Tag Archives: persecution

1 THESSALONIANS 2

1 THESSALONIANS 2

Section 2 2:1-12
Conduct of the apostles

Survey of the chapter
The apostle had mentioned the way the gospel had come to the Thessalonians, in verses 5 and 9 of chapter 1. Now he returns to the theme, for the Jews of Thessalonica had been so hostile to him when he was in the place, that he is concerned lest they try to turn the believers away from him, and consequently away from the truth of the gospel. This occupies verses 1-12. He then describes the way in which the Jews were hostile. At the end of the chapter he encourages the Thessalonian believers to persevere in the life of faith.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verses 1-12	The conduct of the apostle and his companions
(b)	Verses 13-16	The contrariness of the unbelievers in Thessalonica
(c)	Verses 17-20	The confidence of the apostle in the Thessalonians

(a) Verses 1-12
The conduct of the apostle and his companions

2:1
For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:

For yourselves, brethren- the word “for” indicates that the apostle is returning to the theme of verses 5 and 9 of chapter 1, that of his behaviour when he was with them. Despite having been with them such a short while, the character of the missionaries had made a lasting impression, and the apostle is at pains to deepen that impression. The Thessalonians were going through much persecution, and under such pressure they might begin to doubt the motives of the preachers that had come to them. Paul writes to reassure them of their genuineness.

Know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain- it was testimony to the power of the gospel and the integrity of the preachers, that so many fine converts were made in such a short time. Not only was the preaching productive of results, (“not in vain” means “not empty of results”), but the character of the preachers began to be duplicated in the lives of the believers.

2:2
But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

But even after that we had suffered before- Paul and Silas, (Silvanus) had been imprisoned in Philippi, after having been beaten with rods, Acts 16:23. See also verse 33, “washed their stripes”. The Jewish punishment of beating was limited to “forty stripes save one”, 2 Corinthians 11:24. The law allowed forty, but it also said, “and shall not exceed”, Deuteronomy 25:3, so the Jews limited the beating to thirty-nine stripes in case they miscounted. But the Romans had no such law.

And were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi- not only were Paul and Silas beaten, but false accusations were levelled against them. More that this, they were beaten contrary to Roman law, which stipulated that Roman citizens should not receive that punishment, Acts 16:35-39. This was a shameful thing.

We were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention- despite being opposed in Thessalonica, they were undeterred. The boldness that comes from the consciousness that they were doing the Lord’s will gave them courage. The contention came from the unbelievers; it was not that Paul and Silas were aggressive in their preaching. The gospel of God contains within itself the power to make converts, so any carnal efforts of the preacher are not needed.

2:3
For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:

For our exhortation was not of deceit- notice that the apostle uses seven negative statements in these verses. He denies using deceit, uncleanness, or guile. He did seek to please men, or use flattering words. He was not covetous, nor did he seek glory from men. It is as if he is refuting the charges that the unbelievers in Thessalonica were levelling against him, (which he would have learnt about from Timothy’s visit, 3:2,6), and is ensuring that the believers in Thessalonica are not turned against him by these accusations, to their spiritual detriment.

The apostle describes their preaching of the gospel as exhortation, which simply means they drew alongside people to help them. It is the same word as is used of the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, or Paraclete. The apostle is asserting that when they did this, they had no ulterior motive, leading people to think that they were trying to lead them to the truth, whilst in fact seeking to lead them astray.

The word deceit has the idea of leading astray, it is “planos”, and if sailors plot their course by the planets, then they will be in danger of being lost at sea. Paul and Silas were preaching so that men would be safe and secure.

Nor of uncleanness- as far as we know, no-one accused the apostle of immorality, but there were those who suggested that the doctrines he taught allowed men licence to sin, and in that sense the preaching was sourced in uncleanness of doctrine. He tells us that “we be slanderously reported, and…some affirm that we say, ‘Let us do evil, that good may come'”, Romans 3:8. Such a charge was so outrageous that the apostle is content to refute it by simply and forthrightly saying, “whose damnation is just”.

Nor in guile- notice the change of preposition, “of deceit, of uncleanness, in guile”. The “of” tells us the source of things, whereas the “in” tells us the context of things. The whole ethos of the apostle and his companions was the opposite of guile. The word is used in the world of fishing, for it means “to bait the hook”. In this setting, the apostle is refuting suggestions that he had ulterior motives, and that the “bait” of gospel blessing was a disguise for something sinister. When the Lord commanded Peter to catch a fish, He said “Cast a hook”, for the Lord could bring a fish onto a hook without bait, and so He can in the spiritual realm, Matthew 17:23.

2:4
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak- the apostle was very aware that the gospel is of God, and he was entrusted with the task of making it known in a sincere way, and with pure motives. Being of God, the gospel does not need man’s innovations or assistance; it is simply to be passed on. The speaking forth of the gospel was governed by the fact that the message was the property of God, and must be handled reverently and faithfully.

Not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts- the preaching of the gospel is a priestly work, for Paul wrote of serving with his spirit in the gospel of God’s Son, Romans 1:9. The word serve he used there means to religiously serve or worship. It perhaps has its counterpart in the way the priests used the vessels of the altar as they went about their priestly duties, Numbers 4:14.

Since the preaching of the gospel is priestly work, then first and foremost it is for the glory of God. It is in His interests that the truth about His Son is made known, aside from any benefits that may accrue to men if they believe it. That being the case, all is done under the eye of God, and the apostle recognised that in view of this, it was important that his heart-motives should be priestly in character, meaning they would harmonise with the holy character of God. He would have heartily joined with the psalmist when he said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”, Psalm 139:23,24. He had begun the psalm saying “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me”, and at the end he asks that his heart be constantly exposed to the searching gaze of God, to whom everything is open.

2:5
For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know- there is nothing flattering about the gospel, for it tells of God’s condemnation of man’s sin. Sinners will not be brought to repentance if they are not told that they are condemned sinners. The apostle appeals to their memory of what he said when he was with them, for he can say “ye know”. They should set this knowledge against the false accusations of the Jews in Thessalonica.

Nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness- the preachers did not have any thought of gaining a financial advantage by preaching the gospel. The Thessalonian believers knew what sort of words they used, that they were not flattery, but only God could witness to the preacher’s motives, whether there was any covetousness in their hearts or not. The apostle is happy to call upon the God who sees and knows all, to witness to their freedom from greed.

Alternatively, “cloak of covetousness” might be a reference to the presentation of the gospel in such a way as to suggest that, if believed, it would result in financial gain on the part of those who believed it. In some circles a “Prosperity Gospel” is being promoted, claiming to enhance the bank balances of those who are taken in by it.

2:6
Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others- as the servants of the one who made Himself of no reputation, they made no attempt to attract attention to themselves. As the apostle wrote to the Galatians, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”, Galatians 6:4.

When we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ- they might have imposed a burden on the believers if they insisted on being given special treatment. Even though they were apostles of Christ, they did not seek this. Indeed, the fact that they were apostles of the one who did not seek reputation made it all the more important for them to not expect to be lauded and heaped with honours.

2:7
But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children- a true nurse seeks only the welfare of those under her care, and does not make demands of them. She is a giver, not a taker, and so were the apostles. To make demands of the converts would have been harsh, but they were gentle, like true nurses are.

2:8
So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

So being affectionately desirous of you- they showed all the love and concern a nursemaid would for those under her care.

We were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only- their primary duty was to pass on from God the doctrines of the gospel they had learned from Him.

But also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us- they taught the doctrine of the gospel in such a way that the very caring personality of the preachers shone through. We must not devalue the impact the character and attitude displayed by the preacher may have on the hearers. In the first instance, he is the visible representation of the gospel; thereafter, as the truth is unfolded, Christ is seen more and more. The word soul is a translation of the word for life. It was not just that the preachers showed feelings, but that they preached so that the very character of the life they had in Christ might be reproduced in their converts.

2:9
For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail- the sentence begins with the word for, telling us that he is about to state ways in which the preachers imparted their souls to them. Labour is hard work, and travail is the stress associated with earning one’s own living. These two things Paul and Silas experienced at Thessalonica, and everywhere they went.

For labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God- we might think, if we only read “our labour and travail, for labouring night and day…we preached unto you the gospel of God”, that the labour and travail was through preaching. But the explanation for the travail is “because we would not be chargeable unto any of you”. In other words, the labour involves tent-making, so that they did not need financial support from the new converts. So if they were preaching during the day, they worked at their trade into the night, and if they were preaching at night, they worked during the day. He is reminding the believers of this because there may have been some in Thessalonica who were accusing the apostles of preaching for money.

It was a saying amongst the Jews that, “If a man does not teach his son a trade, it is as if he taught him to steal”. So Paul’s father had taught him how to make tents, just as Joseph taught Jesus to be a carpenter. Rabbi Hillel was a wood-cutter; Rabbi Shimei a carpenter; other celebrated rabbis were shoemakers, or tailors, or sandalmakers, or smiths, or potters or builders, or gravediggers. The apostle made it very clear to the Corinthians that only the apostles who had companied with the Lord, and he and Barnabas, had the authority from the Lord to “forbear working”, 1 Corinthians 9:6. And even then they did not always exercise that right.

The sad thing is, that if there are those who have to be supported because they have left their secular employment, resources that could be used to help and support deprived Christians have to be diverted to the upkeep of those who are well able to earn their own living.

Notice how the apostle links working with preaching as if they were the same thing. He had written to the believing slaves in the Colossian assembly that “ye serve the Lord Christ”, Colossians 3:24. So they were working for the Lord as they went about their daily duties, for they were performing those duties to the glory of God.

2:10
Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

Ye are witnesses, and God also- with the real possibility that false witnesses were slandering the apostles, Paul relies upon the Thessalonians to bear testimony to his behaviour amongst them. And those things which they were not able to discern, God could, and Paul is confident that he is clear of any charge before God in this matter.

How holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe- there are two words for “holy” in the New Testament, and this is the one less often used, and it is a combination of righteousness and kindness. They did what it was right to do and what it was kind to do. It is the word used in Psalm 89 for lovingkindness, and is also used of Christ as God’s “Holy One”, Acts 13:35. He is the prime example of one who combined righteousness with kindness.

They acted in strict justice or righteousness also, so the kindness of their holiness did not hinder the maintenance of right dealings. As a result, no blame could be laid at their door, despite what their opponents might have been saying.

2:11
As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you- they exhorted to right behaviour, comforted in their difficulties because of the opposition of unbelievers, and charged them to engage in further activity for the Lord.

As a father doth his children- as newly-saved converts, they needed the tender care of a nursing mother, verse 7. But they also needed the more rugged exhortations and warnings of a father-figure, and this they had been given. If little children are going to grow in a balanced way, they need both aspects of Christian care.

2:12
That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

That ye would walk worthy of God- they must conduct their lives in view of the present and the future. As to the present, they were to live before men as those who represented the God to whom they had turned. They could only do this as they displayed the virtues of Christ, as seen in the lives of the apostles. Paul could say, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”, 1 Corinthians 11:1.

Who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory- as to their state as believers, they were in the kingdom, being born again, John 3:3,5. As to their status in the kingdom, that depended on the level of faithfulness to Divine principles they exhibited in their lives in the here and now, for they are called to kingdom-glory. We need not expect a glorious place of responsibility in the kingdom if we have not acted responsibly in our lives beforehand. It is the principle set out in the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30, although the parable itself applies to the time of Tribulation in the future.

