We now come to the fifth and final major discourse in Matthew's Gospel, the Olivet Discourse. Its theme is the kingdom, specifically events leading up to the establishment of the kingdom.
24:1 The connective "and"(NASB, Gr. kai) ties what follows to Jesus' preceding denunciation of the generation of Jews that rejected Him and the divine judgment that would follow (23:36-39). However the "apocalyptic"or "eschatological"discourse that He proceeded to give was not merely an extension of the address in chapter 23. This is clear because the setting, audience, and major themes changed. There is some continuity of subject matter but not enough to justify viewing chapters 23-25 as one discourse.
Jesus and His disciples left the temple complex (Gr. hieron) and proceeded east toward Bethany where Jesus was spending His nights during the Passover season. However before they had left the temple area the disciples commented to Jesus about the magnificent temple buildings (cf. Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5).
"They still focus on the temple, on which Jesus has pronounced doom, since the true center of the relation between God and man has shifted to himself. In chapter 23 Jesus has already insisted that what Israel does with him, not the temple, determines the fate of the temple and of Israel nationally."853
24:2 All the things to which Jesus pointed the disciples were the buildings that they had just pointed out to Him. He then prefaced an important revelation with a characteristic emphatic introduction: "Truly I say to you,"or "I tell you the truth."Jesus forecast the destruction of the temple complex that Herod the Great had begun building about 20 B.C. and was not complete until 64 A.D. He used Old Testament language (Jer. 26:6, 18; Mic. 3:12; cf. 23:38; 26:61; Luke 23:28-31).
"This statement is given with great force because of the aorist passive subjunctive of the verb to leave' with the double negative ou me(translated not')."854
"The temple was made of huge stones, some of them many tons in size, carved out in the stone quarries underneath the city of Jerusalem. Such large stones could be dislodged only through deliberate force. The sad fulfillment was to come in A.D. 70, only six years after the temple was completed, when the Roman soldiers deliberately destroyed the temple, prying off stones one by one and casting them into the valley below."855
The fulfillment was not complete, however. Many of these huge stones still stand on one another today. What Jesus proceeded to say about the destruction of the temple points farther ahead in history to the destruction of the Tribulation temple.
24:3 The Mount of Olives stands directly east of the temple area on the eastern side of the Kidron Valley that separates Mt. Olivet from Mt. Zion. The site of this discourse has given it its name, the Olivet Discourse. It was an appropriate place for Jesus to give a discourse dealing with His return. The Mount of Olives is where Zechariah predicted that Messiah would stand to judge the nations and establish His kingdom (Zech. 14:4). This prophecy is foundational to the discourse that follows.
The word "privately"as Matthew and Mark used it set the disciples apart from the crowds. Mark wrote that Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Jesus the question (Mark 13:3). Whether He gave the answer only to them, which seems improbable, or to all the disciples, He did not give it to the multitudes.856This was further revelation for their believing ears only.
The disciples asked Jesus two questions. The first was, "When will these things be?"The second question had two parts as is clear from the Greek construction of the sentence. It linked two nouns, "coming"(Gr. parousias) and "end"(Gr. synteleias), with a single article, "the"(Gr. to), and the conjunction "and"(Gr. kai). The second question was, "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"By asking the question this way clearly the disciples believed that Jesus' coming (23:39) would end the present age and introduce the messianic age. The first question dealt with the time of the destruction of the temple. The second dealt with the sign that would signal Jesus' coming and the end of the age.
What did the disciples mean when they asked Jesus about the sign of His coming? This is the first occurrence of parousia("coming") in Matthew's Gospel (cf. vv. 27, 37, 39). In classical non-biblical Greek this word meant "presence"and later "arrival"or "coming,"the first stage of being present.857In the New Testament, parousiadoes not always have eschatological overtones (e.g., 2 Cor. 7:6; 10:10). In the second and third centuries, writers used it to describe the visit of a king or other important official.858In view of Jesus' recent statement that the Israelites would not see Him again until they would say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,"it was undoubtedly to this coming that the disciples referred (23:39). They wanted to know when He would return to the temple having been accepted rather than rejected by the nation. Specifically they wanted to know what would signify His return, what would be the harbinger of His advent.
