heavens is symbolic of the Roman army sweeping in, then the same could be said of the angels and trumpets coming with great noise, also symbolic of the judgment coming swiftly upon Jerusalem. However, the angels will gather His elect. The trumpet might also represent the call to bring the Christians together to their Lord.
I have to admit, this is the first time in my life I have seen this scripture only in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem. How many people take these verses literally and interpret them to mean that Jesus will come in the clouds and gather His people up into the sky in a rapture? Even if this were a true interpretation, it sounds as if it comes after the tribulation. Therefore, I can see no reasonable interpretation of a pre-tribulation rapture.
There are many early scholars who believe that part of this description of the end does indeed mean the end of the world and Jesus's second coming. I think a case could be made for that, as well. Personally, I believe that Jesus had to mean the destruction of Jerusalem through verse 26. That might be the point where the time changed. The disciples had also asked what the signs of His coming and the end of the world would be. They mistakenly thought that all was one and the same with the destruction of Israel. Jesus had been telling them of the events during the tribulation leading up to the siege that would destroy Jerusalem. He told them in verse 26 that when false prophets arose claiming that He was to be found on earth at that time, not to believe them. This might be where He began to discuss His second coming. "Don't be deceived by a false prophet," I paraphrase Him, "because there will be no doubt when I, the Messiah, return." In verse 27, He said, "For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Then there is verse 28: "For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together." A carcass is a dead thing, as Jerusalem was, so this really seems to be a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem. Perhaps Jesus's reference to coming as lightning was a parenthetical reason as to why the disciples should not believe that He could be found on earth during the destruction of Jerusalem; and then He returned to the subject at hand, the destruction. I have read some Biblical scholars who believed this meant just as sure and swiftly as eagles (or vultures) descended on a carcass, just as quickly would the second coming be upon a dead world. Indeed, in Revelation 19:17-18, written by John some 20 years or more after the destruction of Jerusalem, there is a call to the birds of prey to come feast on the flesh of kings, generals, and all people, in the destruction of the New Testament Babylon.
Following the interpretation that Jesus had switched the topic to His second coming and the end of the world, one has to grapple with verse 29 that begins, "Immediately after the tribulation..." What tribulation? The tribulation He had just been talking about was the tribulation in the times leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. However, Jesus did say, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." The emphasis on "those" is mine. Perhaps He was referring to the tribulation that would occur before He came as lightning in His second coming. Then, of course, verses 30 and 31 do seem to relate to His second coming.
One other possibility about that word "immediately," as a thousand years is as a day with our Lord, "immediately" can take on a different meaning, for sure. I don't really think Jesus would have used "immediately" knowing it would be thousands of years. However, the same account in Luke adds in Luke 21:24, "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodded down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." In the Expositor's Bible Commentary, it is written: "It is...sufficiently obvious that the tribulation of those days began with the destruction, or rather with the besieging, of Jerusalem. But when did it end? As soon as the city was destroyed? Nay. If we wish to get some idea of the duration of those days of tribulation, let us turn to the same place in the same prophecy as given by St. Luke...where it clearly appears that it embraces the whole period of the Jewish dispersion and of the standing of the Gentile Church. 'The tribulation of those days' is going on still, and therefore the events of these verses are still future."
I have to admit that now I tend to believe that this prophecy referred to Jerusalem, but maybe He is talking about both. So often scripture has a double meaning. It was written by inspiration of God for our learning (2 Timothy 3:16), so we should learn from the signs the Jews were shown before and after they rejected their Messiah. Are we not at a point in our time where the world seems to have rejected Him once again, and the true Christians should be watching the signs for His second coming and the end? Albert Barnes wrote in his Notes on the Bible: "In his answer he has reference to both events, and his language may be regarded as descriptive of both. At the destruction of Jerusalem, the sign or evidence of his coming was found in the fulfillment of these predictions. At the end of the world, the sign of his coming will be his personal approach with the glory of his Father and the holy angels."