Section 3 Verses 13-20
The contrariness of the unbelievers in Thessalonica

2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing- the apostle assumes that the Thessalonian believers also thanked God for the way they were enabled to receive the message the apostles brought to them. He shows he is confident as to the genuineness of their faith, for it was the reason they were being persecuted.

Because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men- note that what the apostles brought was the word of God. It is this that has the life-giving power that will deliver from the errors and lies of Satan. There would be many passing through Thessalonica bringing a word from men, advancing some religion or philosophy of human devising. In contrast to this, the apostles simply unfolded what the word of God states, and the Spirit used it to the conversion of many. This is still God’s way.

The apparent lack of response to the gospel in modern times should not tempt us to adopt other methods of reaching men. Perhaps the lack of response to the word of God is because evangelists are withholding it from men by minimising reference to it and, instead of preaching Christ, are taken up with persuading sinners. It is possible to get people to profess to believe in this way, but real converts are the product of the preaching of the word of God.

But as it is in truth, the word of God- so what the preachers brought was the word of God, for this is life-giving, when it is received and believed.

Which effectually worketh also in you that believe- when the truth of the word of God does its work in the heart and conscience, things are achieved for God. But if there is resistance to that word in some way, then it is the Spirit of God who is being resisted, and the blessing is missed. There is no work of God if there is no word of God.

Notice that the word of God is still working effectively in the hearts of these believers. The word they heard when they got saved is the word they continue to hear, and as they hear, they obey and practice. The Lord Jesus, when describing Himself as the Bread of Life, spoke of men eating decisively and deliberately as they came to Him for life, John 6:51. But He went on to say that those who eat initially will show their genuineness by eating continually, verse 54. This the Thessalonian believers had done and were doing, and as a result the word of God was productive in their lives, and this gave reason for the apostle to be thankful to God.

2:14
For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus- the command of the Lord Jesus before He ascended was that the apostles should be “witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”, Acts 1:8. The Acts of the Apostles is a record of how that command was carried out. In chapters 2-7 we find preaching done in Jerusalem. Then when Stephen was martyred, and persecution arose, “they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles”, Acts 8:1. It was important for the apostles to remain in Jerusalem until Samaritans were saved through the labours of Philip, so that Peter and John could go from Jerusalem to Samaria to lay hands on those Samaritans who had believed, In this way a link was established between the two places, which was important, given that “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” on a natural level, John 4:9.

The people of Judea had seen much of Jesus of Nazareth during His public ministry, until such times that He had to withdraw because of their hostility, John 11:7,8. Now, as a result of the preaching subsequent to His ascension, there are believers in Judaea who know Him as Christ Jesus, the risen, ascended and glorified man at God’s right hand. And more than that, they not only know Him as such, but as churches they are in Him, united by the Spirit to a man in the glory.

For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews- so the Jews in Judaea were hostile to Christians, as they had been hostile to Christ. The Jews thought Him to be a blasphemer, and hence hated Him. But those who had believed had done so because they were convinced that He was the Messiah.

The enmity against the Judean Christians was on the part of the Jews, whereas the Thessalonian believers were opposed by their own countrymen, meaning Gentiles. They were against the believers because they had left the worship of idols, and in so doing had condemned those who continued with them. The sad part was that, at least when Paul and his companions were in Thessalonica, it was the Jews who stirred up the Gentiles against them, Acts 17:5,13. This shows that the heart of man, whether of a Jew or a Gentile, is opposed to God and His Son, and is therefore opposed to those who believe as well.

2:15
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets- in the parable of the vineyard, the servants were killed, and then the son, Matthew 21:33-46. Even though the prophets were from Israel, they were still rejected and in some cases killed, for the hatred of the truth over-rode the fact that they were brethren in Israel. The Lord Jesus challenged the rulers of His day to fill up the measure of their fathers, who had killed the prophets, Matthew 23:31,32. He said “I will send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city”, verse 34. This is what had happened to Paul, for he was chased from Thessalonica to Berea, and then forced to leave and go to Athens, Acts 17:10,13-15.

And they please not God, and are contrary to all men- the Lord Jesus foretold that “the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service”, John 16:2. The apostle Paul himself was one of these before he was converted, as he could testify before Agrippa, Acts 26:9-11. By persecuting and killing preachers, unbelievers cut themselves off from opportunities for salvation.

2:16
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway- this is the same spirit as animated Jonah, who was angry because God had sent him to a Gentile city, and he was afraid they would repent. It was when Paul told the crowd in the temple that the Lord had said to him, “Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles”, Acts 22:21, that they said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live”, verse 22. By reacting like this they were fulfilling the words of the Lord Jesus when He challenged the rulers to “fill up the measure of their fathers”, Matthew 23:32.

For the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost- to crucify their Messiah and then to persecute to the death those who believed in Him is to reach the point where God can only pour out His wrath upon them. This He did to a certain extent in AD70 with the destruction of Jerusalem; this He has done through the centuries as the Jews have been persecuted; and this He will do finally in the Tribulation Period, when those who commit the sin of preferring Antichrist to Christ, will know His full wrath. As the Lord Jesus said when speaking of those times, “there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people”, Luke 21:23.

Just as Joseph’s brethren had to learn, (after their father Jacob had been put through great tribulation), that “his blood is required”, Genesis 42:22, so the nation of Israel must learn that they are responsible for what they did to Christ. He is coming with a vesture dipped in blood, Revelation 19:13, a reminder to the nation of what they did to Him. Joseph’s garment was dipped in blood by his brothers, and brought to Jacob to convince him that Joseph was dead, Genesis 37:31. When Christ comes again in glory, however, it will convince Israel that He is alive.

It is noticeable that it was when Timothy and Silas came back from Macedonia that Paul was pressed in spirit and testified to the Jews, as if the opposition of the Jews in Macedonia spurred him on. But when the Jews of Corinth “opposed themselves, and blasphemed”, Acts 18:6, Paul’s response was, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles”, verse 6. It is as if he is recalling what the Jews said to Pilate, “His blood be on us, and on our children”. Pilate on that occasion had hypocritically washed his hands, as if that could make him clean from the blame of condemning an innocent man, as he had just done, Matthew 27:24,25. But the apostle’s hands were clean, for the charges against him were false.

(c) Verses 17-20
The confidence of the apostle in the Thessalonians

2:17
But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart- when absent from the Corinthians, the apostle said he was nonetheless with them in spirit. But the Thessalonians were especially dear to him so he speaks of being present with them in heart. He had been in Thessalonica for only a short while, but the spiritual progress the believers had made and their love for him was impressive. An indication of this is that he can write in 5:12 of those who are over them in the Lord, showing they had developed eldership qualities in a short time.

Endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire- Satan’s hindrances were too effective, as the next verse tells us. He longs to see them even though he knows that he will meet with renewed opposition from the Jews.

2:18
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us- we are not told the specific way in which the apostle was hindered from revisiting the Thessalonians. This general and unspecific reference is a warning to all believers that there is a great need to be aware that Satan has many strategies at his disposal, for he likes nothing better than to frustrate the work of God. We may have confidence in the fact that “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”, 1 John 4:4. The Holy Spirit, a Divine Person, is much more than a match for Satan. Nonetheless it is not always the will of God to override the devices of the Adversary.

Perhaps the fact that Paul was prevented from going back to Thessalonica was used of God so that the believers learnt to grow in the things of God by His help alone. They had an unction from the Holy One to enable them to do this, which every believer has as well, 1 John 2:20, 26-7. (Note that those words were written to infants in the family of God, just like the Thessalonians were). Certainly, the fact that Paul was prevented from going resulted in the writing of two epistles to the Thessalonians that have spoken to all the Lord’s people down through the years.

2:19
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? We are now given reasons why the apostle so much wanted to go to see the Thessalonians. First, they were his hope. This indicates that the apostle had high expectations of these believers, given the rapid progress they had already made. They were his joy because of this. And he looked forward to the future judgement seat of Christ, when there will be crowns for those who have won converts. There are several crowns in prospect for believers, and those crowns are victor’s crowns, meaning they are merited crowns, in contrast to the other sort of crown in the New Testament, the inherited crown. The merited crown was awarded to the commander of the army for winning the battle; to the suitor, for winning the heart of his lady; to the athlete for winning the race, and to the loyal citizen who won the approval of the townsfolk.

The crowns of this sort in the New Testament are as follows:

The crown for those who run the race of faith lawfully

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible”, 1 Corinthians 9:24,25.

The crown for the evangelist who wins converts

“Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved”, Philippians 4:1.

The crown for the believer who enables converts to progress

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” 1 Thessalonians 2:19.

The crown for those who live as those who love His appearing

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing”, 2 Timothy 4:7,8.

The crown for those who overcome temptation

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”, James 1:12.

The crown for being a faithful elder

“The elders which are among you I exhort…and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away”, 1 Peter 5:1,4.

The crown for being faithful unto death

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer…be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life”, Revelation 2:10.

Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? When the Lord Jesus comes to the earth to reign, He will be accompanied by His church saints, and the holy angels, Colossians 3:4; Matthew 25:31. (This means that He must have come beforehand at the Rapture, or else we could not come with Him when He emerges from heaven). At this time the glory of Christ will be enhanced by the spiritual qualities and characteristics that His people manifest, for He shall come to be “glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe”, 2 Thessalonians 1:10.

2:20
For ye are our glory and joy.

For ye are our glory and joy- having thought of what they will mean to him in the future, when the Lord comes, he turns to think of what they meant to him in the present, hence the “are”. The fact that they would be their joy, verse 19, and they were presently their joy, strongly suggests that they will recognise these converts in the resurrection. If that is the case, there seems to be reason to believe that we shall recognise all believers in the resurrection, even those we have never met. After all, Peter, James and John seem to have recognised Moses and Elijah when they were together on the Mount of Transfiguration.

They were also their glory, for the true evangelist sees converts as a token of the genuineness of his ministry. The Lord Jesus could say of the apostles, “I am glorified in them”, John 17:10. For all their failings, the eleven apostles were the token of the way in which the Lord had carried out the will of His Father, and as such they contributed to His glory.

Special note on winning a crown
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Self-control in service

1 Corinthians 9:24
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

Exhortation to determination.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? The apostle uses an illustration that the Corinthians would know well, for the Isthmian Games, which were similar to the Olympic Games, were held near Corinth. There were strict rules governing not only the actual races, but the preparation and training for them. This was because the Games were held in honour of the gods, and they did not wish to offend them. We may think of the runners as they begin, run, and finish. Those who come to the starting line do so with the intention of running, so it can be said that they all run. So there is no distinction between the runners at that point. At the finish, however, there is a very big difference, for only one receives the victor’s garland.

So run, that ye may obtain- what makes the difference between the runners, so that only one gets the prize? Simply the effort that is put in while the race is in progress. The apostle is urging the Corinthians to put every effort into the race set before them, and so run that the prize of the Judge’s “Well done!” may be theirs. Of course, the apostle is not suggesting that only one believer during the two thousand years of this age is going to receive a prize. He is simply contrasting running without maximum effort, and running with maximum effort.

1 Corinthians 9:25
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Exhortation to moderation.

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things- not only were there strict rules at the Games to govern the actual activity in the stadium, but also governing the training beforehand. The participants had to satisfy the judges that they had taken their training seriously, and had controlled their diet and their life-style so as to put in a good performance when the time came, to the glory of the gods. The Corinthians are to see to it that they are temperate, controlling themselves, so that nothing interferes with their Christian striving. The word for striving is the Greek word from which we get the English word agony, such is the level of effort that is expected of Christians. To be temperate means to control oneself, not allowing anything of the world or the flesh to interrupt our training programme or our running.

Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible- each of the Games had its own particular crown, or wreath, for the victor. But despite the variety, they had one thing in common, and that was that they would be made out of foliage that would soon wither. If athletes took so much time and effort to gain a fading wreath, how much more should believers strive for a crown that shall never fade, and which shall be to the praise, not of the gods, but of the true God of heaven. This is a great incentive to put lethargy and indifference behind us, and resolve to strive as never before for the honour of our God.

1 Corinthians 9:26
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

Exhortation to avoid hesitation.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly- in verse 24 it was “ye”. In verse 25 it was “we”. Now in this verse it is “I”, showing that the apostle took his exhortations to others very seriously, and applied them to himself. The very worst thing a runner can do is hesitate. He must be focussed and consistent in his effort. To hesitate is to be in danger of losing the prize.

So fight I, not as one that beateth the air- having spoken of the event that took place on the track, what of that which took place in the ring, where two men were boxing? The lesson here is simply that to miss the target is to waste energy and lose the prize. The boxer must concentrate all his effort on landing a punch on his opponent. To wildly punch the air achieves nothing.

1 Corinthians 9:27
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection- whilst the metaphors of the contest and the boxing match are not to be taken literally, nevertheless the apostle does refer to his body here, being the seat of the sin principle, and the base from which the flesh operates as it tries to hinder progress and success in the Christian race. The fact that he did not avail himself of things he had a right to, as mentioned in the former part of the chapter, illustrates the way in which he was ruthless with himself. He is not appealing to the Corinthians to do something he was not prepared to do himself.

Lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway- he was wary of any way in which the body would get the better of him. The word castaway has not to do with shipwrecks and desert islands, but continues the metaphor of the Games. It was possible to pass the test as to one’s training and fitness regime, only to fail to meet the approval of the judges as to conduct during the race. This would mean certain disqualification. So the apostle is careful to persevere in keeping his body in subjection, so that he might win the prize at the end. Of course, keeping the body in subjection does not mean self-harm, but does mean that we should not give way to the sinful impulses the body is capable of expressing, for they will prevent fitness for the Christian contest.

Needless to say the apostle is not supposing that he could lose his salvation, because his eternal security does not depend upon him, but upon Christ. What does depend on him is the winning of the prize, and he will lose it, much-used preacher though he was, if he does not contend according to the rules of the Judge, Christ Himself. If an apostle was concerned lest this should happen to him, how much more should it concern the rest of us as believers. How embarrassing to herald the gospel, like the man at the Games calling the contestants to the starting line, and then be like an athlete who is disqualified at the end of the race!

MATTHEW 24

Setting of the chapter
In chapter 21 the King had made His entrance into the royal city of Jerusalem, (the first and only time He presented Himself formally to the nation as their King), and went straight into the temple, verse 12, reminding us that in a day to come He shall be priest-king after the order of Melchisedec.

In verse 23 He is accosted by the chief priest and elders of the people. He answered them directly, then by three parables, which takes us down to 22:14. In Chapter 22:15-22 He is confronted by the Pharisees, and then in verses 23-33 by the Sadducees. In verses 34-40 He answers a lawyer, and in verses 41-46 He leaves the Pharisees with a question.

In chapter 23 He speaks to the multitudes in the temple courts, and exposes the wickedness and hypocrisy of the rulers. At the end of the chapter He laments the indifference of the city, and announces that their house, meaning the temple, is left to them desolate. He does offer hope, however, for in the closing verse He quotes the same psalm the people had referred to when He entered Jerusalem, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord”, Matthew 21:9; Psalm 118:26. He knew the authorities would reject Him when He came to the city the first time, but He would be welcomed at His second coming.

So it is that the leaders have shown themselves to be hostile, indicating that they have no intention of receiving Him as their Messiah-King. Accordingly, in verse one of chapter 24, He makes a very significant move, for He departs from the temple courts. Moreover, He moves further, and goes to sit on the Mount of Olives, the very place to which He shall return when He comes back to reign, as the prophet informs us, Zechariah 14:4.

So in chapters 21-23 the Lord shows Himself to be the True Solomon, able to answer hard questions. In chpater 24 he shows Himself to be the True David, the man of war defeating His enemies.

What we have in chapter 24, then, is His prophecy of what will happen in between His departure and His return. Always bearing in mind that we should not expect to learn anything about this present age, since the truth concerning it was still hidden in the mind of God, and would not be revealed until the apostle Paul began his ministry. In other words, chapter 24 has to do with the last remaining seven-year period of Daniel’s seventy weeks, as detailed in Daniel 9:24-27.

When Daniel was given his vision about the seventy weeks, he was told of what would happen to the city and the sanctuary, Daniel 9:26, meaning Jerusalem and the temple. So it is that Matthew first tells us of Christ’s lament over the city of Jerusalem, Matthew 23:37, and then His departure from the temple. The city and the sanctuary are in view, therefore, and it is a great mistake to try to fit events of this church age into the passage, including the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Structure of the chapter
The chapter consists almost entirely of the Lord’s prophecy of the end times in response to the questions of four of His apostles. It divides as follows:

(a)	Verse 1a	Departure from the temple
(b)	Verses 1b,2	Destruction of the temple foretold
(c)	Verse 3	Desire of the disciples for information
(d)	Verses 4-14	Distress among the nations
(e)	Verses 15-28	Desecration of the temple
(f)	Verses 29-31	Description of the coming of the Son of man
(g)	Verses 32-51	Diverse reactions to His coming

The disciples ask two questions, with the second one in two parts:

Question 1 “When shall these things be?”

Question 2a “What shall be the sign of Thy coming?

Question 2b “What shall be the sign…of the end of the world?”

The Lord answers these three queries in reverse order, which is quite often done in scripture:

Answer to question 2b
Verses 4-14
“the end is not yet…all these are the beginning of sorrows…then shall the end come”, verses 6,8,14.

Answer to question 2a
Verses 15-31
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation…and they shall see the Son of man coming”, verses 15, 30.

Answer to question 1
Verses 32-25:46
“when his branch is yet tender…when ye shall see all these things…then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins…when the Son of man shall come in His glory”, verses 32,33; 25:1,31.

(a) Verse 1a
Departure from the temple

24:1
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple- this is a very solemn moment for the nation of Israel. It has become clear from the conversations with the various leaders who have confronted Him in the temple courts, that they have no intention of recognising His claims. It was with heavy heart that the King left the temple courts. We know this from His words in 23:37-39, where He spoke of His willingness to gather them, but they were not willing to be gathered. As a consequence, they would be scattered in AD 70. But more than this, they would not see Him until they were ready to receive Him as their Messiah.

Ezekiel had the distressing experience of watching the glory of the Lord depart from the temple in his day, hover over the threshold, and go to the Mount of Olives on the east of the city, Ezekiel 10:4;11:23 The glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ, and at the end of chapter 23 He hovers on the threshold, so to speak, to express His sorrow, and now in this chapter He goes to the Mount of Olives on the east of the city, overlooking it. Thankfully Ezekiel also saw the glory of the Lord return, when the millenial temple he describes had been built, Ezekiel 43:2. The prophet tells us that the glory was “according to the appearance of the vision” he had seen at the beginning of his ministry, just as it will be “this same Jesus”, Acts 1:11, that will return to the Mount of Olives and enter the city in a day to come. This time, however, the nation will welcome Him, as Psalm 24 describes.

(b) Verses 1b, 2
Destruction of the temple foretold

And his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple- perhaps they were puzzled because of His statement that the house was left desolate. Had He not just quoted God’s word when He spoke of His house, 21:13, and had not Matthew described it as the temple of God, verse 12?

We read in Luke’s account that some of the disciples pointed out the goodly stones and gifts that adorned the temple, Luke 21:5. (Mark tells us it was one of the disciples who pointed out these things, presumably the spokesperson for the group that Luke mentions). But the Lord had just denounced those who made a great show of putting their gifts into the collection boxes in the temple, whereas the poor widow was quietly giving to God, and was commended for it. We should not expect the Lord to be impressed by how the temple was adorned, and He was not.

The attitude of the disciples here is very like the attitude of the people of Jeremiah’s day. The prophet was told to stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and say, “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these'”, Jeremiah 7:4. They saw in the presence of the temple the sign that God was with them, but He warns them that if they do not mend their ways the temple will suffer the same judgement as was inflicted on Shiloh, where God placed His name when they first were in the land. The Philistines had captured the ark, and Eli the priest sat by the gate in Shiloh waiting for news. He was told that the ark of God was taken, and straightway he collapsed and died. Moreover, his daughter in law gave birth to a son, and when she heard the ark of God was taken, she named the child “Ichabod”, which means “There is no glory”.

Significantly, a few verses lower down in Jeremiah we find the words that the Lord Jesus had quoted when He purged the temple just a short while before, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves”, Jeremiah 7:11; Matthew 21:13. “Prayer” and”thieves” in fact sum up the people at Shiloh in Eli’s day. Samuel was there, noted for his power in prayer, (see Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1), but so were Eli’s sons, who stole the sacrifices, 1 Samuel 2:12-17. Praying and thieving marked the temple in those days, and also in the Lord’s day. No amount of giving to adorn the temple could cover up their hypocrisy. It is no surprise, therefore, to find that “the ark of God is taken”, for two days later the Lord was arrested in Gethsemane, and in very truth the glory was departed. The commentary of the psalmist on the capture of the ark could very well be applied to Christ and His arrest, “So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand”, Psalm 78:60,61.

24:2
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Mark tells us that the Lord referred to “these great buildings”. The temple was, apparently, a wonderful sight, and Herod had been about fifty years building it, John 2:20.

Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down- so the costly stones and the rich adornments are to no avail, for all will come to nothing. Now it is true that Titus destroyed the temple in AD 70, but the Lord is not referring to this event, as becomes clear when the disciples ask when it will happen. This also tells us that the reference to the people of the prince that shall come destroying the city and the sanctuary in Daniel 9:26 is not a reference to Titus either. We must not, for the sake of accuracy, include in Daniel’s seventy-week period anything that happens during the church age, which means we must exclude the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. Following on from this, the argument that AD 70 is included in Daniel’s weeks, and therefore there can be a space of time between the rapture of the church saints and the beginning of the seventieth week, is not valid.

Notice the word “here”, which confirms what has been said above. It is a question of what happens at that place, not what happens to the stones of that building. It is almost certain that what is called by some the “Wailing Wall”, is part of the original retaining wall of Herod’s temple, and the temple platform is still intact, for a Moslem mosque stands upon it. So those stones have not yet been thrown down, although they certainly will be in the future.

(c) Verse 3
Desire of the disciples for information

24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives- this is the only mountain out of the seven Matthew mentions in his gospel that is named. The reason is clear, for Matthew is careful to relate everything to the Old Testament, and Zechariah had named the mount to which Christ will return.

This is a very significant spot, for several reasons. One has been noticed already, for it is to the mount of Olives that the Lord Jesus shall return when He comes to reign, Zechariah 14:3,4; Acts 1:11,12. But the mount of Olives is on the east side of Jerusalem, and those who sit on the mount look across to the east gate of the temple. Now it is said that the Red Heifer was slain on this mount, within sight of the temple. How telling is the fact that the one who is going to die for the sin and uncleanness of the people has stationed Himself outside the camp where that sin-offering was killed. And even though the nation did not appreciate what He did for them in His death, they will find that just as the ashes of the red heifer were “kept for the congregation of Israel for a water of separation”, Numbers 19:9, so what He did at Calvary is available for them, not just as individuals now, but as a nation in the future.

