Mat 24:3-31 | PNT | STEP | As he sat upon the mount of Olives . Passing out of the city, over the valley of Jehoshaphat, he and his disciples climbed the mount and sat down on its crest overlooking the city and temple bathed in the sunset. Tell us . The disciples, still thinking of what the Lord had said, ask three questions: (1) When shall these things be? That is, the overthrow of the temple. (2) What shall be the sign of the coming? And (3) of the end of the world? They supposed these events would be simultaneous--a mistake. To understand what follows we must keep in mind that he has three questions to answer, nor are the answers blended.

Matthew 24:3-31

As he sat upon the mount of Olives. Passing out of the city, over the valley of Jehoshaphat, he and his disciples climbed the mount and sat down on its crest overlooking the city and temple bathed in the sunset.

Tell us. The disciples, still thinking of what the Lord had said, ask three questions: (1) When shall these things be? That is, the overthrow of the temple. (2) What shall be the sign of the coming? And (3) of the end of the world? They supposed these events would be simultaneous--a mistake. To understand what follows we must keep in mind that he has three questions to answer, nor are the answers blended. Take heed that no man deceive you. By pretending to be Christ. As they yet believed that Christ would surely return to reign at Jerusalem, this admonition was needed. Come in my name. As the Messiah. We learn from Josephus that enthusiasts did come about the time of the end of Jerusalem, claiming to be sent of God. Bar-cocheba, "the son of the star", appeared in A.D. 120. From time to time other deceivers have appeared. Ye shall hear of wars. The Jewish war began in A.D. 66, and ended five years after. During this period all the Roman empire was filled with commotion. Nero, the emperor, was overthrown by Galba; six months after, Galba was overthrown by Otho; a few months after, Otho was overthrown by Vitelius; a little later, he was overthrown by Vespasian. All of these but the last, who ascended the throne shortly before Jerusalem was destroyed, died violent deaths. Famines. The natural result of civil wars. Tacitus, the Roman historian, says of this period: ``It was full of calamities, horrible with battles, rent with seditions, savage in peace itself.'' Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted. To persecution. Soon literally fulfilled in the Jewish persecutions. The awful persecution of Nero also soon followed.

Ye shall be hated. Tacitus, describing Nero's persecution begun in A.D. 64, says "the Christians were haters of mankind". Then shall many be offended. Shall stumble and fall, rather than suffer for Christ. The half-hearted always do. Many false prophets. False teachers. Compare Ga 1:7 1Jo 2:12,18 4:1 2Pe 2:1 1Ti 4:1. See also Josephus, Book VI, 5, sec. 3. Because iniquity shall abound, etc. Immorality eats out the heart of religion. He that shall endure unto the end, etc. The Christian Jews who endured to the end were saved by flight to Pella, beyond the Jordan, at the signal pointed out by the Lord. The principle is generally applicable. This gospel of the kingdom, etc. The gospel was preached throughout the Roman empire, "the world" of the New Testament, before A.D. 70.

Then shall the end come. Of the Jewish state. When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation. This is the sign when Christians should flee from Jerusalem. See Da 9:27 11:31 12:11. Luke says, "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies" (Lu 21:20). This was, therefore, Christ's explanation of the abomination of desolation. The Roman army, heathen, with heathen images and standards, ready to sacrifice to idols on the temple altar, working the desolation of Jerusalem and the temple, is what is meant.

In the holy place. Mark says, "Where it ought not" (Mr 13:14); around "the holy city" (Mt 4:5). Let them who are in Judea flee. For refuge. Let him which is on the housetop. The flat roofs were sleeping places. All must be done without a moment's delay. Woe unto them that are with child. Because not fit for flight and the hardships that must be endured. Be not in the winter. Because the streams were then impassable torrents from the heavy rains and the weather cold and wet, hard on homeless people.

Neither on the sabbath. Because then the gates of the city were closed, preventing departure. History tells us that the army of Cestius Gallus enclosed Jerusalem in A.D. 67, then deterred by its strength, retired to Caesarea. This was the signal for which the church waited, and it then fled beyond the Jordan. Great tribulation. The account given by Josephus, the Jewish historian who witnessed and recorded the war, is almost an echo of the predictions of Christ. Women ate their own children from starvation; the Jews within the city fought each other as well as the Roman army; on August 10, A.D. 70, the city was stormed and there was a universal massacre; 1,100,00 persons perished, and 100,000 survivors were sold into slavery. There should no flesh be saved. If such awful work should continue, it would exterminate the human race.

For the elect's sake. On their account, because there is salt to save the earth, and end shall be put to the awful work of death. The "elect" are the believers in Christ (Ro 11:5-7). Then. During this period of tribulation, give no heed to false prophets, false Christs, or to those who say Christ is here or there. For as the lightning. There will be no doubt about Christ's coming when he does come, no discussion, no need that any one shall tell it. It will be manifest as the flash of lightning across the sky. There can be no mistake. Such language shows how much those err who claim that his coming was at the destruction of Jerusalem. Whersoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered. The term "carcase" well represents the utterly corrupted Jewish state; the "eagles" is a fit symbol of the Roman army, every legion of which bore the eagle as its standard. Immediately after the tribulation of those days. The first question, "When shall these things be"? (Mt 24:3) has now been answered. Here begins the answer to the second, concerning the coming of the Lord. For other passages on the second coming, see 1Th 2:19 3:13 4:15 5:23 2Th 2:1,8,9 1Co 15:23 Jas 5:7 2Pe 1:16 3:12 1Jo 2:28. "Immediately" after the destruction of Jerusalem (the tribulation) the series of events begins that leads to the coming of Christ.

Shall the sun be darkened. I take what follows to be symbolical, as is usual for prophecy, rather than literal. Christ is "the Sun of Righteousness" (Mal 4:2). After the destruction of Jerusalem, the causes began to work that led to the great apostasy of the church and produced "the Dark Ages" of the church.

The moon shall not give her light. The moon shines by reflected light of the sun and if it is darkened so will be the moon. So, too, the church shines by the light of Christ. When Christ's light was darkened by taking the Bible from the people the church give forth little light during the long night of the Middle Ages.

The stars shall fall. Stars represent great teachers of the church, apostles and evangelists. See Re 1:20. When the apostles were dethroned by the Romish apostasy, "the stars fell from heaven", figuratively. Other stars, great church lights who apostatized, fell from heaven in another sense. Then. After the long period of apostasy.

Shall appear the sign of the Son of man. Some sign of his coming that every one will recognize when it is manifested.

All the tribes of the earth mourn. Because of their sins.

They shall see the Son of man coming. It will be visible to every eye and will be in splendor. With a great sound of a trumpet. Compare 1Th 4:16.

Shall gather together his elect. Before the judgment on the world. The believers will be in all countries, mingled with the population of earth, and then shall be separated.

Four winds. The four quarters of the earth.