JESUS LEFT THE temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29“Immediately after the distress of those days
“ ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
30“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Original Meaning
THE EVENTS OF this Holy Week continue to unfold in ways that must have astounded Jesus’ disciples. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday with what seemed to be triumphant acclaim from the crowds as the arriving Messiah (21:1–11). But after disrupting the commercial activities in the temple on Monday, things took an ominous turn (21:12–17). The entire Tuesday morning Jesus engaged in endless controversies and debates (21:23–22:46), which were followed by a shocking diatribe in which Jesus gave public warning to the crowds and his disciples about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. He then turned to them directly with agonizing pronouncements of woe (23:1–39). Now his disciples can see that the week in Jerusalem will be dangerous, because the religious leaders in Jerusalem are out to get Jesus to try and silence him.
So Jesus urgently turns his attention to his disciples. He can perceive the coming crisis of his arrest, so he must prepare his followers for the events that await them. For the fifth and final time in Matthew’s Gospel, he directs a major discourse to the disciples that will comprise part of what all new disciples will be taught to obey (28:20). This discourse is prophecy, to prepare his disciples both for the catastrophic events of judgment that will befall the nation with the destruction of the temple and for the interval before his return in glory and triumph.
The Setting of the Olivet Discourse (24:1–3)
APPARENTLY LATE TUESDAY afternoon after the theological debates with the religious leaders, Jesus and the disciples leave the temple and the city to make their way back to Bethany, where they stay each evening (cf. 21:17).The road from Jerusalem to Bethany traverses the Mount of Olives, giving a spectacular view of the temple behind and below them. The disciples look back over the city and point out the beautiful buildings of the temple to Jesus (24:1). According to Mark 13:1, they exclaim, “Look, Teacher? What massive stones? What magnificent buildings!”
In response to these exclamations over the beauty and magnificence of the temple, Jesus paints a dark picture of its future: “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” The last invective Jesus addressed to the Pharisees included a warning to the entire generation and a lament over Jerusalem and its temple (cf. 23:36–38). This must have startled the disciples, because Jerusalem was the holy city and the rebuilt temple was the pride of the nation. Jesus’ statement here also must have baffled the disciples, since the temple was almost completely rebuilt by this time (cf. John 2:20).1 Now Jesus is prophesying its destruction (which did occur in A.D. 70).
Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives, perhaps pondering his prophetic forecast, when his disciples approach him to ask his private understanding of the incredible events to which he has just alluded (24:3). Jesus’ reply initiates an extended discourse forecasting the events that will stretch on down the course of history. This is the fifth and final major discourse recorded in this Gospel. As with the other discourses, Jesus directs it to his disciples and it is part of the material that new disciples must be taught to obey until his return (28:20). Here the material is apocalyptic revelation, whereas the earlier discourses included teaching (chs. 5–7), a missionary mandate (chs. 10), parables (ch. 13), and sayings on the community life of the church (ch. 18). Since he gave this discourse while sitting on the Mount of Olives, the traditional name is the Olivet Discourse. All three Synoptic Gospels contain this prophecy, though Matthew gives the fullest description.
The content of the discourse is in response to the disciples’ questions: “ ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ ” The disciples ask two questions here: (1) “When will all these things be?” (2) “What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” That is, this second question probes both Jesus’ coming and the end of the age as descriptions of one event.2 This is indicated in Greek by one article that governs both the phrase “sign of your coming” and the phrase “end of the age.”3
Jesus’ answer to the first question comes most directly in Luke’s account (Luke 21:20; cf. Matt. 24:15), although he alludes to the abandonment of Jerusalem’s temple in that generation in the conclusion to the woes on the religious leadership of Israel (Matt. 23:34). But the way in which the disciples ask both questions may indicate that to them, the destruction of the temple and the Parousia are not separated, which clues us to Jesus’ reply.
In this discourse we have historical and eschatological references, with Jesus prophesying both the fall of Jerusalem and his own Parousia. Luke focuses on historical details of the destruction of the temple and the fall of Jerusalem, events that happened in A.D. 70 (Luke 21:20–24), while Matthew and Mark give details that are difficult to see completely fulfilled with the first-century events and thus point to a future fulfillment (cf. Matt. 24:15–22; Mark 13:14–20). Jesus does allude to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, but he uses these events to foreshadow end-time events.
George Ladd suggests that the historical and eschatological elements are purposely intertwined under a kind of “prophetic foreshortening.” The near event, the destruction of Jerusalem, serves as a symbol for the far event.4
Jesus intertwines his answer to both of the disciples’ questions concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the Parousia. The destruction of the temple answers the questions of Jesus’ disciples, but he sees beyond that day to the entire age and his coming in power and glory at the end of the age.5
We may see, then, three basic parts to Jesus’ discourse. (1) Part one describes events, generally chronological, prior to the coming of Jesus (24:4–31). (a) He first offers a general description of events that will transpire throughout the entire age (24:4–14), with worldwide evangelistic activity consummating the age; (b) then he describes the “great tribulation” (24:15–28), which intertwines prophecy of the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and the final desolation at the end of the age; (c) then he describes the coming of the Son of Man during the time of Tribulation (24:29–31); (d) he concludes the first part of the discourse with a general principle of nearness concerning the destruction and Parousia (24:32–35).
(2) Part two gives lessons on watching, waiting, and being prepared for the coming of Jesus (24:32–25:30). (a) Jesus begins the lessons by declaring why his disciples are to watch, namely, that the time of his coming is unknown (24:36–41); (b) he then gives a general warning to “watch” (24:42–44), because the coming is at an unknown hour, and he follows that with three parables to instruct his disciples how they are to await his unknown time of coming (24:45–51; 25:1–13; 25:14–30).
(3) Part three concludes the discourse with a warning of judgment and a promise of reward at the time of his coming (25:31–46).
The Beginning of Birth Pains (24:4–14)
IN THE FIRST section of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus gives a preview of general conditions on the earth that in some sense characterize the entire age before the coming of the Lord. The Twelve have been warned of some of this impending persecution and suffering they will endure on their future worldwide missionary endeavor (cf. 10:16–23), but here it is given in a discourse that anticipates suffering that will be common to all disciples as they await the return of Jesus and the end of this age.
Sufferings throughout the world (24:4–8). The discourse begins with a stern admonition: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” Many events may deceive the disciples into thinking that the end of the age has arrived. Instead, all of these events are general characteristics of this present age of “birth pains.” Jesus explicitly outlines a number of conditions that must not be seen as indicators of the end of the age.
