ST MATTHEW
CHAPTER 24
Jesus foretells the doom of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple—Great calamities shall precede his Second Coming—He gives the parable of the fig tree.
[ Commentators have been divided on the interpretation of chapter 24. The two ideas are that they see the events of ch. 24 as fulfilled with Titus’ sack of the Temple in AD 70, and thus the text has no application when it comes to the future. While other suggest it is about the future Second Coming. Fortunately the IV clarifies the text making it clear in v. 4-22 that he is referring to the sack of the Temple at Jerusalem by Titus in AD 70, and that v. 23-31 is referring to the Day of the Lord, or Second Coming in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. While both of these events were in the future for ancient disciples, only the latter event is now in our future. Another advantage of the IV is that it tends to harmonizes the differences between the accounts from Matthew and Luke.]
1 AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. [ This is a continuation of the discussion in chapter 23:38 talking about the destruction of the temple. The disciples are largely concerned about the timing when all of this is to happen vs 3. IV:"1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him for to hear him, saying, Master, show us concerning the buildings of the temple; as thou hast said; They shall be thrown down and left unto you desolate." The Jews say the temple was built of white and green-spotted marble. See Lightfoot. Josephus says the stones were white and strong; fifty feet long, twenty-four broad, and sixteen thick. So the point being made here by the disciples is look at how impressive and awe inspiring this structure is, how can you say that it will be destroyed? ]
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? [ The common text, and many manuscripts, have "ou blepete", so it could be rendered; "Do ye not see, or consider?" ] verily I say unto you, [ Jesus reaffirms that he is speaking literally and is serious about what he has said about the temple being destroyed. ] There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. [ The apostles are having a hard time imagining that it can be destroy given that it is such a grand structure. The First Temple was built by solomon and was an impressive structure, but it was destroyed by the Babylonian siege of Nebuchadezzar in 586 BC. The Second Temple was rebuilt on the foundations of the First Temple around 515 BC (cf. Haggai 1:4- 15), and was much more plain than solomon’s Temple. Herod the Great refurbished and greatly expanded the Temple starting around 18 BC and work on the Temple continued through about 63 AD, only about seven years before it was destroyed again in 70 AD by the Roman armies of Titus. Herod’s refurbishing and expansion of the Second Temple was only a small part of his massive nationwide construction campaigns. Josephus, in his Wars of the Jews, spends the entire chapter 21 of book 1 describing all of Herod’s constructions. He describes the Temple construction as follows: Accordingly, in the fifteenth year of his reign, Herod rebuilt the temple, and encompassed a piece of land about it with a wall, which land was twice as large as that before enclosed. The expenses he laid out upon it were vastly large also, and the riches about it were unspeakable. A sign of which you have in the great cloisters that were erected about the temple, and the citadel which was on its north side. The cloisters he built from the foundation, but the citadel he repaired at a vast expense; nor was it other than a royal palace, which he called Antonia, in honor of Antony. He also built himself a palace in the Upper city, containing two very large and most beautiful apartments; to which the holy house itself could not be compared [in largeness]. The one apartment he named Caesareum, and the other Agrippium, from his [two great] friends. (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 21, Paragraph 1) Later in the same work Josephus further describes the Temple in the following manner: Now nine of these gates were on every side covered over with gold and silver, as were the jambs of their doors and their lintels; but there was one gate that was without the [inward court of the] holy house, which was of Corinthian brass, and greatly excelled those that were only covered over with silver and gold.... Now the magnitudes of the other gates were equal one to another; but that over the Corinthian gate, which opened on the east over against the gate of the holy house itself, was much larger; for its height was fifty cubits; and its doors were forty cubits; and it was adorned after a most costly manner, as having much richer and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them than the other.... As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst [of the inmost court], that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and its breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits, though it was behind forty cubits narrower; for on its front it had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that passed twenty cubits further. Its first gate was seventy cubits high, and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors; for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over...But that gate which was at this end of the first part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over covered with gold, as was its whole wall about it; it had also golden vines above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man's height. But then this house, as it was divided into two parts, the inner part was lower than the appearance of the outer, and had golden doors of fifty-five cubits altitude, and sixteen in breadth; but before these doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing living creatures.... Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun's own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. On its top it had spikes with sharp points, to prevent any pollution of it by birds sitting upon it. Of its stones, some of them were forty-five cubits in length, five in height, and six in breadth. Before this temple stood the altar, fifteen cubits high, and equal both in length and breadth; each of which dimensions was fifty cubits. (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 5, Chapter 5, Paragraphs 3-6) Clearly, the Temple as refurbished by Herod was an impressive and awe-inspiring structure. This is probably why the disciples were a bit surprised when Jesus said it would be overthrown. ]