What did they mean by "the end of the age?"Jesus had used this phrase before (13:39, 40, 49; cf. 28:20). By the end of the age Jesus meant the end of the present age that will consummate in His second coming and a judgment of living unbelievers (cf. Jer. 29:22; 51:33; Dan. 3:6; Hos. 6:11; Joel 3:13; Zeph. 1:3). This will occur just before the messianic kingdom begins. The disciples used the phrase "the end of the age"as Jesus and the Old Testament prophets spoke of it. They understood that Jesus meant the present age, the one before the messianic age began, since in their question they associated it with Jesus' return to the temple.
Both of the disciples' questions, occurring as they did together, suggest that the disciples associated the destruction of the temple with Jesus' return to it and the end of the present age.859The Old Testament taught that several eschatological events would happen in the following order. First, Jerusalem would suffer destruction (Zech. 14:1-2; cf. Matt. 24:2). Second, Messiah would come and end the present age (Zech. 14:3-8; cf. Matt. 23:39). Third, Messiah would set up His kingdom (Zech. 14:3-11). The disciples wanted to know when in the future the destruction of the temple, Jesus' return to it, and the end of the present age would occur. They probably did not ask Him when He would inaugurate His kingdom because they knew this would happen when He returned to the temple and ended the present age.
"Matthew's gospel does not answer the first question, which relates to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This is given more in detail in Luke, while Matthew and Mark answer the second and third questions, which actually refer to Christ's coming and the end of the age as one and the same event. Matthew's account of the Olivet discourse records that portion of Christ's answer that relates to His future kingdom and how it will be brought in, which is one of the major purposes of the gospel."860
Jesus began the Olivet Discourse by warning His disciples about the possibility of their concluding wrongly that He had returned or was just about to return.861
24:4-5 The destruction of Jerusalem and other similar catastrophes would not indicate that Messiah's coming and the end of the present age were just around the corner, as Zechariah's prophecy seemed to indicate. The future appearance of people who claimed to be the Messiah should not deceive the disciples into concluding that He had arrived either. Those who would come in Messiah's name refers to those who would come claiming to be Messiah, not those who would come as Jesus' representatives.
24:6 The presence of wars and rumors of wars should likewise not mislead the disciples into thinking that the prophesied destruction of Jerusalem was near (cf. Rev. 6:3-4). Wars and rumors of wars would come, but they would not necessarily be the fulfillment of the prophecies about Messiah's destroying His enemies when He returns (Zech. 14:2-5). The disciples should not let the presence of wars and rumors of wars deceive them into thinking that Messiah's return to reign was imminent.
Jesus proceeded to give His disciples a general picture of conditions just before He will return to end the present age and inaugurate His kingdom.
24:7-8 Wars, famines, and earthquakes will anticipate the end of the present age.
"The horrors described are not local disturbances, but are spread over the known world; nations and kingdoms are in hostility with one another."862
The Jews believed that a seven-year period of time will immediately precede Messiah's coming to rule the world.
"Our Rabbis taught: In the seven-year cycle at the end of which the son of David will come . . . at the conclusion of the septennate the son of David will come."863
"The idea became entrenched that the coming of the Messiah will be preceded by greatly increased suffering . . . This will last seven years. And then, unexpectedly, the Messiah will come."864
"A prominent feature of Jewish eschatology, as represented especially by the rabbinic literature, was the time of trouble preceding Messiah's coming. It was called the birth pangs of the Messiah,' sometimes more briefly translated as the Messianic woes.'"865
The phrase "birth pains"had its origin in Old Testament passages that describe the period of distress preceding the messianic age, namely the Tribulation (Isa. 13:8; 26:17; Jer. 4:31; 6:24; Mic. 4:9-10; cf. 1 Thess. 5:3).
"Birth pangs' are a favority metaphor for the tribulations God's judgment brings upon man."866
The "birth pangs"Jesus spoke about here will be a period seven years long immediately before Messiah returns to establish His kingdom, sometimes called "Daniel's seventieth week"(Dan. 9:26-27). The beginning of "birth pangs"is the beginning of this Tribulation.867
"Both the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Jer. 30:6-7) and the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:41) are described as the unparalleled time of trouble. Since there can be only one such time, both will cover the same time period.
"The Great Tribulation will begin in the middle of the seven-year 70th week. We know this because Jesus indicated that the Great Tribulation will begin with the abomination of desolation (Mt. 24:15-21), which will take place in the middle of the 70th week (Dan. 9:27). . . .
"Since the Great Tribulation will begin in the middle and terminate at the end of the 70th week and will cover the same time period as the Time of Jacob's Trouble, the Time of Jacob's Trouble will also cover the entire second half of the 70th week.