One thing I can see clearly now is that we can't point with assurance to one particular event and say with certainty that it definitely means the end. However, we have been given warning to watch the times, and there are certainly signs in this stage of our time that the end could be getting close unless enough people turn to God and He intervenes for a time. Back to Matthew 24, verse 32:
(32) "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when its branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near."
Indeed, our Lord told the disciples that they knew how to discern times; they knew that summer was coming by watching the signs on a fig tree.
(33) "So likewise, you, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors."
In the same manner that they could discern the coming of summer, when they saw the signs that Jesus warned about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, they would know that the end was near.
(34) "Verily, I say to you this generation will not pass till all these things are fulfilled."
Jesus told them that the present generation would not completely pass away until they saw those things fulfilled. This certainly does sound like all Jesus's prophecies referred to the destruction of Jerusalem only. However, I have heard it suggested that "this generation" meant the particular generation that witnessed the tribulation suggesting it could be the last generation at the end of the world. It seems to me that one has to stretch the imagination more to make these prophecies about the end of the world than just accepting them as about the destruction of Jerusalem. However, like suggested before, there is probably a parallel to end times, as well.
(35) "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."
All things of mass and substance would eventually pass away, but Jesus's words were sure and certain.
(36) "But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only."
Although they were given many signs of the coming end, no one knew exactly when these prophecies would be fulfilled except Father God in heaven.
(37) "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
I believe the implication is that the world would be found as self-centered and wicked as it was in the days of Noah, and also as surprising and unexpected as the flood was, so would His coming be. However, those who watched the signs and followed the guidance of their Lord, as Noah did, would be ready.
(38) "For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, (39) And knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
There is nothing wrong with eating and drinking and weddings in and of themselves, but I believe the idea is that the people were going along their merry ways, eating, drinking, and having lavish feasts with no notice of the signs of their impending doom. In Noah's day, there was a huge sign for a very long time; imagine how long it must have taken to build an ark so large as to take on two of every animal on earth, as well as supplies and provisions necessary for keeping them. People probably bored of seeing Noah working on it every day and apparently took no notice of him finishing it and filling it with animals. It seems incredulous, but they didn't know a thing until the flood swept them away. I'm just imagining it raining and people going on with their feasts, thinking nothing of it until it was too late. So will the coming of Christ be. Again I am imagining, this time of partying at same-sex weddings, "taking care of" unwanted pregnancies, participating in sex trafficking, pride parades, etc., etc., etc., with no regard to God and His moral law, ignoring the signs and ridiculing those who see them.
I am struck by something else in thinking about Noah's time. Deducing from the age of Noah and his sons at different points in scripture, it is believed it may have taken as many as 75 years to complete the ark. Therefore that sign lasted an entire generation according to our time. That means just because we see the signs, it doesn't mean the end is going to be immediate. I think in our instant gratification type world, even if we see signs, many people will tire of waiting and want to go on with their worldly plans. In the third chapter of 2 Peter, the apostle discussed how people would scoff in the end days ridiculing the promise of the Messiah's coming as it had been predicted since the time of their forefathers, and yet everything was as it had been from the beginning. So how is a Christian to live when a sign can take 75 years or more to come to fulfillment? I don't believe that we can't feast or marry, but we are to be always ready for the end. We live holy lives following Christ's example and go on with our Godly missions in life, looking forward to the day when we shall see God. As the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:13, having done all to arm ourselves with the armor of God, "having done all, to stand." One thing we can actively do is to warn others and share the gospel of Christ. Referring again to Paul in the sixth chapter of Ephesians, it has been noted that when armed with the armor of God with a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, boots with preparation of the gospel of peace, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God, that the only active weapon is the sword of truth, the word of God. As I write this, I have to also note that what I called boots, "your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," may also be seen as active, walking and sharing the gospel and doing God's work.
(40) "Then shall two be in the field; one shall be taken and the other left."