3 ¶ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, [ After leaving the temple complex he makes his way to the Mount of Olives. ] the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? [ When will the temple be destroyed? He answers by telling them not when it is but rather when it is not. So in other words you need to prepare and always be ready. Their question at hand is thus” The Jews in general and the apostles in specific wanted Jesus to fulfil the OT predictions of the Day of the Lord at that time. They wanted Jesus to overthrow the Romans and restore the kingdom of Judah to its former glory. And they ask Jesus when he is going to do it.” ] and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. [ Alway be true to that which you know to be true. Stay faithful as this life can be easily taken off coarse if we loose the spirit and we do not follow what we are directed to do by the spirit. ]
5 For many shall come in my name, [ The Savior begins to give a general idea of some of the ways that the adversary will use to deceive them. ] saying, I am Christ; [ 1) False prophets] and shall deceive many. [ After this verse both Mark 13:9-12 and Luke 21:12-16 discuss various predictions of imminent persecution and contention coming. ]
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: [ 2) The idea that the end is near because of the rages of war. The idea is that what does it matter what you do the end is near any way. It's over give up. ] see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, [ Plagues. ] , and earthquakes, in divers places. [ 3) all of nature will seem to be in turmoil. Luke adds to this with "and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven" ]
8 All these [ The things contained in verses 6 & 9 ] are the beginning of sorrows. [ This 3.5 period now has a name. it is called the "Beginning of sorrows". The actual greek word in the original text "ὠδίνων" which means birth pains... its a sign that the beginning of the birth pains have started. in revelation 12:2 it uses the word "ὠδίνω" which is a derived from the same word. " travail (in childbirth), birth pangs. ]
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. [ and to this Luke adds Luke 21:18-19 "Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives" New American Standard]
10 And then shall many be offended, [ Those without strong testimonies will find a reason to disbelieve. ] and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, [ Which is what? Part of it is defined by Daniel as a time when sacrifices and oblations will cease because abominations pollute the sanctuary of strength or when something keeps people from going to the temple? In the days of Antiochus’s rage See Dan , the holy place could not be the synagogue or the temple, as they had been overrun by Greek forces and local authorities. In that trial, the holy place was the home. While the temple was closed, the faithful gathered in their houses to keep the Sabbath and worship the Lord. The circumstances surrounding latter-day events may also bring about similar circumstances. Efforts to build and stand in holy places are and will be critical for the Saints to survive the trials and calamities to come. ] , spoken of by Daniel the prophet, [ Dan 11:31, 8:9-11 ] stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
21 For then shall be great tribulation, [ So the first 3.5 year period was named "Time of sorrows" and now the second 3.5 year period is and even worse period and is named "The Great Tribulation" or also The Time of Jacobs (Israel) Trouble (Tribulation) See Jer 30:7 ] , such as was not since the beginning of the world [ Think of all of the wild things that have happened on the earth, sodom and Gomorrah, the flood the list goes on for some pretty bad things and yet in these last days it will be greater than all of those. ] to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days [ The last days, the times of the tribulation. ] should be shortened, [ The time must be reduced because things will be so intense. ] there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. [ IV inserts the phrase " according to the covenant". Suggesting that the Lords top priority is still the salvation of natural Israel per the Abrahamic covenant. ]
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. [ When he comes again there will be no doubt that he has returned. ]
24 For there shall arise false Christs, [ These will be individuals who represent themselves as Christ. ] and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; [ They will look like they have the same power that God has. They will probably use it for what appears to be good. None the less they will come with great power so much so that they will apear to be as Christ. ] insomuch that, [ I think he is suggesting here that those who look for an seek after signs will be fooled that these really are Christ. So we need to know God another way other than by the things that he does, we need to know him by the spirit, we have to hear him and know him through that spirit. If we do then these anti-Christs will not deceive us because while they have the power to do miracles they do not have the spirit of the Holy Ghost, on;y one has that. ] if it were possible, [ So if there is any chink in the armor, any hole left unguarded, any way to do so. ] they shall deceive the very elect.
[ Those who are trying their hardest to be like him. God’s chosen and covenant people. ]
25 Behold, I have told you before.
[ Verses 26-28 are a distillation of Luke 17:23-37, but the IV expands on Luke's account considerably, making explicit reference to Daniel's abomination of desolation. A substantial difference between the two accounts is the Luke 17 version makes use of Noah's Deluge and the destruction of sodom and Gomorrah as well, but does not reference Daniel's Abomination of Desolation. The KJV and IV on Matthew do not make mention of sodom and Gomorrah, but it does reference Daniel's Abomination of Desolation. The difference between these two accounts may be due to the target audiences. In the Matthew 24 version, especially the IV account, Jerusalem and Judea are explicitly referenced as where the events are to take place. In the Luke 17 version Jesus is asked generally about the arrival of the kingdom of God, and no specific locale is given. Thus, Daniel's abomination of desolation would be associated with Jerusalem in specific and sodom and Gomorrah would be associated with world in general. ]
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.