False messiahs (24:4–5). He first warns, “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Prophetic figures and messianic deliverers had long attempted to incite revolution against occupying forces in the Second Temple period, and they continued into the years after the foundation of the church. The second-century Jewish rebel Simon Bar Kokhba (meaning “son of a star”) was so named by Rabbi Akiba, proclaiming him the Messiah on the basis of the star from Jacob in Numbers 24:17. Later rabbis rejected this identification and referred to him as Bar Kosiba (lit., “son of a lie”).6 Throughout the ages, many have attempted to claim messianic identity. Jesus’ disciples must not be deceived.
Wars and calamities (24:6–7). Jesus next warns that wars and rumors of wars will occur repeatedly throughout this age, with nations and kingdoms rising against each other. But he warns: “See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” The end is not near even though calamities may seem to indicate that it is. The Old Testament linked wars, cosmic battles, famines, earthquakes, and other catastrophic events with the end of the age, as did the apocalyptic vision of 2 Esdras 9:1–6 (note too the catastrophic events recorded in Revelation). But Jesus emphasizes that these cataclysmic activities will be a regular part of the suffering of this life until the return of Jesus begins the redemption of all creation.
Birth pains (24:8). These are just “the beginning of birth pains.” “Birth pains” is a common metaphor from the Old Testament prophets to depict terrible human suffering generally (Isa. 13:8; 21:3; 42:14; Jer. 30:7–10; Hos. 13:13), but also the suffering that Israel specifically will endure prior to her deliverance (Isa. 26:17–19; 66:7–11; Jer. 22:23; Mic. 4:9–10). The imagery points to an expected time of suffering that will characterize the period prior to the messianic age. Although the inauguration of the kingdom of heaven brings redemption to its citizens, the whole world continues to experience birth pains as it awaits final redemption, as do even believers who have the firstfruits of the Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:22–23).
We may think that the imagery of “birth pains” contradicts Jesus’ statement that the time of his coming is unknown (24:36), since such pains presage the imminent birth of a baby. But the metaphor in “birth pains” is used to highlight a different facet of the prenatal process, that the onset of childbirth is not steady but is a repeated phenomenon, coming in waves over and over again.7 The baby does not come on the first pang, but once the pains begin, all know that the inexorable process has commenced. We do not know if the baby will come on the fifth, the fifteenth, the fiftieth, or the five hundredth. Periods of wars and rumors of wars, tragic earthquakes, and famines wash over the landscape of history in repeated pains. Each reminds us that the end is coming, but no one knows when until the Son of Man appears. Throughout the labor we must remain on guard.
Some will try to mislead believers that these pains are the end. But Jesus warns his disciples not to be deceived. The first appearance, especially the tragedies they will witness in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, are the beginning of birth pains, but they will continue to recur and will characterize the entire age. The metaphor indicates the inescapability of the sequence of events once the process begins and also the repetitive nature of the waves of pain until the end.
Sufferings of Jesus’ disciples (24:9–13). The adverb “then” (tote) occurs regularly in Matthew, at times to indicate chronological sequence (e.g., 2:7; 4:5, 17), and at other times only as a loose connector (e.g., 3:15; 4:11). Likewise in this chapter tote occurs in some cases as a loose connector (e.g., 24:10, 23), in other cases with a strong sense of temporal sequence (24:14, 16, 30). Some see chronological sequence in 24:9, indicating that the events of 24:9–14 will presage the Parousia.8 Rather, a special emphasis of tote signals a change of focus.9 Jesus switches from prophesying the suffering that the world will experience throughout this age (24:4–8) to predicting suffering that his disciples will encounter because they are his followers (24:9–13).10
Persecution (24:9–11). Reminiscent of his Mission Discourse that prepared his disciples for their responsibilities to carry the gospel of the kingdom throughout this age (ch. 10), Jesus warns them that they will encounter persecution: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (cf. 10:16–24). The disciples will be handed over to thlipsis (“persecution, distress, tribulation”), a word that occurs four times in Matthew, three of which are found in this chapter (13:21; 24:9, 21, 29). In 24:21, 29, thlipsis points to a specific future period of unparalleled “distress” (NIV) or “tribulation” (NASB); here, as in 13:21, the term indicates a general kind of trouble or persecution. Jesus’ disciples will feel the wrath and alienation from humanity for following him and proclaiming his message.
The phrase “because of me” is literally “because of my name” and is an important Christological expression11 (cf. 5:11; 24:9) that harks back to the Old Testament significance of God’s name as the representation of his person as being the sole focus of Israel’s worship and allegiance (e.g., Ex. 3:15; 6:3; 9:16; 20:7). Jesus’ disciples will have the privilege of carrying his name, but it also brings with it suffering, because the antagonism and hatred that is directed to him will naturally fall on his followers.12
Betrayal (24:10). Because of persecution, the faith of Jesus’ followers will be tested. “Many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.” It is not easy to endure persecution, and those who only hold on to Jesus because of their own comfort will find it easier to turn away from him and avoid the suffering. They not only will seek their own escape from suffering, but they will become enemies of Jesus and turn against his followers, their former fellow disciples. They will betray them to the persecutors, and the love that had characterized the relationship between them (5:43–47; 22:34–40) will be turned to hate as they utterly reject Jesus. This apostasy is the evidence that they never were true disciples.
Deception (24:11). Not only will false messiahs try to deceive the world (24:5), false prophets will surface within the community to try to deceive Jesus’ disciples. The apostle John warns likewise of deceptive voices both within the church and in the world (1 John 2:18–27; 4:1–6), who are to be tested according to the criterion of their acknowledgment of Jesus as the incarnate Messiah (1 John 2:22; 4:2–3). This criterion will be employed throughout this age to test cults and false theology, but sadly, these false prophets will deceive many.
Wickedness and lovelessness (24:12). All of the preceding phenomena are described as the increase of wickedness, which points to the spiritual death of those who fall away and those who have attempted to deceive the community. The chief characteristic of spiritual death is that it causes love to grow cold. Jesus emphasized throughout his ministry that love is not primarily an emotion but is an active commitment to God and to others to promote God’s will (cf. 5:43–47). Those who are spiritually dead cannot produce this kind of love, which reemphasizes that these apostates never knew God at all. The NIV expression “most” (gen. pl. of polloi), along with the other uses of polloi in this chapter that are rendered “many” (24:5, 10–11),13 indicates that a large percentage of the community will apostatize.14 This is a somber picture of the community of disciples being impacted by apostasy. But it is not unlike Jesus’ statements elsewhere when he emphasizes that the gate and way to life are narrow, with only a few finding it (7:13–14).
