The Gospel According to Matthew Chapters 24 and 25

Introduction: the Disciples’ Threefold Question, 24.1-3

v. 1 When the disciples look back at the temple, they feel glorious about it. No other nation on earth has such a holy place. The stones at the outside are ground so smoothly that they are exquisitely beautiful. The vessels of fine gold in the house glitter brightly and are of exceeding worth.

v.2 “See ye not all these things?”—Do not the “these things” here point to the huge stones and the golden vessels? For the Lord knows their mind well.

“Verily I say unto you . . . that shall not be thrown down”—What men see are the outward and the temporary, but the Lord with His spiritual insight sees through the visible. In the eyes of men today how very beautiful is the world and how civilized it is in material things. Yet by seeing with the spiritual eye of the Lord, man can recognize the fact that the earth with all its material objects will eventually be burned. Why then should we believers still mind the things of earth? Then too, typologically speaking, the holy temple may represent the church. How much of today’s church remains only in name but has lost her reality. She maintains her services just like the temple of old.

Why does the Lord ask the question of the disciples and give the kind of response that He does? His very asking indicates that unless His disciples adopt the same attitude as He has, they will not be able to understand prophecy. People who are occupied with the world will not think of prophecy. The disciples are unable to obtain the light of prophecy through reading because they are blinded by the light emitted by the world. They do not know that, however good the world is, the day shall come when all will be consumed by fire.

Why does the Lord say here that such a beautiful temple will be left desolate to the children of Israel? Simply because the glory of the temple is not in gold, silver and treasures, but in the presence of the Lord. If the Lord is gone, what use is the temple with its gold and treasures of the world? And hence these things ought not be left behind for us to contemplate. Let us, as God’s temple, be careful as to whether we have the presence of God or are merely maintaining an outward appearance.

“There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down”—In 70 A.D. this was fulfilled literally. The Roman soldiers under General Titus broke into Jerusalem, burned the temple, and scraped off all the gold which overlaid the stones by turning them over after the gold had melted into crevices between the stones.

v.3 “He sat on the mount of Olives”—The Gospel according to Matthew mentions “mountain” eight times, and each time it is connected with something special. Especially on two of these occasions we find that there is some similarity in the situation—namely, those of 5.1 and 24.3. On the mountain mentioned in 5.1 (even though it is not specifically named), the Lord declares the law of the kingdom of heaven, lays down the prerequisites for entering the kingdom, and unveils the fact of co-reigning with Him in the future. On the Mount of Olives (24.3) we shall notice that He concentrates on prophecies such as those concerning rapture, tribulation, and judgment.

Why speak on the mountain? Since the hearers must needs climb the mountain, this signifies the paying of a cost. All who are not willing to pay the cost cannot be expected to understand prophecy. The reason people do not like to listen to prophecy or deny the fact of the second coming is because they are unwilling to climb the mountain and pay the cost. There is quietness on the mountain, so too was there quietness on the isle on which John received the contents of the book of Revelation. The clamorous are not fit for studying prophecy.

The question of the disciples is threefold: (1) When shall these things be? (2) What shall be the sign of Your coming? and (3) What shall be the sign of the end of the world? These three should not be mixed up. In answering the disciples, our Lord replies one by one in three different parts. Regarding the answer to the first question, both Mark and Luke record it in great detail. Since Matthew’s treatment is of a much broader scope, his record of this first question should be supplemented by Mark’s and Luke’s accounts in this particular area. Neither Mark nor Luke, however, treat directly the Lord’s answers to the two other questions of the disciples, though there is no lack of teaching on their part concerning them. This is simply because Luke’s primary objective, for example, is not rapture.

The Disciples’ Second Question

Concerning the second coming (“What shall be the sign of thy coming?”), we need to distinguish three Greek words (1) parousia, (2) apokalupsis, and (3) epiphaneia.

The term used by the disciples in asking the Lord about His “coming” is the Greek word parousia which should be translated “presence”—it is used in the Scriptures 24 times. Besides the seven times wherein it applies to man (1 Cor. 16.17; 2 Cor. 7.6, 7; 10.10; Phil. 1.26, 2.12; and 2 Thess. 2.9), the remaining 17 occasions refer to the Lord (Matt. 24.3, 27, 37, 39; 1 Cor. 15.23; 1 Thess. 2.19, 3.13, 4.15, 5.23; 2 Thess. 2.1,8; James 5.7,8; 2 Peter 1.16; 3.4,12; and 1 John 2.28).

The word apokalupsis (meaning “uncovering” or “revelation”) appears in the Scriptures in the following places: 1 Peter 1.7,13; 4.13; 1 Corinthians 1.7; and 2 Thessalonians 1.7. “Revelation” is given to help people to understand.

The term epiphaneia (meaning “appearing”) is used in the Bible in: 1 Timothy 6.14; 2 Timothy 1.10, 4.1,8; Titus 2.13; and 2 Thessalonians 2.8 where this Greek term is translated as “manifestation” in English. The “appearing” is for the purpose of causing people to see.

The word “coming” in Matthew 24.3 is parousia (“presence”). Why does the Holy Spirit choose to use this particular term? Possibly because this matter of our Lord’s coming is a rather complicated event and the Greek term parousia carries within its meaning a very broad scope.

The parousia (or “presence”) of the Lord commences with the first rapture to the throne. “Be patient therefore, brethren, until the parousia of the Lord” (James 5.7). “Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the parousia of the Lord is at hand” (5.8). As we have noted earlier, all who have kept the word of the patience of Christ shall participate in the first rapture (Rev. 3.10).

Look further at 2 Peter 3.4, where the question raised is: “Where is the promise of his parousia?”

Then 1 Thessalonians speaks (1) of a standing before the Lord Jesus Christ at His parousia (2.19), (2) of the time of the parousia of the Lord with all His saints (3.13), (3) of how we shall all be caught up and meet the Lord in the air at His parousia (4.15-17), and (4) of having our spirit and soul and body preserved entire without blame at the parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ (5.23).

What are the things which transpire during the time of parousia? All who are Christ’s shall be resurrected (1 Cor. 15.23). The parousia of the Lord is where the believers will gather together with Him (2 Thess. 2.1). In His parousia, He will deal with the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2.8). The lawless one will also have his own parousia (2 Thess. 2.9). If we abide in Christ we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His parousia (1 John 2.28).

We deduce from these Scripture passages that parousia includes the throne and the air. Time-wise, it begins with the first rapture and ends with the appearing of Christ and His saints on earth. Thus parousia actually stands between the church and the kingdom. It comprises (1) the first rapture to the throne, (2) tribulation and the Great Tribulation, (3) the Lord descending to the air, (4) the general rapture of believers to the air, and (5) the appearing of Christ with His saints on earth. Perhaps the following diagram and the explanatory text which follows can make it clearer.

During parousia there are three periods which coincide with three locations: (see large center circle above): At the beginning of parousia (1) the overcoming believers are raptured to the throne (Matt. 24.37, 40-41). After some time (2a) the Lord descends from heaven to the air (1 Thess. 4.15-17, 1 Cor. 15.23)—(please remember that the throne is presently in heaven—Rev. 4.1-2). Meanwhile (2b) the dead in Christ shall rise, and those believers who are alive and left on the earth from the previous rapture (to the throne) shall, together with the risen dead in Christ, be caught up to the air. There they shall experience parousia with the Lord. And finally, parousia ends (3) with the appearing of the Lord with His saints from the air to the earth. He will bring to nought the Antichrist by the exploded glory of His parousia (2 Thess. 2.8-9).

What should be the attitude of believers toward parousia? Wait patiently (James 5.7-8); have the heart established unblamable in holiness (1 Thess. 3.13); and have one’s spirit, soul, and body preserved entire without blame (1 Thess. 5.23).

What will happen to the believers in parousia? Each man’s work shall be judged (1 Thess. 2.19, 1 John 2.28, 1 Cor. 3.12, 15).

The type of parousia is seen in 2 Peter 1. 16,18.