In context with the previous verses, one can plainly see that this is not proof of a pre-tribulation rapture, as many have suggested. The meaning is rather that so suddenly and unexpectedly would the coming of the Son of man be, that although two people could be working side by side in the field, one could be whisked away without any warning. This appears to be in reference to the second coming of Christ at the end, but it applies in different ways. When destruction came upon Jerusalem, Christians were saved from the calamity by the grace of God. As was discussed in verse 13 in the last post, he who endured to the end would be saved, and Adam Clarke, in his commentary, wrote that Christians did not perish in the destruction of Jerusalem. When applied to the second coming of Christ, verse 31 above said that the angels would gather together Christ's elect, so it appears the ones taken were the ones saved. Whether taken away and saved from the judgment, or taken away by death, one thing is certain; there will be a separating of Christians following Christ from those who rejected Him.
(41) "Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one shall be taken and the other left."
This is just another example of the same thing as discussed in verse 40.
(42) "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord does come."
Jesus exhorted His disciples and others to be watchful of the signs. Whether taken away by destruction or taken away to safety into the arms of a merciful God, we are warned to be always ready, for we do not know when our end will come, nor how.
(43) "But know this, if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken up. (44) Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man comes at an hour you do not expect."
Obviously, if one knew exactly in what three hour period (watch) a thief would break into his house, he would have been prepared to prevent it. However, seeing that we will not know the exact time Christ will come, we should always be prepared as if it were our last hours. Christ could be coming at the end of the world as we know it, or He could be coming for our souls as we die. We have no idea which will happen first or when, so we are warned to always be ready for Jesus.
(45) "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?"
Jesus posed the question to His disciples about who was a wise and faithful servant whom his lord had made ruler over his household to supply provisions when appropriate. This was, of course, symbolic of the servants Jesus would make rulers over His Christian house who would spiritually feed His flock.
(46) "Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he comes, shall find him so doing."
Jesus declared such a servant blessed when his lord returned and found him faithfully doing what his lord had asked him to do. Blessed is the man whom the Lord finds faithfully ruling the household of God well.
(47) "Verily, I say to you, that he will make him ruler over all his goods."
I believe the point Jesus is making is that the faithful servant will be rewarded with a higher office, not merely over his household, but over all his property. A good and faithful servant of God will be rewarded. As Jesus would tell in a parable in the next chapter, because a good and faithful servant had been faithful over a few things, his lord would make him ruler over many things (Matthew 25:21).
(48) "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his coming,' (49) And begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, (50) The lord of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour he is not aware of, (51) And shall cut him in two, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
However, Jesus said, if that servant turned out to be evil instead, and because his lord was gone such a long time, he began to mistreat his fellow servants and began to fellowship with drunkards and such, the lord of his house would return at a time he least expected it. The evil servant would be cut down and severely punished and counted among the worst of sinners. Likewise, the servant of God who began to mistreat his fellow Christians and to live a life of sin, would experience much pain and anguish.
Perhaps it is in keeping with Jesus's declaration that no man would know the day or hour of His coming, that we cannot precisely know which event Jesus spoke of in His foretelling of signs, the coming destruction of Jerusalem or His second coming at the end. We are to always be ready. However, if we are to always be ready, then why be watchful and observe the signs of the end? The original word translated as "watch" as in verse 42, is "gregoreuo" and means "to keep awake, be vigilant," even "give strict attention to, be cautious, active." Watching doesn't mean merely spectating at a distance. It implies action, ever vigilant, on guard, a fully awake Christian, intently focused on the things of God. In Revelation, in messages to the churches, God said He hated the lukewarm church of the Laodiceans; actually His exact words were that He wanted to spew them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). He actually said that He would prefer them to be cold or hot. Imagine that! God actually preferring one to be cold regarding the things of God rather than lukewarm! He then told them to be zealous and repent. God desires zealous watchmen on the wall sounding warnings to an unsaved world, conveying truth despite opposition from the world.
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