"Since the Time of Jacob's Trouble will have birth pangs associated with it and will, together with the Great Tribulation, cover the second half of the 70th week, the Great Tribulation will also have birth pangs associated with it. On the basis of this, we can conclude that the entire second half of the 70th week will be characterized by birth pangs. . . .
"Two things indicate that the beginning of birth pangs will occur during the first half of the 70th week. First, it is obvious that Jesus was drawing an analogy with a woman's birth-pang experience. Just as a woman's beginning, less severe birth pangs precede her later, most severe pangs of hard labor, so the beginning, less severe pangs of the world's future time of trouble must precede its later, most severe pangs of hard labor. Since those later hard labor pangs will occur during the second half of the70th week, the beginning of birth pangs must take place during the first half of those seven years.
"Second, Christ introduced and discussed the beginningof birth pangs (Mt. 24:4-8) beforeHe introduced the abomination of desolation and the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:15-21), and it appears that He introduced and discussed events in chronological order in this section of Matthew 24. This implies that the beginning of birth pangs will precede the abomination of desolation (of the middle of the 70th week) and the Great Tribulation (of the second half of the 70th week) and therefore will occur during the first half of that seven-year period."868
"Just as the first labor pangs of a pregnant woman indicate the nearness of the birth of a child, so these great signs anticipate the end of the age and the beginning of a new one."869
"The effect of these verses [6-8], then, is not to curb enthusiasm for the Lord's return but to warn against false claimants and an expectation of a premature return based on misconstrued signs."870
"A comparison of Christ's description of the beginning of birth pangs in Matthew 24:5-7 with the first four seals of Revelation 6:1-8 indicates that the beginning of birth pangs and the first four seals are the same thing.
"In addition, immediately after His description of the beginning of birth pangs, Christ referred to the killing of those associated with Him (Mt. 24:9). Parallel to this, the fifth seal refers to people killed because of their testimony (Rev. 6:9-11)."871
24:9-13 In the context all the things described in these verses will happen during the period of "birth pains,"namely during the Tribulation. During the "birth pains"the disciples would experience persecution and martyrdom. The "you"extends beyond Jesus' immediate disciples and includes disciples living in the future when these things will happen. Jesus was again speaking beyond His immediate audience.
The word "tribulation"or "persecuted"(Gr. thlipsis, or "distress") is a key word in this passage occurring three times (vv. 9, 21, 29; cf. 13:21).872The outstanding characteristic of this time will be thlipsis. This persecution will lead many disciples to turn away from the faith (cf. Dan. 11:35).873They will even hate one another (v. 10). The deceiving influence of false prophets as well as the persecution the disciples will experience will cause many to turn from the faith (v. 11; cf. 7:15-23; 13:21). Those disciples who hate one another will do so because wickedness will abound and the love of many of them (for the Savior, the truth, and or one another) will grow cold (v. 12).
Though the term "disciple"is a broader one than "believer"it seems clear that Jesus meant some believers would be deceived, turn from the faith, and even hate other believers. There is no other revelation in Scripture that would preclude this interpretation and much that warns believers about this possibility (e.g., 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3). There is much revelation, however, that precludes the view that those who will turn from the faith will lose their salvation (e.g., John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:31-39).
In contrast to those who prove unfaithful, those who persevere and endure the temptations of that period will experience deliverance (v. 13).874Their deliverance, unfortunately referred to as being "saved"by the majority of the English translations, will happen when and because Messiah will return at the end of the Tribulation.875He will end the persecution of His disciples and thereby deliver them from this distress. Another view is that the end refers to the end of the faithful disciple's life.876
"It is a promise that those who are faithful to the end, in the midst of the tribulation persecutions of Antichrist, will be abundantly rewarded with joint rulership with Christ in His coming kingdom."877
24:14 Another characteristic of this Tribulation period is that during those years the good news concerning the coming of the messianic kingdom will reach the ears of virtually everyone on earth. "And"ties this verse into the Tribulation, the period in view in verses 9-13. The "gospel of the kingdom"is the same good news that John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples had preached, namely that the kingdom was imminent (3:2; 4:17). Later revelation informs us that the 144,000 Jewish missionaries that God will protect during the Tribulation will provide the leadership in this worldwide gospel proclamation (Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5). Undoubtedly the message will be similar to the message John, Jesus, and the original disciples preached. They preached that people should get ready for the inauguration of the messianic kingdom by believing in the King, Jesus.878Undoubtedly, too, some people will believe and others will not.