Let us again see when is to be the fulfillment of the first part of Matthew 24-25 (i.e., 24.4-31). Generally, there are two different interpretations: (1) that it was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Titus destroyed Jerusalem, since verse 2 has already been totally fulfilled; or (2) that it is yet to be fulfilled because the subject of Matthew 24 is the Great Tribulation. Among those who hold the first view is C. I. Scofield, and among those who advocate the second is J. N. Darby.

Seven arguments can be brought against the first view: (a) Though there were people who claimed to be Christ, yet none of them performed any wonder (24.24)—(b) “The abomination of desolation” (an idol is to be put in the temple) has not been fulfilled: the first school argues that this was fulfilled when the Roman flag was raised in the holy place—but when this happened, no Jew could flee anymore; yet 24.16 reads, “then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains”—(c) The Lord orders the Jews, upon witnessing the idol placed in the temple, to flee, that is to say, to flee in a hurry; but no such need to hasten was evident at the time in 70 A.D.—(d) The destruction of Jerusalem will affect the whole world, yet during the time of Titus such an aftermath did not happen—(e) In those days there was also no disturbance in celestial phenomena (24.29)—(f) The Lord will appear after the destruction, yet He did not appear after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.—(g) This part from 24.4-31 is parallel to what is found in Revelation 6. The book of Revelation was written in or about 96 A.D. and the historical event involving Titus occurred in 70 A.D. Had this first part been completely fulfilled at the time of Titus, why should this old event which happened some 26 years earlier be gone over again by John in his prophetic writing?

The destruction of the temple (besides that by the Babylonians which took place around 586 B.C.) is to occur two times more. “The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary,” prophesied Daniel (9.26). Time-wise, this will come with the last of the sevens after the passing of 62 sevens. And the term “the end” is used repeatedly in Daniel 9 and Matthew 24 to show that this will be the second destruction (the first of these two having been that of Titus in 70 A.D.).

By comparing other Scripture passages, such as in Revelation, we will be able to understand more clearly this second destruction of the holy temple: “The court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (11.2).

By way of conclusion, then, we may say that in the first part of Matthew 24 and 25 (24.4-31), verses 4-6 of chapter 24 have already been fulfilled, verses 7-14 have not been entirely fulfilled since they are still in the process of being so, and verses 15-31 are yet to be fulfilled.

A Comparison of the Three Gospels

Mark 13 and Luke 21 also record the same general subject matter found here in Matthew 24 and 25, but there are differences from Matthew’s account. All three Gospels have the first question: yet in the answer recorded, Mark and Luke give more details than does Matthew. And they differ from Matthew in the second question, and are even reversed in their emphasis with respect to the third question. Let us now note these differences as they pertain to all three questions.

Concerning the first question, Mark and Luke, as was indicated, are more detailed in the reply than Matthew. They give all which Matthew presents except for the statement that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations” (Matt. 24.14). Note, too, that Matthew’s focus is more on the holy temple, whereas Luke has the holy city more in view (“But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand”—Luke 21.20): for the question in Luke is what shall be the sign for the destruction of the temple, the answer to which is given in terms of what will happen to Jerusalem. In Matthew, however, the parallel question involving a sign relates to the inquiry as to what shall be the sign of the end of the world.

Luke does not mention “false Christs” specifically, whereas both Mark and Matthew do mention them by that term (Matt. 24.23-24, Mark 13.21-22). This is probably due to the fact that Luke has already described them in general terms in 17.22-23.

The characteristic of Matthew is parousia which is covered by the disciples’ second question recorded (“What shall be the sign of thy parousia and of the end of the world?”). How well, indeed, do the disciples ask this question, for parousia and “the end” occur simultaneously. This shows that the disciples have already attained to a certain understanding. Since Mark and Luke lay no emphasis on parousia, they do not record certain parables in Jesus’ reply such as the days of Noah, the servants, the virgins, and the distribution of talents. These parables are very pertinent to the matter of parousia.

There is another point upon which all three Gospels do agree, which is, that all three speak to the church as well as to the Jews: Mark 13.5-27 is addressed to the Jews, 28-37 to the church; Luke 21.8-28 is addressed to the Jews, 29-36 to the church (notice that in both these Gospels, as in Matthew 24, the parable of the fig tree is spoken to the church).

With regard to the third question, that concerning the end, Mark and Luke seem to be in reverse of Matthew. For this question (“the end of the age”) is related to the Jews as well as to the church. Matthew 24.20 says, “Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath”—and no doubt this is addressed to the Jews. Luke, though, says this: “But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (21.36). Such prayer and exhortation is moral in nature, and is therefore directed towards the church. And the same is true of Mark 13.33-37.

Furthermore, neither Mark nor Luke includes the promise of Noah because the question of parousia is not recorded as having been raised by the disciples in their accounts (though of course it is in Matthew). The “days of Noah” phrase is especially related to parousia—to rapture (cf. Matt. 24.37-39a with 39b ff.).

In the second part of Matthew 24, there are two signs: (a) the days of Noah—the sign of parousia; and (b) the fig tree—the sign of the end of this age.

Mark and Luke do not have the parable of the sheep and goats, for they deal with the imminent arrival of the end, not the end of this age itself. The above parable depicts the end itself.

The fig tree should not be interpreted literally for it is a parable. It points to the restoration of the Jewish nation. The words “her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves” (Matt. 24.32) describe life in the nation. Due to the oppression by Hitler, 120,000 Jews recently returned to Palestine.^*And even the rain, which had not fallen for about 2,000 years, is now beginning to fall.

^*Again, the reader should be aware that the author gave these studies in the early 1930’s.—Translator

Jesus’ End-Time Prophecy, Part One: Concerning the Jews, 24.4-31

v.4 The disciples have just asked about the destruction of the temple. This is a matter which deeply arrests their attention. In answering them, the Lord first warns them to be careful lest they be misled. For anyone studying prophecy, the preeminent safeguard which Jesus pronounces here is to “take heed that no man lead you astray”; yet how sad that many believers fall into errors because they do not pay attention to prophecy: “We have the word of prophecy . . . as unto a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1.19). Not to be led astray exhibits that kind of spiritual discernment which will not take yea for nay, or nay for yea.

vv.5-6 By whom will they be in danger of being led astray? (1) By false Christs. In his Wars of the Jews, the renowned Jewish historian Josephus recorded how false Christs and false prophets deceived the Jews by promising them miraculous deliverance. These false Christs were able to deceive the Jews because they had refused to believe in the real Christ. (2) By wars and rumors of wars. After the death of Christ, rumors of wars did spread abroad like wildfire.

“See that ye be not troubled: . . . the end is not yet”—The disciples asked when the temple would be destroyed, and the Lord answers with two signs: false Christs and wars. But do not mistake these phenomena as signifying the end. When these two signs are fulfilled, it only means that the holy temple shall thence be destroyed. And hence, do not be troubled by such signs, since all these phenomena must indeed come to pass—but the end is still not yet.

vv.7-8 Verses 7-14 deal with things that are “the beginning” while verses 15-31 deal with things at the end of this age. Hence verses 7-8 depict the conditions of the world through the twenty centuries of world history since the time of Christ. After “famines” there will be “pestilences” (AV). As the end approaches, such events will become more prominent and be greatly increased. We can therefore say that the world is now in the beginning of the end, since these phenomena have indeed intensified.

During the [first] World War ten million people lost their lives, and the loss of property was beyond calculation. Since that time, the aggregate of those who have died in numberless smaller wars has surpassed the number of dead lost in the World War. Since that time, the world has not known a single day of peace or rest: five million people have starved to death in Russia; 80 million Chinese died of starvation after the great flood. At one time six million people died of pestilence within a twelve-week period in South America; and five million people died in India. In 1923 a great earthquake in Japan destroyed much of the area in the cities of Tokyo, Kobe and Osaka in a few hours; and the death toll took over 150,000 lives. In 1927 the great earthquake that occurred in Kansu province in China took two lives out of every thousand people. On the average, there are three or four earthquakes each day. From a spiritual standpoint, peace on earth is the wonder, whereas the phenomenon of war is nothing to be surprised at. Formerly there was more the occurrence of nation rising up against nation (international war), but now there is more the incidence of people rising up against their own people (civil war).