The religious authorities in Israel are striving to breed a red heifer that has no spot on its coat, so that it can be sacrificed to consecrate the priesthood. Little do they realise that the real “red heifer”, Christ Himself, has already been sacrificed, and the effects of His death made available to Jew and Gentile alike.

But it is also said that the path the Lord would have taken to get from the temple to the mount is the route the scapegoat was taken on as it was led away to a place not inhabited. How significant this is too, for Christ, as well as being the true red heifer, is the true scapegoat also, for just as Aaron laid the sins of the people figuratively on the scapegoat of old time, so, in a day to come, the nation of Israel will realise that “the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all”, Isaiah 53:6. Notice, however, that the Lord is not on the mount to be slain, or to be led away into the wilderness. He is there sitting, for He is anticipating the time when He is seated in Zion to reign, and He positions Himself so He can see His capital city

The disciples came unto him privately- we know from Mark’s account that it was “Peter and James and John and Andrew” that asked this question. Matthew sees them as representative of the disciples as a whole, but also, (and this is important to see), as representative of the believing remnant of Israel during the Tribulation Period. We shall see this as we go down the chapter, but verse 20 will illustrate it, where the disciples were to pray that their flight would not be on the sabbath day. Yet the sabbath day would, in a few weeks time, lose its relevance as far as these four men were concerned, but not as far as those Jews of a future day whom they represented were concerned.

The four men Mark mentions were two sets of brothers, Peter and Andrew, and James and John, Matthew 10:2, and in that verse they are listed together. But Mark alters the order, and puts Peter with James, and John with Andrew. So the natural position is altered, and whilst they are still brothers naturally, they are paired differently. Now in chapter 25, when the King is announcing that He will sit upon His throne of glory and judge the nations, He will do so in relation to those He calls His brethren, Matthew 25:40. This is a reference to the believers from amongst the Jews during the time of the Tribulation Period. So just as Peter, Andrew, James, and John were brothers naturally, but also brothers spiritually, so the brethren of a future day will be the same. They will be brethren to one another as fellow-Jews, (which is the sense the apostle Paul used the word in his defence on the stairs in the temple, Acts 13:1), but the King will call them His brethren for a higher reason, for they are those who do the will of His Father, Matthew 12:50.

This is the only time when these four are listed together; so one third of the apostles is with Christ on the mountain. The Lord had foretold through Zechariah that He would bring a third part of the nation through the fire, Zechariah 13:8,9, and so these four are representative of the fact that one third of the nation of Israel will survive to enter into Messiah’s kingdom.

Saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? In Mark and Luke there are two questions, but Matthew expands the second one to give two parts to it. The disciples wish to know two things, first, when thse things spoken of in verse 2 would take place, and second, what would be the sign of Christ’s coming. In Matthew the second question also relates to the end of the world.

These questions are answered in reverse order, as already pointed out, but repeated here for convenience:

The answer to question 2b about the timing, is found in verses 4-14, where time-words are used: “the end is not yet…all these are the beginning of sorrows…then shall the end come”, verses 6,8,14.

The answer to question 2a is found in verses 15-31, and has to do with signs, so seen things are mentioned: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation…and they shall see the Son of man coming”, verses 15, 30.

The answer to question 1 is found in verses 32-25:46 “when his branch is yet tender…when ye shall see all these things...then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins…when the Son of man shall come in His glory”, verses 32,33; 25:1,31.

The three phrases that are critical here are “these things”, “Thy coming”, and “end of the world”. The things mentioned are concerned with the destruction of the temple, but the disciples realise that that cannot happen in isolation, so they wish to know more detail. The coming mentioned is His coming as Messiah to the earth to set up His kingdom and reign. The end of the world is the point just before He comes to reign.

There are three Greek words translated as “world” in the New Testament, as follows:

There is “cosmos”, (the opposite of “chaos”), the world considered as an organised system; the world as a principle.

There is “oikomeune”, (oikos meaning a home), the world considered as the dwelling-place of man; the world as a place.

There is “aionas”, the world considered as passing through time; the world as a period.

It is this last word that is used in the phrase “end of the world”, so the idea of time is embedded in the word. The Jews divided time into two large periods which they called “The Age before the Messiah”, and “The Age of the Messiah”. They saw clearly that God’s plan for the earth was that the Messiah should reign. They did not know anything about this present period of time when God is calling out a heavenly people. So the end of the world or age is the end of the “Age before the Messiah”, which comes at the close of the seven-year Tribulation Period. The Lord now proceeds to answer these questions, and as He does so He gives us all insight in what the future holds.

There is a correspondence between His words here, and the events detailed in Revelation 6, which can be seen from the following comparisons:

Matthew 24:4,5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Revelation 6:1,2
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Matthew 24:6,7
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

Revelation 6:3,4
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Matthew 24:7
and there shall be famines,

Revelation 6:5,6
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Matthew 24:7
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Revelation 6:7,8
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Matthew 24:9,10
Then 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. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Revelation 6:9-11
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Matthew 24:29,30
Immediately 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: 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.

Revelation 6:12-17
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

(d) Verses 4-14
Distress among the nations

24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you- before He tells of His own coming He has to warn them of others who will come. Whereas He Himself is unfolding the future for their help, these will seek to hinder and deceive. The period after the church has gone will be one of great deception, as Satan redoubles his efforts to destroy truth.

24:5
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many- some will realise, the Lord having come for the church, His coming to reign is not far off, and will seek to capitalise on that situation. With the church believers gone, the testimony to Christ will be lessened, and the enemy will take advantage. The Lord said when He was here, “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive”, John 5:43. Whilst no doubt the primary reference there is to Antichrist, there will be many antichrists in the future.

24:6
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars- the world that rejected the Prince of peace must expect to experience the terror of war. When He comes He will “make wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire”, Psalm 46:9. As is the case today, so it will be then, that there are true reports of wars, “hear of wars”, and also false reports of wars, “rumours of wars”. Confusion will reign, and men shall be on edge constantly.

See that ye be not troubled- the word to believers at this time, (represented here by the four apostles), is to not be troubled. The prophet wrote of God, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”, Isaiah 26:3. He who calmed the storm with His word “Peace be still”, and there was a great calm, will encourage His people as they pass through times of tribulation, Mark 4:39.

For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet- there is a certain necessity about the troubles of those times, for it is God’s means of judging men for their unbelief, and also of preparing the way for the final conflict between good and evil at the end of the period. We noticed that this section deals with the question about the end of the world, so the Lord refers to the end, meaning the end of the world. Such is the severity of the suffering even at the beginning of the period, believers will think it is the end, but they will be wrong, for things will get much much worse.

24:7
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom- this suggests that, as at present, there will still be republics and monarchies in the end time. Indeed, Antichrist will have ten kings associated with him. Nations and kingdoms have been in conflict for thousands of years, and no doubt the shortages and hardships of the time will accelerate this. Remember also that Antichrist is given opportunity to take peace from the earth. This will further his purpose, for he will present himself as the one able to bring “Peace and safety”, 1 Thessalonians 5:3. He will be the counterfeit prince of peace.

And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places- we can easily see that the prevalence of war will result in famine. And then malnutrition will allow pestilence and disease to multiply. But why the mention of earthquakes here? Could it be that the sound of conflict triggers these earthquakes? Many of the earth’s rocks are in a delicate state, and it does not take too much to start them sliding over one another.

24:8
All these are the beginning of sorrows.

All these are the beginning of sorrows- the word for sorrow means “travail”, that which is experienced by a mother as she begins to deliver her child. Paul took up this idea when he wrote, “For when they shall say Peace and safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape”, 1 Thessalonians 5:3. We have already noted in connection with the birth of Christ, that Matthew sees in the travail of Rachel a pre-figure of the suffering of the remnant in the time of tribulation. See notes on chapter 2.

24:9
Then 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.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you- we come now to the effects of the fifth seal, Revelation 6:9-11. John saw the souls of those who had been slain for their testimony. They will be delivered up to be afflicted, which means they will be put under pressure to renounce their faith. When they refuse to do this, they will be killed, such will be the harsh cruelty that will prevail in those times.

And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake- this is the root cause of them being afflicted and killed. John writes, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you…whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer”. 1 John 3:13,15. The apostle had just referred to the hatred of Cain for his brother which led to him murdering him. Note that they are hated of all nations. People everywhere will detest those who hold to the name of Christ in those days when the name of the Antichrist is on everyone’s lips.

24:10
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And then shall many be offended- in the case of some of their number, the pressure will be too great, and will reveal that they are not true believers at all. In the parable of the sower those who were shallow-rooted were shallow-faithed, and we read, “Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended”, Matthew 13:21. The true believer sees tribulation as part of God’s education programme for him, and he rejoices in it, Romans 5:3, but with the false professor it is otherwise.

And shall betray one another, and shall hate one another- not content with being passively offended, they go further, change sides, and betray others to the enemies of God’s truth that have been offended as they have. Not being true believers, and living in times of extreme stress where suspicion is rife, they will hand over to the authorities even those who have defected as they have. The reason being that hatred will reign, and all sense of loyalty to friends will have gone in the fight for individual survival.

24:11
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many- if the apostle John could write in his day that “many false prophets are gone out into the world”, 1 John 4:1, then how much more will it be true when the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of truth and who leads into truth, is removed at the rapture. The Lord is speaking of a time when deception will be the normal, and truth will be scarce. No doubt these false prophets are sent forth by Satan to counteract the efforts of the one hundred and forty four thousand true preachers. They are some of the “tares” that Satan sows among the “wheat” in the parable, Matthew 13:24-30.

24:12
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold- iniquity is lawlessness, and at this time men will be throwing off the restraints put upon them by their Creator. They will say, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us”, Psalm 2:3. All this is in preparation for the revelation of the Antichrist, who is called “that wicked”, or “that Wicked One”, meaning Lawless One, in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. As a result, the majority in Israel, who even as unbelievers were waiting for their Messiah, will transfer their allegiance to the coming Antichrist, and their love for the idea of Christ coming will grow cold.

24:13
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved- these are in great contrast to the many of the previous verse. There are certain things that this statement cannot mean. First, it cannot mean that being saved is the reward for enduring, for that is contrary to God’s principle that “the just shall live by faith”. Second, it cannot mean that all who physically survive until the end of the Great Tribulation shall be given salvation, for many faithful saints will lose their lives during that time and will not therefore physically survive. Third, it cannot mean that those who survive physically to the end of the Great Tribulation show themselves, by doing that, to be saved already, for this is cl;early not the case.

The solution is in the context, as ever. The King has been warning His subjects that they will meet hostility from men, even from members of their own households. If they endure such afflictions until they come to an end, they will show themselves to be amongst the saved. (Contrast the stony-ground hearer in the parable of the sower who “dureth for a while: but when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended”, Matthew 13:21). The afflictions may come to an end for them in one of two ways. Either they give their lives for Christ and all suffering ceases, or they survive until the end of the Tribulation Period, and they will be then saved from their tormentors by the coming of the King, and saved in another sense by entering into His kingdom.

