Matthew 24 is describing the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. That was the final end of the Old Covenant and the promised retribution upon the Jews of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 23.
You are half right.
The following is a worksheet used in a Bible study of Matthew chapter 24.
Matthew Chapter 24:
In Matthew chapter 24, Christ gives an explanation to four of His disciples.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be? and
what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
1st Question: ________________________________________________
Christ has just told them the temple would be destroyed in the previous verse.
2nd Question: _______________________________________________
The Greek word “parousia” is used throughout the New Testament to describe His Second Coming.
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Do New Testament and historical writings show that Jesus answered the first question within the first half of Matthew, chapter 24?
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Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Act 8:9 But there was a certain man, called
Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria,
giving out that himself was some great one:
(Simon Magus was a deceiver. Confirmed by Jerome.)
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Mat 24:6 And
ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all
these thingsmust come to pass, but the end is not yet.
During 66 AD the Roman 12th Legion under the command of Cestius Gallus surrounded the city of Jerusalem. For some unknown reason, he ordered his army to stop the seige. During the retreat the Romans were attacked by the Jews, who killed thousands of the Roman soldiers.
(Josephus, War 2.19.7, 540) (Tacitus, The Histories V)
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Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places.
There was a devastating earthquake around 60-62 AD that destroyed much of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
This was recorded by Tacitus in his writings as being during the 7th year of Nero.
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Mat 24:8 All these
are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9 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.
The New Testament records the persecution of the early Christians, mainly by the Jews.
This is described specifically in Mark’s Gospel.
Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for
they shall deliver you up to councils; and
in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
The Apostle Paul confirms that he fulfilled this persecution.
Act 22:19 And I said, Lord, they know that
I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
Act 22:20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
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Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But
he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Col_4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.
2Ti_4:10 For
Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
1Jn_4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
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Mat 24:14 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.
Was the Gospel preached into every nation in the modern world? No.
However, according to Paul it was preached into every nation of his known world.
Col 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of
the gospel;
Col 1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as
it doth also in you, since the day ye heard
of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and
be not moved away from the hope of
the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Luk 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that
all the world should be taxed.
Does this include Alaska and South America ???
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Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19 And
woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
We know sometime before the final siege of 70 AD the early Christians left the city of Jerusalem. Did they heed the warning in Matthew 24?
A parallel study of the three Gospel accounts reveals the Abomination of Desolation.
During the time of Christ, the Jews celebrated Hanukka. He was well aware of the first occurrence of the Abomination of Desolation in the temple, when Antiochus Epiphanes set up a statue of Zeus (He had previously claimed he was Zeus) in the temple and had a pig slaughtered on the altar, during 167 BC.
Hanukkah celebrates the cleansing and rededication of the temple which occurred three years after the abomination of desolation by Antiochus in 167 BC.
Therefore, Christ was predicting a second occurrence of the Abomination of Desolation in the Olivet Discourse.
Several events could be a possible desecration of the temple during 70 AD. The Roman standards were posted at the temple site. Sacrifices were made to Titus at the temple site. Also, the behavior of the zealots within the temple itself during the siege is regarded by many as a desecration of the temple.
Mat 24:15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)
Mat 24:16
Then let them which be in Judaea
flee into the mountains:
Mar 13:14 But
when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,)
then let them that be in Judaea
flee to the mountains:
Luk 21:20 And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that
the desolation thereof is nigh(near).
Luk 21:21
Then let them which are in Judaea
flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luke’s account above clearly states that the desolation would be near the time that Jerusalem was surrounded by armies.
We know the early Christians did flee from Jerusalem before the final siege.
While He was being taken to the Cross, Jesus warned the women who were weeping for him about what was to come. During this warning He makes a reference similar to that found in Matthew 24:19, about nursing mothers. This warning is also specifically made to these women and their children.
During the siege of 70 AD some women ate their own children, due to the lack of food during the siege.
Luk 23:28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
Luk 23:29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed
are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Almost all scholars agree that the following verse is a specific reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
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What do we find in the last half of Matthew chapter 24?
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Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And
he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer
is nigh:
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near,
even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But
as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 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,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and
took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one
shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41 Two
women shall be grinding at the mill; the
one shall be taken, and the other left.
Based on the language and the context in verses 24:38-39, what happens to those taken in verses 24:40-41?
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Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 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.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
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Did Christ give the disciples signs to look for, in His answer to the first question? _____
Explain your answer. ____________________________________________________
Did Christ give the disciples signs to look for in His answer to the second question? ____
Explain your answer. ____________________________________________________
The disciples asked Jesus two questions and He answered two questions in Matthew 24.
Much confusion is produced by ignoring either of the two.