Standing firm (24:13). Along with the somber picture of apostasy Jesus gives a critical promise: “But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Active resistance may be included in standing firm, but much more in view is the enduring fortitude of the disciples under any circumstance, including the most hateful persecution. The identical expression occurred in the Mission Discourse, where Jesus gave great assurance that in spite of the increase in persecution, the hatred of humanity would not overcome his missionary disciples (10:22). Here Jesus also looks to the promise that the disciple who endures to the end—that is, the end of the persecution with the coming of the Son of Man (10:23) or the end of a person’s life—will be saved.
“Saved” does not speak of rescue from physical death, because many true disciples have experienced martyrdom (cf. also 24:21–22). Instead, Jesus gives both a concrete promise and a cautionary reminder. His promise is that the one who remains committed to his name until the end will not be consumed by the persecution, but will experience the full blessing and peace of kingdom’s salvation with his arrival. But Jesus likewise reminds them that a disciple’s real commitment to him is demonstrated in whether he or she remains steadfast. Jesus is faithful to provide the resources to withstand whatever difficulties may come, because the same Spirit who was on Jesus in his earthly ministry (12:18) will speak through the disciples when they are under pressure and persecution (10:19–20) and will provide the strength necessary to endure the persecution to the end. Jesus himself will be with them to the end of the age (28:20).
Preaching the gospel to all nations (24:14). Jesus cautioned the disciples against false assumptions about what will signal the end (24:6, 8); now he gives an explicit indicator of the activity that must be accomplished before the end of this age: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” The expression “gospel of the kingdom” is unique to Matthew (cf. 4:23; 9:35), combining the good news of salvation with the arrival of the kingdom of God. This is testimony or a witness to the reality of God’s presence in the ministry of Jesus and his followers (cf. 8:4; 10:18). Although the increase of events in 24:9–13 indicates that the Parousia is near, the only explicit condition to be met is the proclamation of the gospel to all the nations. After that proclamation has occurred, the end will come.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the disciples’ mission was restricted to Israel (cf. 10:5–7) in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. The future mission shifts to all the nations, which will fulfill the Abrahamic covenant, though it will include a continued outreach to Israel (see comments on 10:23; 28:19).15 This future mission will be inaugurated with the risen Jesus’ “Great Commission” (28:16–20), but it is prophesied both here in the Olivet Discourse and earlier in the Missionary Discourse (10:16–23).
This worldwide proclamation was realized in part during the first century with the preaching of Paul throughout the then-known world (e.g., Rom. 15:19), which contributed to the possibility of the imminence of Jesus’ return.16 But the priority of worldwide missionary activity is demanded by recognizing that the final fulfillment of Jesus’ statement in 24:14 awaits the eschatological arrival of the events of great tribulation, to which he now turns. Jesus’ disciples are to give themselves urgently to the task of preaching the gospel of the kingdom throughout this present age, because we cannot fully discern when it has finally reached into all nations.17 Each new generation of nations does bring with it a new mission field. But once this proclamation has been fulfilled, the beginning of the time of tribulation on the earth will begin.
Description of “Great Tribulation” (24:15–28)
THE COMBINATION OF the temporal (“when”) and inferential (“so, therefore”) conjunctions beginning 24:15 signals a major temporal shift: “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’. . . .” Moving from general characteristics of this age until his return, Jesus now points to an event prophesied in Daniel 9:27, “the abomination that causes desolation.” Some contend that at this point Jesus focuses exclusively on the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70,18 while a wide spectrum of scholars hold that these events also presage a future time of eschatological defilement and destruction.19 The latter view is preferred here, especially when it is compared with Paul’s prediction of the eschatological man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:1–12) and with John’s vision of the beast in Revelation 13:11–18, which are remarkably similar to Jesus’ prophecy. Together they indicate some “evil, deified figure such as the AntiChrist.”20
If one looks only at the account in Luke 21:20–24, the focus is apparently on the fall of Jerusalem. But when we look at Matthew 24:15–22 and Mark 13:14–20, with the mention of the “the abomination that causes desolation” (notice that Luke only speaks of the desolation of Jerusalem), we can see that the focus shifts to something that did not occur at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This reference shifts the focus to activities at the end of the age. Jesus is thus giving a mixture of prophetic elements that speak both to his generation and to the future.
The abomination that causes desolation (24:15). The prophecy in Daniel refers to a period of “seven,” during which in the middle of the “seven” a ruler will set up “an abomination that causes desolation” (Dan. 9:27 NIV; cf. also 8:13; 11:31; 12:11). During the days of the Maccabees, the same expression was used to describe the sacrilege of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who decreed that an altar to Olympian Zeus and perhaps also a statue of himself be erected in the temple on 15 Chislev, 167 B.C. (1 Macc. 1:54; cf. 2 Macc. 6:2). Antiochus further decreed that the Sabbath and other festal observances were to be profaned, that circumcision was to be abolished, and that swine and other unclean animals were to be sacrificed in the temple (cf. 1 Macc. 1:41–50). This was one of the lowest points of Jewish history.
But the Daniel references were also brought to the mind of the ancients in A.D. 26, when Pontius Pilate arrived as prefect to govern Judea and introduced to Jerusalem military standards bearing idolatrous symbols of the emperor.21 Others believed Daniel’s prophecy was being fulfilled when Emperor Gaius (Caligula) ordered that a gigantic statue of himself be set up in the temple in Jerusalem, although he was dissuaded by King Herod Agrippa I and died in A.D. 41 before the order could be carried out.22
But rather than having been completely realized in the activities of Antiochus IV Epiphanes or at any other time, Jesus quotes Daniel directly to clarify that the fulfillment of the “abomination that causes desolation” is yet future.23 Paul harks back to Jesus’ and Daniel’s prophecy as he gives his own prophetic statement of the Antichrist who is yet to come (2 Thess. 2:3–4), which prefigures the Antichrist (the first beast), who will be set up by the false prophet (the second beast) as a god in the temple (Rev. 13:11–18).