Matthew 24.7-8 appears quite similar to the events surrounding the seals cited in the book of Revelation. The white horse of the first seal in Revelation 6.2 probably points to a fake Christ (cf. Matt. 24.5). The red horse of the second seal (6.4) is the war spoken of in Matthew, for red is the color of blood, and a sword obviously takes away peace. And without a doubt the red horse is now on earth. The black horse of the third seal (6.5-6) denotes famine, for people who are starved usually exhibit a black color on the face (cf. Lam. 5.10). The “balance” mentioned in 6.5 would seem to indicate that food is so expensive that every single milligram counts. A “shilling” is a day’s wages (see Matt. 20.2). “A measure of wheat for a shilling” shows that what a man earns is not sufficient to support a family. “The oil and the wine” are luxuries, therefore they must not be wasted. The pale (or pale green) horse of the fourth seal (6.7-8) speaks of pestilence, since the faces of those who die of the plague usually look pale green. “Hades” is where the dead will go, hence it follows suit. Hades gathers up the dead through pestilence as a dustpan receives dust from the broom. The fifth seal has to do with the saints of God. The great earthquake of the sixth seal coincides with “earthquakes in divers places” spoken of in Matthew 24.7 (Revelation mentions an earthquake in five different places in the book, yet it actually occurs but three times, with the locale for all three being in the same vicinity—that of Jerusalem).

To sum up, there are altogether four plagues: war, famine, pestilence and earthquake. These four plagues are “the beginning of travail” (Matt. 24.8). She who travails in birth suffers pains and then experiences rejoicing. Before the Jews can experience the joy of the kingdom they must first pass through travail. Upon witnessing these various things, people may conclude that the end has come—not knowing, however, that they are but the beginning of travail. In Psalm 48.6 and 1 Thessalonians 5.3 the travail mentioned in both places refers to Gentile experience. When the world says “peace and safety” then travail suddenly comes upon them (1 Thess. 5.3).

Though these four plagues are travail, they are only the beginning of tribulation. The more severe tribulations are yet to come.

v.9 Here begins the real tribulation. Verses 9-13 form a small section which deals with persecution.

“You” here refers to the Jewish disciples. Recently such Jewish believers have been discovered in the northern part of Europe: they keep the commandments and the Sabbath, and also believe in the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. The “you” here are also the prophets mentioned in Matthew 23.34. These prophets and wise men will be persecuted, even killed (see James 5.6). Both Mark and Luke record this in greater detail. These Jews will be delivered up to synagogues and councils, but the Holy Spirit will guide them as to what to say and will speak through them. Mark 13, Luke 21 and Matthew 24 all speak of Jewish believers who are similar to the disciples sent “to the house of Israel” (see Matthew 10.6). But Luke 22.35-38 refers to the sending of the disciples to the Gentiles, for the dispensation of salvation had by that time already begun, and therefore those who were to go out now needed to take purse and wallet. Hence there is similarity between the prophecy here on the Mount of Olives and what is recorded in Matthew 10.5-6.

Then, too, let us compare: (1) Matthew 23.34 with Matthew 10.17-18; (2) Luke 21.14-15 with Matthew 10.19-20; (3) Matthew 24.9-10 and Luke 21.16-17 with Matthew 10.21-22; and (4) Matthew 24.13 with Matthew 10.22. The above all speak of the Jewish believers. The words “synagogues” and “councils” and so forth show a Jewish colour. Since “all the nations” denote the unbelieving Gentile world, the “you” must refer to Jewish believers. According to Isaiah 49.9-10 the Jews will in the future be very zealous for the Lord in preaching the gospel. At the opening of the fifth seal in Revelation when the souls who were slain ask for vengeance, they are comforted by the Lord in His bidding them to rest for a little time until the number of all who are slain be fulfilled. These brethren mentioned in Revelation 6.11 who will be slain are the Jewish believers spoken of here in Matthew 24.9.

v.10 “Stumble”—“deliver”—“hate”: These are words which describe the inevitable consequences of persecution (see also John 16.1-2, Matt. 10.36, Mark 13.12-13, and Luke 21.16).

v.11 “False prophets”—There are false prophets among the Jews (Hosea 9.7-17) as well as in the church (1 Tim. 4.1, 2 Tim. 3.13, 2 Peter 2.1,12 ). The purpose of these false prophets is to lead people astray.

v.12 The results of their enticement: (a) iniquity shall be multiplied, and (b) love shall wax cold. Such an environment creates the atmosphere for the coming of the Antichrist (see also Dan. 8.11-12,23,11.30-31; Is. 65.11-15, 66.3-4; 2 Thess. 2.11-12).

Isaiah 42.10 “Ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof”—These are the nations. Now the one who says this is Jacob (see 41.8, 42.1), who is also Israel.

Isaiah 44.8 Jacob shall indeed witness and testify: but what will Jacob testify? See the Psalms: 145.10-13; 96.3-4,10; and 68.9,11.

The purpose of preaching the gospel of the kingdom is to testify to the nations—for not necessarily will all the Gentiles repent and be saved. According to Revelation 3.10 the Great Tribulation is to come upon the entire world. Consequently, an opportunity is given to the world’s inhabitants to escape.

“Then shall the end come”—Verses 15-31 to follow relate the things at the end. Today we are yet in the situation described in verses 7 and 8 above. Before we see the end, we hear and observe its coming. How long the period is before the circumstances described in verse 15ff., nobody knows; yet we do know this—that the length of time covered by verses 13-31 will amount to three and a half years.

v.15 “The holy place” may mean the land of Judea, Jerusalem, the temple, or the holy of holies.

“The abomination of desolation” refers to an idol. In the future when Antichrist shall come, he will place his image in the temple. This will mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation (for notice the words “then” and “those days” in verses 16,19 and 21.) For the end of the Great Tribulation, see verses 29 and 30. Soon after the Tribulation is over the Lord shall appear. Thus the Tribulation commences with the placing of an idol in the temple and ends with the appearing of Christ on earth. How long is the Great Tribulation? Forty-two months (Rev. 11.2), or 1260 days (Rev. 11.3, 12.6), or a time and times and half a time which is three and a half years (Rev. 12.14). What Matthew speaks concerning the destruction of the holy temple is the same as that to which Revelation 11.2 refers as the treading under foot of the holy city. By reading Luke 21.20,23 and Matthew 24.15-21 together, we know that the holy city and the holy temple will be destroyed at the same time. So the end, which is the Great Tribulation, lasts for 42 months from the time of the placing of an idol in the temple to the moment of the appearing of the Lord.

PROPHECIES CONCERNING “THE END” AS FOUND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

“What do ye devise against Jehovah? he will make a full end; affliction shall not rise up the second time” (Nahum 1.9).

“Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come” (Lam. 4.18b). The end is come, so flee.

“An end: the end is come upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end upon thee. . .” (Ez. 7.2b-3).

“. . . for the vision belongeth to the time of the end ... ; for it belongeth to the appointed time of the end” (Dan. 8.17,19).

“. . . the end shall be at the time appointed ... because it is yet for the time appointed.... And at the time of the end...” (Dan. 11.27,35,40 ).

“. . . seal the book, even to the time of the end . . . for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. . . How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? . . . It shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished” (Dan. 12.4,9,6,7).

“Abomination” is a Jewish saying for an idol (see Deut. 29.17;1 Kings 11.5-7; 2 Kings 23.13; Jer. 4.1, 13.27).

“Of desolation” has a double meaning: (1) If there is an idol, God will certainly bring in destruction. An idol causes destruction, therefore it is called an abomination of desolation. (2) Antichrist is also called “one that maketh desolate” (Dan. 9.27). Hence he is that abomination who works destruction. “Apollyon” (Rev. 9.11), which in Greek means Destroyer, is the Antichrist who is also the Destroyer.