The use of the word saved is interesting, for the writer to the Hebrews spoke of angels as being “sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation”, Hebrews 1:14, and the salvation in view is that which “at the first began to be spoken by the Lord”, 2:3, which means His announcement of an imminent kingdom. (Remember that the second half of Hebrews chapter 1 describes Christ as sitting on His own throne, ruling in His kingdom). So these who endure to the end are assured of the salvation that the kingdom represents. They might not have been saved from a martyr’s death, but those who kill the body cannot prevent entry into the kingdom.

24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations- “this gospel” is not the statement of the previous verse, as if enduring to the end is how God saves people. Rather, the “this” refers to the gospel that these four who are on the mountain with Christ knew, which both John the Baptist, and the Lord Himself, and they themselves preached at that time. It was the good news that the kingdom was about to be set up, as long as the nation of Israel would accept Christ as their King. After the rejection and crucifixion of Christ, God began a new work, calling out of the Gentiles a people for His name, to give them, not an earthly but a heavenly hope. That work being completed at the Rapture, God in great mercy will repeat His offer of the kingdom to Israel, and the gospel of the kingdom will again be preached. This is not to say that God has different ways of saving people, for He has not. Rather, it means that He sends forth His servants with a message suited to the goal in view. Salvation is always through faith, and on the basis of the person and work of Christ.

And then shall the end come- the disciples had asked about the end of the world, and in verse 6, having detailed some events, the Lord said, “but the end is not yet”, and further things are spoken of in verses 7-14. But verse 15 will be about the pivotal moment in the seven-year period when the Antichrist places an idol in the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem. This is the signal that the end is in sight, hence the words of this verse, “then shall the end come”. It will come after the universal preaching of gospel of the kingdom, and the events consequent upon the desolation of the temple in the way described.

(e) Verses 15-28
Desecration of the temple

We now come to the answer to the question “What shall be the sign of thy coming? There are two things said to be seen in the passage, the abomination of desolation, verse 15, and the sign of the Son of man in verse 30.

24:15
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:)

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place- we noticed that the temple was left desolate when Christ departed from it in 23:38-24:1. Now the successor temple is made desolate, not by someone leaving, but an object entering, even an idol, which in Old Testament times is often called an abomination, so much does God hate idols. This idol will render the temple a desolate place, with all thought of God totally excluded from it.

We read in Daniel 11:31, “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate”. And Daniel 12:11 reads, “And 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”. These two passages make clear that two things happen at the same time, the first is the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and the second, the setting up of an idol in the sanctuary of the temple. This is confirmed in Daniel 9:27, for the angel Gabriel told Daniel that the prince that shall come “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”.

Subsequent to this erection of an image in the temple, the antichrist will position himself there, no doubt in blasphemous imitation of the Shekinah glory of God’s presence. Perhaps the reference to overspreading in Daniel 9:27 is some Satanic imitation of the cherubim with their outstretched wings protecting the ark in the tabernacle and temple. The majority of the uses of the word translated overspreading is wing. (Winged gods feature very much in the idolatry of Babylon, for the wing suggests the protection of Satan, the prince of the power of the air). This one will claim Satanic protection, and by acting as he does, will make the temple desolate. Daniel described the condition of the destroyed temple in his day by this word, and now it is used by Gabriel to describe the temple of the future.

Gabriel makes known that despite the fact that it will seem that evil has triumphed, there will be the consummation that God decrees, and not man or Satan. That consummation will involve the destruction of the desolated temple, so that the millenial temple may be built, for it is said of Christ that “He shall build the temple of the Lord”, Zechariah 6:12.

The apostle Paul wrote of the revelation of the man of sin, another title for Antichrist, 2 Thessalonians 2:3. He will have his “coming” at the beginning of the last seven years as one who is a substitute Christ, and thus will deceive many into thinking that he is the true Messiah. The majority of Israel will believe this. In the middle of the seven-year period, however, he will have his “revelation”. The mask will be removed, and then he will not be just a substitute Christ but against Christ.

The manner of his revelation is that he will, in blasphemous daring, seat himself in the sanctuary of the temple where the ark stood of old time, verse 4. When he is not there personally the image of himself shall stand there, as we have seen from Matthew 24:15. At this point the apostle says “shewing himself that he is God”. This means that pantheism will be the religion of the time of the antichrist. He will allow Babylonish religion to continue for the first half of the Tribulation Period because it suits his purpose. Then it shall be overthrown, for despite all its corruption, it does still remind men of God. This will be brought to an end, and the Antichrist will “cast down the truth to the ground”, Daniel 8:8:12, the particular truth being that concerning the Father and the Son, the relationship between Divine persons which is the foundation of the Christian faith. The apostle John tells us that “He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son”, 1 John 2:22. When that truth has been largely eradicated from the earth, then the notion that “god is all and all is god” will prevail. Men will have listened to Satan’s lie, “ye shall be as gods”, and Antichrist shall be looked on as the supreme expression of godhood.

We should not think, then, that the end-time ruler is simply another political figure. He must be much more than this if he is to counterfeit Christ. He must not only satisfy the political aspirations of people in terms of freedom from war, poverty and anxiety, (and this he will do), but also cater for the needs of the spirits of men. He must build “the city”, as well as “the tower”, the political and the religious, Genesis 11.

Man as made by God has a spirit-dimension. He is not just a collection of atoms. He is not complete without a response to God. Now that sin has come in, and man’s understanding has been darkened, Ephesians 4:18, he chooses to express that response in wrong directions. This takes many forms, but in the final analysis this waywardness is harnessed by the Devil to his own end. That end is the attracting of worship away from God and towards himself.

The last decades of the 19th century and the first of the 20th century were marked by a rise in atheism, with its logical outcomes of socialism and communism. From the middle of the 20th century, however, a change took place, a shift from an atheistic world-view to a pantheistic one. For atheism is essentially a negative attitude, and fails to fulfil the innermost longings of the human spirit, despite what its advocates may say.

Pantheism, with its belief that man, like everything else, is “god”, is an attractive way of filling the void that is left when Christianity is abandoned. Instead of believing in the existence of God who is separate from creation, the pantheist believes that “god” is everywhere, (including within himself), since all is “god”.

This, of course, is totally contrary to the teaching of the Bible; but is one of the features of the New Age religion with its emphasis on intuition and experience rather than logic and reason. This leaves the mind open to illusion and fantasy, but also means that the minds of men are open to any suggestion that Satanic forces are prepared to instil into them.

Despite being a product of the imagination, pantheism has a very strong hold on men’s minds, since it replaces God with self, and removes the restrictions that the law of God places upon them.

This New Age religion is not new. It is but the re-emergence of the ancient philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism and Eastern mysticism, and even further back, the mystery religions of the ancient world. This mix, combined with spiritism, theosophy and other occult systems, goes to make up the New Age religion, and professes to be able to bring in a new era of peace, plenty and harmony amongst men.

Clearly, this is a sinister movement, for the ultimate goal of it is to ensure that men realise they are god, and to bring in to the world the final great new world teacher, the New Age “Christ”, who is, in fact, Antichrist.

No wonder Daniel says that the personage he speaks of has understanding of dark sentences, for Satan will see to it that he is able to unfold to men the secrets that the ancient religions spoke of, and which, so they say, have been suppressed by those who worship the God of the Bible. Revelation 2:24 speaks of “the depths of Satan”.

So when we read in Daniel 11:37 that the wilful king does not regard any god, then we understand that all systems of religion that separate between god and worshipper, are to be shunned by him.

He does not regard the God of his fathers. Now this expression is used in the Old Testament of the worship by Israel of the true God. If this is so here, then it means that he is a Jew. We have already noted that the generals who divided up the Greek empire are called kings, even though they did not gain their authority through descent. It is significant that the original King of the North was ruler over territory that included the area to which the ten tribes of Israel were taken into captivity by the Assyrians. There are those who believe that the antichrist will emerge from the tribe of Dan, and this tribe was one of the ten tribes of Israel taken to Assyria. If this is so, then we are confronted here by an apostate Jew; one, moreover, who sets himself up as a rival to Christ.

We also learn that he does not regard the desire of women. Some believe this refers to the fact that every godly Jewess longed to be the mother of the Messiah, so the desire of women is another way of saying “Messiah”. Alternatively, it may refer to the myth concerning Nimrod, his death and re-emergence as the child of the mother, the origin of the idea of The Mother and the Child. Perhaps this disdain for the “Mother and Child” concept is a reference to the overthrow of the scarlet woman, Babylon the Great who rides upon, (that is, dominates), the beast in the beginning of his career, but who is overthrown by him towards the end. See Revelation 17. Nimrod was worshipped after his death, and this became the weeping for Tammuz that was especially engaged in by women.

One of the abominations that Ezekiel saw being carried on in the temple at Jerusalem was just this weeping for Tammuz, Ezekiel 8:13,14. The antichrist will disdain this attention, however, because he will have renounced any sort of idolatry, (as the passage goes on to say, “nor regard any god”), in favour of the deification of self. As a result, he will have magnified himself above all. This is how 2 Thessalonians 2:4 speaks of this same personage: “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God”. This must be subsequent to the erection of the abomination of desolation in the Holy Place in the temple at Jerusalem, which signals the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15,21.

We might ask how this achieves Satan’s goal, if it is a man that is elevated and worshipped on the earth, for Revelation 13:8 assures us that all unbelievers on the earth will worship the beast. The answer is found in verse 4 of Revelation 13, which states that men shall worship the dragon, or Satan. Daniel 11:38 confirms this, for it tells us the wilful king worships the god of forces. This must be Satan, for this is the price he demands if universal dominion is to be given to man. It is interesting that the Lord Jesus did not dispute the claim of the Devil to have the authority to give this dominion, Luke 4:6, which reads, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it”. As the prince of this world, John 14:30, the Devil still has immense power, even though he is a defeated foe.

It is significant that “The Force” is a favourite expression with New Agers, and signifies to them the all-pervasive influence of the energy in all things. In reality, this force is that of the Devil, and the antichrist worships him as such. Thus the age-old ambition of Satan will be realised, and the whole world, which wonders after the beast, is found to be worshipping Satan. He has realised the full potential of the title god of this age, as spoken of in 2 Corinthians 4:4. His glory will be short-lived, however, for the antichrist who worships him “shall come to his end, and none shall help him”, Daniel 11:45. And with his downfall comes the Devil’s, for Revelation 19:20 tells of the fall of the antichrist and the false prophet, and then immediately after the Devil is bound for one thousand years, Revelation 20:21. Thus Satan’s strategy shall be foiled, and the lie he told Adam, “Ye shall be as gods”, shall be exposed in all its wickedness, but not before a man has ruled the earth claiming to have achieved the full potential of what Satan promised.

Whoso readeth, let him understand- Daniel was told, not only that the abomination that maketh desolate shall be set up in the sanctuary, but two verses later that “they that understand among the people shall instruct many”, Daniel 11:31,33. (These are the understanding ones, the Maskilim, the instructors in righteousness who the Lord will raise up at that time). And in the verse before he is told again about the abomination that maketh desolate, 12:11, he is told that “none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand”, verse 10. So the Maskilim, the teachers in Israel at the time, will instruct the faithful remnant as to what the meaning of events is, whereas the wicked, those who follow the Wicked One, shall not understand that they are being led on to destruction.

24:16
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains- the setting up of the image in the temple is the turning point, and a sure sign that the end has begun. In verse 6 it was “not yet”, but all is different now. It is ironic that the first sign of the coming of the Son of man is the “coming” of the Man of Sin. The history of the world is reaching its climax, and the sin of man will have produced the Man of Sin, and he will be in direct confrontation with God’s Man, who came the first time to deal with the sin of man.