Both Matthew and Mark include the phrase “let the reader understand” (cf. Mark 13:14). This is an aside intended to get the reader of Daniel to see that in Jesus’ words, one will find the real fulfillment of the prophecy. With the onset of the abomination that causes desolation as spoken of by Daniel, the period of “great distress” begins (Matt. 24:21). This desolating sacrilege is the predominant event of this period of tribulation, which corresponds to Daniel’s period of “seven,” during which in the middle of the “seven” a ruler will set up “an abomination that causes desolation” (Dan. 9:27 NIV). When we look at Daniel (esp. 9:25–27) and the events of Revelation (see the number of days of 1,260 in Rev. 12:6, which equals three and a half years), this marks the second half of the seven years of tribulation, the time of “great distress [tribulation].” Apparently the first three and a half years was a time of relative peace and quiet.
As discussed in the introduction to this discourse, Jesus’ prophecy is an answer to both of the disciples’ questions. He predicts the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70, but he looks beyond to a future time when another abomination that causes desolation will arise in Jerusalem to lead astray God’s people and bring destruction on all who resist him.24
Flight of believers (24:16–20). In a series of five warnings taken from everyday life in Israel, Jesus accentuates the immediacy of danger that will accompany the fulfillment of the arrival of the abomination that causes desolation. (1) “Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” When the abomination occurs, those who have heeded the prophecies of Jesus will know that immediate and utter destruction is coming on Jerusalem and many will die, so they are to flee with great haste. The Christian historian Eusebius reported that Jesus’ warning to flee to the mountains was fulfilled during the Jewish revolt when Christians fled to Pella.25 But Jesus’ warning is more general, since the mountains have always been a place of refuge for those beleaguered by invading armies, so Christians must find refuge there at this future time of great danger.
(2) “Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.” The impending destruction means that there will be no time to gather provisions in the home. The flat rooftops on many homes in Israel were a place to find a cool breeze in the evening and were considered part of the living quarters.
(3) “Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.” The outer coat was an essential garment for traveling, often used as a blanket when sleeping outdoors, and only those in the greatest hurry would think of leaving it behind.
(4) “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!” The danger of travel in this perilous time is greatest for those most at risk, especially pregnant mothers and their infants. Jesus describes their fate with a cry of “woe,” emphasizing that those who are most vulnerable and who normally rely on the help of others will suffer the most.
(5) The final warning states bluntly, “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.” Flight in winter, when roads are washed out and rivers are swollen, presents even more difficulty for those fleeing the horrors of approaching ruin. In prayer the disciples must cling to God’s presence and ever-ready help, even though they may have to disrupt even the most devoutly held religious traditions, such as the Jewish Sabbath.
“Great distress” (24:21). The adverb “then” (tote) occurs again, here with a strong sense of temporal sequence (see comments on 24:9; cf. 24:14, 16, 30). The appearance of the abomination that causes desolation launches the period of “great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” While the time of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem were horrible,26 Matthew’s description here indicates a time of tribulation that did not occur during the fall of Jerusalem. The horrors that fell on the Jewish people and on the entire world with the two world wars of the twentieth century are a somber warning that the devastation that comes from humanity’s unleashed depravity will yet be unequaled. The vision Jesus paints must yet be ahead. The apostle John’s vision reveals such a future time of incredible horror (Rev. 7–19). The unusual piling up of negatives in Matthew 24:21 (“never to be equaled again”—oud’ ou me genetai) makes for an emphatic negation, which points both to the unequaled climax of horror and God’s promise that it will not be repeated.27
The days cut short (24:22). Jesus again reiterates the terrible suffering of those future days: “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”This is a proverbial way of indicating that God is in control even of these days of horror. If the wickedness of humanity and the wrath of God were allowed to run unchecked, there would be no end to the terror and no one would survive. This is a promise that the time of tribulation will not last indefinitely, because God is in control.
The people of Israel are often referred to as “the elect” (e.g., Isa. 45:4; 1 En. 1:1), but this is a reference to believing Christians (e.g., Rom. 11:7). In the time of future great tribulation, when Israel will once again be used of God for witness (e.g., Rev. 7:3–8) to bring in a multitude of believers from all the nations who worship God and the Lamb (Rev. 7:9–12), the expression “the elect” includes all who believe on Christ during this period (cf. Matt. 24:24, 31).
Warnings about false messiahs (24:23–28). Jesus once again points to the rise of false messiahs and prophets, but whereas before he noted that the presence of these charlatans would be a characteristic of the entire age until the Parousia and would not signal the end of the age (see comments on 24:5, 11), during the time of great distress there will be an unprecedented rise of miracle-working false messiahs and prophets. The signs and miracles they perform are indications of supernatural activity, but believers must be careful not to be deceived into thinking that God stands behind them. Satan himself and his evil forces are able to manipulate the supernatural, so the spiritually discerning must look for the hand that lies behind the signs and miracles to see whether it truly comes from God. False messiahs and prophets who work supernatural deeds are therefore ultimately pawns in the hands of the enemy of God, the evil one.
Believers, beware. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” The desert had messianic overtones for diverse groups within Israel, who associated it with God’s forthcoming deliverance (e.g., Essenes of the Qumran community); messianic pretenders often gathered their followers in the desert prior to their public appearance.28 Jesus warns that they are not to believe those “in the desert” or “in the inner rooms” who say that they are the Messiah. The Messiah will not come in a secretive manner only to his exclusive gang of followers. Rather, the Son of Man will come in a spectacular manner, like lightning that is visible to all: “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
The warnings about secret workings of false messiahs and the declaration of his own spectacular appearance prompts Jesus to give a puzzling saying: “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.” The term aetos can be used to refer to an “eagle” (Rev. 4:7; 8:13), but where a carcass is mentioned, it is best to render it as “vultures” (NIV), since eagles do not gather as a group and do not normally feed on dead meat. This saying is proverbial, either quoted by Jesus or created by him to make a macabre point (cf. also Luke 17:37). Here it connects either with the appearance of false messiahs and prophets or with the coming of the Son of Man.
This proverb therefore means one of the following. (1) It may point out that the corruption of this world will draw false messiahs and prophets to converge and feed on those being deceived, who really therefore are spiritually dead. This fits best with the warnings about false prophets.29 (2) It may mean that just as certainly as vultures gather to devour a corpse or animal carcass, so all people will be drawn to see Christ upon his return.30 (3) It may indicate the sphere of operation from which people can see high circling vultures converging on the carcass of a dead animal; so will be the visibility of the return of the Son of Man when he comes to bring judgment on the deadness of this corrupt world.31 This latter view seems to make most sense in the context of Jesus’ allusion to his lightning-like appearance, but it is awkward in that it seems to make Jesus parallel to a vulture. But such incongruities often characterize Jesus’ proverbial sayings and parables for effect.
