Christ foretells the destruction of the temple, 1, 2; what and how great calamities shall be before it, 3-28; the signs of his coming to judgment, 29-35. And because that day and hour are unknown, 36-41, we ought to watch like good servants, expecting every moment our Master's coming, 42-51.
1 And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down."
3 And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled. For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 "Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will rise and will deceive many. 12 And because iniquity will abound, the love of many will become cold. 13 But he who endures to the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a testimony to all nations. And then the end shall come.
15 "Therefore, when you see 'the abomination of desolation' spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the house-top not come down to take anything out of his house, 18 Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse infants in those days! 20 But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, neither on the sabbath. 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time, nor will there ever be. 22 And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man says to you, 'Behold, here is Christ,' or, 'There,' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders in such a way that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Therefore, if they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the desert,' do not go forth, or, 'Behold, he is in the secret chambers,' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man also be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be collected.
29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days 'the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall' from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see 'the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, 'from one end of heaven to the other.'
32 "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree. When its branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So likewise you, when you see all these things know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation shall not pass until all these things are fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 "But of that day and hour no man knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of man also 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 Noah entered into the ark, 39 And did not know until the flood came and took them all away—so also will be the coming of the Son of man. 40 Then two will be in the field: one shall be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken and the other left.
42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house knew in what watch the thief would come, he would watch and would not allow his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore, you also be ready. For the Son of man comes in such an hour as you do not think.
45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you, that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his coming,' 49 And begins to beat his fellow-servants and to eat and drink with the drunken, 50 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not look for him and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And will cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew Henry Commentary - Matthew, Chapter 24[➚]
[v.1-8] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:1-8; Luke 21:5-11.
[v.9-14] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-19.
[v.15-21] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24.
[v.15] - Quoting Daniel 12:11 (LXX). From John Calvin's Commentary: "But before I proceed farther, I must examine the passage which is quoted by Christ. [Some] commentators are, I think, mistaken, who think that this quotation is made from the ninth chapter of the Book of Daniel. For there we do not literally find the words, abomination, of desolation; and it is certain that the angel does not there speak of the final destruction which Christ now mentions, but of the temporary dispersion which was brought about by the tyranny of Antiochus. But in the twelfth chapter the angel predicts what is called the final abrogation of the services of the Law, which was to take place at the coming of Christ. For, after having exhorted believers to unshaken constancy, he fixes absolutely the time both of the ruin and of the restoration."
[v.22-25] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:19-23.
[v.26-27] - Gospel Link: Luke 17:23-24.
[v.28] - Gospel Link: Luke 17:37. Reference, Job 39:30.
[v.29-31] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28.
[v.29] - Quoting Isaiah 13:10. See also, Isaiah 34:4; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31, 3:15.
[v.30] - Quoting Daniel 7:13.
[v.31a] - "sound of a trumpet" - Numbers 10:2 states that the trumpet is used "for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps." Psalm 81:3 shows that the trumpet was also used in sounding the praise of the Lord.
[v.31b] - "gather his elect" - Reference, Psalm 50:5.
[v.31c] - "from one end of heaven to the other" - Quoting Deuteronomy 30:4 (LXX), or 4:32 (LXX). Reference, Isaiah 27:13; John 11:52; Revelation 7:9.
[v.32-35] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33.
[v.36] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:32.
[v.37-39] - Gospel Link: Luke 17:26-27, 30.
[v.38a] - Reference, Genesis ch. 6.
[v.38b] - "the day that Noah entered into the ark" - Reference, Genesis 7:6-7.
[v.40-41] - Gospel Link: Luke 17:35-36.
[v.42-44] - Gospel Link: Mark 13:35; Luke 12:39-40.
[v.45-51] - Gospel Link: Luke 12:36-37, 41-46.