27 For as the lightning [ IV changes this to light suggesting the new day is coming and all of the world will see it. ] cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the son of man [ A title for Christ - The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness"
(Mormon Doctrine p671; Moses 6:57 ] be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles [ Better translation here would be vultures. “In the parable, as here given, the carcass is the body of the Church to which the eagles, who are Israel, shall fly to find nourishment. ‘The gathering of Israel is first spiritual and second temporal. It is spiritual in that the lost sheep of Israel are first “restored to the true church and fold of God,” meaning that they come to a true knowledge of the God of Israel, accept the gospel which he has restored in latter-days, and join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is temporal in that these converts are then “gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and . . . established in all their lands of promise.” (2 Ne. 9:2; 25:15–18; Jer. 16:14–21), meaning that the house of Joseph will be established in America, the house of Judah in Palestine, and that the Lost Tribes will come to Ephraim in America to receive their blessings in due course. (D. & C. 133.)’ (Mormon Doctrine, p. 280.)” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:648–49.) ] be gathered together.
29 ¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days [ The days of tribulation is what? A 7 year period called the 7 year tribulation which consists of a 3.5 year period known as the "Beginning of sorrows" see vs 8 and another 3.5 year period known as "The Great Tribulation" see vs 21 ] shall the sun be darkened, [ Another total solar eclipse? ] , and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the son of man [ A title for Christ. ] 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.
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.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; [ According to the Jews the fig tree is a symbol of the nations, where as the Olive tree is a symbol of Israel. The altar can never accept a piece of olive wood onto it for fuel. The preferred fuel is the fig. A poor mans offerring was to bring in fig branches. What do we know about a fig tree? It is a great shade tree, it grows quickly, it has pretty large leaves for which adam and eve used for covering. Side note; fig leaves in the Hebrew language are considered synonymous to excuses. So to cover yourself with fig leaves you are covering yourself with excuses. [ ] There are two seasons of fruit of the fig tree in the holy land. In the spring time (march - april) it produces a very small fruit that is not that sweet - they call it the poor man's fruit. The Good fruit is produced in late october - november time frame. So we are coming up on passover when he is delivering this parable. There should be a small amount of fruit. But there is none so he curses the tree because it is not fulfilling its purpose. Figurative of the future - since the fig tree represents the nations and if they are not going to bear fruit for God then they are not fulfilling their purpose so why have them. So the branchges are gathered up and burned. Burned where on the altar. So after the cursing the tree withers up and dies. The branches all fall off and all that is left is a large pole. There are those who believe that this is the pole that was used as the cross for the Savior. Mark 11 says they were on the mount of olives at this time. It is also of interest that there is an account that also compares the house of Israel to a fig tree. It is the Ethiopic Apocalypse of Peter which purports to be a missing fragment of the conversation that Jesus had with his disciples as found in Matt 24. (Compare Peter 1:38 to Jacob 5:3; Peter 1:8 - Jacob 5:25,26; Peter 1:9 - Jacob 5:27, Jacob 6:1; ) Could Jesus have been quoting from the Apocryphal book of Zenos(Zenez found in Pseudo-Philo)? John also paraphrases from this and the Book Of Enoch in Matt 3:9. ] ; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [ Elder Brockbank of the Seventy, in April 1976 General Conference quoted President Kimball, who in discussing the parable of the Fig Tree, had stated that it was beginning to blossom.
"Before the second coming of Jesus Christ, certain promised signs and wonders are to take place, making it possible for his Saints to know the approximate time of his coming. Jesus said: "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise, ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." (Matt. 24:32-33.) President Kimball gave this counsel, "The leaves are commencing to show on the fig tree." That is prophetic." In April 2036 it will have been exactly 60 years since this talk was given. ] even at the doors.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, [ This is not the second coming of God, as this event will happen after the Savior has already returned and established his kingdom on the earth. An event where the earth becomes cleansed, set to it Celestial state. In the days of Noah the earth was baptized, so too will it be cleansed with fire. ] but my words shall not pass away.
36 ¶ But of that day [ Is this referring to the day from the previous verse the day when the heavens and the earth pass away? It is always read as the second coming - but is that correct? Is it the tribulation of those days? See JS - Matt 1:33-36. "33 And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
34 Verily, I say unto you, this generation, in which these things shall be shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be fulfilled.
35 Although, the days will come, that heaven and earth shall pass away; yet my words shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled.