As to how Antichrist makes desolate, the book of Daniel gives a detailed picture. See Daniel 11.30-31, where “the holy covenant” is none other than the Ten Commandments which God had covenanted with the children of Israel, and where the phrase “them that forsake the holy covenant” points to the rebellious Jews. “Upon the wings of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate” (Dan. 9.27) are words which mean that he who makes desolate shall come swiftly. “From the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Dan. 12.11): this is a month more than the 1260 days of Revelation 11.3 This additional month may be the period that will be used for the judgment of the sheep and the goats after the Great Tribulation.

In the New Testament, 2 Thessalonians 2.3-4 mentions the revealing of the Antichrist, and verse 9 speaks of his working lying wonders. Revelation 13.1-6 and 11-15 describe two beasts, which represent the Antichrist and the false prophet. “Sea” (in Rev. 13.1) signifies the nations, while “earth” or “land” (in Rev. 13.11) signifies the Jews. After the resuscitation of the Antichrist, the false prophet will make for him an image and cause the people in the world to worship it. This is the image which will be placed in the holy temple. “Let him that readeth understand” (Matt. 24.15b): the Holy Spirit has this word inserted in this passage because this matter of the Antichrist having “the abomination of desolation . . . standing in the holy place” is most easily misunderstood and that therefore the study of Matthew 24 must be done by making comparison with Daniel and the other prophets.

Many maintain that Matthew 24.15 refers to the condition of the church, but this is impossible; for the Lord mentions Daniel here, and none of the Old Testament prophets ever prophesied about the church. Some suggest that the Lord is aiming here at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., but this too is inaccurate since the prophecies of Daniel about the resurrection of the dead, the purifying of the holy temple, the knowing of the wise, and so forth were not fulfilled at that time.

Matthew 24.15-31 is not yet fulfilled. Though the narrative in Luke 21.20-28 seems quite similar to that which is described here, most of what is in Luke has already been fulfilled in the war of Titus. For let us see that the objectives of Luke and Matthew are not the same. Luke emphasizes the destruction of Jerusalem whereas Matthew stresses the destruction of the holy temple. What Daniel stresses is also the destruction of the holy temple, and consequently Matthew quotes from him. Luke lays no special emphasis on the things at the end; he merely cautions that these things are approaching; and hence what he records has mostly been fulfilled in Titus, though some elements are still left to be fulfilled in the future. Prophecies in the Bible often follow this principle, namely, that there is a partial fulfillment at the first, to be followed later on by a complete fulfillment. At the time of Titus, the believers fled only from Jerusalem to Pella.

“They shall fall by the edge of the sword” and “shall be led captive into all the nations” (Luke 21.24a) are things which have been fulfilled. “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (v.24b): down to our present day this has been the case, for even today^* the land of Judea, including Jerusalem, is yet in the hand of the Gentiles.^**Without a doubt Luke 21.25 still refers to some future time.

^*Again it should be noted that the author gave these studies in the early 1930’s.—Translator

^**Some students of prophecy are now suggesting that because Jerusalem came into the hands of the Jews (following the Six Days War in 1967), the “times of the Gentiles” has been fulfilled. This event may indeed have marked such a fulfillment.—Translator

Concerning the end, there are two explanations: (a) the Great Tribulation, and (b) the great trial. The former pertains to the Jews (see Dan. 12.1, Matt. 24.21—Daniel plainly speaks to the Jews); the latter to the Gentiles (see Rev. 3.10). The following diagram may be of help here:

So far as the Great Tribulation is concerned, the center is Jerusalem and the circumference is Judea. So far as the great trial is concerned, the center is Rome and the circumference is the world. The throne of the beast and his kingdom cited in Revelation 16.10 refers to revived Rome. During the period of the end, the Great Tribulation and the great trial run together. The centers are Jerusalem and the revived Roman Empire, and the respective circumferences are the nation of Judah and the whole world.

In studying Matthew 24 special attention needs to be paid to Matthew 23.38: “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate”: here the Lord openly declares His rejection of the Jews as a nation (individually, of course, they can still be received). So that Matthew 24 deals with the things concerning them, though not speaking directly to them. When the Lord delivers these prophecies to the disciples, the latter do not represent the Jewish nation but represent, in a double capacity: (1) the Jewish remnant who are faithful to the Messiah and who believe in the Lord Jesus as the Messiah; and (2) the church, for they are the pillars of the church. Verse 31, however, is the dividing line, since what follows that verse is related to the church.

Consider once more the questions asked by the disciples: (1) When shall these things be? (2) What shall be the sign of Jesus’ coming? and (3) What shall be the sign of the end of the world? What exactly are “the coming” and “the end” about which the disciples ask? Their understanding is quite different from ours. In their mind, they have no conception of the church. Even at the ascension of the Lord they were still asking this question: “Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” (Acts 1.6) Then, too, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, these disciples were most reluctant to leave Jerusalem. At first Peter was not willing to go to the house of Cornelius; but even after he went, his brethren quarreled with him. Hence “the end” in their thinking constantly harked back to the concept of “the end” in the Old Testament sense: after the end, the Messiah will reign. So that the end to them is that age or period just prior to the kingdom. Though the disciples asked in ignorance, the Lord will not answer them wrongly because they have asked wrongly. Ignorance cannot and will not hinder our Lord from giving the right answer. The Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24 has therefore much to do with the church.

Let us now return to verse 15 of Matthew 24. We earlier learned that the period from the setting up of the image to the appearing of Christ will be three and a half years. Soon after the image is placed in the holy temple, the latter’s destruction will not be far away. The Destroyer will first defile the temple before he destroys it (see Ps. 74.3-7, Is. 64.10-11, Lam. 4.1, Dan. 8.11). Why will God allow the temple to be defiled and destroyed? Because the Jews have already defiled it (see Jer. 32.34, Ez. 8.5-15).

v.16 “Flee”—This is similar to the fleeing of the woman into the wilderness cited in Revelation 12.6. The dragon tries to swallow the woman, that is to say, Satan will persecute the Jews. Consequently, the woman must flee. “Water as a river” (Rev. 12.15) may mean armies, but the earth will open her mouth and swallow the armies. If the Jews will listen to the command in the prophecy and flee, they will be nourished for 1260 days. Fleeing is to their advantage.

v.17 “On the house-top”—A Jewish house has a flat top with stairs both inside and outside by which to reach it.

“Not go down to take out the things that are in his house”—which means that he is not to come down via the inside stairs nor to enter into his house and take things from it, but to flee by the outside stairs.

v.18 “In the field”—He who works in the field should flee quickly. He must not go back to his house “to take his cloak”: he ought not treasure material things because tribulation will swiftly come: if he delays, he will be hurt.

v.19 “Them that are with child and to them that give suck”—Woe to them, for fleeing is inconvenient and highly unsuitable to such ones, for they cannot flee quickly.

v.26 False Christs (and false prophets) have already been mentioned or alluded to several times (see verses 5,11,23,24). Here they are again alluded to in order to show how serious the situation is. “The wilderness” speaks of any place that is separated from the general intercourse with the world. While John the Baptist was in the wilderness he was asked if he were the Christ. “Inner chambers” denote a secret place, that which is not open to the public. Human psychology is such that it attaches great power and attraction to anything secretive. Yet the moment something becomes open, it loses its power. Did not the Corinthian believers, for example, despise Paul, saying that “his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (2 Cor. 10.10)?

v.27 “Lightning” flashes in the sky and everybody sees it, whereas by contrast “the wilderness” is hidden from many eyes. The Lord’s appearing is absolutely open. He shall come in the cloud. If anyone suggests that the Lord will come to the earth stealthily, do not believe him. Nevertheless, the first rapture does happen secretly, and the Lord’s coming from the throne to the air is also in secret. Just as the lightning is first hidden in the clouds until the time of its flashing in the sky, so Christ will hide himself in the cloud until the right moment for His appearing (see Rev. 1.7, Acts 1.11). According to the record of the book of Acts, at His ascension the Lord was first taken up without any cloud, and only then was He received by a cloud. Even so shall be His coming again, except the order will at that time be reversed. First, He will be hidden by the cloud (which will include the rapture), and next will He appear publicly (by that time all the saints will have been raptured before His appearing). So that what we are waiting for in parousia is not the coming but the going.

v.28 “Carcase” and “eagles”—The word “carcase” is commonly interpreted as representing “Christ” and the term “eagles” as symbolizing Christians. According to this interpretation, this has reference to the breaking of bread, in that after the death of Christ the Christians eat His flesh. But such interpretation is not only untrustworthy, it is also absurd; it even borders on blasphemy. For the Scriptures speak of the life of the Lord as well as the death of the Lord. The One in whom we believe is the Lord who was dead and has been resurrected: for “if Christ hath not been raised,” says Paul, “then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Cor. 15.14). Furthermore, a “carcase” (or corpse) decays and stinks (see John 11.39). Thus this word cannot point to Christ.