Description of the Coming of the Son of Man (24:29–31)
THE PHRASE “IMMEDIATELY after the distress of those days” (24:29) introduces a temporal sequence: The Son of Man will come after that time of tribulation. Here “distress” (thlipsis) connects wit. 24:21 to point to a specific period of great tribulation. The adverbial expression “immediately after” emphasizes that the celestial signs and the coming of Jesus will occur after the time of “great distress” just described in 24:15–28.
Those who hold to these events occurring during the fall of Jerusalem emphasize that one must resort to a “pitiful prosiness”32 in order to have these events occur literally at the end of the age. But those who see these events occurring at the end suggest that one must “wildly spiritualize”33 these events in order to see them as occurring at the fall of Jerusalem. Once again, the mixture of prophecy referring to both the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the age should be acknowledged. Although the judgment that will be brought on Israel in A.D. 70 with the fall of Jerusalem does seem to be in Jesus’ mind (cf. 23:37–39; Luke 21:20–24), the primary emphasis rests on the end of the age when he will come as the Son of Man in great universal power.
Heavenly disturbances (24:29). The end of the age will come with great disturbances in the heavens, with darkened skies, falling stars, the disruption of the forces of this age, and finally the coming of Jesus. At his coming he will gather the elect from the ends of heaven. These events most likely refer to his coming at the end of the time of tribulation, which would correspond with the time of judgment of the nations (25:31–46).
Jesus uses typical apocalyptic imagery as he alludes here to passages such as Isaiah 13:10 and 34:434 to describe his coming with a mixture of literal and figurative language. God will cause the skies to be darkened and the heavenly bodies to be disturbed. Such language may point to both physical phenomena and political and spiritual disruptions. The darkness at Jesus’ crucifixion was an indication that he had conquered the forces of evil on the cross, and the darkness during his second coming is an indication that he will now exert his rule over all forces, especially those of the demonic prince of the powers of the air.
Heavenly appearances (24:30–31). Along with these heavenly disturbances will come heavenly appearances: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.” There is debate as to whether the “sign” is some sort of heavenly ensign or banner or whether the sign is the Son of Man himself.35 Many have connected the “sign” with the “banner” that Messiah will raise as he gathers the nations and Israel (Isa. 11:10–12; 18:3), or the type of “banners” noted in the War Scroll that the battle formations of the congregation at Qumran raise at the final battle (cf. 1QM 3:13–4:17). Among the many theories of some sort of particular heavenly ensign, some (e.g., Chrysostom) suggested that the sign will be a cross in the sky. However, since the rest of the verse points to the coming of the Son of Man himself as that which promotes mourning, the apparent reference to Daniel 7:13 (“one like a son of man”) indicates that Jesus himself is the sign of the eschatological consummation of the age (see Matt. 16:27; 26:64).36
As in his first coming, when Jesus’ ministry and resurrection were sufficient signs that he was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God,37 so his second coming will be the sign to “all the nations [phylai] of the earth,” who will then mourn (24:30). The term phylai can be rendered either “nations” (NIV) or “tribes” (NASB). Matthew regularly uses ethne to refer to the nations (e.g., 24:9; 28:19), and the only other time he uses phylai it refers specifically to the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28); thus, here it should be rendered as “tribes,” calling to mind the twelve tribes of Israel. If so, “earth” refers to the land of Israel.38 This integrates Daniel’s emphasis of the time of great stress that will come on the earth with the arrival of the Son of Man with the prophet’s emphasis on the coming Day of the Lord with its judgment of evil.
This language would hold special meaning to a Jewish audience, since the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10 speaks of the people of Israel mourning when they look on the One whom they have pierced. The apostle John applies this prophecy to those Jews who mourned the crucifixion (John 19:37), and he quotes the prophecy in Revelation 1:7. Those events had great import for the people of Israel, and John uses the singular noun form phyle to refer to each individual tribe of Israel (Rev. 7:4–8). This is a kind of mourning that produces repentance, or else it stems from recognition of their coming judgment. In the light of the place that Paul gives to Israel’s future repentance and conversion (Rom. 9–11; cf. Matt. 23:39), repentance is more likely in view.
Jesus continues the description of his coming: “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Coming on the clouds with power and glory cannot easily be made to refer to Christ’s coming spiritually in judgment against Israel at the time of the destruction of the temple. Rather, this is eschatological language that echoes Daniel’s prophecy and points to Christ’s return at the end of the age. Jesus completes his self-identity through the use of the relatively ambiguous title “Son of Man” (see comments on 8:20). He is the Son of Man who displays humiliation with nowhere to lay his head (8:20), who experiences suffering as the servant who gives his life for many (20:17–19, 28), and who is now revealed as the One who will come in glorious power as the majestic sovereign designated by the Ancient of Days to receive worship as the divine King of the kingdom of God (Dan. 7:13–14).
At his appearance “he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call.” Both banners and trumpets were associated in Jewish eschatological thought with the majestic arrival of the Messiah.39 Jesus’ return—accompanied by angels and a sounding trumpet—recurs in Paul’s eschatological teaching (1 Cor. 15:51–2; 1 Thess. 4:16). Jesus refers elsewhere to the angelic host that accompanies his eschatological appearance for gathering and for bringing judgment (Matt. 13:39, 41, 49; 16:27; 25:31) and is at his disposal (4:11; 26:53). An angel of the Lord announced the arrival of Jesus as the incarnate Immanuel (1:20–24) and guided the family during his infancy (2:13–23), and an angel will announce the resurrected Jesus (28:2–5).
This picture coincides with the sovereign Son of Man accompanying the angels of heaven, who “will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” The “elect” is another reference to all believers, both Jew and Gentile, who have come to believe on him during this time of great tribulation. The gathering “from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another” may refer to the four points of the compass (cf. Ezek. 37:9; Dan. 8:8; 11:4) and from every place under heaven, indicating the gathering of all believers who are on the earth at the time.40 Others take the expression to refer to Jesus’ angels gathering and bringing with him all of the redeemed already in heaven to join with believers on the earth (cf. Rev. 19:11–16).41 It probably should include both, so that at the end of the period of tribulation Jesus returns both to bring with him all those believers who are with him in heaven as well as to gather believers alive on the earth.42
The Lesson of the Fig Tree (24:32–35)
A SWITCH OF emphasis now occurs. Up to this point there has been a combination of historical and eschatological features in answer to the questions about the destruction of the temple and Jesus’ return and the end of the age. Jesus has given a descriptive overview of the entire age. But now he deals with attitudes that should characterize those who live during this age and await his coming. He gives several lessons to equip people in preparation for the end.