36 And, as I said before, after the tribulation of those days, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, 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;" ] and hour knoweth no man, [ In the early 1840s, Baptist William Miller stirred considerable national interest with his prediction that the Second Coming would occur in 1843. When one of Miller’s followers claimed to have seen the “sign of the Son of Man” as predicted in Matthew 24, Joseph replied: “He has not seen the sign of the Son of Man, as foretold by Jesus; neither has any man … for the Lord hath not shown me any such sign; and as the prophet saith, so it must be—‘Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.’ (See Amos 3:7.) Therefore hear this, O earth: The Lord will not come to reign over the righteous, in this world, in 1843, nor until everything for the Bridegroom is ready.”(History Of The Church 5:291) Of the Savior’s words that no man knows the day or the hour of the coming of the Son of Man (see Matt. 24:36), the Prophet asked: “Did Christ speak this as a general principle throughout all generations? Oh, no, He spoke in the present tense. No man that was then living upon the footstool of God knew the day or the hour. But He did not say that there was no man throughout all generations that should not know the day or the hour. No, for this would be in flat contradiction with other scripture. For the prophet says that God will do nothing but what He will reveal unto His servants the prophets. Consequently, if it is not made known to the prophets, it will not come to pass.”(The Words of Joseph Smith, ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook (1980), 180–81.) ] no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. [ If Christ is a God does he not know all thing? Are he and the Father not one? One in purpose... What is one good reason why the Father would withhold this from the Son, it is the mission of the son, he has received the fulness of the Father. Matt 11:27; Luke 10:22 says "All things are delivered to me of my Father". That is not most things but it says all. ]
37 But as the days of Noe were, so [ No one knew the destruction that was going to happen in the days of Noah, because they did not listen to Noah. I am sure that even when the rains started everyone just passed it off as another storm, at what point did they begin to think it was real? ] shall also the coming of the son of man [ A title for Christ - The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness" (Mormon Doctrine p671; Moses 6:57 ] be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
[ Remember that the Lord told Noah when to enter the ark and then the LOrd sealed it up - it was not Noah that sealed it up. Noah could not save anyone who was not in the ark when it was sealed no matter how bad he wanted too. Think about this from the perspective of temple ordinances. ]
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; [ Who was taken? It was not Noah and his family as they were left on the earth. ] so shall also the coming of the son of man [ What happened to them then will happen again in the last days. ] be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, [ Again we see that it is the Lord who is taking them. This is being compared to what the Lord did in the days of Noah. He left Noah on the earth and took the others - the unrighteous. ] , and the other left. [ So if we compared this to the times of Noah then these that are left would be those who are like Noah - the righteous. ]
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, [ Many take this as those who are taken up to meet God. But if we continue to follow the logic spelled out in this chapter we can see that is not the case, rather like in the days of Noah it is the unrighteous that are taken. ] and the other left.
[ Those who stay working at the grindstone are the ones left. So what can we conclude from what these people have in line with what Noah had going for him as the comparison suggests here? Noah had the ordinance and he was trying to share those ordinances with everyone that he could. So we might conclude that those who are left are left for a purpose. To complete the work of the Lord - to share the gospel, to do the ordinance work for the dead in the temple, and for the living. We get further clairification with who these people are and what they are doing in verse 46. ]
42 ¶ Watch therefore: [ "Watch" - gregoreo [G1127]; is an active verb meaning: to be awake, to watch, to be alert, to keep watch, to keep watching, to be keeping alert, to stay on the alert, and to stay awake. It expects active and concentrated behavior, to be continuously seeking. This is repeated in the phrase “Therefore . . . must be ready”: houtos hetoimos [G3778 G2092]; which means: to be especially prepared, ready. Twice in one paragraph Yeshua commands us to be on the alert and ready, to know when the time is near, for he – our High Priest – may come upon us unexpectedly, exactly has did the High Priest in earlier times(Leviticus 6:8-13). Jesus giving his Sermon on the Mount of Olives and they're asking him when are you going to come again and this is his reply. Do you find it interesting that the Lord tells us to "watch" here. Does this suggest that while we may not know the exact time we can know we are close by watching for the signs. Remember that he gave a clue a few verse earlier of what to watch for. He suggested that we need to pay attention to the fig tree, if we do we can get an idea when the fruit is ripe. ] for ye know not what hour your Lord [ This also happens to be another name for husband. ] doth come. [ A warning to always be ready because you never know when Judgement will come. This is a preface to the next parable that the Savior will teach them - the parable of the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13) ]
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the son of man [ A title for Christ - The "son of God" and the "son of Man" are synonymous... In the pure Adamic language, the name Elohim, the Father, is "Man of Holiness" (signifying that God is a Holy Man), and the name of Christ, the son, is short for "son of Man of Holiness" (Mormon Doctrine p671; Moses 6:57 ] cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, [ Which servant? The Lord answers that next. ] whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [ The one is is found still grinding at the mill so to speak as is mentioned in verse 41. Or in other words the one who is still at work doing the Lords work. Think about this for a minute. The Lord need every helpping hand that he can get at and during the millenium - there is so much work to be done and the Lord will keep those on the earth who are doing his work. ]