How, then, should this word be explained? (a) A corpse plus life equals a living person; a living person minus life equals a corpse—so that “carcase” here represents that which has no life, which in other words stands for all who are in Adam (see 1 Cor. 15.22). Believers are no longer in Adam; having received new life, they cannot be called by this term “carcase”: instead, they are called the body of Christ. When they break the bread, they are not dividing up the Lord’s corpse; for the Lord says, “This is my body” (and where there is life, such is not a corpse). (b) A corpse stinks as it decays (John 11.39 mg.; 1 Cor. 15.50,53 ). That is why a man is buried after he dies (see Gen. 23.4). Hence “carcase” here also signifies the decay of those dead in Adam.

The word “eagles” has several applications in the Bible: (a) The people of God. See Isaiah 40.31 and Deuteronomy 32.11. These two passages lay stress on the flying of the eagles. (b) In Leviticus, an eagle is classified as an abomination among the birds (11.13), for it devours dead flesh (see Rev. 19.17-18, 21b). The devouring of corpses by eagles (“all the birds that fly in mid heaven”) as told in Revelation signifies God’s judgment; so too is it here in Matthew. Wherever the corruption of the dead in Adam is, there also is the judgment of God. (Both the words “eagles” and “carcase” are interpreted spiritually here because the word “lightning” in the preceding verse is used in parabolic fashion too).

v.29 The words “immediately after” are most important in fixing the time. The sun and the moon and the stars should be taken literally. Some try to explain them symbolically as kings, princes and chief captains being shaken; but such an interpretation is unacceptable; because were this the case, the sun and moon and stars would have had to have been shaken before the appearing of the Lord.

The distress mentioned here in Matthew 24.29 is the same as that spoken of in Revelation 6.12-13—except that the time is different. In Revelation we notice that all seven seals (of which these celestial phenomena are the consequences of the sixth seal) are broken at the beginning of the Tribulation, with the seals then followed by further and greater trials in the trumpets and bowls; but here these same celestial things occur after the Tribulation: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days”; hence at the beginning of the Great Tribulation there is a change in these celestial bodies, and likewise at the end of the Tribulation there is still another celestial catastrophe. What we find stated in Joel 2.31 is the same as the sixth seal in Revelation 6, for Joel plainly mentions that these things will occur “before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh” (2.31b). Matthew, though, clearly states that such phenomena will take place “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (24.29). These changes in celestial bodies must therefore happen twice.

v.30 “Then” is the time after what is described in verse 29 has happened. We do not know what will be this sign of the Son of man. The familiar views are: (a) the Lord himself—but this is unacceptable since the Lord declares explicitly “the sign of the Son of man” and not the Son of man himself; and (b) the cross—with this being based on the sign of Jonah which the Lord gave to the scribes and the Pharisees as noted in Matthew 12. Although this is a definite possibility, we do not have a full conviction that it is so. Consequently, we will reserve our judgment on this view. One thing we do know, however, is that this sign must be something supernatural and mysterious.

“In heaven”—Since the sign appears in heaven, all the tribes of the earth shall see it. “All the tribes of the earth” refers to the twelve tribes of Israel. They shall mourn and weep (see Zech. 12.10-14).

“With power and great glory”—At His first coming, the Lord manifested both great authority (in that He cast out demons and healed the sick) and glory. At His second coming, He will manifest power and glory. At His first coming, people marveled at His teaching and authority (Matt. 7.28). The Pharisees questioned Him as to the source of His authority (Matt. 21.23). A centurion believed in His authority (Matt. 8.8-9). But at His second coming, He will not only manifest authority but also power. He will not ride on a colt (as the Prince of Peace) but will ride instead on a white horse. Power is used in executing the judgment of God. In the future Satan will greatly increase his lawless works; so the Lord will destroy him with power. The difference between power and authority may be illustrated by the driving of a car (power) in contrast to the directing given by a policeman (authority). At His first coming our Lord healed the sick, cast out demons, and calmed the storm—all these being demonstrations of authority. Even when He overturned tables and drove out sheep and oxen with a scourge of cords, He did not use the whip on men. Only at His second coming will He exercise such power.

v.31 This verse is the fulfillment of Matthew 23.39: “Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”—After the Great Tribulation, the Lord will “gather together His elect”: the “elect” or “chosen” are the Jews who are scattered among the nations. “From the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”—This does not denote rapture, for here it is the idea of erchomai, not parousia. Here is a gathering together (see Deut. 30.3-5). After the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews were either killed or captured. They were scattered to the nations. Now, the Lord begins to call them back (see Is. 43.5-7). They shall return from the east, the west, the north, and the south. Some shall even come from the land of Sinim (Is. 49.9-13). Now Sinim means China, and in Hunan province there is a large number of Jews, who, incidentally, take the family name of Tsan. See also Isaiah 49.22-26, 51.11, 56.8, 60.4, 62.10-12, 27.13; Ezekiel 34.13, 37.21, 28.25. “From the four winds”—Wind is moving all the time: the Jews have no settled place in which to live but wander all over the world.

The gathering spoken of here is not the rapture of the church, because (1) parousia has already passed, and rapture is within the scope of parousia; (2) this is a gathering together, and hence it has no connection with parousia; (3) if it were indeed parousia it would be totally foreign to the meaning of the preceding passage; (4) by it pointing to the Jews it agrees with Matthew 23.37; (5) at the trump of God, the Lord would come to the air; and (6) the context proves to be concerning the Jews.

Jesus’ End-Time Prophecy, Part Two: Concerning the Church 24.32-25.30

A. LESSONS FROM THE FIG TREE AND THE DAYS OF NOAH, 24.32-42

v.32 The word “now” marks the beginning of the second part. Since the Lord gives this part of His prophecy on the Mount of Olives—a place where there are many fig trees —He quite naturally could use the fig tree as an illustration. “When her branch is now become tender”—This speaks of the return of life. “And putteth forth its leaves”—This means the manifestation of life. The fig tree represents the Jews (Jer. 24.2,5,8). Earlier the Lord had cursed the fig tree which possessed only leaves but had no fruit. In reality the curse was upon the Jews who possessed the outward rituals but had no reality. “Summer” is the season of growth as winter is the season of withering and death. In the summer, life shows its greatest vigor, the air is warm, and the days are bright. It is a golden season, and therefore it stands for the kingdom. The Jews today are in the winter time. Winter points to tribulation, particularly the Great Tribulation. Spring speaks of rapture (see S.S. 2.10-14); summer speaks of the kingdom (see Luke 21.30-31). In Luke 21.29-30 we have the words “and all the trees”—which phrase represents the nations (see Daniel 4.10-17 and Judges 9.8-15). When “all the trees ... now shoot forth” (Luke 21.29-30), this is a signifying that nationalism will have been greatly developed among many peoples and nations.

v.33 Let us understand that the preceding verses 4-31 form a part and are not a break with what follows; and hence the thoughts in the earlier part are continuous into the next. The major difference between 24.4-31 and 24.32-25.46 lies in this: that the one part speaks about the Jews while the other part speaks about the church.

“All these things”—Such words should be connected with 23.36 (“All these things shall come upon this generation”), with 24.6 (“these things”), and with 24.8 (“all these things”). “All these things” have reference to the beginning of tribulation, as reflected in such things as false Christs, wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and so forth.

