Matt. 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Matt. 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matt. 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Matt. 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Matt. 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
This statement is very appropriate at this time, since people are most susceptible to deceit when their need is great and things look hopeless. Anyone who claims to be able to provide deliverance and can back up that claim with signs and wonders will find people eager to follow him. Jesus emphasizes that they are not to believe anyone claiming to be the Messiah.
Jesus is warning them in advance that these false Christs and prophets will be able to do great signs and wonders. The Greek for the word “signs” implies miracles, the supernatural. These signs and wonders will be so convincing that even the “elect” would be deceived—if that were possible. The obvious implication here is that it will not be possible. I believe that is because the LORD protects His sheep (“...no one can take them out of His hand” John 10:28-29). Still, the LORD reminds them that they are to expect these powerful impostors; they are not to be deceived just because someone can work “miracles.” That brings to mind the magicians of Pharaoh who were able to duplicate some of Moses’ signs from the LORD. (Exodus 7)
Revelation 13:13 “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men….” [my note: speaking of the false prophet]
2 Thessalonians 2:9 “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders….” [my note: speaking of the Antichrist]
Matthew tells us the way that Jesus will return to earth as King. He will not come in secret. He will come as visibly as lightning that shines from the east to the west—all the way around the globe. All people will be able to see Him. Upcoming verses will confirm this truth.
There is also an interesting passage in Psalms that can be applied to these verses.
Psalm 10:4-8 “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.”
Only the wicked will try to deceive people by claiming special knowledge of secret things. They always have selfish motives. When Jesus returns, He will come in great glory with all the armies of heaven to defeat Satan and his armies and set up His earthly kingdom.
This is also not the first time that Jesus had taught His disciples this truth.
Luke 17:22-24 “And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”
Matt. 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
I like the wording of the New Living Translation for this verse: “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”
Arnold Fruchtenbaum had some interesting thoughts regarding this verse: “Messiah gave a hint as to the place of His Second Coming. He said that where the body (Israel) is, the vultures will be gathered together (the Gentile nations coming against the body of Israel). The place of the Second Coming of Christ will be in that place where the body of Israel is located, and where the Gentile nations are gathered together. The exact place is known as Bozrah in Hebrew, or Petra in Greek: it is where the body will be gathered (Micah 2:12-13), where the vultures will come against them (Isaiah 34:1-7, 63:1-6) and where the Second Coming will occur (Habakkuk 3:3).”
The prophet Isaiah seems to support his conclusion: Isaiah 63:1-4 “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.”
At this point the narrative from Luke definitely jumps in time to join Matthew and Mark in reference to the tribulation.
Matt. 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luke 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
- The sun will be darkened.
- The moon shall not give her light.
- The stars will fall from heaven.
- The powers (forces) of/in the heavens shall be shaken.
- There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars.
- Upon the earth will be distress of nations with perplexity; men will be anxious because they don’t understand what is happening.
- The sea and the waves will roar (reverberate with a loud noise).
- Men’s hearts will fail them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.
Context is clear that this is referencing events after the abomination of desolation during the subsequent great tribulation period, so I think this has to be associated with the vial judgments just preceding the LORD’s visible return.
Other places in the Old Testament that could tie in to these verses in Matthew are:
Joel 3:15-16 “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake….” — This section of Joel is a reference to the battle of Armageddon.
Isaiah 13:9-13 “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine….Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” — This chapter in Isaiah is a prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon, the kingdom of the Antichrist.
Though there are many direct connections in the prophecies given in the scripture, there is no reason to assume that we have been given every piece of the puzzle—just every piece of the puzzle we need to stay strong in the faith and live victoriously as we await His return.
Matt. 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Then shall appear the sign (the supernatural appearance) of the Son of Man in heaven and all the tribes of the earth mourn. They will see the Son of Man, Jesus, coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Several scriptures speak of Christ returning in the clouds.
Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
Matthew 26:64 “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 14:62 “And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Again, Arnold Fruchtenbaum had some interesting thoughts on this section: “From these passages, we learn that immediately after the Tribulation of those days, there will be a total blackout with no light penetrating at all, followed by a sudden, glorious, tremendous light that will penetrate through the blackout. This is the Shechinah Glory, and this Shechinah light will be the sign of the Second Coming of Christ.”
The important fact is that the LORD Jesus will physically and visibly return to assume the throne of David as prophesied to Mary before His birth.
Luke 1:31–33 “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Matt. 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Jesus will send His angels with a sound of a trumpet to gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Trumpets have many uses in the scripture that are distinguished by how trumpet is blown.
1Corinthians 14:7-8 “And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”
This “sound” of a trumpet could also reference the voice of God as described in Revelation.
Revelation 1:10-11 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last….”
It has always been God’s intent to regather all of Israel and that all of Israel, “His elect,” should be saved.
Ezekiel 37:11 & 13-14a “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel….And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land….”
Romans 11:26 “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob….”
I believe this promise, this regathering of all Jewish people, will be completely fulfilled when the LORD returns as King and places Israel in the position of prominence among the nations.
The “elect” is also a reference to the body of believers. In that regard, this could also reference the gathering of all believers who will be blessed to enter the kingdom at the end of the tribulation.
1 Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
Colossians 3:12 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering….”
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
What things? The signs being discussed previously—false Christs, wars, earthquakes, famines, the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, the powers of the heavens being shaken, and the abomination of desolation. That is the time to be looking up and lifting up your heads, because Christ will soon (in our perspective) be coming to rule as King of Kings. I thought the Greek for the phrase “look up” was revealing; it is a word expressing elation for the expectation. The phrase “lift up your heads” is a reference to the physical process of looking toward the skies.
It’s also important to note that the instruction is for when things begin to come to pass. It is the onset of the final signs that should get one excited.
Matt. 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Matt. 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees….
I know that many prophecy scholars equate the fig tree with Israel, but I personally don’t see this as the primary point being made here, although I do believe that the truth of Israel’s rebirth is the most significant sign regarding the nearness of the second coming of Jesus. The LORD is drawing a word picture here. According to Eerdman’s Dictionary, the first fruit of the fig tree appears in February before the leaves appear in April/June; when the leaves appear, the fruit is usually ripe. When you see the leaves shooting forth on the fig tree, you know that summer is right around the corner. Luke even adds the phrase “and all the trees” since the sprouting of the leaves on the trees in spring are the harbinger of summer soon to come.
Just as the sprouting of leaves is a sign that summer is coming, the emergence of the signs previously discussed are announcing that the kingdom of God is at hand—the return of Jesus to rule as King on planet earth.
Matt. 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Which generation? The one that sees the final signs. Once hard labor sets in the baby is soon to follow. These signs include events that are a part of the 70th week of Daniel, the tribulation period, which is seven years long. The generation that sees these last labor pains will see the fulfillment of the prophecy.
Note: False labor sometimes precedes onset of actual labor. It is similar to actual birth pains, but is premature. Events could happen similar to the birth pains before actual labor begins—but even false labor is a signal of labor soon to commence. Labor pains that produce birth continue to increase in intensity and frequency until birth occurs.
In his book The Last Times, Joseph Seiss defines a generation as “a race, a class, a family of people,” and the Greek supports his definition. His conclusion: “The plain meaning of the Savior is that the family of Abraham, the Israelitish people, should not pass out of existence as a distinct class or race before all these predictions should be verified.”
Matt. 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Fact: There will be a new heaven and earth, but God’s word is sure and everlasting.
Isaiah 51:6 “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”
Isaiah 65:17 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
2Peter 3:13 “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
to be continued...
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