The first is the parabolic lesson from the fig tree. Prior to this, the fig tree provided Jesus with an object lesson for his disciples on the irresponsibility of the Jewish leaders, who should have recognized his messianic authority in announcing the arrival of the kingdom of heaven (see 21:18–22). Perhaps Jesus is here continuing the allusion to Israel, pointing to the Messiah’s future liberation of Israel and the temple from Gentile dominance, with the fig tree illustration indicating the time of future blessing for Israel.43 But more likely Jesus uses the fig tree as a parabolic lesson taught from nature to the disciples. It teaches a principle of nearness concerning the abomination that causes desolation of the temple and the return of the Son of Man. “As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”
In the winter months figs lose their leaves, so just buds and new leaves in spring indicate that summer is near; so also when the events in the preceding context occur, the disciples are to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus stated earlier that the general distressful events of this age must not be interpreted to mean that the Lord is near (24:1–8). However, as the end grows closer, subtle increases of difficulty begin to mark the end. The budding tree can be overlooked; it is not spectacular and can even be unnoticed until too late.
Therefore, when his disciples see “all these things” (i.e., the beginning of the increase of distress and the accomplishment of the worldwide proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom), they should be alert that the end may be imminent. The ambiguous estin (24:33) can be rendered “it is near” (NIV), pointing back to the antecedent “summer” in the preceding verse, or “he is near” (NASB, NRSV), pointing back to the arrival of the Son of Man in the preceding section (24:30). It is better with the NIV to render it impersonally, which includes all aspects of the Parousia. All people during this age should stay alert, because the arrival of summer can come unnoticed. But for those who are alert, there are indications that the end is near, specifically the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to all nations (24:14). Therefore, “summer” here refers to the age of blessedness and fruitfulness that will occur when Jesus has returned. This helps disciples to stay alert. But because the budding is not spectacular but subtle, it can be overlooked. The point is that people must stay alert and must be forewarned by certain signs at the very end.
Jesus next speaks of “this generation”: “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” The identity of “this generation” has vexed interpreters. Some contend it refers to the generation of Jesus’ disciples alive when he spoke, who will witness the terrible events at A.D. 70.44 Others suggest it refers to the Jewish people alive at the time of the return of the Son of Man.45 Still others indicate that it refers to the kind of wicked people in Jesus’ day who opposed him in his earthly ministry and who will again arise to oppose Jesus’ disciples prior to his return.46
Perhaps it is best to see a twofold reference, as Jesus has done throughout the discourse. The disciples to whom Jesus is speaking on the Mount of Olives most naturally will be “this generation” that sees the events of the destruction of the temple, which shows the applicability of the discourse to A.D. 70. Further, within the context of Jesus’ statements about the coming of the Son of Man, there must be primary applicability to those at the end of the age who see the events surrounding the abomination of desolation occurring.47 When these signs of the end of the age appear, those waiting for his arrival will recognize that their redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28). This refers both to repentant Israel and to unrepentant wicked people. But it also refers to believers alive at that time who see these things occurring; they will be the generation of Jesus’ disciples who will see their Lord appear.
In other words, the saying is a word of warning to those of the generation with Jesus and those in the future who have not yet repented that the arrival of the Son of Man will bring judgment. But the saying is also a word of encouragement to his followers that tribulation will not go on forever, as it may appear to those who are suffering in it. Summer is near.
In the final words of this section, Jesus gives a profound word of assurance to all those looking down the corridors of history and seeing the incredible events he has just described: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” This is similar to the enduring quality of the Old Testament that Jesus had declared in the SM (see comments on 5:18). As there, Jesus ascribes divine, eternal qualities to his own teaching. His words are not given by inspiration but are his own, and they have authority for that reason (24:34), with his teaching having the same divine character as God and his words.48 Throughout history will come birth pains and tribulation that may seem as though history itself is out of control. But Jesus’ rock-solid prophesying of his return to establish his kingdom on the earth provides the assurance needed by his disciples to maintain hope and determination. Even though heaven and earth will not exist in the future in the form that we know them now (cf. 2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 21:1), the firm foundation of discipleship to Jesus for eternity are his words of truth.
This ends the first major part of the Olivet Discourse, which provides an eschatological forecast of the general character of this age, the time of great tribulation with the abomination that causes desolation, and the beginning lesson on how all should await Jesus’ arrival. This third lesson will be expanded in the rest of the discourse to encourage Jesus’ disciples to wait alertly and in expectation of reward, but also to warn the unprepared and unrepentant about judgment.
Bridging Contexts
THE WORDS OF Jesus in this Gospel, especially in the five primary discourses, contain a wealth of kingdom principles to guide the church throughout its history. They are directly linked to Jesus’ purposes for all his followers, since they comprise the primary material from which all disciples are to be taught to obey everything Jesus commanded (cf. 28:18–20; see comments at the beginning of the SM [chs. 5–7], the Mission Mandate [ch. 10], the Parabolic Disclosure [ch. 13], the Community Prescription [ch. 18], and the Oliver Discourse (chs. 24–25]).
Like the other discourses, the fifth is addressed to insiders—Jesus’ disciples. It intends to give to them a basic prophetic overview of the events to transpire in the near and distant future. But Jesus’ intent isn’t primarily to give a timetable; he focuses especially on the attitudes and character qualities that guide their discipleship to him for the days and years ahead.
Jesus’ eschatological preparation of the disciples. While Jesus’ eschatological forecast in this final discourse in Matthew’s Gospel is his most complete discussion of end-time events that surround his return in glory, it doesn’t cover everything. Note that Jesus issues this forecast during his final week with his disciples. They still have not comprehended his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, nor have they grasped that they will soon become the kingdom community called the church with the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. Thus, Jesus here gives only a rough outline of what will transpire throughout this age. The events he discusses will be fleshed out later with additional revelation, when they are better prepared to handle a more complete picture of end-time events. But during this tumultuous week, they are not yet ready for a complete picture.