“He is nigh”—“It is nigh” (mg.) is the more accurate rendering of this phrase in the Greek text. The “it” points to the kingdom. The kingdom is near, “even at the doors”: this agrees with Luke—“Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh” (21.31).

v.34 “This generation”—The Greek text is genea, not aion. The Chinese deem 30 years to be a generation; the West reckons 40 years as such. Neither calculation is applicable here, for had it been either case, all these things would have had to have been fulfilled in the lifetime of those living at the time of Matthew and thus all would have become past history. On the basis of such an interpretation (that is, that the meaning of “generation” is in terms of a given period of years) the historians maintain that Matthew 24 is already past: they argue that Titus destroyed Jerusalem exactly 40 years after the Lord had spoken these words recorded here in verse 34 and that therefore the word “generation” is here used in its most general sense.

Some try to avoid the problem by changing “generation” into “race”—the race of the Jewish people. But this is unlikely because (1) Matthew 1.17 says, “So all the generations from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations”; (2) we must not alter a word simply because of a difficulty, and (3) had this word been “race” in its translation, then such an explanation would mean that the Jewish race has the possibility of being destroyed since the Lord in fact declares that “this generation shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished” (v.34).

How, then, should genea be explained? We should try to find the clue from the Old Testament:

“Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah, thou wilt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Ps. 12.7). This is a generation not in terms of a physical, but a moral, relationship.

“They are a perverse and crooked generation” (Deut. 32.5). The genea (Hebrew, dor) here is not 30 or 40 years or even a lifetime. As long as perversity and crookedness last, just so is the duration of that generation.

“For they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness” (Dent. 32.20). The generation continues as long as unfaithfulness persists.

“There is a generation that curse their father, and bless not their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men” (Prov. 30.11-14). Obviously, such a generation is not limited to a few decades or a lifetime; rather, it points to a period marked by certain immoral characteristics.

We may receive further light from the Gospel of Matthew itself:

“But whereunto shall I liken this generation. . .?” (11.16-19).

“An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet . . . The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here” (12.39,41).

“The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with this generation . . . Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation” (12.42,45 ).

“All these things shall come upon this generation” (23.36).

This evil generation will last just as long as evil and adultery remain. Hence the meaning of genea in 24.34 is a period of time characterized by evil, adultery, perverseness, and crookedness. Such a period has not yet passed away, and will pass away only after all these things are accomplished.

“This generation” includes three classes of people: (1) the Gentiles who worship idols and reject God; (2) those Jews who reject Christ; and (3) the apostates—the so-called modernists. Before all these people pass away, all these things will be accomplished. The Lord will come and destroy them. Before the coming of the kingdom, all these things shall be fulfilled.

We should thus see the distinction among these three Greek words used in the Bible: kosmos is the world, aion is the age, and genea is the generation.

v.35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away”—The word of our Lord outlasts the heaven and the earth. Before the heaven and the earth pass away, all His words shall be fulfilled. The word “heaven” in the Scriptures has a double use: when it is cast in the singular, it is heaven in contrast to earth; when it appears in the plural, it means the kingdom, the one which God rules. Here it is singular in number.

v.36 Verses 36-42 form a small section which is not difficult to explain.

“That day and hour”—Day is longer, hour is shorter. The Lord seems to gather up all the future things into that day and hour. The disciples ask about the sign of parousia and of the end of the age. In reply the Lord uses the fig tree as the sign of the end, and rapture as the sign of parousia. The Jewish fig tree becomes the sign to us, and our parousia becomes the sign to the Jews. In spite of these signs being given, no one knows the day and the hour. The Lord says plainly: “knoweth no one”; unfortunately, though, people still try to compute the day and hour, and if not the day and hour, at least the year and month. This is an ungodly attempt. Mrs. White of the Seventh Day Adventists calculated 1844 as being the year of His coming, and Russell of the Watchtower Society considered some 1900 odd years after the year of our Lord as constituting the Lord’s coming again. Both have failed. Many many attempts have been made to fix the time, yet all have failed.

“Not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son”—This last phrase may sound most strange in view of these words: “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Ps. 110.1). Though the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one, yet the Son is content to wait and not be anxious about knowing. It is not because He cannot know. Furthermore, the word “knoweth” in “no one knoweth” is cast in the present tense, which means that the Lord does not know today. It cannot mean that He will never know.

vv.37-42 Four things are mentioned: (a) Human conditions at the end are quite similar to those in the days of Noah. At that time people knew about the flood through the preaching of Noah; nonetheless, they were careless in that as usual they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage. (b) Just as God kept Noah and his household safely through the flood, so God will preserve a Jewish remnant through the Great Tribulation (this is that which is mentioned in Revelation 12.16: “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth”). (c) The flood took all the people in the world away. (d) At the time when Noah entered the ark, the flood came; even so, in the time of rapture, one will be taken and one will be left.

v.37 How were the days of Noah? They were marked by seven things: (1) After the birth of Enosh men began to call upon the name of Jehovah (Gen. 4.26). This means that before Enosh, people worshiped God but not Jehovah. There is a difference here. Not worshiping Jehovah means not worshiping the Savior. Today people do the very same thing. They believe in God as Creator but not Christ as Savior.

(2) Genesis 4.19,22 gives the names of several women such as Adah (meaning pleasure), Zillah (screen), and Naamah (pleasant). These three names represent the conditions of women at that time. They were beautiful, vainglorious and frivolous. Look at women today. Their expenditures on dresses and cosmetics have skyrocketed to an unprecedented height. How many of them are also vain and flippant, an indication to believers that the days of Noah are here.

(3) Genesis 4.17 records the building of a city, while verses 20-22 speak of music, cattle raising, and forging of iron and brass. Today there are rapid developments in these areas. Metropolitan cities are being built everywhere, an example of which is our own Greater Shanghai. The cattle industry is prospering, and music is popularized through records and the radio. And iron in those days was made into spears and swords, whereas today it is made into guns and cannons.

(4) The fall of the church—Before the flood there were two lines of seed: (a) Cain (representing worldly people) and (b) Seth (representing the church). Of the seed of Seth, however, only one man—Enoch—was raptured, with the rest not walking with God but mingling with the world and thus being defeated. Today’s church is likewise mixed with the world and is fallen. Whoever cannot perceive the fallen condition of the church is himself fallen.

(5) Genesis 6.1 says, “when men began to multiply on the face of the ground”—Population explodes today. The rate of increase greatly surpasses that of even three years ago (1930). In that year the world population was 1.7 billion people. Today [1933] there are two billion. China alone has 500 million.

(6) Jude 14 and 15 tell how Enoch prophesied the coming of the Lord to execute judgment upon all, but his preaching was ignored by the world. The same happens nowadays. Since 1828^*the second coming of our Lord has been widely preached, but few receive it with the heart.

(7) Genesis 6.1-2 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose”—The sons of God are the angels; fallen angels had illicit intercourse with daughters of men. This is spiritualism, a form of which has become particularly rife even in our own day.

^*For the significance of this date, see footnote at 13.31-32 above.—Translator

v.38 What does the story of Noah typify here—the rapture of the saints or believers’ passing through the Great Tribulation? The rapture of the saints seems to be a more reasonable conclusion. People usually take Enoch as representing rapture and Noah as representing going through the Tribulation. But these interpretations are merely based on the histories given in Genesis. For in the Bible Noah typifies more than just one particular thing. As an example, we find that in 1 Peter 3.20-21 he stands for a being saved through baptism. What does the Lord want to signify here in Matthew 24.37? Doubtless, it is parousia (“... so shall be the coming of the Son of man”). And hence the parousia in verse 37 is the entering of Noah into the ark cited in verse 38. How Noah signifies rapture may be seen from the following observations:

(1) In taking male and female into the ark, Noah typifies the Lord’s taking both men and women in the rapture of His parousia.

(2) As Noah shut the males and females in the ark, thereby out of sight, so Christ raptures us away so that we will no more be seen by the world.