We see clearly in these verses the Jewish setting of these words. There is mention of the hills of Judaea, and in verse 20 they are to pray that their flight does not violate sabbath day regulations.

Now of course the setting up of the image is a warning sign to all the faithful at that time, wherever they are situated, so this particular warning gives indication as to which direction they should flee. Revelation 12:6 tells us that the faithful remnant of Israel shall flee into the wilderness, where there is a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand, two hundred and threescore days. In other words, for the second half of the seven-year period of the tribulation, the time of the rule of the Antichrist.

“Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”, the words of Isaiah 26:17-21. God invites His believing people to enter into “their chambers”, so as to hide from the indignation that God will pour out upon the unbelieving world in the Great Tribulation. That the personal pronoun is used is a sign that God has prepared these chambers especially for them. That they are not the chambers of rooms is evident, for the Lord has already warned them in His Olivet Discourse not to go back into their house in the day they flee.

It is not generally known, but there are vast caverns under the desert sands, and no doubt it into these that the remnant will flee initially. We should remember that at the time of the Flood the fountains of the great deep were broken up, so that the water that God had stored beneath the oceans could be released, and overwhelm the earth. Subsequent changes brought about by pressures exerted during this process, and also by the flowing back of the water as the flood came to an end, caused the mountains to be raised up, and the sea-bed to sink. It is very possible that there are remnants of the “storehouses” that God prepared, and which are now very largely empty of water.

24:17
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house- Jewish houses tended to have a stairway outside of the house, so that guests could access the guest chamber without going through the house. We remember the four men who carried the palsied man were able to get on the roof of the house even though the main part of the house was crowded, Mark 2:1-4. So even the short time it would take to enter the house after having descended the outside stairs, would be too long, for the need to escape was urgent.

24:18
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes- perhaps the man of the previous verse is on his rooftop in the evening, enjoying the refreshing breezes. Now he is working in the hot sun out in the fields. He has left his top garment at the end of the field, and then works his way across the field tending his crops. But then word comes to him about the image, and so imminent is the danger to him that he must not take time to retrieve his coat, but flee without it. These are guidelines of course, and each will have to adapt them to their particular circumstances.

24:19
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! This applies to all who are either expecting a child or who have recently given birth to one in the Tribulation Period, for the Lord warned the daughters of Jerusalem as He went out to His cross, “For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck”, Luke 23:29. But if it applies to all, it will certainly apply to the faithful remnant, forced to flee from the persecution that is about to be unleashed upon them. How thankful they will be that God has prepared a place in the desert for them where, we read, they shall “be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time”, Revelation 12:14. Needless to say this woe is not a curse upon the believing remnant, but simply expresses sorrow at their plight.

24:20
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter- winter as a season in Israel lasts from December to early March. Some winters are mild and sunny, while others are severe and overcast. There is often heavy rain, with snow in January and February in some parts of the country, and cold nights. However, the word translated “winter” is also translated “foul weather” in Matthew 16:3, so may have to do with conditions rather than dates. After all, the remnant would know from Daniel’s vision that the seven-year period begins with the confirming of a covenant, and they also will know from Revelation 12:6 that they will flee to the wilderness to be nourished for the second half of the seven years. So they know precisely when the image will be set up. Their prayers cannot alter this, so they cannot affect the time of year, but they can by their prayers affect the weather, as Elijah did in his day.

Neither on the sabbath day- this again shows the Jewishness of this prophecy, for the nation will have reverted to the religion of the Old Testament, and the sabbath was a vital part of that. The Jews were prohibited from travelling more than a sabbath day’s journey on the sabbath, and this was about seven and a half furlongs, or seven hundred and twenty nine paces. This was not far, and their journey would be much longer, beginning as it will do with a flight into the Judean hills. For security’s sake no further details are given.

24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

For then shall be great tribulation- the word “for” tells us that this is the reason why they will need to flee. Job asked to be hidden in the grave until God’s wrath was past, Job 14:13, and his prayer will be answered, for he, like all Old Testament saints, will remain in the grave until the Messiah comes to earth. But the remnant will also be hidden in the earth, but unlike Job, they will be alive, and nourished there in some unnamed way.

Just as Jacob’s sons had to be put through anguish to bring them to their senses about their treatment of Joseph, so during “the time of Jacob’s trouble”, Jeremiah 30:8, the nation will be dealt with by God to cause them to reflect on the treatment they gave to His Son.

Such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be- so the suffering and judgement will be unparalleled, but it will also be unrepeated, for God will make a final end. Joel spoke of this time when he said, “for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations”, Joel 2:1,2. Daniel was told that “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time”, Daniel 12:1. These statements impress upon us the awfulness of those days.

24:22
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved- just before the flood of Noah’s day God said, “the end of all flesh is come before me”, Genesis 6:13. This was because, as is said in the previous verse, “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth”. Clearly, “flesh…his way” indicates that the reference is to men. But whereas in Noah’s time all flesh was destroyed, since there were none, except Noah and his house, who were not corrupt, in the future it will be different, for the rest of our verse speaks of the elect, and it is for their sakes that the world will not be completely depopulated.

The question is as to how the days will be shortened. In Joshua’s time one day was lengthened to allow God’s enemies to be destroyed, Joshua 10:12-14, and it is said, “And there was no day like that before it or after it”, verse 14. Here it is that days are shortened to avoid all men being destroyed, for in the midst of wrath God remembers mercy, Habakkuk 3:2. Some have suggested that the days of the Great Tribulation will be shorter than normal, so the number of days will stay the same, 1260, but the period of time will be shortened. He who lengthened a day in response to the voice of the man Joshua, can surely shorten the days. Others believe that the 1260-day period is already shortened to that length, as seems the case from the words of Mark 13:20, “And except that the Lord had shortened those days”. But even this could mean that the Lord is projecting His mind into the future and looking back, as if to say, “In retrospect, we can say that the Lord had shortened the days”. Could this varying of the length have anything to do with the Lord’s words, “of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only”, verse 36? The Divine Conversation has not been held to decide this matter, and because the Son has taken the place of subjection in manhood, He waits His Father’s time to discuss it with Him. The times and seasons have been put, by consent of all three Persons of the Godhead, (for they do nothing without agreement), in the Father’s power, to be discussed in due time, Acts 1:7. So far from suggesting that the Son is ignorant of the time, the fact is there is no time at the moment for Him to supposedly be ignorant about.

But for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened- this either means that the days shall be shortened in the interests of the elect, so that they are spared some suffering, or, that the men of the world will be spared the full amount of wrath they would have known, for the sake of the interests of His elect people. If the latter is the explanation, it might have something to do with the fact that John heard seven thunders, and was not allowed to record their meaning, Revelation 10:3,4, as if there are judgements that may or may not be inflicted. Abraham stood outside of Sodom and interceded for the city, and we read that God remembered Abraham, and delivered Lot, Genesis 19:29. The last phrase of Isaiah 53 informs us that the Lord Jesus made intercession for the transgressors, so the reason why there is mercy shown to Israel at this point is due to the efficacy of His intercession for the nation.

24:23
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not- the Tribulation Period will be a time when lies will be widespread, for the Spirit of truth and the believers of this church age will have been taken away. If the “salt” and the “light” are withdrawn, then deception will abound. Even in the apostle John’s day he could write, “many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not Jesus Christ come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist”, 2 John 7. If this was true when an apostle was still living, how much more so in a time when church saints, who have sought to maintain the truth and combat error, will have gone. This shows how difficult it will be for men to accept the truth, since they will be confused by so much error. So daring will be the lie, that the antichristian false teachers of that day will claim to point men to Christ. Of course the faithful believers will be longing for Christ to come, so they must be very wary when they are told He has already come. This passage goes on to show that the coming of the Son of man will be accompanied by dramatic signs in the heavens, so those who say He has come secretly will be deceivers.

24:24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders- those who are pointed out as being Christ, are in fact false Christs, who will abound even when Antichrist himself is present on the earth. They will be his agents, sent out to confuse both believer and unbeliever alike. There will also be those who will seek to promote these false Christs, and teach that they are true. Just as there will be one Antichrist and one False Prophet in the future, so even in the apostle John’s day there were many antichrists, 1 John 2:18, and many false prophets, 4:1. How much more in the day when truth is being cast down to the ground, Daniel 8:12. To compound the deception, just as the False Prophet shall work miracles, so shall these, for the coming of the Man of Sin will be “after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders”, 2 Thessalonians 2:9.

Insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect- the Lord is here warning His people not to be complacent. Just because they are true believers will not make them exempt from pressure in those days. John tells us that the Antichrist will be given power to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, Revelation 13:7. No doubt this overcoming refers to their martyrdom, for all who refuse to worship the image of the beast shall be killed, verse 15.

How impressive the signs and wonders will be, and how difficult it will be for the elect to not wonder whether they are wrong. After all, part of Christ’s claim to men’s faith and allegiance was His ability to work miracles, and now others are doing the same in the name of the Antichrist. The difference between these wonders and Christ’s, however, is clear to see, for the apostle Paul calls them “lying wonders”, 2 Thessalonians 2:9. The Lord worked miracles to emphasise the truth He taught; these will do wonders to emphasise the lies they teach.

There is a lesson in this for us today, for there are those who claim to be able to do miracles at the present time. There are two things we have to ask ourselves. The first is, are they real miracles, or just the result of emotional and psychological pressure or hypnosis? The second is, what is the doctrine they claim to promote? We should remember that it is not just professing Christians who claim to be able to work miracles. Spiritists and others of like sort make claim to heal by faith. When Catholic missionaries first went to China in centuries past, they were amazed to see crutches hung up on the walls of Buddhist temples, testimony to the healing powers of the forces of darkness.

24:25
Behold, I have told you before.

Behold, I have told you before- there is a saying that “To be forewarned is to be forearmed”. The King is here preparing His subjects for the onslaughts He knows will be made upon their faith. He would do the same in the upper room, as He prepared His own for the rigours of this age, as He foretold that one of them would betray Him, and that they would all desert Him; He is here doing it to fortify His people of a future age.

24:26
Wherefore 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.

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth- Herod superstitiously thought that Christ was John the Baptist risen from the dead, Matthew 14:2. So perhaps the rumour will be put out that just as John was “in the deserts till the day of his shewing to Israel”, Luke 1:80, so the Christ, (whom men said was John the Baptist in Matthew 16:14), was out in the desert too. There will be an increased interest in hidden mysteries at the end time, and perhaps these deceivers are suggesting that Christ is a mystic, or guru, living in some cave in the desert.

Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not- this could either be a reference to spiritist seances, where those in the grip of Satan practise their dark arts, or a reference to the upper room where the Lord had met with His disciples before the cross. Either way, these tales are not to be believed, and neither are they to be investigated, for the believers may be sure they are false reports since the sign of the Son of man has not yet been seen. There is the possibility that these rumours are a trap, to draw out true believers into a place of danger so they can be arrested and killed.

24:27
For 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.

For 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- beginning with “for” as it does, this is the reason why true believers are not to listen to those who say that Christ has returned already. His coming will be so dramatic that everyone, from the east to the west will know it, just as the lightning flashes across the sky so spectacularly. He will not have to be sought out in some obscure place or some secret place; His coming will be unmistakeable to all.