"For those who accept the message, entrance into the kingdom awaits. But eternal damnation accrues to those who refuse the gospel of the kingdom."879
"This is not exactly the same message the church is proclaiming today. The message preached today in the Church Age and the message proclaimed in the Tribulation period calls for turning to the Savior for salvation. However, in the Tribulation the message will stress the coming kingdom, and those who then turn to the Savior for salvation will be allowed entrance into the kingdom."880
In answering the disciples' second question, Jesus explained that there would be many signs of His coming and the end of the present age. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes would be relatively common occurrences (vv. 6-8). The signs would include the worldwide persecution of His disciples, the apostasy of some of them, the success of false prophets, and increased lawlessness (wickedness). The love of some disciples would cool, but others would persevere faithfully as the gospel would extend to every part of the earth (vv. 9-14). Then the end would come (v. 14; cf. v. 3).
"In general, these signs have been at least partially fulfilled in the present age and have characterized the period between the first and second coming of Christ."881
However, we should expect complete fulfillment in the future. Revelation 6-18 gives further information concerning this time.
Having given a general description of conditions preceding His return and the end of the present age, Jesus next described one particular event that would be the greatest sign of all.
24:15 "Therefore"or "So"(Gr. oun) ties this pericope very closely to the preceding one. The "abomination of desolation,"or "the abomination characterized by desolation,"is a term Daniel used in Daniel 8:13; 9:27; 11:31; and 12:11. It describes something that because of its abominable character causes the godly to desert the temple on its account.882In Daniel 11:31 the prophet referred to Antiochus Epiphanes as an abomination that caused desolation. He proved to be this when he erected an altar to Zeus over the brazen altar in Jerusalem and proceeded to offer a swine on it. In the Bible the Greek word translated "abomination"(bdeluyma) describes something particularly detestable to God that He rejects.883It often refers to heathen gods and the articles connected with idolatry.884In the contexts of Daniel's references it designates an idol set up in the temple.
Jesus urged the reader of Daniel's references to the abomination of desolation, particularly the ones dealing with a future abomination of desolation (Dan. 9:27; 12:11), to understand their true meaning. Jesus further stressed the importance of these prophecies by referring to Daniel as "the prophet."Matthew's inclusion of the phrases "the abomination of desolation,"which Luke omitted, and "the holy place,"which Mark and Luke omitted, were appropriate in view of his Jewish audience.
Daniel 9:24-27 predicted that from the time Artaxerxes issued his decree allowing the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem under Nehemiah's leadership until the coming of Israel's Messiah 69 weeks (lit. sevens) of years would elapse. This 483 year period ended when Jesus entered Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry (21:8-11). Because Israel refused to accept Jesus as her King, the events that Daniel prophesied would happen in the seventieth week (i.e., the remaining seven years in his prophecy) would not follow immediately. What Daniel predicted would happen in those seven years was unique national distress for Israel (Dan. 12:1). It would commence when a wicked ruler would sign a covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27). After three and a half years, the ruler would break the covenant and terminate worship in the temple. He would end temple worship by setting up an abominable idol there (cf. 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:14-15).
Some interpreters have concluded that we should not take Daniel's prophecy of the seventieth week literally and or as still future. Some of them believe the abomination of desolation refers to the Zealots' conduct in the temple before the Romans' destroyed it is 70 A.D.885This view seems unlikely since the Zealots did not introduce idolatry into the temple. This view, therefore, seems to water down the force of "abomination."Another view is that when the Romans brought their standards bearing the image of Caesar into the temple and offered sacrifices to their gods they set up the abomination that Daniel predicted.886The main problem with this view is that Jesus told the Jews living in Jerusalem and Judea to flee when the abomination appeared in the temple (vv. 16-20). However when the Romans finally desecrated the temple in 70 A.D. most of the Jews had already left Jerusalem and Judea.
". . . there is reasonably good tradition that Christians abandoned the city, perhaps in A.D. 68, about halfway through the siege."887
Thus Jesus' warning would have been meaningless.