(3) As Noah delivered them out of the flood, so our Lord keeps us out of the Great Tribulation (see Rev. 3.10). That animals in the Bible can represent human beings can be seen from what we learn in Peter’s vision (Acts 10).

“They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”—So are these activities greatly done today. How people are increasingly given over to the lusts of eating and drinking, and how much they engage in marriage and divorce.

Of course, whether taken or left, all the men and women spoken of here in 24.40-41 are saved—so that the ones left cannot be viewed as being unsaved because of the following reasons:

(1) “Watch therefore” (v.42). The word “therefore” connects with the preceding verses 40 and 41. Since you are saved and have life, you are expected to watch. Those who lack the Lord’s life cannot watch. The determining factor in rapture is not a being saved or unsaved but is a case of one’s works after regeneration. To say that all the regenerated will be raptured together is a serious mistake.

(2) “Your Lord cometh” (v.42). The unsaved do not have the relationship of servant and master with the Lord. Man may misuse this word, but the Lord never will. The unsaved person may consider himself to be a servant of the Lord, but the Lord will not carelessly use such a term as “your Lord” here.

(3) “The thief was coming” (v.43). If a thief comes to steal apples, he will take the ripe ones and leave the unripened ones behind. Thus it is not a difference in kind but one of degree.

(4) The five foolish in the parable of the virgins told of in chapter 25 are not false virgins. They are real, except that they are not wise as are the five wise virgins. The wise ones spare no effort to carry oil in the vessels whereas the foolish are too lazy to make such a provision. Nevertheless, both the wise and the foolish are virgins, and they all go forth to meet the bridegroom.

(5) Judging from typology, those who are left can be the saved as well as those who are taken. Both Enoch (who was raptured) and Noah (who entered the ark) were saved. Yet both Abraham (the intercessor) and Lot (who passed through tribulation) were saved too. But Elijah (the taken) and Elisha (the left) were saved. The disciples whom the Lord in His ascension left behind were all saved ones. Both Philip (the one taken away) and the eunuch (the one left behind) were saved.

We conclude, therefore, that the “taken” and the “left” in verses 40 and 41 are all saved.

v.42 Joining verses 40 and 41 with verse 42, one may readily see that the real issue lies in “watch” or “not watch”; otherwise the Lord cannot employ the word “therefore” nor can He exhort us to be watchful. If the condition for early rapture is regeneration and not watchfulness and proper works after regeneration, then there would be no reason for the Lord to enjoin us to watch. For in this verse He merely charges us to be watchful, with nothing being said about repentance, faith, or regeneration. Thus, both the taken and the left mentioned in verses 40-42 are saved ones. Surely our Lord will not advise the unregenerated to watch.

What is the significance of the word “watch”? Some people have suggested that this matter of watching concerns only the Jews, while we Christians need only to wait. Yet we know that the Jews will themselves have to pass through “Jacob’s trouble”: there is no way for them to escape the wrath of God. And hence they cannot avoid the Great Tribulation simply because they are watchful. But with the church, watchfulness is most useful. The meaning of watching is not to be careless. How prone Christians are to be overly self-confident. Watchfulness is the very opposite of carelessness. He who sleeps must be so confident in himself that he reckons nothing is going to happen, whereas the watchful person puts no trust in his flesh at all. The self-confident one is prone to fall, for to boast that “I am different from yesterday” opens the way to failure. Only the person who deeply senses his own inadequacy will be watchful. To watch is to be careful, guarding daily against the possibility of a fall. Whoever considers himself as unable to fall will not be vigilant.

The thief will usually take away the precious things and leave the poor things behind, thus causing loss to the master of the house. But such a consequence will not be relevant with respect to the coming of the Lord. The main reason for using such a parable is to reinforce the concept of the unpredictability of the time of His coming. We have to leave the minute details in the parable unexplained. The only plausible explanation is to interpret it according to 1 Thessalonians 5.4-10.

The most lamentable situation today is that many Christians are prepared to be left behind. Does not 1 Thessalonians 5.4-10 inform us that positionally we “are all sons of light”? We should therefore not allow the Lord to come to us as a thief in the night. Did not the Lord warn Sardis, saying, “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Rev. 3.3)? When the church is like the church at Thessalonica, the believers are sons of light. But when the church is like that at Sardis, which is dead, the Lord will come as a thief and she shall not know the hour when He will come by.

If the master of the house allows his house to be broken through, it is his own fault, since the master of every house knows that the thief will come; for have we not all been notified by the words of prophecy? Our position is therefore this: we know He is coming, though we do not know in which hour He comes. After the Lord had left the earth, this age became a long and dark night (that is to say, the age is morally and spiritually dark). We know the Lord will come again during this long and dark night, but we do not know at what hour. Yet our ignorance of the hour ought to serve as an incentive to our watching: we should supplement our lack of knowledge with an attitude of watchfulness. Hence the failure of the master of the house lies in his despising what he knows and not supplementing for what he does not know. How we need always to be on guard against the enemy, the world, and our own selves. As Jessie Penn-Lewis once said: “The life of a Christian is a careful watching from the first day onward”!

Rapture is therefore a sign to the Jews, but to the believers who are left behind it signals the arrival of the days of trial.

Parousia to the Jews is like the lightning (that comes after the Great Tribulation); to the church it is as a thief.

v.44 “The son of man”—Some people (such as C. I. Scofield) maintain that the Lord styles himself the Son of man here only in relation to the Jews; and therefore He never uses it in relation to the church. Yet we shall note that the Son of man is also the Lord’s name in His kingdom, and hence is related to Christians. For example, Stephen, who is a member of the church, called the Lord the Son of man (Acts 7.56). Moreover, in Hebrews 2.6, which points to Christ’s glory in the kingdom (see Heb. 2.9), the Lord is called the Son of man. Note too that John 5.27-29 speaks of the Lord’s authority to execute judgment in the kingdom because He is the Son of man. Matthew 19.28 mentions the Son of man sitting on the throne of His glory. And Matthew 25.31 says that the Son of man shall come in His glory. Matthew 13.41 and 16.27-28 all refer to the Son of man in the kingdom. And John 6.53-54 makes clear that all who eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood shall be raised at the last day and thus be in the kingdom. Hence the name, the Son of man, is the Lord’s name in the kingdom. He is King in the capacity of a man.

C. THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL SERVANTS, 24.45-51

In this passage we have still another parable—that of the two kinds of servants. The Lord mentions two different kinds of servants: one can either be a faithful and wise steward or be an evil steward.

vv.45-47 The parable of the wise servant or steward is presented in four steps: (1) the household, (2) the charge of the Lord, (3) the Lord’s demands on the servant, and (4) the reward.

(1) The household. This is different from the house in the preceding parable. The former is personal and it speaks of the person himself, while this is corporate and it belongs to the Lord. It agrees with what is given in Hebrews 3.6 and Mark 13.34 where the house in question includes all the believers (cf. 1 Tim. 3.15). Therefore, the household here points to the church.

(2) The charge of the Lord.

(a) “Set over his household”—This represents authority.

(b) “Give them their food in due season”—This represents ministry.

Hence this is a keeping charge before God on the one hand and a serving men on the other. (Let us not misunderstand these words as signifying one servant ruling alone over the whole household. Such a misinterpretation unwarrantedly provides ground for the Pope to hold his position in the Roman Catholic Church. Nor does this verse suggest the idea of a pastor ruling over his pastorate, for note that this one servant has fellow servants being mentioned in verse 49. The Lord merely speaks of this one servant as an illustration.) The work is to govern. Each servant in the household of God has some authority. Every blood-bought bondservant of the Lord possesses a certain degree of authority to govern and to minister.

Some people advocate the concept that the church today should turn her face outward, which means she should preach the gospel with one accord to the near exclusion of any other work. But is not even the preaching of the gospel a gathering of materials for the building of the church (see Eph. 4.11-12)? To get people saved is a means, not an end. Whereas the end is to build up the church, which is distributing both material and spiritual food to the household in due season. Let us all do our best in serving our Lord by helping one another.