24:28
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together- as the Lord said to Job about the eagle, “where the slain are, there is she”, Job 39:30. Just as eagles circle around in the sky above a carcase, thus pin-pointing where it is, so the coming of Christ will be known in a widespread way, and will not be a secret arrival. It does not seem in context to refer this to the call of God to the fowls of the air to “Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God”, Revelation 19:17. Nor is it a reference to the eagle-ensign of the Roman army, for Rome will not be to the fore in those days. It is Babylon that is Satan’s capital city.

(f) Verses 29-31
Description of the coming of the Son of man

24:29
Immediately 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:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light- God said through Joel, “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come”, Joel 2:30,31. This indicates that the day of the lord begins at the moment the Son of man comes.

Now the apostle Peter made it clear that the day of the Lord is an extended period, for he wrote, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up”, 2 Peter 3:10. So the day of the Lord includes the thousand-year reign of Christ, since the dissolution of all things to which Peter refers, is at the end of time, when earth and heaven flee away, Revelation 20:11.

We read in Revelation 6:12-14, “And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places”.

Sackcloth was the garment of mourning, and even the sun laments the wickedness of men that calls forth the wrath of Christ as He comes. Isaiah 50:3 reads, “I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering”. God is able to display in the heavens these warnings to men. Not only does heaven mourn over earth’s sin, but men are called to repent in dust and ashes, and make sackcloth their covering in repentance. Even at that late stage the word is, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”, Joel 2:32.

The moon shall not give her light, because with the sun darkened she has nothing to reflect onto the earth. The moon became as blood, says John, and this is quite often the colour of the moon during an eclipse, but this is no eclipse, but the Creator showing His displeasure with the inhabitants of the earth.

And the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken- with the sun darkened and the moon not giving her light, the stars will shine even brighter that usual. But this is only to highlight the way in which God shall change them, to the consternation of men. Some scientists believe that the stars are moving away from the earth at present. The psalmist said “Thou stretchest out the heavens like a curtain”, Psalm 104:2, and the present tense of the verb suggests it is still happening. Yet imagine their consternation at the coming of Christ when their instruments say that the stars are now moving towards the earth! Just as God confounded the astronomers of Daniel’s day, so He will do so again. Only the Creator can manipulate the stars in this way; but then, He created them and sustains them.

John likens this to the falling of immature figs from the tree, for he writes, “even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind”. Fig trees often produce figs in the winter, which, when shaken by strong winds, all fall down at once. They are not proper fruits, but untimely, or unripe. The fig tree is used in Scripture as a figure of mere profession, but the men of earth have not even professed to believe. They produce nothing that will come to harvest. There is such a thing as solar wind, the streams of energy that emanate from the stars. Now it appears that not only will the stars travel in the opposite direction to normal, but so will the solar wind, thus shaking the stars with the very energy they had emitted. God spoke at Sinai, and the earth shook, but He has said, “Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven”, Hebrews 12:26, quoting Haggai 2:6.

John saw into the future, and tells us “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together”. Just as when a scroll is rolled up, the writing appears to be distorted and out-of-place, so with the stars. The familiar constellations disappear as the stars alter their positions relative to one another. The night-sky as men know it is departed, and it is the hand of God that has done it. This is a rebuke to those who thought that their lives were directed by the stars. Superstitious people like that will be terrified by the sight.

24:30
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.

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven- the disciples had asked what the sign of His coming was, and this is the answer. Mark’s account says “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory”, Mark 13:26. And Luke says the same, except that he puts cloud in the singular. So it seems that the sign of the Son of Man is the Son of Man Himself; His coming accompanied by such dramatic events will be an indication to men of what He has come to do. When He came the first time the angels said, “And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger”, Luke 2:12. His first coming had been secret, for He had been hidden in His mother’s womb, and now He was lying in a manger. He had come in grace and lowliness, making Himself of no reputation. His second coming will be so different, for He has earned the right to reputation by what He was at His first coming.

And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn- in Revelation 1:7 we read, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen”. There is perhaps a difference between the two groups mentioned in this verse. They who pierced Him shall mourn in repentance, as Zechariah had said long before, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”, Zechariah 12:10. The nation of Israel shall realise just a little what it meant to God when they crucified His only begotten and firstborn Son.

The other group consists of the other tribes of the earth, and whilst some amongst them will be believers, the majority, alas, will not be, and shall wail, not in repentance, but in anguish as they see the one they have blasphemed and rejected coming to judge them.

And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven- Daniel had a preview of the future in his dream, for he says “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed”, Daniel 7:13,14. He then goes on to speak of the Antichrist, and how he would make war with the saints and prevail against them, “Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgement was given to the saints of the most high”, verses 21,22. So Daniel first of all saw the Son of man come with the clouds of heaven, and He was brought near to the Ancient of Days, which is what happened when Christ ascended back to heaven, (He went into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom, in the language of the parable, Luke 19:12). The clouds of heaven that had carried Him through the skies were still about Him as He drew near. It is to this that the Lord referred when asked at His trial before the Sanhedrin if He was the Christ, the Son of God. His reply was, “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”, Matthew 26:64. Notice that whereas Daniel said the Ancient of Days came, the Lord says here it is the Son of man that shall come, a clear testimony to His Deity. No wonder the high priest accused Him of blasphemy, for he rejected His claims. So He is Christ because He has been welcomed to the right hand of God, Acts 2:36, and He is Son of God because He, the Son of man, is equal to the Ancient of Days, a title of God.

There must have been more than one cloud at the ascension for He is coming with clouds, and the angel said He is coming as He went, Acts 1:12. But our verse tells us He is coming with the clouds of heaven, no doubt a reference to the angels that shall come with Him, Matthew 25:31.

With power and great glory- He is coming with power because universal dominion has been granted to Him, and He needs to put down all opposing forces. He is currently “sitting on the right hand of power”, on the very throne of God, but He is coming with all the resources of that throne to execute judgement and to rule. The angels will gladly acknowledge with loud voice, (indicating their enthusiasm about the matter), that “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”, Revelation 5:12. Everything He needs to enable Him to rule effectively will be granted Him.

24:31
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.

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet- this shows that “the last trump” of 1 Corinthians 15:52, is not the absolutely last trump. Rather, it is the last directive from the head of the church to His people of this age. He has led them by the clear trumpet sound of His word, and now He calls them from earth to heaven. John heard the voice of a trumpet which said, “Come up hither”, Revelation 4:1, no doubt a foretaste of what will happen at the rapture when the saints are caught up to heaven. This trumpet, however, summons believers of the Tribulation Period to assemble together in preparation for entry into Messiah’s kingdom on earth.

And they shall gather together his elect from the four winds- the Lord said elsewhere, “And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God”, Luke 13:29. This would no doubt include believing Gentiles, those commended for their kind treatment of Christ’s brethren during the Tribulation Period, Matthew 25:34-40. In the parable of the wheat and the tares the angels not only gathered the wicked for judgement, but the wheat into the barn, meaning the kingdom of God, Matthew 13:30,43. The angels have a similar ministry in the parable of the net, verse 49.

From one end of heaven to the other- no doubt these believers have felt that the heavens over their heads were as brass, Deuteronomy 28:23, and they have prayed, “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down”, Isaiah 64:1, and now their prayers have been answered.

(g) Verses 32-51-25:46
Diverse reactions to His coming

Survey of the section
We come now to the section that ends in 25:46, which is the answer to the first question of the disciples, “When shall these things be”, verse 3, “these things” in particular being the destruction of the temple. So it is that scattered throughout the section we have adverbs of time, such as “when his branch is yet tender…when ye shall see all these things...then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins…when the Son of man shall come in His glory”, verses 32,33; 25:1,31.

The passage consists of seven illustrations which give help with regard to the time of the coming of the Son of man, which is His coming to earth.

(i)	Verses 32-35	The fig tree	The need for awareness
(ii)	Verses 36-41	The flood	The need for readiness
(iii)	Verses 42-44	The thief	The need for watchfulness
(iv)	Verses 45-51	The householder	The need for faithfulness
(v)	Verses 1-13	The virgins	The need for alertness
(vi)	Verses 14-30	The talents	The need for busy-ness
(vii)	Verses 31-46	The shepherd	The prospect of blessedness

(i) Verses 32-35
The fig tree: The need for awareness

24:32
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

Now learn a parable of the fig tree- the other illustrations are not called parables, but they have that character, where a situation from everyday life is used to put over spiritual truth and instruction.

When his branch is yet tender- this shows that Spring has come, for the new soft growth is developing, the sap is rising, and new leaves are appearing.

Ye know that summer is nigh- the signs of Spring are, in the nature of things, the signs that Summer will follow, for that is how the Creator has ordained it to be. The Lord will next explain His parable.

24:33
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things- it is true that the nation of Israel, (symbolised elsewhere as a fig tree, Luke 13:6; Matthew 21:19), has in modern times shown signs of reviving in different ways, but the reference here is to “all these things”, the matters dealt with in previous verses which have to do with the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation. The believers of that day are to be encouraged, for in a strange sort of way the judgements of God are the sign that Christ’s reign, “the Summer”, will soon arrive.

Know that it is near, even at the doors- by “it” is meant the coming of the Son of man.

24:34
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled- there is no reason to think that “this generation” is the generation then living, for that is not the context. The King is projecting our minds into the future, just before He comes to reign, so the setting is the time of tribulation, and the Lord gives the guarantee that even though the judgements shall be severe, the nation of Israel will survive. For eventually, “all Israel shall be saved”, Romans 11:26. When He likened the nation of Israel to a demon-possessed man He said, “the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation”, Matthew 12:45. So the generation at the end is the same generation as at the beginning.

24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away- the Lord knew there would be those who would misunderstand His words, saying, for instance, that He was speaking of the nation then living, and that the tribulation would take place in their lifetime, when Jerusalem was destroyed. But there is no way that what happened then can fit the prophecies of this chapter. In any case, John was given revelations which fill in the details of what we have in this chapter in general terms, and this would be unnecessary if they had all been fulfilled decades before John saw his vision.

24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

But of that day and hour knoweth no man- such is His total control of the situation that the Father has fixed not only the day but the hour of the coming of the Son of man, the subject of this part of the prophecy. The timing, however, has been withheld from men. It is withheld from believers in the Tribulation Period so that they stay alert and ready for His coming. From unbelievers so that they may come to their senses quickly, and have dealings with God before it is too late.

No, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only- even those who shall accompany Christ when He comes do not know the moment, so they are in constant expectation. In Mark’s gospel the Lord adds, “neither the Son”, which has given rise to much enquiry. We may immediately dismiss the idea of some that the Lord emptied Himself of Deity when He became man, and for that reason He is limited in knowledge, and therefore does not know the time of His coming. But scripture says that “it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell”, Colossians 1:19. This would include fulness of knowledge.

In Acts 1:6,6, when the Lord was assembled with His disciples immediately prior to His ascension, they asked Him about the kingdom, and whether He would restore it to Israel, in their words, “at this time”. The reply was, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power”. Notice the mention of the Father again, just as in Matthew 24:36.

Whilst it is true that the Son of God has not left Deity by coming into manhood, it is also true that He has come into a place of subjection as a man. Christ’s subjection to His Father is expressed in several passages:

1. We read, “the head of Christ is God”, 1 Corinthians 11:3. Just as the head is the controlling member, and directs the rest of the body, so Christ came to be willingly obedient to His Father’s will. This in no way devalues His Deity, for He was privy to, and in agreement with, every decision of Deity.