There are several reasons why the abomination of desolation must be a future event in God's eschatological program. First, verse 15 is in a context of verses that describes events that have not yet happened (vv. 14-21; cf. v. 29). Second, Daniel's seventieth week with its unique tribulation has not yet happened. Third, Mark described Jesus saying that the abomination of desolation would stand (masculine participle estekota) as a person who set himself up as God in the temple (Mark 13:14). This has never happened since Jesus made this prophecy. Fourth, other later revelation points to the future Antichrist as the abomination of desolation (2 Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 13:11-18).888
24:16-20 When the abomination of desolation appears, the Jews living in Jerusalem and Judea should flee immediately (cf. Luke 17:31; Rev. 12:14). His influence would extend far beyond Jerusalem. They must seek refuge in places where they can escape his persecution. They must not even take time to retrieve possessions from their houses as they flee. Pregnant women and nursing mothers will have a hard time because their physical conditions will limit their mobility. Weather would make flight harder in the winter, and observant Jews would seek to discourage travel on the Sabbath.
24:21 Jesus explained the reason for such hasty retreat. A tribulation much greater than any the world had ever seen or would ever see would be about to break on the Jews. This description fits the Old Testament pictures of the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of the Tribulation (Rev. 11:2; 13:5).889It is not a fitting description of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., as bad as that was. Certainly the Nazi holocaust in which an estimated 6,000,000 Jews perished and the Russian pogroms in which perhaps 20,000,000 died were worse times than the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet the Great Tribulation will be the worst of all times for the Jews. The coming distress would be unprecedented in its suffering (cf. Dan. 12:1; Rev. 7:14).
"In a century that has seen two world wars, now lives under the threat of extinction by nuclear holocaust, and has had more Christian martyrs than in all the previous nineteen centuries put together, Jesus' prediction does not seem farfetched. But the age will not run its course; it will be cut short."890
24:22 Unless God ends (Gr. ekolobothesan, "to terminate or cut off") the Tribulation, no living thing will remain alive.
"This does not mean that the period will be less than three-and-a-half years, but that it will be definitely terminated suddenly by the second coming of Christ."891
The antecedent of "those days"is the days Jesus just described in verses 15-21. However, He will shorten them a little out of compassion. Later revelation of this period in the Book of Revelation helps us appreciate the truth of Jesus' statement here (cf. Rev. 6-18). Not just people but all forms of life (Gr. pasa sarx, lit. "all flesh") will experience drastic cutbacks during the Great Tribulation (cf. Rev. 6:7-8; 16:13-21). Antichrist will target the Jews and then Jews who believe in Jesus particularly (Rev. 12:13-17), but great multitudes of people will perish because of the distress that he precipitates. The "elect"are believers (cf. 20:16; 22:14; 24:22, 24, 31).
Many interpreters, however, take this verse as describing the present age rather than a future tribulation.892Weighing the distress of the present age against that of the Great Tribulation, I must conclude that verse 22 and this whole passage describes the future Great Tribulation, not the present age.
Jesus proceeded to explain to His disciples that His coming would terminate the Great Tribulation.
24:23-24 "Then"means "at that time,"namely at the end of the Great Tribulation (v. 2). Jesus warned the disciples about people who would claim that Messiah had returned toward the end of the Tribulation before He really did return. People professing to be the Messiah and others claiming to be prophets will arise and mislead many people because of their ability to perform impressive miracles (cf. v. 11; 7:21-23; 16:1; Luke 17:23-24; Rev. 13:15). Evidently Satan will enable them to perform these signs and wonders.
"While false Christs and false prophets have always been in evidence, they will be especially prominent at the end of the age in Satan's final attempt to turn people from faith in Christ."893
"If possible"(Gr. ei dynaton, v. 24) means the false prophets will hope to mislead the elect living in the Tribulation. It does not mean that the elect will inevitably remain true to the faith. Jesus had already said that some of His disciples would abandon the truth under persecution (vv. 10-11; cf. 26:31). However the elect will not lose their salvation.
24:25 Jesus reminded His disciples that He had forewarned them about these impostors (cf. Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36). They would need to be very careful so they will not dupe them.
The disciples Jesus addressed undoubtedly thought they would be alive when these things happened. However that was not to be the case, and Jesus said nothing to mislead them. He was teaching disciples of His in the years to come as well as those sitting in His presence in this discourse as well as in His others.
24:26-27 Jesus' point in these verses was that His coming would be obvious to all rather than obscure. When He came, everyone would know it. Consequently the disciples would not need to fear missing the event, and they should not react to every rumor that it was happening. His coming would be as obvious as a flash of lightning that covers the heavens (Zech. 9:14). It would be a public event, not something private that only the disciples or some small group would witness.