Jesus likely gave fuller details of end-time events to the apostles during the forty days before his ascension, where he spoke about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:4). Through insights and revelation from the Father through the Spirit, the apostles fill in many more details as they write later books of the New Testament (e.g., 1–2 Thessalonians; Revelation). These later descriptions of end-time and eternal activities will fill in the details of Jesus’ basic outline given here in the fifth discourse. This is similar to what Jesus provided in the Missionary Discourse (ch. 10) and the Community Discourse (ch. 18), where he gave only a rough outline that later would be filled in by New Testament writers inspired by God, who will give details about missionary outreach (e.g., Acts) and the structure and function of the church (e.g., Ephesians; 1 and 2 Timothy).
Thus, we must not make Jesus’ eschatological forecast in the Olivet Discourse say more than what he intended to say. Further details must be supplied by other biblical writings, the exhaustive study of which is not the purpose of this commentary. As we have done with his other discourses, we seek to understand Jesus’ purpose for his disciples in giving this discourse in its historical setting and Matthew’s intention as he records it for his community.
Interpreting the Olivet Discourse. Jesus’ predictions in this discourse have produced an almost dizzying array of interpretations.49 The primary issue is to understand the relationship of historically fulfilled prophecy to unfulfilled prophecy. We can get a grip on one of the most important issues here by subsuming the various interpretations under three broad headings.
(1) On the one extreme are those who suggest that virtually all of the events that Jesus prophesies in the discourse were fulfilled in the first century, primarily with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.50 One proponent suggests that the fall of Jerusalem alone is in view in 24:4–35, and that only at 24:36 does Jesus begin to discuss the Parousia.51 This view does take seriously the context of Israel’s judgment, which Jesus has just emphasized in the temple incidents, the controversies with the religious leaders, and the woes pronounced on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (chs. 21–23). It also finds parallels in historical incidents that transpired leading up to the temple destruction in A.D. 70 that correspond to Jesus’ prophecy.52 The weakness of this view is that it minimizes some of the details of the discourse that were not fulfilled in A.D. 70,53 as well as the remarkable parallels in other prophetic literature to the events recorded here that point to a future fulfillment (e.g., Dan. 9:27; 12:11).
(2) On the other extreme is the futurist view, the strength of which is the acknowledgment of the direct fulfillment of parallel prophetic passages like Daniel 9 and 12 in future events prophesied here by Jesus. This view suggests that virtually all the events of the discourse are fulfilled in the future when Israel is once again reestablished in God’s purposes.54 Many who hold this view suggest that the church is “raptured” prior to the events of the great tribulation, so Israel is once again the evangelistic instrument to bear witness to the gospel of the kingdom.55 It takes seriously God’s promises to Israel to be reestablished in the land in fulfillment of Daniel’s seventieth week. Its weakness is that it overlooks that Jesus gives the discourse to his disciples, not to Israel, as a guide to their understanding of their own role in this age and how they are to respond to future events. The events are a guide to the church’s expectations throughout this age. Moreover, this view minimizes how Daniel’s prophecy of the abomination of desolation has already been partially fulfilled with the defiling activities of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dan. 11:31).
(3) As noted above, this commentary takes a mediating position, which finds an intentional intertwining of historical and eschatological fulfillment. There is a comprehensive theological cohesion in the discourse between Jesus’ treatment of the fall of Jerusalem and the Parousia, but there is no clear dividing point between historical and eschatological fulfillment.56 The resolution is that the two are purposely intertwined under what some call a “double reference” prophecy or “prophetic foreshortening,” where a near event serves as a partial fulfillment and symbol for the fulfillment of far events.57 In this view, the events of 24:4–14 generally describe life in the church during this age, perhaps with some increase of activity in 24:9–14. But 24:15 begins a double reference to events that will be partially fulfilled at A.D. 70 with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem but culminate in the future fulfillment of the complex of events surrounding the return of Jesus—the abomination that causes desolation, the end of the age, and the Parousia.
This mediating position has been adopted by a wide range of interpreters, perhaps “a majority of conservative sources,”58 including those from an amillennial perspective,59 those from a premillennial-pretribulational perspective,60 and those from a premillennial-posttribulational perspective.61 A majority certainly doesn’t always signify accuracy, but here it suggests caution against going too far in either direction.62 Jesus warns of first-century historical judgment on Israel for rejecting the invitation to the kingdom, but he also provides future guidance for his disciples. Moreover, Christ anticipates the fulfillment of the covenantal promises to Israel to be restored to the land, which ushers in the messianic kingdom.63
Contemporary Significance
PROPHECY TODAY. Prophecy is big business. A recent issue of Time magazine had a cover story entitled, “The Bible and the Apocalypse: Why More Americans Are Reading and Talking About the End of the World.”64 The author documented the recent rise in attention given by the general population in North America to end-time discussions. She highlighted especially the phenomenally successful series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Starting with the first book, Left Behind,65 which sold more than seven million copies, the series to date has ten volumes, selling more than fifty million total copies.66 That’s big business!
But prophecy is much more than simply big business. Evangelical Christians historically have been interested in prophecy, primarily because so much of the Bible speaks about end times. But intriguingly, the article declares that of those reading the series, only about half are evangelicals, which suggests a much broader audience of people, including many non-Christians, who are interested. The scary situation of the world since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, have almost certainly contributed to the interest, similar to the way that the events of World War II and the creation of the nation of Israel in the land in 1948 stimulated a resurgence of interest in prophecy in the middle of the twentieth century. I have spoken to dozens of unbelievers who have read at least one of the books in the series, and they all indicate that they are looking for some kind of an answer to the world situation.
In the middle of the secularist, pluralistic, relativistic culture in which we live, it is fascinating that so many people are turning to these religious novels for help. The surveys conducted in researching the Time article suggested that thirty-six percent of Americans believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is to be taken literally, and that fifty-nine percent believe that the prophecies in Revelation will come true. I was taken aback by those statistics. All of this points out that prophecy is a powerful message of both hope and warning and that it should be a point of study and debate, but especially an ingredient of evangelism and spiritual formation.