Distributing food in due season is our ministry. This is to serve people with the things of God as well as with the word of God. All who serve with the ministry of Christ are ministers. To preach God’s word is distributing food, though it may not always be so. For unless people are really nourished and unless preaching leads to repentance and obedience, it is not a distributing of food. Let us therefore seek out those brethren who require various helps and distribute to them food according to their differing needs and measures. We need to see that we are all servants. We should distribute food in due season, and never assume a superior attitude lest people die of hunger.

(3) The Lord’s demands. There are two conditions mentioned here: being faithful and being wise: being faithful towards the Lord and being wise towards the brethren. We, though, frequently reverse the order. On the one hand we become too faithful towards men by severely scolding them; and thus, although we are faithful, we nevertheless certainly lack wisdom because we do not know how to speak the truth in love. On the other hand, we are too unfaithful towards God by our using too much of our own wisdom in excusing and covering and consoling ourselves. (Let me hasten to say that unquestionably we should also be faithful to men. Only being wise towards men may turn us to clever maneuvering; yet only being faithful to them may likewise turn us to foolish loyalty. The correct solution is that we must be both faithful and wise towards the brethren.)

Being faithful is (a) not discounting anything: as much as the Lord says, precisely that much is accepted; and (b) not considering one’s own welfare: never becoming unfaithful due to any personal reason or consideration. Therefore, he who desires to be faithful must deny himself and take up the cross. He needs to forsake his own cleverness, because cleverness often comes from man whereas wisdom comes from God. Today those who are most faithful are at the same time generally the most foolish, most rude, most inconsiderate, and most independent. Hence, wisdom is greatly required. Many of God’s works are spoiled by the faithful ones who are simultaneously without wisdom. Of course, it is better to be faithful though lacking in wisdom than to be wise though lacking in faithfulness. Nowadays, there are too many wise but unfaithful servants who widen the narrow gate. Such people are unfit to be God’s stewards.

(4) Reward. “He will set him over all that he hath”—Verse 46 tells us blessed is he who faithfully keeps and wisely executes the command of the Lord. This blessing points to the reward in the kingdom. “Set him over”—This means to rule, to manage. To be busily occupied today is quite different from being busily occupied in the kingdom. There are many affairs in the kingdom which will require management. But today’s tasks merely test whether one will be competent to be so occupied in the day to come. If a person is able to serve the brethren now, he will be used to serve then. Today God appoints him to do a little thing; in that day He will set him over all things. He who is selfish and lazy now has no chance to rule then.

vv.48-51 This section may also be divided into four parts: (1) whether the evil servant is a Christian, (2) what his faults are, (3) what the reason is for his faults, and (4) what the consequence is.

(1) Is the evil servant a Christian? He is indeed a Christian, a saved person. The reasons for this conclusion are as follows: (a) The evil servant is none other than the same servant spoken of in verse 45 whom the Lord has set over His household. The Lord’s appointment is not like human ordination, for the latter can be wrong. The Lord cannot appoint a wrong person; nevertheless, whether the servant is faithful or evil depends entirely on how that person performs. (b) The evil servant calls the Lord “my Lord”—thus proving his personal relationship with Him. And such confession is from “his heart” (to confess merely with the mouth may not be dependable). On this point see also Rom. 10.9-10 and 1 Corinthians 12.3 (c) The evil servant not only believes in the Lord but also waits for His return. His fault is in thinking his Lord will tarry. An unsaved person can never think such a thing in his heart.

In spite of the above three decisive reasons, there are still many people who hold the view that on the basis of (a) his conduct, (b) his judgment, and (c) his punishment, this evil servant is unsaved. Those who hold this interpretation argue these three points as follows: (a) If he is saved, how can he ever beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunkards? In reply, let it be said that actually a saved Christian is still capable of committing all kinds of sins after regeneration. Let us recall that the person who committed the heinous sin of incest in 1 Corinthians 5 was a born-again believer! (b) The Lord appoints this evil servant’s portion with the hypocrites. May we state in reply that this simply indicates that he as a believer is as hypocritical as are the unbelieving hypocrites. It is made even clearer in Luke 12: “Appoint his portion with the unfaithful [original, “unbelievers’]” (v.46). He is therefore a believer who will share his portion with the unbelievers. (c) “Cut him asunder” is not a phrase to be taken literally, for how can the servant subsequently weep and gnash his teeth if he has physically been cut into two? What is probably signified here by such a phrase is most likely an action which will cause him to be separated temporarily from the Lord. Compare Matthew’s account with that found in Luke 12.47-48 where we are told that the evil servant shall be beaten with many stripes. To be beaten is not to perish, for the Lord’s sheep shall never perish (see John 10.27-28).

(2) What are the faults of the evil servant? Verse 49 discloses two sins: (a) he beats his fellow servants—an action taken towards believers, that is to say, towards those within the household, and (b) he eats and drinks with the drunkards—an action taken towards unbelievers, which is to say, towards those without the household. “Fellow-servants” are those who serve together. “Beat” is a word signifying the misuse of the authority which the Lord has given him. To “eat and drink” is to have fellowship with the world.

To “beat” someone is to consider oneself as possessing greater authority—and therefore as being higher—than others: forgetting, however, that the matter of discipline is in God’s hand. The utmost a brother can do to another brother is to reprimand him. To “beat” another is to deprive God of His own authority to discipline. Whenever anyone deems himself to have special authority to rule over his fellow companions, he as it were is beating them. On this point, see Matthew 23: “All ye are brethren” (v.8).

To “beat” someone else is in addition a losing one’s self-control. When one is in control of himself, he will not “beat” people. To “beat” others is not necessarily something that is done with a staff or whip. Spiritually and psychologically speaking, whatever causes people pain or inflicts a wound on them is sufficient to be termed a “beating” of others. One can hurt people with words, causing them untold sufferings by means of a sharp, biting tongue. His aim is to make people miserable for three or five days while he concomitantly is enjoying great pleasure. And such is in actuality a beating. We ought always to be healing wounds—and that with oil and wine—and not constantly to be operating on them by inflicting new cuts. God’s children have enough wounds and pains. How can we ever think of adding more to them? All who are proud, independent, or ill-tempered tend to “beat” people.

The other sin is to be united with the world. A drunkard according to the Scriptures is a man who is ensnared by the world. He who is blurred in vision through drink is undoubtedly intoxicated. Likewise, a person whose heart is overcharged with riches, fame, and so forth is dulled in his spiritual senses and can therefore also be reckoned as being drunk. The servant, being a believer, ought not communicate with the drunkards (this is the teaching of 2 Corinthians 6.14ff.), for eating and drinking, in the Scriptures, denote especially the idea of communication or fellowship. After Lot was separated from Abraham he moved to Sodom, which action signified his being joined to the world. Whenever any believer detests a brother but delights in the worldling, he is fallen.

The above two sins can easily be committed by any believer.

(3) What is the reason for his faults? It is given in verse 48, “My lord tarrieth”—He truly believes in the second coming of the Lord, except that in his estimation the Lord will come tardily. Whoever does not believe in the soon return of the Lord is an evil servant. What does the Lord say is the fault of this evil servant? Just this, that though he confesses with his mouth that the Lord shall indeed come, he nevertheless says in his heart that the Lord will delay. How precarious is such a position! Will a person watch if he has no idea that the Lord is coming soon?

Many people do not want the Lord to return soon lest His coming would destroy or terminate their plans. They are unable to pray with John: “Amen: come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22.20).

We must have both the attitude and the desire for the soon return of the Lord. Familiarity with prophecy alone is not enough, since the evil servant is also well-acquainted with prophecy.

(4) What is the consequence? The Lord returns earlier than the evil servant thinks. If any should speculate that the Lord will tarry, he will find his Lord coming quicker than he thinks. What is the penalty? The Lord will separate him and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. To be assigned a place with the hypocrites does not mean to receive precisely the same punishment, just as those who share the same place in jail do not receive the same punishment. “The weeping and the gnashing of teeth” signifies deep regret and true repentance.