24:28 This appears to have been a well-known proverbial saying (cf. Luke 17:37). One view of its meaning is that Jesus meant that the false Messiahs and the false prophets were similar to vultures (vv. 24, 26). They would be trying to pick the corpse of a dead Israel clean for their own advantage when Jesus returned.894This is a possibility in view of the context. Another view is that the corpse refers to Christ and the vultures are God's children gathered to feed on Him.895However the idea of feeding on Christ is foreign to the context, and the comparison of Him to carrion is unappealing. Other interpreters take Jesus' illustration to mean that "signs as visible and indicative [as vultures gathering to a carcass] will herald the reality of the Parousia."896This seems closer to the meaning. Another writer paraphrased the verse as follows to give another interpretation.
". . . just as when life has abandoned a body, and it becomes a corpse, the vultures immediately swoop down upon it; so when the world has become rotten with evil, the Son of Man and His angels will come to execute the divine judgment."897
A similar view is that Israel is the corpse in view.898This view seems most probable to me. Still another view is that the figure emphasizes the swiftness of Messiah's coming.899However the repulsive character of vultures and carrion suggest more than just a swift coming. Furthermore vultures do not always arrive and devour carrion swiftly.
24:29 This verse and the following two give a positive description of Messiah's coming. "But"(NASB, Gr. de) introduces the contrast from the negative warning that preceded. Immediately following the Great Tribulation there will be signs in the sky. The sun and moon will darken and the stars will fall from the sky (Isa. 13:9-10; 34:4; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:31; 3:15; Amos 8:9; Rev. 6:12-14). This may be the language of appearance. The "powers of the heavens"(NASB) or the "heavenly bodies"(NIV) probably is a collective reference to the sun, moon, and stars.900However the descriptions of the Tribulation in the Book of Revelation suggest that God may fulfill these predictions literally.
24:30 What is the sign of the Son of Man? One very old interpretation is that it is the display of the cross in the sky.901This view has seemed fanciful to most interpreters. A popular view is that it will be a light and or a cloud similar to or perhaps identical with the Shekinah that will surround Jesus when He comes.902This seems most probable to me since Jesus evidently was referring to Daniel 7:13 when He said these words. Furthermore when Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud an angel told His disciples that He would return the same way (Acts 1:11). The clouds symbolize the heavenly origin and character of the King (cf. 17:5).903A third view is that the sign will be the actual coming of Christ.904This view seems to provide no real answer to the question. Normally we would expect a sign to be something different from what it signifies.
Zechariah prophesied that all the tribes of Israel in the land would mourn in repentance (Zech. 12:12). Jesus identified this prediction with His coming and broadened it to include all the tribes of the earth.
24:31 Jesus explained another event that will happen when He returns at the end of the Tribulation. The passage He referred to was Isaiah 27:12-13. There Israel is in view, so Jesus must have been speaking about the gathering of Israelites again to the Promised Land at His second coming. The four winds refer to the four compass points. This regathering will involve judgment (13:39, 41; 24:40-41; 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7-8). Jesus had previously spoken of the angels' role of assisting Him at this time (13:41; cf. 16:27). This regathering will set the stage for Messiah's worldwide reign.
God summoned the Israelites to march and to worship using trumpets during the wilderness wanderings and in the land (Exod. 19:16; 20:18; Jer. 4:5; et al.). This is not the same trumpet that will call Christians to heaven at the Rapture (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16). Other trumpets will sound announcing various other events in the future (cf. Rev. 8:2, 6, 13; 9:14; 11:15; et al.).905
"Those accepting the posttribulational view, that the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ occur at the same time, tend to ignore the details of this discourse in the same fashion as the amillenarians do."906
The reference to Jesus gathering the elect from the sky may indicate that dead and raptured Christians are also in view.907They will accompany Him when He returns to reign on the earth (cf. Col. 3:4). This seems probable to me. Some interpreters believe the reference to the sky simply describes the whole world in different words and that only Jews are in view in this verse. Some feel this may include Old Testament saints who have died.908
This concludes Jesus' answer to the disciples' question about the sign of His coming and the end of the present age (v. 3).909
Next Jesus exhorted His disciples on the basis of this revelation concerning the future. He taught them using seven parables.
Jesus concluded the Olivet Discourse with further revelation about the judgment that will take place at the end of the present age when He returns. He had referred to it often in the discourse, but now He made it a special subject of explanation. This judgment will occur when the King returns to earth at the end of the Tribulation to set up His kingdom.