That is a crucial factor in the study of eschatology. One does not have to hold the same theological position as the Left Behind series to observe how the authors have taken seriously the implications of their eschatological views for the daily lives of their readers.67 All of us need to move from speculation to implication in our study of prophecy, because the Bible does not record prophecy of end-time activity simply for curiosity’s sake. Many will surely undertake a study of prophecy in a vain attempt to figure out what Jesus declared to be unknown—the time of the end and his return. But prophecy about the future is always given for the purpose of affecting behavior in the present. Every Bible passage I have ever studied with a message about end times always comes in the context of exhortation and warning. That must never be forgotten.
The study in this commentary of Jesus’ life and teaching understands that the offer and establishment of the kingdom of God is an already-not yet proposition—it is present and fully operative in the lives of those who respond, but it yet awaits a final manifestation, when Jesus Messiah will reign on the earth and Israel will experience the realization of her covenantal promises. That premillennial outlook on Jesus’ eschatological discourse leads to important implications.
Godly living in the present. The study of the future should spur us to godly living in the present. Jesus’ signal statement, “See, I have told you ahead of time” (24:25), stands in the middle of his prophecy of future events. He tells his disciples these events so we are not deceived and go after false messiahs and prophets (24:23–24, 26), but also so that we may develop godly perseverance through wars, famines, earthquakes, and persecution (24:6–7, 9–10), that our love for him and each other will not falter when wickedness surrounds us (24:12), and that the testimony of our lips and lives will remain steadfast and pure to the end (24:13–14).
Jesus’ message in the SM was that personal righteousness may result from entering the kingdom of heaven (5:20). Now he prophesies future events so that we will discipline ourselves to maintain and expand that personal kingdom-righteousness in our daily lives regardless of the circumstances. He does not tell us these things so that we will be obsessed with dates, events, and speculation about the minute details of his prophecy, but to encourage us to godly living.
Conviction about the future. A second implication is that our study of prophecy should produce conviction about what is going to happen in the future. We should admit we may be wrong on certain points, which will help us avoid a narrow dogmatism; but when we have done our homework and settle on what we believe to be the Bible’s teaching, we should develop conviction, for appropriate conviction affects our character and our attitudes. People without conviction run the gamut of emotions from depression to giddiness in each change of circumstance. Superpower nations who like to flex their nuclear or biological muscles produce in people all around us the fear of unstoppable disaster. But Jesus warns us against being alarmed when international events seem to indicate that the world is going to fall apart (24:6). When we are convinced that the end of the world will only come when Jesus returns visibly and powerfully, we can maintain hope and vigilance no matter how bad things get.
Similarly, the apostle Paul gives prophetic revelation about Jesus’ return so that his readers will have hope about their loved ones who have died (1 Thess. 4:13–18). One of my closest friends lost his daughter suddenly to a tragic death. It was a blow that would devastate most anyone, yet he told me that his unwavering convictions that she was present with the Lord and that he would be with her one day gave him a blanket of peace in the cold, harsh realities of this world. That conviction came only from a study of God’s Word about the future.
In our personal study and in our preaching and teaching, we must not overlook the prominent position that prophetic teaching occupies in Scripture. Even though we must guard against excess and obsession with this kind of study, we will have no peace or security without a proper understanding of revelation concerning the future.
Warning of difficult times ahead. There is also an important warning in Jesus’ prophecy of difficult times ahead. Jesus spent much of his time in the discourses preparing the disciples in advance for the harsh realities of life during this age. The power of this preparation cannot be underestimated, because much of our development as disciples comes in preparing ourselves before the fact. Jesus make us aware of rejection as we go out to do missions (10:22–23). He informs us about the mixed nature of the kingdom until his return (13:24–50). He warns us about imperfection in the Christian community until his return (18:7) and how we should respond in the light of this imperfection (18:12–20). And he repeatedly tells us of the hardships and trials that come as a result of following him.
The Olivet Discourse expands on this preparation, cueing us to the fact that there will be those who will try to deceive us as well as persecute us. Knowledge of this fact helps us to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for this reality and helps guard against disillusionment. When we fail to tell disciples about these things, there are chances that they will be misled by messianic pretenders or be disheartened by the difficulty of the process.
Jesus’ prophetic words, as well as much of prophecy generally, are an encouragement for believers in the midst of persecution, not a handbook for future prediction or simply a hope of escape from an imperfect world. Every generation has had those who attempt to predict the time of the return of Jesus, at times even selling all worldly possessions in anticipation. These groups have been immensely disappointed, or worse, when their predictions fell flat. Prophecy is not escapism from the trials of life. The reality is that Jesus gives us this information so that we can endure and live appropriately until his return.
Warning of impending judgment. But there is another kind of warning in Jesus’ eschatological forecast—impending judgment. Not only is prophecy an encouragement to godly living; it is a stimulus to repentance. I often hear media commentators speak disparagingly of preachers or evangelists as end-time doomsayers, but prophetic revelation does in fact teach that judgment is coming on those who reject God’s day of opportunity. Whether at the end of one’s life or the end of the age, judgment is coming. Here again we must guard against excess, but most churches with which I’m familiar never come close to an excess in such preaching. An appropriate preaching, teaching, and evangelism from prophetic passages must include warning of judgment, or else the full message has been ignored. This calls for wisdom in our presentations, compassion in our approach, and urgency in our message.
Missions and evangelism. The conviction of Jesus’ return, therefore, should fuel a vigorous involvement in missions, evangelism, and church planting. When we are gripped with the fact that the souls of men and women are at stake, we will move our study of prophecy beyond academic debate or idle curiosity. Active participation in reaching out to a lost world enables people across the nation and around the world to be prepared to meet the Lord when he comes in glory. Churches and individual Christians who ignore the centrality of mission and evangelistic outreach miss an essential component of the overall plan of God. Jesus tells us that “the end” will come after the gospel has been preached as a testimony to all nations (24:14). This does not mean that we preach the gospel simply to force his return. However, the Parousia and consummation of the kingdom are closely connected with all the nations hearing the gospel.
On a different note, there is strong encouragement in Jesus’ statement. Even though at times opposition appears to be insurmountable, true Christianity will assert itself in the preaching of the gospel message. The prophetic statement of Jesus assures us that nothing can stop this. To the churches around the world that persevere under governments that have legislated against evangelism or proselytizing—for example, in some Islamic or communist nations—this is a powerful, immediately relevant promise. This is also a powerful promise to those in Western countries that have become increasingly secularized. No matter how bad things may get within public opinion or the political arena, no matter how much government may legislate against Christianity, or no matter how much persecution is mounted against it, the gospel cannot be stopped until the end, when Jesus returns in glory and power.