2. When a Greek boy was going to be presented to the world as the son of his father and was adopted formally, it was “at the time appointed of the father”, Galatians 4:2. So it is that God presented His Son to the world at His incarnation “when the fullness of the time was come”, verse 4. The Father decided on the time of the coming of Christ.

3. When He came into the world He said, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God”, Hebrews 10:9. So He voluntarily took the place of one who was going to obey whatever commands came.

4. He Himself referred to His coming into the world when He said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me”, John 6:38. This is a great encouragement to believers, for He goes on to say that the Father’s will was that He give eternal life to those who believe.

5. When the cities wherein most of His mighty works had been done rejected Him, then He said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight”, Matthew 11:25,26. He accepted that being rejected by these cities was part of God’s good will.

6. His subjection to His Father is expressed in Gethsemane, when He said, in connection with His sufferings, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt”, Matthew 26:39. So whether or not He drank the cup was entirely in the hand of His Father, and He accepted this situation, for His Father was His head.

7. Even after He has reigned for one thousand years the Lord will reaffirm His subjection to God, 1 Corinthians 15:28. So by coming into manhood He has accepted that feature that marks man, namely, subjection to God. Since He is man for ever, He will be subject for ever, difficult as that may be for us to comprehend.

Could it not be that the reason the Son does not know the date of His coming is because the question has not been discussed by the Godhead yet? And could it not be to do with the shortening of the days of the Tribulation Period mentioned in verse 22? This is closely connected with the time of the beginning of Christ’s reign, and that, in turn, is dependant on Him appealing to His Father, for in Psalm 2 we read, “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, ‘Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession'”, verses 7 and 8. So at present the times and seasons of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel is in the power of the Father, the Son being subject. In a future day it will be dependant upon the Son asking at a particular point in time. So what makes the difference? Is is not that in the meantime the Godhead have consulted together, and agreed that the timing of the start of the kingdom should be dependant on the request of the Son?

(ii) Verses 36-41
The flood: The need for readiness

24:37
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be- even though the exact time of the coming is hid from men, there are certain attitudes and behaviours that will characterise men just before the coming, and these the Lord now indicates.

24:38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

For as in the days that were before the flood- the word the Lord uses here is “kataklusmos”, from which we derive the English word cataclysm. The Lord is not only affirming the historical account of the flood in the book of Genesis, but is teaching that the flood was even more drastic than a catastrophe, which could be local, but was a complete overflowing of the earth.

They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage- their extreme wickedness is not emphasised here, but their total disregard for the warnings that both Enoch and Noah had given to them about coming judgement. There is nothing wrong in eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, they are part of our Creator’s plan for life on earth. What is very wrong is to continue with them, and disregard the Creator. So the end times will be marked by apathy towards Divine things.

Until the day that Noe entered into the ark- they could not have failed to notice that Noah was marshalling the creatures into the ark prior to going in himself. Even this was ignored. We might see a parallel in the future, for God is going to marshal His church saints and take them through the opened door of heaven, (see Acts 10:11-16 for an illustration of this). Now Methusalah was so named because his father knew that “when he is dead, it shall be sent”, a reference to the flood. So he must have died during the seven-day period in between the shutting of the door of the ark and the start of the rain, Genesis 6:7,10. Otherwise it would have meant that a man in the line of faith perished in the flood.

24:39
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

And knew not until the flood came- there were several indications that the flood was coming. There was the fact that Noah was building a great ark; the preaching of Enoch; the continued testimony of the meaning of the name of Methuselah; the taking of food into the ark; the assembling of the animals and their entry into the ark. All these were clear indications that things not seen as yet were about to come. So how could they be said to be ignorant? The apostle Peter gives us the answer, for writing of these people he says that they, like men today, were willingly ignorant, 2 Peter 3:5. So determined to be occupied with their own lives were they, that they forgot God.

And took them all away- so here we have from the lips of the Son of God, who cannot lie, that the flood was universal. This confirms what the book of Genesis had already stated, “All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died”, Genesis 7:22. As those who were not fit to continue upon the earth, and certainly not fit to step out into a new earth after the flood, they were swept away.

So shall also the coming of the Son of man be- in the future men will increasingly disregard God, and only have time for themselves. The coming of the Son of man will surprise them just as much as did the coming of the flood surprise the men of Noah’s day.

24:40
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left- we might think this statement strange, since the Lord has just spoken of all being taken away, and now He speaks of only one out of two being taken away. But the “all” of verse 39 means all who were unbelieving. It does not mean all men absolutely, since eight persons were safe in the ark, so they were not taken away in judgement like the rest of men. So the Lord is here distinguishing these two classes; one is like Noah, a believer, the other is like those who perished in the flood, an unbeliever.

So two men are working together in the field. One is a believer, the other is not. When the Son of man comes, one is taken away for judgement, like the tares in the parable, and the other is left to enter into the kingdom of Christ on earth, like the wheat put into the garner.

It is a great mistake to see in this an illustration of what will happen at the rapture of church saints. Of course there might be situations where there is a believer working alongside an unbeliever, and the believer is taken to be with Christ and the unbeliever is left to go through the Tribulation Period. But the title Son of man is one which connects Him to earth, and would not be appropriate in relation to taking saints to heaven, for it has to do with either His coming to earth at His incarnation, or His coming to earth again at His revelation. Just because the word “taken” is the same Greek word as “receive” in John 14:3 does not over-ride this fact; all must be understood in context.

24:41
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Two women shall be grinding at the mill- it was the custom in those times for women to sit on the ground with a millstone between them, and one would push the stone round halfway, and then the other would finish the circle. So they are working closely together; even more closely that the two men of the previous verse who were simply “in the field”.

The one shall be taken, and the other left- these may even have been members of the same household, mother and daughter perhaps or mother in law and daughter in law. No matter the closeness of the relationship and the proximity to one another, the coming of the Son of man will divide between them once and for all.

24:42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come- this is an exhortation to the believer, as indicated by the pronoun “your”. The Son of man is his Lord, and therefore His interests should be foremost before the mind. If they are, then he will be waiting expectantly for Him. The fact that he does not know the exact time will not concern him. Note that it is not “will come” but “doth come”, as if His coming is a present possibility at any moment. For the unbeliever to watch the Son of man actually arrive will be too late.

(iii) Verses 43-44
The thief: The need for watchfulness

24:43
But 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.

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come- not only is there to be a readiness for the coming of the Son of man, but also a constant looking out for Him. The argument of the verse is that if the time of the arrival of the thief was known, then at that time the man would have watched. Since it was not known, he should watch all the time.

He would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up- the matter of watching is urgent, for to not be watching might indicate not being ready, and then a worse disaster than a break-in to the house will follow, even the ruin of the soul. The apostle Paul took up this figure when he wrote, “the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night”, 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Needless to say neither Christ nor Paul are saying that the Son of man is a thief. They are simply using a figure of speech.

24:44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Therefore be ye also ready- just as the goodman of the house should ideally be alert all of the time, so the believers of the Tribulation time should also be ready all the time.

For in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh- it is important for them to be ready and waiting when He comes, for that will indicate whether they are believers or not. By contrast, when the Lord comes for His church some, alas, will not be ready in the sense that they are not occupied with Divine things. Yet such is the grace of God at this time that whether we “wake or sleep”, that is, whether we are alert or not alert, we shall live together with Him, 1 Thessalonians 5:10.

The reason they do not know the day of His coming is no doubt because the days will be shortened, and if they are counting off the 1260 days of the Tribulation, they will be caught out, for He will come sooner.

(iv) Verses 45-51
The householder: The need for faithfulness

24:45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Who then is a faithful and wise servant- a further illustration now, this time to encourage diligence. They are not to be careless of His coming to the extent that the men of Noah’s day were careless about warnings of a flood, and were occupied only with their own things. But, on the other hand, they are not to be so expectant of His coming that they forget they have things to do for Him while they wait. They are to blend faithfulness and wisdom. The faithfulness is to be informed by the wisdom, (which may be defined as “insight into the true nature of things”), and wisdom is to express itself in faithfulness. There is a challenge here, for the question is asked, “Who then”, and each must answer that question for himself.

Whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Despite the difficulties of the Tribulation Period, those who believe are to keep the faith, and nourish their souls to withstand the pressures of the time. The household of faith in any era needs to be fortified by Divine truth, and that truth is to be administered intelligently, according to the need of the hour, or as the phrase is here, “in due season”. Current situations and problems need to be addressed.

24:46
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing- it is expected that this servant will be a faithful steward for God right up to the time of the coming of the Son of man. This is part of what it means to be faithful, and is certainly a wise policy. The blessing is detailed in the next verse, for the servant’s Lord is righteous, and will see to it that work done for Him is rewarded. The Lord said elsewhere, “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do'”, Luke 17:10. So the servant should serve because he is commanded to do it, and not to gain reward, although in the goodness of the Lord a reward shall be given.

24:47
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods- so the reward is far beyond what we might expect, such is the generosity of our Lord. As He said elsewhere, “because thou hast been faithful over a very little, have thou authority over ten cities”, Luke 19:17. This shows how highly the Lord values faithfulness to Himself.

24:48
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart- “that evil servant” refers to the man of the next verses. His evil conduct flows from what he says in his heart, for out of the heart are the issues of life, Proverbs 4:23, therefore the heart should be kept “with all diligence”.

My lord delayeth his coming- there is no way this evil servant knows that this is the case. In fact, the writer to the Hebrews, (and, valuable as that book is to us now, it will also be valuable in the Tribulation Period also), states very clearly, “For yet a little while, and he that shall come come will come, and will not tarry”, Hebrews 10:37. So the idea of the evil servant that his lord’s coming is delayed is one he has devised in his own heart, and reveals, not what he knows is true, but what he hopes is true.

24:49
And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

And shall begin to smite his fellowservants- his heart-thoughts have issues in his life, as the proverb said they would do. They have a double result, for his attitude towards his fellow-servants is affected, and so is his own personal behaviour. See how a wrong attitude to the coming of Christ is so serious, and justifies the description of this man as an “evil servant”. Believers “love his appearing”, 2 Timothy 4:8, because they love the one who is going to appear. And if they love Him they will love fellow-believers. This man however has the mark of an unrighteous man about him for he loves not his brother. John writes, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death”, 1 John 3:14.

And to eat and drink with the drunken- not only does this servant not show any responsibility towards his lord and his servants, he is irresponsible in his personal behaviour as well. We have been told of the men of Noah’s day that they were eating and drinking, that is, continuing on with their natural lives and ignoring God. This man goes further and is drunken, and therefore totally insensitive to God. Worse still, he is not drunken on his own, but is consorting with others of like sort, and this reflects on his lord. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s”, Romans 14:7,8.

24:50
The 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,

The 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- he is too busy misbehaving to watch out for the coming of his lord, and is unaware of its approach because he is drunken.

24:51
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And shall cut him asunder- this is a severe punishment, and shows the seriousness of disregarding the interests of God in favour of one’s own interests.

And appoint him his portion with the hypocrites-the man took his place amongst the other servants, yet by his behaviour showed that he was a fraud. Such a person will have “his” portion, the due retribution for the sin committed.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth- this is the standard formula to describe conditions in the lake of fire. There will be weeping for present pain, and gnashing of teeth against God for inflicting it.

Christian Gospel Online, (formerly Christian Gospel Information)

For those who are prepared to think seriously about Christianity

Tag Archives: persecution

1 THESSALONIANS 2