As we have seen, Matthew stressed judgment in his Gospel (3:12; 6:2, 5, 16; 7:24-27; 13:30, 48-49; 18:23-34; 20:1-16; 21:33-41; 22:1-14; 24:45-51; 25:1-12, 14-30). This is not unusual since the Old Testament predicted that judgment would precede the messianic kingdom, and Matthew stressed the kingdom. It is not surprising, therefore, that Jesus concluded this discourse that reveals events leading up to the inauguration of the kingdom by explaining the judgment that will precede it.
The New Testament teaches that there will be two distinct judgments relative to the kingdom.947One will occur just before the messianic kingdom begins and another will follow at its end. The one at the end is the great white throne judgment when God will send all unbelievers to hell (Rev. 20:11-15). Notice some differences between these two judgments that indicate their distinctness. First, the first will not involve a resurrection of unbelievers but will deal with unbelievers alive then on the earth, but the second will involve a resurrection of unbelievers. The word "nations"(i.e., Gentiles, Gr. ethne) never refers to the dead elsewhere in Scripture.948Second, the first judgment will involve three different kinds of people--the sheep, the goats, and Jesus' brethren--whereas the second will involve only the wicked (Rev. 20:13-15). Third, the first will result in some inheriting the kingdom and others getting eternal punishment, but the second will result in everyone judged going into the lake of fire. Fourth, the first happens at the beginning of the messianic (millennial) kingdom, but the second happens at its end.949
This pericope rounds off Jesus' instructions about the future in a way similar to how 10:40-42 completes Jesus' charge concerning His apostles' mission in Israel (10:5-42). It is the parable of the sheep and the goats.950
25:31 This verse fixes the time of the judgment described in the following verses at the beginning of Jesus' messianic reign (cf. Dan. 7:9-14, 22-27). Nowhere in this discourse did Jesus explicitly identify Himself as the Son of Man. However since He used that title in answer to the disciples' questions in verse 3, the inference is inescapable (cf. Zech. 14:5; Joel 3:1-12). Jesus becomes the eschatological Judge that the Old Testament identified as God. Jesus again referred to His coming with heavenly glory (16:27; 24:30; cf. 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Thess. 1:8). Jesus will sit on His earthly throne as Judge and King (cf. 28:18; 1 Cor. 15:25; Heb. 12:2).
25:32-33 Usually "the nations"(Gr. ta ethne) refers to Gentiles distinguished from Jews (e.g., Luke 21:24; Acts 14:16).951However the phrase "all the nations"is often more inclusive referring to all people including the Jews (cf. Rom. 16:26; Rev. 15:4). Here it probably refers to all people living on earth when Jesus establishes His kingdom (cf. 28:19; Mark 13:10). Everyone will have heard the gospel of the kingdom preached during the Tribulation (24:14). In Jesus' day, shepherds separated the sheep from the goats in their flocks for various reasons at various times. Also, sheep and goats in the Middle East look more alike than they do in some other places.952
25:34 The identification of the King with the Son of Man (v. 31) recalls Daniel 7:13-14 where the Son of Man approaches the Ancient of Days (God the Father) to receive a kingdom. The purpose of Jesus separating humanity into two groups at the beginning of the kingdom is to determine whom He will admit to the kingdom and whom He will exclude (cf. vv. 41, 46). The Father blesses (Gr. eulogemenoi, cf. 21:9; 23:39) some by allowing them to enter the kingdom. They now enter into their inheritance, a term that presupposes relationship with the Father. The inheritance involves the blessings God will give them in the kingdom that will vary depending on their service during the Tribulation (cf. vv. 14-23, 28-29).
Jesus' description of the kingdom as what God had prepared from the foundation of the world is significant. The rule of Messiah on the earth over all humankind has been part of God's plan since creation. This shows its central place in God's program for humanity. Its establishment will be the fulfillment of many promises and covenants that God gave to Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15), to Abraham (Gen. 12; 15; 17; 21), to David (2 Sam. 7:12-16), and to the nation of Israel (Ezek. 34:20-31; Jer. 31:31-40; Zech. 10:5-12).953
25:35-40 Jesus clarified the basis for judgment then. It would be reception or rejection of the King as seen in people's reception or rejection of the King's brothers. The King's brothers are probably His faithful disciple slaves who fulfill His will by preaching the gospel of the kingdom during the Tribulation (cf. 12:48-49; 28:10; Isa. 58:7). Most of these will be Jews, including the 144,000, though some may be Gentile converts as well (cf. Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5). They will have become believers following the Rapture since all believers alive on the earth when the Rapture happens will go to be with Jesus then.954Other interpreters have identified these brethren as all the needy of the world,955all Jews,956or Christian apostles and missionaries.957
"Those described here are people who have lived through the great tribulation, a time of unparalleled anti-Semitism, when the majority of Jews in the land will be killed. Under these circumstances, if a Gentile befriends a Jew to the extent of feeding and clothing and visiting him, it could only mean that he is a believer in Jesus Christ and recognizes the Jews as the chosen people."958
25:41-45 Jesus will banish the goats and send them into eternal fire (cf. 13:24-30, 31-43, 47-50; Rev. 14:11; 19:15). Jesus' descriptions of hell were familiar to the Jews of His day (cf. 3:12; 5:22; 18:8; Jude 7; Rev. 20:10-15). Only the righteous will enter the kingdom (v. 34). The fact that the goats will address Jesus as "Lord"(v. 44) does not show they are believers since everyone will acknowledge Him as Lord then (cf. Phil. 2:11).
The sheep and the goats will not express surprise because they anticipated a different fate. They will express surprise because of the evidence by which Jesus will judge their condition, namely their treatment of His brethren. Normally a person's works demonstrate his faith or lack of it.
"The King's messengers, immediately before He appears in glory, will go forth preaching the gospel of the kingdom everywhere; and when the King takes His throne, those that received the gospel of the kingdom among the nations are recognized as sheep,' and the despisers perish as goats.'"959
25:46 The goats (unbelievers) will go into eternal punishment in hell eventually instead of entering the messianic kingdom (cf. 7:21-23; 13:40-43).960Immediately they will enter Hades, the place of departed spirits, until God resurrects them at the end of the millennium and sends them to hell (cf. Rev. 20:11-15). The sheep (believers) will enter the kingdom that will be the first stage of their ceaseless life with God. Whereas eternal life begins when a person trusts Jesus Christ, the first stage of life in the King's presence for these believers will be the messianic kingdom. Elsewhere God revealed that there are degrees of happiness and responsibility in the kingdom (vv. 14-30; cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-15) and degrees of punishment in hell (11:22; Luke 12:47-48).
Jesus described the sheep as "righteous."
"This whole discourse again reflects the Lord's emphasis on righteousness [cf. the Sermon on the Mount]. It is a righteousness founded in faith in God which in turn, by God's grace, empowers the whole man to live a new and righteous life."961
Does this passage (25:31-46) teach us anything about the time of the Rapture?
"Although the question of whether Christ will come for His church before the tribulation (the pretribulational view) or at the time of His second coming to earth (the posttribulational view) is not dealt with in this passage, the implications are clearly in favor of the pretribulational view. If the rapture and translation of the church occur while Christ is coming from heaven to earth in His second coming to set up His kingdom, and the church meets the Lord in the air, it is obvious that this very act would separate all the saved from the unsaved. Under these circumstances, no judgment of the nations would be necessary subsequent to the second coming of Christ, because the sheep and the goats would already be separated."962
Thus ends the Olivet Discourse.
"Taken as a whole, the Olivet discourse is one of the great prophetic utterances of Scripture and provides facts nowhere else given in quite the same way. In it, Christ, the greatest of the prophets and the master Teacher, described the end of the age as the climax of the troubles of earth in a great tribulation. The time of unprecedented trouble will be terminated by the second coming of Christ. The saved and the unsaved will be separated, and only the saved will enter the millennial kingdom. This is the final word, which Matthew brings in answer to the leading question of this first gospel, concerning the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament of a glorious kingdom on earth. Matthew states clearly that while Christ, in His first coming, suffered and died and was rejected as both King and Saviour by His own people, He will come again and, in triumph, will bring in the prophesied kingdom literally, just as the Old Testament prophecies had anticipated. There is postponement but not annulment of the great prophecies of the kingdom on earth."963
In one sense 25:46 is the climax of Matthew's argument in this Gospel.964
"He has at this point accomplished his main purposes in presenting the credentials of the King and the kingdom program of the Jews. The King has shown Himself by His words and His works to be Israel's Messiah. Because Israel refused to accept Him as their King, the kingdom is taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth fruit worthy of repentance. However, this situation will exist only until the son of Man comes in His glory. At that time, all unrighteousness will be vindicated and Christ shall reign as Israel's King over the nations of the earth."965
